From a press release issued by the World Superbike Championship press office:

Second Stop For the SBK Express

The second race of the 2003 season provides the first ‘long haul’ for the SBK circus, as the world’s premier streetbike-based series abandons the European arena (site of the first race of the season at Valencia in Spain) for the delights of Phillip Island in Australia.

Consistently one of the favourite venues of the year, thanks to the warm Aussie welcome and the awesomely undulating and challenging Phillip Island circuit itself, the lone Australian round of the season is a highlight of this or any SBK campaign.

The gloriously designed Phillip Island track, 4.445km in length, features a fast main straight, a bravery test at turn one and a myriad of other gradients, cambers and cornering speeds.

With no official all-encompassing SBK Phillip Island test sessions forming part of the off-season routine this winter, most of the teams entering the second round will have much work to do over two days of qualifying, with the grippy but increasingly bumpy Victorian circuit always presenting a particular set up quandary in any case.

Favourites to battle for the wins in the brace of World Superbike races will be the Ducati Fila factory squad of Neil Hodgson and Ruben Xaus, after Hodgson’s double win and Xaus’ twin appearances on the second step of the Valencia podium.

One short step behind the leading Ducati pairing is a plethora of ex-factory and privateer Ducati 998 riders, with the most impressive thus far being the HM Plant pairing of Chris Walker and James Toseland, who shared a podium and a fourth place finish each at the first round, on March 2. Equipped with 2002 spec fully factory machines Toseland and Walker will be aiming to mix it with the full factory duo in Australia, and thereafter.

Sharing almost equal star billing with the podium stars at the Valencia curtain-raiser were the Foggy Petronas Racing 900cc triples, ridden by 1996 World Champion Troy Corser and British Superbike Championship race winner James Haydon. Corser’s incredible third place qualifying performance was a first attempt landmark in SBK history, and Haydon and Corser both went on to secure one DNF and a points scoring finish each. Corser has the spur of home ground to push his performance on in front of the expectant big Phillip Island crowd, and the prospect of a more powerful machine to boot.

Multiple SBK race winner Pierfrancesco Chili (who expects to take his 196th and 197th career SBK starts in Australia) has stood on the top of 15 previous SBK podiums, and will be going all out for his first points score of the 2003 season.

Local rider Steve Martin (DFX Ducati) heads up an impressive three-man DFX effort, with Juan Borja and Marco Borciani also running top spec privateer Ducatis on Pirelli tyres.

With Regis Laconi (NCR Nortel Ducati) returning to Superbike as a proven SBK race winner, in the last race of the 2001 season, the 2003 entry features some notable talents, especially during the first year of 1000cc four-cylinder competition.

Leading the charge in the four-cylinder world is the Alstare Suzuki of Gregorio Lavilla, with the latest version of his GSX-R1000 already proving to have great, but as yet untapped, potential – despite the air intake restrictors required by regulation.

In the World Supersport Championship class Katsuaki Fujiwara (Alstare Suzuki) will be going for the winning double, after scoring the Valencia victory ahead of Ten Kate Honda rider Chris Vermeulen. A maiden podium finish of third for Team Spadaro Italia rider Alessio Corradi (Yamaha) ensured that there were three different manufacturers in the top three places – no surprise in this year of unparalleled competitiveness in World Supersport.

A full complement of factory Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki riders will be in attendance in Australia, with three former World Champions, Fabien Foret (Kawasaki ZX-6RR), Stephane Chambon (Alstare Suzuki) and Jörg Teuchert (Yamaha Motor Germany) included in the perennially competitive mix.

Fans unable to attend the race itself, or unable to watch on TV, can follow the weekend’s action on the all-new SBK website, found at www.worldsbk.com.