WSBK – MNC Analysis of World Superbike Australia – Rea wins over Sykes’ 2016 Ninja

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MNC analysis of World Superbike in Australia

WSBK - MNC Analysis of World Superbike Australia - Rea wins over Sykes' 2016 Ninja

Beyond the points distributed, each race weekend brings its share of remarkable feats and poor performances, good and bad surprises. In its analysis, Site reviews the highlights of the WSBK in Phillip Island.

Rea wins on Sykes’ 2016 Ninja

The opening round of the 2016 Superbike World Championship kept all its promises … The fact that it takes place in Phillip Island is no stranger to it: the weather is often pleasant there at this time of the year. year (end of summer in Australia) and the layout favors pilots with "big balls".

In the race, however, the aces of the handlebars were forced to play the strategists in order not to pulverize their Pirelli too soon. Very demanding of the tires, Phillip Island was also uncompromising towards the drivers who were a little too motivated….

Falling during practice, Fabio Menghi (Ducati VFT Team) and Xavi Fores (Ducati Barni) could not line up in the race. Even the local of the stage Josh Hook (Kawasaki Grillini) was trapped by the Australian track, just like his own replacement Toprak Razgatlioglu – STK600 champion present on site with his mentor Kenan Sofuoglu – by the way. !

Conversely, Jonathan Rea beautifully managed this first meeting of the year. Winner of Davies in the first round on a magnificent left hook – the left turn after the MG hairpin – Rea doubled the lead in the second round, this time making the poor Welshman bite the dust..

This winter, however, "JR" had not been so ruthless as that. At the Jerez tests in particular, the reigning world champion had contented himself with a 7th fastest time. But Jonathan Rea and his chief mechanic Pere Riba were working the distance rather than pure speed. This job has paid off.

Clairvoyant about the great need to preserve his tires at Phillip Island, "Johnny" left to his opponents the task of opening the track, or himself set a false pace in the lead except, of course, in all last laps where the Northern Irishman pulled out his grenades !

Rea’s victories over his land – the land of his island wife Tatia! – are all the more resounding as Van den Mark (3rd then 2nd) will have trouble being as strong throughout the season, as his runner-up Davies (2nd then 10th) fell and Giugliano (4th then 3rd) must confirm his metamorphosis.

Constantly on his guard during the race, the "Number One" of the discipline has scrupulously taken care not to let any of his main opponents escape. First on the list of course: Tom Sykes, his teammate in the official Kawasaki team, from whom we expected a little more on "his" bike !

Kawasaki rider since 2010, Sykes is supposed to have modeled the 2016 ZX-10R according to his riding style. Crossed during the press presentation of the new Ninja in Sepang, his chief mechanic Marcel Duinker confided to Site that he was hopeful to see "Major Tom" return to his highest level (read our).

Author of the first Superpole of the 2016 season – the 31st of his career! -, the famous n ° 66 unfortunately failed to transform his qualifying test a few hours later into the first round. And he also failed the next day…

The biggest fans of Sykes will object that their driver would run this weekend on his worst circuit: 6th and 4th in 2015, 7th and 3rd the previous year, twice 5th the year of his coronation … Phillip Island is the bête noire of Mister Sykes.

This year, the 2013 world champion may have led 4 laps in the first round then 10 laps in the second, his efforts were not rewarded. Not a podium, just a Top 5 on Saturday. He left Australia with 21 points on the clock, 29 less than Rea. But the season is long, he observes !

Rea’s main rival last year – especially at the end of the season when he delayed his title by a few weeks! -, Chaz Davies started this season with a handicap: a disappointing 9th place in the Superpole, meaning that he absolutely had to succeed in his two starts.

Fortunately, driver n ° 7 and his Panigale took off perfectly from the Australian grid – unlike Guintoli and his R1 in the first round for example – avoiding them to spit too much on their gloves and hit their tires too much to catch the good wagon…

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