Circuit Information:
Length: 4.554Km
Corners:12
Left corners:5
Right corners:7
Cheers, Fears and Tears
World Supersport
"Whaaat!" You exclaim in disbelief. You try valiantly, but you simply cannot contain yourself. "Superbike is the premiere class. Why aren't we talking about the big boys?" You may also make some flubbery noises to express your flabberghastedness. And it's all for naught because heck-to-the-yes we're going to start off with Supersport.
MV Agusta - Cheers!: If you didn't catch the race the last time around, you missed a truly thrilling battle for the checkered flag put on by Jules Cluzel and Lorenzo Zanetti. Feisty from the start, the pair put on a rousing show for the crowd by dicing with all comers (briefly) and then with each other for the majority of the race. The checkered flag saw a historic first for the Italian marque - their very first 1-2 finish in the class. What this means is that the established order is well and truly shook up now; and that should be exciting for fans of the sport. While Triumph certainly put their best foot forward with the Daytona 675, they ultimately stopped short of achieving truly great results. This isn't to say that they weren't good, because they were. Particularly under Chaz Davies they were regular visitors to the podium and even winner's circle. However Chaz was ultimately forced to move to Yamaha for his first championship win. A 1-2 knockout by MV Agusta is a good - no, very good - start to establishing themselves as a viable championship threat and (more importantly) a viable alternative to the Japanese makers. The more makes fighting for the top spot, the better the racing.
Kawasaki - Tears!: This isn't Kenan Sofuoglu's first time to the rodeo. The former world champion has turned a wheel in anger once or twice around Phillip Island's blustery roads. So it was with some surprise that we saw him run off track in the early stages of round 1. After a brief fracas with the leading MV pair, Kenan found himself relegated to third and battling to simply hang on to the podium instead of for the win. Perhaps it was the unflappable belief in themselves that all true racers and winners have, the sense that they can overcome anything, achieve anything, that caused the mistake. Then again maybe it was reality of seeing the twin triples romping off into the distance and taking valuable points away from what could have been his season. Whatever the case, when he found himself on the outside of a 3 car train going into turn one Kenan refused to yield the position. Let me tell you folks that three does not go into one, not at the Island, and Kenan lost big. Unable to lean sufficiently to even begin making the turn and out of options, Kenan found himself off track, off the record and almost out of the race. Though he can take some solace in the fact that he made a monumental comeback to finish in 6th (Biaggi's comeback was still better), it is going to be a long season for Kenan if things keep on the way they're going. The MV's are not joke and the young guns are giving no quarter.
World Superbike
Aprilia Racing team
Leon Haslam #91 - Cheers!: It was a little too easy for some people to forget just how good Leon Haslam really is. His results for the past 4 years have been lackluster at best, marked by a high of 5th 2011 aboard the factory backed BMW S1000RR followed summarily with a disappointing low of 13th for the same brand. Not exactly the kind of results to write home to momma about, but the kind of results that mask true talent. Go back just one more, seemingly insignificant year, and you find a rider who finished 2nd in the world championship in 2010, 75 points behind Aprilia's Max Biaggi and 79 points clear of Ducati's Carlos Checa. And he did it on a Suzuki. It is perhaps fitting, therefore, that Haslam was given something of a chance aboard the bike that he came so close to beating all those years ago; and what a show he put on! If race 1 was to shake off the cobwebs and start believing the dream, race 2 was a real kick in the rear to all of the haters. Haslam was taking no prisoners and giving no quarter. He showed just how hard he can push himself and a bike, how hard he was undoubtedly pushing all those others bikes (yes Honda, we're looking at you) to achieve the paltry results that he had. Now aboard a new bike with some teeth to it, Haslam is obviously out for blood. He's adapted seemingly well to the new bike, but Thailand is a new track and a new kettle of fish. Aprilia needs to bring it's A game to keep him in the running against some stiff competition.
Kawasaki Racing Team
Jonathan Rea #65 - Cheers!: It is probably somewhat telling that for the two men who claimed top honors at Phillip Island, each respective race marked their first win at the venue. It is undoubtedly telling that both winners at Phillip Island claimed this honor straight away after jumping from Honda (yep, Honda, we're still lookin'). There was much speculation about what 2015 would bring from the Japanese maker, and with Rea the first confirmed defection there was greater speculation about just how much he would regret. I think it safe to put the worries to bed - Jonathan Rea is sleeping just fine at night after his decision. Honda's rumored superbike killer based on the customer RCV in MotoGP never made it past the pomp and circumstance of the press releases. Despite Marquez's claims that he rode a production based bike that was just a tick off his prototype, nothing remotely resembling such has made an appearance in either GP or SBK. Which leave Rea a wolf amongst the sheep. After years sloughing it through the muck of an under-performing CBR, Rea finds himself aboard a true rocketship at the head of the class. In the immortal words of ZZ Top (paraphrased, of course), the Kawasaki has legs and he knows how to use them. Like Haslam, Rea left Honda and immediately started the season with a win. Like Haslam, Rea seems to have adapted quite well to his new steed. All indications seems to be that the true race will be to see which of the two adapt to Thailand better.
Tom Sykes #66 - Fears!: While Rea is laughing all the way to the bank, or the checkered if you're so inclined, Sykes is experiencing a different emotion. While he may have played the role of lead rider at Kawasaki for all of these years - a position he rightly deserved having come aboard as a second seat and then leading development of the ZX10R to the potent weapon it is today - the position is somewhat changed. Rea is definitely not a second seat rider, having come as the lead rider from Honda and having proven himself right out of the gate. True, the Island isn't a track that is traditionally good to Sykes, but to have you teammate fight for the win in both outtings while you languish behind isn't a good start. Moreover, Rea showed that he is definitely not going to be content to sit behind Sykes for even a second. If Sykes wants a position, any position, he had better be prepared to fight for it. That puts Sykes in a bit of a bind. After last season with Baz, Sykes will have something to prove about how much he is willing to duke it out with a strong teammate. Hopefully the #66 is ready for the challenge because the #65 certainly is.
