WSBK – Phillip Island Superbike Statements & Analysis – Australia Superbike Riders’ Statements

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Phillip Island Superbike Statements and Analysis

WSBK - Phillip Island Superbike Statements & Analysis - Australia Superbike Riders Statements

The first event of the 2015 World SBK was held in Phillip Island, Australia. To complete our previously published reports, here are the statements of the Superbike riders as well as the Site analysis of the two Australian races.

Statements from Superbike riders in Australia

Site readers – who, as everyone knows, have a little more luck than others – can find the unfolding of the World Superbike races on the Phillip Island circuit (read and).

Here are the declarations of the pilots who distinguished themselves on Sunday … Honors to the winners !

Jonathan Rea, 1st then 2nd:
"This weekend could not have gone better. The team was not very optimistic about our chances of winning or being on the podium given the pace of the other bikes, but with Pere, Paolo, Javier, all the guys from Showa and all my mechanics, we worked really hard, without ever losing sight of our objectives which were to be strong on the 22 laps, in each race.

"Leon had a little more pace today and the first victory fell a bit into my arms, but I’m happy to come away from here with 45 points and start the season strong. I did not expect these results at all. We weren’t the most optimistic but we were only narrowly beaten in the second race, and by my former teammate Leon on top of that I’m happy for him. We did our best and we are leaving with the maximum number of points we could score. I am happy and really excited to come away with 45 points".

Leon Haslam, 2nd then 1st:
"This race brings back great memories to me. My last victory was in, after a good fight with Rea. Congratulations to the whole team, they did a great job this weekend. Unfortunately, I made a mistake in the first run but I knew I had some leeway, I was able to join the group and finish second, just a few thousandths of a second away from victory..

"I was even more motivated for the second race. In the last corner, I opened the throttle at the right time and realized that I had passed Rea right on the finish line. I’m really happy to finally get back on the top step of the podium !"

Chaz Davies, 3rd (x 2):
"I’m finally on the podium at Phillip Island, and twice more! I have tried every year and finally succeed. I would have liked to do a little better but it was not possible, I lacked a bit of traction in the last laps and I tried to preserve the tires as best as possible. I always started my championships a bit badly and these results are therefore extremely important. They confirm that we are starting on another level compared to and I didn’t have too much trouble following Rea. We worked hard this weekend, focusing on the race, and it seems to have paid off. I would like to thank the whole team but also the engineers and technicians of Borgo Panigale for all the work done this winter. The results obtained here will be a good starting point".

Jordi Torres, 4th then crash:
"I learned a lot from this Sunday. We had a good first race. I was quick from the start and learned a lot about tire wear and how to ride to preserve it: avoid taking too much angle and be very careful on the throttle, a lesson that I put it to use in the second race. Unfortunately Sykes brakes really hard and I struggled to overtake him. When I thought I would succeed, I attacked too hard and I fell … I have to take all the positive from this weekend. I can be fast, but I have to improve the way I handle the race".

Tom Sykes, 6th then 4th:
"In the first race, I was left with no place and I had to widen. he (Michael van den Mark, NDLR) could easily have left me some room, but he didn’t. It changed the face of my race, but we got away with a few points. In the second round, we made some changes to the settings of the bike which allowed me to stay with the leaders at the start of the race, unfortunately we were a bit constrained because of the feeling from the front. I wasn’t quite able to put the bike where I wanted and suffered a bit, except in the middle of the corners. Jonathan did a great job for Kawasaki and it was good to see. Now we will be leaving Phillip Island with a lot more information and hopefully we can use it to be stronger at ".

Michael van den Mark, 5th then fall:
"Friday morning started off a bit of a nightmare because we had changed a lot on the bike compared to the test at the start of the week. It wasn’t working out as we expected but we started to go faster during the second free practice session and when the temperatures climbed yesterday we were still fast and we were handling the tires well. I had a good feeling for both races, but we were a bit unlucky with the weather not as warm as the day before. I got off to a good start in the first race and was aggressive in the first two laps, but couldn’t keep up with the leading group. I had to watch those behind me and keep my tire to be sure to finish fifth".

"We made some electronic modifications for the second race and I was hoping for a little more heat. The start was not great but I was very aggressive and I was able to stay with the others this time around. I tried to follow the guys, I attacked a little too hard and fell. But my team did an amazing job this weekend, and finishing 5th in my first Superbike race was amazing! Riding my second race was just too good to be true !"

Sylvain Guintoli, 7th then 5th:
"I did everything I could and we did both races with very different setups but the results were almost identical. At least we have recorded data that we can work on now. After having, I really considered this weekend to be another test because I’m not quite used to this bike yet. We will continue to work and try to come back stronger for Thailand"

"Honestly, I had never felt so exhausted after two races. I believe my injury from Jerez was added to the dehydration because I felt really bad during both races. I will focus on my recovery between now and the next rounds. One of the highlights of the weekend was racing with Troy Bayliss. He was already retired when I got to World SBK, but we got to fight each other in the second race and it was a bit special !"

Randy de Puniet, 17th then 7th:
"This Sunday was horrible for me, I have and the first race was a disaster. After six laps I could no longer drive normally because I was in pain everywhere, in addition to cramps in my arm (compartment syndrome). It was therefore impossible for me to brake or accelerate normally, and I still tried to keep a good place. I think I was ninth and could have finished tenth. Camier unfortunately hit me, I shot straight and finished 17th, which was disappointing".

"I was concerned about my physical condition for the second race but luckily I managed to manage it better and finished seventh. I was four seconds behind the leader until the middle of the race, but then it got harder and harder. I tried to keep a good pace and I finished seventh which is a good result under these circumstances. Without my white result in the first round, I could have been seventh in the championship. I’m eleventh, it’s a shame but it’s not so bad after everything that has happened to me this week. Now it’s time to recover and prepare for Thailand. I want to thank the team for everything, and the Clinica Mobile for helping me run this weekend".

Sylvain Barrier, 15th then 12th:
"This weekend I have never been able to find the right feeling on the Phillip Island track … During testing we had worked hard on the chassis and electronics of my S1000RR and it improved a lot. Since then unfortunately every time I tried to increase the pace I had problems and fell. That’s why I couldn’t really attack on Sunday, because I didn’t want to compromise my season from the start. I thank my team for their help and I hope to reward them with better results in the next races".

And now for our MNC analysis of the World Superbike in Phillip Island !

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