The Kawasaki rider wins both the Superpole Race and Race 2 with the WorldSSP win going once again to Montella and Ducati. Pirelli tyres put to an extreme test. It was an action-packed Sunday for the FIM World Superbike Championshipround that just ended on Phillip Island, Australia, with a double win going to Alex Lowes (Kawasaki). The Brit dominated the Superpole Race and bested Álvaro Bautista (Ducati) in Race 2 on the final lap. In WorldSSP, it was yet another win for Yari Montella and the Ducati operated by Barni Spark Racing Team.
The Australian round put the Pirelli tyres to a hard test due to the characteristics of the new asphalt which proved to be extremely abrasive, particularly with higher temperatures. At the same time, thanks to the grip offered by both the new surface and the tyres, several riders managed to break the track records.
Australia confirms its status as a demanding and useful test bench for development
“Australia confirmed its status once again this year as a test bench for the tyres, made even more demanding and unpredictable than in the past by the new asphalt which accentuated thermal degradation and, consequently, tyre wear. This affected more than just Pirelli, as was seen in the Australian Superbike races where, in any case, the Pirelli-shod bikes dominated over those who used competitors’ tyres. From a purely entertainment point of view, pit stops resulted in a weekend with five extremely heated and high-paced sprint races, as the many lap records demonstrate. Our goal is clearly to always ensure that the races are held regularly, but in this case, the right choice was taken. We will be taking a lot of useful information home from this round that we did not have before on the new asphalt and we will be exploiting it to further improve our product. The protagonists of this opening round make us optimistic for a highly competitive battle throughout the season with a lot of riders capable of fighting for the podium, so we are looking forward to a great racing season.”
· In the Superpole Race, the same solutions used in Race 1 were substantially confirmed with only two exceptions: Toprak Razgatlioğlu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Philipp Oettl (GMT94 Yamaha) who switched from the SC2 to the SC1 at the rear, whereas Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) and Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) remained the only riders in the race on the SC2. Bautista did the fast lap on his penultimate time around the track with a time of 1’29.273. The race, held with an asphalt temperature of 42°C, was won by Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) ahead of Locatelli, second, and Razgatlioğlu, third. The race fast lap went to Álvaro Bautista on the ninth lap with a time of 1’29.273.
· In WorldSBK Race 2, the riders’ tyre choices were in line with the other races which had already been held this weekend, with the majority opting for the SC1 at the front. Yamaha riders Locatelli, Gardner, Aegerter and Oettl, as well as Redding (BMW) and Sam Lowes (Ducati), went with an unconventional choice, mounting the SC2 at the front. The race was red-flagged on the third lap when Rea crashed. This left eleven laps to race at the second start, without a compulsory pit stop. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) replicated his performance in this race after a magnificent outside move to overtake Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) who had been dominating the race up to that point. Third place went to Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team).
· In Race 2 of the WorldSSP championship, the riders used the same solutions they had chosen for Race 1, in line with the WorldSBK riders, namely the standard SC1 at both the front and the rear. The only riders opting for the SC2 at the front were Bahattin Sofuoglu and Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), as well as Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha). Due to oil on the track, the race was initially delayed and then shortened to 9 laps in order to allow time for WorldSBK Race 2. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) won this race as well, taking a brilliant double home from the Australian circuit. Behind him were Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), who also did the fast lap, and Adrián Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team).
