If you missed today’s World Superbike’s double header at Phillip Island, you can catch some footage from these two highlight videos and read more from the riders.
Sylvain Guintoli (3rd and DNF)“After what happened to me here last year, this is the best reward I could get.
It was hard work, but I’m very happy and would like to say thanks to the whole team.
I was confident for another podium and as I was battling with Melandri, I went wide to avoid crashing but then on the field I wasn’t able to handle the bike.
”Tom Sykes (4th and 3rd)“In race one I got a good start and over race distance I had been feeling really strong all week.
It was a very difficult race with the wind blowing me and the bike around but to be honest I had to use my head a bit and not get sucked into too much fighting.
I was just trying to manage the gap behind, but to come away with a fourth, on a track like this, using the same tyres as the guys on the podium, is a bit of a first for us.
It shows the progress Kawasaki has made over the winter.
To take the podium on the last lap was really satisfying and the bike has been working really well in winter testing so big thanks to the team; they were very focused.
Race two was even more windy than race one but my crew chief and team changed the balance of the bike and compensated for some things.
For sure we arrived at the limit but we were able to maintain a consistent pace right to the end.
I had a good fight with Max for a couple of laps and a few corners.
So to come away with pole position, third and fourth in the races, I am over the moon, because this circuit has never been a strong one for us in the past.
” Jakub Smrz (5th and 11th)After a good first race, we decided to change a few things on the bike for race 2.
I didn’t have a good start and although the bike was good, and so was my lap time and speed, I wasn’t able to recover for better than 11th place.
It’s a shame, but we did a great job on the bike anyway and I’m grateful for the amazing job that my team did.
Jonathan Rea (7th and 4th)We’ve still got a bagful of points to go on to Imola with but we wanted to be on the podium in both races.
I honestly feel like we got a bad tyre in race one and in race two we didn’t want to run in the same situation, so we were thinking about changing the tyre, but all our logic and race runs throughout the weekend told us to keep this [harder] tyre in the heat.
Directly, I had more grip – OK, the temperature was even hotter, which would go against our logic – but the tyre felt like it should feel and I was able to ride strong and consistent until probably five laps to go when durability fell off and I was going backwards.
I felt fresh and strong in both races and the guys have worked well all weekend.
We had a little crash on Saturday and the boys worked so good with the one-bike rule to get us back out there.
You have to think that this circuit is a bit unique with the tyre character, how long you’re on the side and the heat generated in the tyre.
Now we move on to some tracks that are good for us and there’s a lot of work to do back at base.
The guys need to find some speed, so that’s on the agenda; I’ve just done a de-brief and everything feels OK.
I want to say thanks to everyone for all their help this weekend – it feels good to get to the start of the season fit and healthy and I’m looking forward to round two now.
Hiroshi Aoyama (8th and 9th)I think it’s not so bad for my first Superbike weekend.
We had a not-so-easy start on Friday when I had one crash and we had a lot of problems.
That didn’t help us to go much faster and we tried many things but couldn’t improve.
In the races we managed to finish in the top ten with eighth and ninth and I want to say thanks to all the guys who worked for me.
It was a tough weekend but ended up not too bad.
I’m looking forward to the next race in Imola – of course I’ve never ridden there, so it’s going to be tough for Friday.
We have month to improve the bike a little bit and, if I can find a better feeling, I can push a little bit more and this is what I am looking for.
Anyway, considering the situation now, it’s not so bad!Joan Lascorz (15th and DNF) “It was difficult with the settings in the first race.
In the first part it was not so bad, then we had a lot of problems with vibration.
The wind was also pushing me around in the fast corners.
I eventually lost the front in race two but it was much better for the machine set-up.
Congratulations to Tom, he rode a nice race, and congratulations to the team and Kawasaki too.
I crashed out of race two but I think we were just unlucky, and it was good to find our true pace in race two for a few laps.
”Leon Camier (17th and 12th): “I wanted better results today but we’ve gathered masses of information in the team’s first-ever WSBK race and I’m positive that we’ll see a big improvement in Imola.
I can’t tell you how happy I am with the GSX-R’s chassis – for me it has the potential to win races.
The bike brakes really well, is stable in mid-corner; and I’m perfectly happy with its character.
If we can get a bit more power, we’ll be contenders for sure.
In race one, I got pushed off the track by Giugliano and lost ground.
I started chasing back to catch up, but as the race went on the tyre wore out completely and I couldn’t push any harder.
In the second race, I got hemmed-in going into turn one, lost ground and was 14th at the end of lap one.
I was able to pass a lot of people on the brakes, but lost out on acceleration and top speed and again the way I had to ride to compensate destroyed the tyre at the end.
This was a tough day but the potential is huge.
”Josh Brookes (16th and 15th) :“I feel better about today than the rest of the weekend.
For race two, we went back to front-end ride height we used yesterday plus some softer springs.
The changes made a huge difference to how the front end felt and the bike braked and turned better.
We turned down the traction control for race two and although I was happier with the feel of the bike, it resulted in destroying the tyres more quickly.
I’d like to thank Crescent Fixi Suzuki for giving me the chance to ride the bike.
I have learnt a lot this weekend and my mind has been opened as to the potential of the Suzuki I’ll be riding in the British Superbike Championship.
”Raffaele De Rosa (DNS and 17th):“It was fun in the beginning of race two when I could race with other riders, but as the race wore on I found it difficult changing gear as the tyres got hot.
I am still getting used to a Superbike and the electronics, as it is all new to me.
My team and I are learning all the time.
”WSBK Standings and points after round 1: 1.
Max Biaggi Aprilia 452.
Marco Melandri BMW 303.
Tom Sykes Kawasaki 294.
Carlos Checa Ducati 255.
Jonathan Rea Honda 226.
Sylvain Guintoli Ducati 167.
Jakub Smrz Ducati 168.
Leon Haslam BMW 159.
Hiroshi Aoyama Honda 1510.
Maxime Berger Ducati 1211.
Michel Fabrizio BMW 1012.
Davide Giugliano Ducati 1013.
Eugene Laverty Aprillia 814.
Lorenzo Zanetti Ducati 715.
Niccolo Canepa Ducati 616.
Bryan Staring Kawasaki 617.
Leon Camier Suzuki 418.
David Salom Kawasaki 219.
Joshua Brookes Suzuki 120.
Joan Lascorz Kawasaki 1
