Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Yoshimura Suzuki spent two days testing at California Speedway March 19-20 with much of the focus placed on testing tires on the new GSX-R1000 Superbike.

“Dunlop was a little concerned with the tire wear our bikes were causing at Daytona,” Aaron Yates said Tuesday during a telephone press conference organized by California Speedway. “You may know, I guess, my two teammates (Mat Mladin, Ben Spies) had a bit of tire trouble. My bike, I’m not sure if it was a difference in the set-up or riding style or what, my tires weren’t too bad, but compared to the other brands – the Hondas and the Kawasaki – we had a little less rubber left on the tire.

“So Dunlop was a little concerned, and they just wanted to go there (California Speedway) before the race and check the tires they were planning on bringing and make sure they were going to be sufficient for us. And basically that’s pretty much what we concentrated on.

“We had a couple of little things here and there that we tried and made the bike a little more comfortable for me, so that’s always good.”

Asked by a reporter how the Fontana racetrack was in relation to tire wear, Yates said, “Well, California Speedway is not too bad. There, we pretty much run our standard tires that we run on a standard racetrack anywhere.

“The only thing about California Speedway, there’s only one, two, like two-and-a-half right-hand turns. So most of them (are) to the left. So we use up the left side a pretty good bit. But there in testing we found a couple of tires that work pretty good for us.”

Yates added that Dunlop has a “whole new batch” of Supersport and Superbike tires for 2003.

From a press release:

Saturday/Sunday 29th/30th March 2003
Derby Phoenix Club Motorcycle Races

CROFT REVS UP FOR TWO WHEELED ACTION

The 2003 season kicks off in style this weekend at Croft circuit when the opening two rounds of the Derby Phoenix Motor Cycle Club road race championships take place at the North Yorkshire track on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th March.

The club has attracted a capacity entry for the two day meeting with a host of club regulars set to mix it with a smattering of track specialists in the action which is sure to be fast and furious.

After the success of the 600cc Steel Framed championship last season, the club have introduced a new class for 2003 in the shape of F750 which will cater for the 750cc machines which are these days often outpaced by the more popular 1000cc bikes.

Scotsman Angus Mearns starts as red hot favourite to do much of the winning but one rider he’ll be keeping his eyes on is Northallerton’s Darren Grimston who makes his debut aboard the ex Ian Harrison Yamaha R1.

Practice starts on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. and 12:00 noon on Sunday with racing immediately afterwards on both days.

Adult admission is just £6.00 on Saturday and £12.00 on Sunday with accompanied children under 15 admitted free on both days.

From a press release issued by Honda Racing:

World Supersport Championship 2003 – Round Two Phillip Island Race Preview
28 to 30 March 2003

Second Chance For Honda Supersport Riders

After taking 50% of the top ten positions in the first Supersport race of the new season, Honda’s officially supported CBR600RR riders will have their second opportunity to strive for victory in this most closely contested of global racing classes, as the championship moves to the challenging Phillip Island circuit in Australia on March 30.

A record number of factory entries made the start-of-season Valencia race, on March 2, a contest which provided a desperate battle throughout the field, with many new bike and rider combinations battling for initial supremacy.

The top Honda rider in Spain proved to be Ten Kate entrant Chris Vermeulen, who scored second place in the 23-lap race, after leading for long periods. Moving to his home circuit of Phillip Island will be a major boost for Vermeulen, and his Ten Kate team-mate Karl Muggeridge, the second of a total of three Australian factory Honda riders.

Vermeulen equalled his best ever World Supersport Championship race result with his second place in Spain, but the 20-year-old knows that nothing but a win will satisfy his growing desire for success. “My second place was good, but I badly want a race win. We are confident we have a winning package and I think with the first race under our belt we’ll be even more competitive.”

Vermeulen will be particularly keen to make a good impression at home, especially as he has had some misfortune in recent World Supersport races on home tarmac. “Yeah it’s hard to work out why I have bad luck at my home race, but the Ten Kate team is so well prepared – and the 2003 CBR600RR is brilliant – so everything points to a change of fortune,” commented the rapidly developing Aussie.

Vermeulen’s teammate, Karl Muggeridge was not a happy man following Valencia. “I was angry with the way the Valencia race turned out, because I had to settle for just getting some good points for the championship. As I’ve said before, I don’t like the Valencia track that much anyway. I look forward to the next two rounds at Philip Island and Sugo, they are both good tracks for me. Riding at home in Australia is always enjoyable, especially as I am based in Europe so much.”

In addition to the Ten Kate squad, Honda fully supports the van Zon, BKM and Klaffi Honda teams, and most of the eight factory-equipped riders have already enjoyed good results on the all-new CBR600RR, a machine which apes more than just the styling touches of Valentino Rossi’s all-conquering RC211V MotoGP machine.

Unlucky to finish off the podium at Valencia was experienced Frenchman Christophe Cogan, riding for the Belgian BKM Honda team. Cogan has started a record 67 World Supersport races, including Valencia, and took his four-cylinder Honda to a battling fourth place, contesting third place almost throughout the race. His Valencia result was particularly satisfying, considering the disadvantage of his fourth row start after qualifying.

World Supersport rookie Broc Parkes (BKM Honda) acquitted himself well at the first attempt, finishing seventh, one place behind Muggeridge. Twenty-one year-old Parkes, a former World Superbike privateer, earned kudos for his professional and adversarial approach to racing in such an aggressive class.

Parkes, the third Honda supported rider in the field, said of racing at Phillip Island. “After the Valencia race I couldn’t lift my arm as the shoulder was really hurting, all due to my falls in practice. I made a couple of visits to the Clinica Mobile, so we should have it back to normal for Phillip Island, so we can get stuck in again! I know the circuit and I’m looking forward to the race and a home visit.”

The imposing figure of Robert Ulm (Klaffi Honda CBR600RR) will be hoping to translate his brilliant front row start at Valencia into something more tenable than his eventual DNF. “Of course I’m disappointed about crashing at Valencia, but the positive aspect is that we are already with the fast guys so early in the season, and that gives us all great satisfaction. I have experience at Phillip Island and hopefully we can repeat our good practice performance from Valencia, then go on to challenge in the race itself.” Commented Austrian Ulm.

The home-town entrant in the Austrian Klaffi team (run by Ulm’s compatriot and 2001 World Sidecar Champion Klaus Klaffenbock) Ulm has been a front row World Superbike qualifier in the recent past, and finds in the CBR600RR a machine which may offer him season-long consistency.

The compact dimensions of the 2003 Honda Supersport offering have thus far suited the diminutive form of Belgium’s Werner Daemen well, with the van Zon Honda rider proving to be a top ten finisher at Valencia. A tough and experienced competitor, Daemen is looking forward to his best ever season.

Daemen’s van Zon team-mate Iain Macpherson came close to winning the 1999 World Supersport Championship, and hopes to post his first points score of the season at Phillip island, after suffering a peculiar lack of top end revs at Valencia.

“I was very disappointed to have ridden so hard at Valencia and yet come away with no points. In Australia the main thing will be to score as many points as possible, by qualifying in a good position and staying with any leading group that may develop.” Said Scotsman MacPherson.

Another Honda rider, Gianluigi Scalvini (Klaffi Honda CBR600RR) will be aiming to replicate his 125cc Grand Prix winning form of recent years as he recovers from his big highside crash in the opening round of the year.

The Phillip Island action gets underway with two days of qualifying, on 28 and 29 March, before the race itself takes place on Sunday 30 March.

WSS points Valencia
1 K. Fujiwara 25
2 C. Vermeulen 20
3 A. Corradi 16
4 C. Cogan 13
5 J. Teuchert 11
6 K. Muggeridge 10
7 B. Parkes 9
8 C. Kellner 8
9 J. Vd Goorbergh 7
10 W. Daemen 6
11 P. Riba 5
12 S. Sanna 4
13 M. Schulten 3
14 F. Foret 2
15 M. Lagrive 1

From a press release issued by Monstermob Ducati:

SHAKEY SET TO ROCK AND ROLL AT SILVERSTONE

MonsterMob Ducati’s Shane Byrne heads to the opening round of the British Superbike Championship at Silverstone this weekend in confident mood after a successful pre-season test schedule was concluded at Donington Park at the weekend.



The 26 year old from Minster, Kent starts as one of the favourites to land this year’s title aboard the brand new factory specification Ducati F02 and the new recruit to the team, that won both the Superbike and Supersport titles last season, is looking forward to kicking things off in style.

“Testing has been good and the lap times at Donington were consistently fast, I didn’t feel that there was any need to put a soft tyre in just to go half a second quicker. The package that I’ve got is phenomenal and I see no reason why we can’t be up there from the start” said ‘Shakey’ who was placed fourth in last season’s title chase.

Defending Supersport champion, Stuart Easton is also in confident mood after a handful of tests aboard his 748cc Ducati.

With a season of four stroke racing under his belt, the 18 year old from Hawick is expecting a tough time hanging onto his number one plate but is confident that he can do so in light of the strong opposition.

“The number one plate took some winning and I’m determined to keep hold of it. We are stronger this year with the experience we gained last season and testing has proved the bike is still very competitive” said the Scot.

For team boss Paul Bird, the season heralds his fourth in the premier class and after last season’s successes, he’s focussed on maintaining that level of superiority:

“I’ve been busy behind the scenes making sure we have the best possible package to go racing with and as a result, I’m feeling good about this year. I’m sure the partnerships we have in place are right and will take some beating once again” said Bird from his Penrith office.

For immediate release


NEW PROTON KR V5 MAKES PUBLIC DEBUT

From a press release issued by Proton Team KR:

London, Tuesday March 25, 2003: The all-new Proton Team KR V5 MotoGP machine, designed and built in Britain for entry in the 2003 series, made its public debut in London today, at a special press conference to launch the MotoGP season.

Proton Team KR owner Kenny Roberts and rider Jeremy McWilliams unveiled the 990cc four-stroke challenger, designed and built in the heart of England’s “Formula One Belt” outside Banbury, at the function at Home House in Cavendish Square.

The new MotoGP prototype, compact and streamlined like the record-holding KR3 two-stroke 500 that preceded it, will make its debut during the forthcoming season. The striking styling and the thorough engineering of the package won many plaudits among the assembled British press.

Kenny Roberts spoke of progress with the project.

“We are currently testing the engine, and getting it ready to race,” said Roberts.

“We’ve had it up to 14,000rpm, and we are fixing problems on a day-to-day basis. But it’s not ready to race yet.

“It’s difficult to set a schedule. We hope to have it ready for the second GP, in South Africa, but it may be we’ll continue to race the two-stroke for a little longer.

“We won’t put the new bike on the track until it is ready, and safe enough,” the former triple World Champion concluded.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Yoshimura Suzuki’s Aaron Yates, the 2002 AMA Supersport Champion, will not continue to race in the AMA Supersport series during the 2003 season.

“It was kind of up in the air whether or not I was going to ride the Supersport bike this year,” Yates said Tuesday in a telephone press conference organized by the California Speedway Public Relations department. “In my contract it was actually an option of mine, and we decided with the new Superbike – and actually as good as the 1000’s been in pre-season testing – and the first race (Yates placed fourth in the Daytona 200) and all that we wanted to start concentrating on winning the Superbike title for Suzuki.”

Yates said that he made the decision at the urging of his team and Suzuki. “It was really hard for me to make the decision,” said Yates. “My Crew Chief (Chris Weidl) and the team (manager) Don Sakakura, they all have kind of been wanting me to just try and concentrate on Superbike for the last couple of years.

“Through my years of road racing, I’ve always competed in at least two different classes on a race weekend. I (didn’t) really felt like riding the 600 affected my Superbike riding that much; I actually felt like it was a good thing.”

But as much as the encouraging performance of the GSX-R1000 factored into Yates’ and Suzuki’s decision, the discouraging performance of the unchanged-for-2003 GSX-R600 compared to new 600cc Supersport models from Yamaha, Honda and Kawasaki was another factor.

“After Daytona, we realized our bikes were down a bit on the new bikes,” said Yates. “We hadn’t done a whole lot of testing over the off-season. I mean our bikes were pretty good, but Suzuki’s the only manufacturer that didn’t come out with a new 600 this year and everybody else’s are pretty hot. When we saw that our bike was going to be down on power, they (Suzuki) were concerned with me trying to ride the thing and make up for it and riding too hard and maybe going down with the ship.

“I tried to work some things out with Suzuki…but Monday morning I got a FAX from Suzuki that said Suzuki wants to have the Superbike Championship and would prefer me just to concentrate on that. So that pretty much took care of it. That was this Monday, yesterday.”

From a press releease issued by Michelin through the World Superbike press office:

Looking for more Australian success

March 9th was a date to remember for Michelin. The opening round of the 2003 Formula One season was a Michelin festival with David Coultard (McLaren Mercedes) winning the race ahead of Juan-Pablo Montoya (BMW Williams) and Kimi Raikkonen (McLaren Mercedes). This was the first all-Michelin podium since the French tyre giant’s return to F1. Now, as the World Superbike Championship heads down under for its 2nd round, Michelin motorcycle racing specialists are hoping for more of the same.

At the first round held at Spain’s Valencia circuit, Neil Hodgson (Fila Ducati-Michelin) was in stunning form. “I was fastest in each practice session, I won both races, I beat the lap record… what more could I ask for? This is my first ever double and I’ m very proud of it,” Hodgson beamed. “I’m also very happy to have adapted so well to the Michelins.” Hodgson’s teammate Ruben Xaus (Fila Ducati-Michelin) finished a fine runner-up in both races.

Since the start of the world Superbike Championship in 1988, Michelin riders have won 251 of the 365 races held and taken 11 out of 15 possible world titles. In 2002, Michelin won 25 of the 26 races and took the first three places in 10 of those events. So far, Michelin has won all the races run in 2003.

Valencia was also the first race for a brand new bike. And the FP1 performed above expectations for its debut World Superbike event. Troy Corser (Foggy Petronas Racing-Michelin) qualified on the front row and came home 7th in the second leg. Team owner Carl Fogarty was delighted. “I am really relieved and pleased that both guys have come away with championship points,” the four-times World Superbike champion admitted. “It has been a battle and I am really pleased for Petronas, Suter Racing Technology, Michelin – and myself! But I’m especially pleased for the mechanics who have worked all hours out here. If someone had said to me that we were going to start on the front row, and both riders would score points, I would have said that they were completely crazy. We know there is a lot more to come and we have shown that we are going to be a serious contender and a little bit sooner than people expected – the sooner the better for me because I want to win just as much as I did when I was a rider.”


New tyre rules – first impressions.


New rules governing tyre use have been decided this year and Valencia was a first for them as well. The rules state that each rider may use a maximum of 13 rear slicks for both days of practice. There is no limit to the number of rain tyres that can be used.

So far, Michelin Superbike Racing Manager Jean Hérissé is happy with the new rules. “They seem to be working out fine for us,” he smiles. “At Valencia, Neil Hodgson still had 5 tyres left for practice if he’d needed them. Even though he did three endurance tests during practice. But it is true that the testing we did there the weekend before the race helped us.”

2004 restrictor sizes. The Superbike Commission has approved new technical rules for the size of the restrictors that will be required for 1000cc superbikes in 2004. These are the restrictor sizes according to cylinder numbers:

– 2 cylindres: 50 mm

– 3 cylindres: 39 mm

– 5 cylindres: 27 mm

– 6 cylindres: 22.5 mm

A 32.5mm restrictor rule is already in use this year for 4 cylinder 1000cc bikes.


Phillip Island and tyres.


Back in the twenties, the roads around Philip Island were very popular with local speed freaks. In 1928, the first Australian car Grand Prix was held at the Island on a 6.5 miles/10.4585 km course. 1931 was the year motorcycles first raced at the Island, f or an event that was a lot like the Isle of Man TT on a 12 mile/19.308 km course. The permanent racing facility was opened in 1956.


Philip Island is a varied and demanding 4.445 kms with everything from hairpins (minimum radius 23 m) to fast turns (maximum radius 207 m). Right-hand turns are scarce with only two such corners, Honda and Turn 10. In the fastest of left-handers, like turn 12 (the last turn before the start/finish straight), tyre temperatures go above normal. Standard running temperature for a rear slick is between 80 and 120°C but at Phillip Island, they often go beyond 130°C. Dual compound tyres are used. “The left and right sides of the tyre are made of different compounds,” explains Jean Hérissé. “We use a harder compound for the left hand side because most of the turns on this track are left-handers.


“Making a duel compound tyre isn’t much harder than making a standard tyre. You need the right tooling and know-how of course. Matching the two types of compounds properly is the difficult part.”

To be fast at the Island, a rider needs to take care of his tyres. Precise throttle control is what’s required to keep the tyres as fresh as possible over full race distance. “This is the least symmetrical circuit on the calendar,” adds Nicolas Goubert, Michelin’s motorcycle competitions chief. “The left-hand turns are a problem because they are so fast. The edge of the rear tyre takes the full load of that speed which is the w orst situation for a tyre manufacturer. Grip isn’t really a problem. The difficulty is making a tyre that has the right construction and compound to withstand very strong and very localized stresses.”



Michelin and Phillip Island.

Michelin brings a total of 600 tyres (400 rears and 200 fronts), wet and dry, for this race. Sizes are 19/67-420 (16.5 inch) for rear slicks, rain tyres and intermediates. Front tyre sizes are 12/60-420 (16.5 inch) tyres. Michelin’s on-site personnel includes one team manager and two tyre fitters.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Rules requiring teams and riders to designate–and limit their testing to–two specific test tracks played a large role in the outcome of the 2002 Superbike World Championship.

Heading into the final round of the 2002 Championship at Imola, Castrol Honda’s Colin Edwards led Infostrada Ducati’s Troy Bayliss by a single point, a virtual tie. Edwards, however, was the only World Superbike competitor allowed to test at Imola in the days leading up to the final race, 11 days before the start of official practice, because Edwards was the only rider who had named Imola as one of his two designated test tracks.

Bayliss was forced to test at another Italian track, Mugello, because, “The Santerno circuit (Imola) was not chosen as test-track for the Italian manufacturer because no days were available during the month of September in which the noise level could exceed 70 decibels,” according to a press release from Ducati Corse issued last September.

Recently the World Superbike Championship press office released the following list of 2003 World Superbike teams and their designated test tracks, and several teams chose Magny-Cours, the site of the final races of the season.

Superbike

Foggy PETRONAS: Misano – Magny Cours
Kawasaki Bertocchi: Misano – Imola
PSG-1 Corse: Misano – Imola
HM Plant Ducati/GSE Racing: Misano – Magny Cours
Alstare Suzuki: Sugo – Magny Cours
Fila Ducati: Misano – Magny Cours
Union Bike Gimotorsport: Misano – Monza
Mir Racing SL: Valencia – Imola
Pedercini: Misano – Mugello
DFX: Misano – Magny Cours
JM SBK Team: Brno – Misano
Caracchi NCR Nortel Net.: Misano – Imola
Aprilia Austria: Misano – Imola
White Endurance Team: Monza – Magny Cours
Team Rumi: Monza – Misano

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

World Superbike

Phillip Island Provisional Entry List:

4 Troy Corser, Foggy Petronas Racing
5 Ivan Clementi, Team Kawasaki Bertocchi
6 Mauro Sanchini, Team Kawasaki Bertocchi
7 Pierfrancesco Chili, Team PSG-1 Ducati
8 James Haydon, Foggy Petronas Racing
9 Chris Walker, HM Plant Ducati
10 Gregorio Lavilla, Team Alstare Suzuki
11 Ruben Xaus, Fila Ducati
15 Giovannia Bussei, UnionBike GiMotorsport Yamaha
19 Lucio Pedercini, Team Pedercini Ducati
20 Marco Borciani, DFX Racing Team Ducati
23 Jiri Mrkyvka, JM SBK Team Ducati
33 Juan Borja, DFX Racing Team Ducati
35 Nello Russo, Team Pedercini Ducati
48 David Garcia, Team Caracchi NCR Nortel Networks Ducati
51 Davide Messori, UnionBike GiMotorsports Yamaha
52 James Toseland, HM Plant Ducati
55 Regis Laconi, Team Caracchi NCR Nortel Networks Ducati
91 Walter Tortoroglio, White Endurance Team Honda
99 Steve Martin, DFX Racing Team Ducati
100 Neil Hodgson, Fila Ducati

72 Robert Bugden, Gold Coast Suzuki
73 Steven Cutting, Motorcycle Weaponry Suzuki
75 Alistar Maxwell, Michelin Honda
78 Jay Normoyle, Warren & Brown Lightpaths


World Supersport

1 Fabien Foret, Kawasaki Racing Team KRT
2 Katsuaki Fujiwara, Team Alstare Suzuki
3 Stephane Chambon, Team Alstare Suzuki
4 Jurgen vd Goorbergh, Team Yamaha Belgarde
7 Chris Vermeulen, Ten Kate Honda
8 Joerg Teuchert, Yamaha Motor Deutschland
9 Iain MacPherson, Van Zon Honda TKR
12 Christophe Cogan, BKM Honda Racing Team
15 Alessio Corradi, Team Italia Spadaro FR
16 Simone Sanna, Team Yamaha Belgarda
17 Pere Riba, Kawasaki Racing Team KRT
18 Robert Ulm, Team Klaffi Honda
20 Kai Borre Anderson, Saveko Racing Team Kawasaki
21 Matthieu Lagrive, Yamaha Motor France – IPONE
22 Stefano Cruciani, Team Kawasaki Bertocchi
23 Broc Parkes, BKM Honda Racing Team
24 Gianluigi Scalvini, Team Klaffi Honda
31 Karl Muggeridge, Ten Kate Honda
33 Massimo De Silvestro, Team ICM Yamaha
34 Didier Vankeymeulen, Saveko Racing Team Kawasaki
69 Gianluca Nannelli, Team Lorenzini by Leoni
71 Werner Daemen, Van Zon Honda TKR
77 Thierry Van Den Bosch, Yamaha Motor France – IPONE
93 Christian Kellner, Yamaha Motor Deutschland

42 Shannon Johnson, Castrol Honda Racing
83 Kevin Curtain, Nikon Yamaha Racing Team

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.