Full results for the day are here… and our Friday report is here…

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Our full report for the WorldSSP Round 1 weekend can be found here…

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Click here to read the full official program for the Phillip Island WorldSBK…

The weather forecast is looking 50/50 but finger’s crossed it holds out and fans are treated to another stunning weekend of racing at Island. Tickets are available at the gate or here
Ticket prices are for GA – $145 ($180 gate) for a three day pass, $40 ($55 gate) Friday, $90 ($110 gate) Saturday or $99 ($125 gate) on Sunday but click here to check all of the pricing on the official website. There is no listing for Thursday ticketing on either official or Aussie website. Camping tickets start at $245. For those after a little bit of luxury, Bar SBK tickets are available for $310 and VIP are sold out.

With Round One of the 2024 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul (ASBK) kicking off too, there will be plenty of excitement, and the Aussie supers are only a second or so off the pace of the world supers, so the action is always red hot.

Support categories of Australian SuperSport 300 and Australian SuperSport (600) will be awesome too! And don’t forget to cheer on Remy Gardner #87 in WorldSBK and Oli Bayliss #32 in WorldSSP…

Check out our WorldSBK and ASBK content…

2024 WorldSBK Championship Round One Schedule

Phillip Island WorldSBK Highlights Gallery

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2023 WorldSBK Championship Standings (Full Standings Here)

1. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 628
2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) 552
3. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 370
4. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) 327
5. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 251

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Bringing in so much positive momentum and with him trending in a distinctly upward trajectory, unfortunately things didn’t go to plan for the gifted Australian, as problems with the bike and his team, plus some niggling injuries, scuppered his chances of truly putting his best foot forward.

Read our other updates about Aussies racing abroad here…

Although his debut term in the premier class was littered with adversity, the Tech3 KTM speedster still showed glimpses of his class on many occasions and that he had what it takes to compete at the elite level. Even though he couldn’t secure a coveted top ten finish, he still claimed an admirable four points scoring finishes in the crusade on his way to regularly outperforming his highly rated teammate, Raul Fernandez, who also endured his fair share of frustration last year.

With a season’s best of eleventh at Catalunya, this demonstrated he could mix it with the heavy hitters on his day and on a track that suited the bike. But these days were few and far between, in a season where he frequently toiled fruitlessly on his way to finishing 23rd in the final standings.

The saddening news then arose that KTM weren’t going to keep him on for 2023, which came as a devastating blow to Gardner, who forcefully expressed his opinion on the decision. “I felt like I always gave my 100 per cent for them [KTM]. My intention was to stay here and give my best and honestly, they’ve broken my heart,” Gardner explained.

“I felt like maybe there’s not an appreciation for the [Moto2] World Championship I brought them as well. I was just giving my best all the time and I guess it wasn’t good enough. The feeling was and the impression was, yeah, we should continue and in Austria we’ll get it done… I don’t know, I’m just as confused [by it].

“I think it hasn’t been a disaster. I mean, if you have a look at the times and everything and how close I am to the factory guys usually. It’s still my first year! I honestly think it was not bad and honestly it was positive vibes from them [KTM]. But yeah, we got to Austria and it’s basically ‘you’re out’. Wasn’t expecting it to be honest. I’ve always given 100% and unfortunately I don’t think it was good enough [how they handled the situation].”

Despite him feeling like he was harshly and unfairly treated, there was no denying what a fantastic learning experience racing a full crusade of MotoGP was for him even if he went through a tough adaptation to the category.

Indeed, gaining such valuable track time against the best riders in the world and extracting so much knowledge in terms of riding style, line selection, bike setup, race strategy, preparation and so much more should crucially hold him in good stead for his future endeavours.

Left without a MotoGP ride, the 24-year-old will now turn his attention to 2023, where he’ll be switching to the World Superbike paddock to race for GYTR GRT Yamaha. Excited for the challenge ahead and having already tested the bike, which he said he enjoyed, it’ll be fascinating seeing how he fares in what’s set to be a stacked class this year.

Andrea Dosoli, Yamaha Motor Europe Road Racing Manager, gave Remy a warm welcome to the team, stating: “Remy is an exciting young talent, who boasts an impressive career inside the Grand Prix paddock. We are obviously delighted to have a rider on board who’s not only shown great progression but has experience at the top level of motorcycle racing. We believe that he is the perfect fit for Yamaha’s WorldSBK program and are keen to see what he can do on one of our Yamaha YZF-R1 WorldSBK machines.”

To shine the spotlight on his recent test at Jerez last week, and much upside could be extracted from this hit out even though he was nearly two seconds off pace-setter Toprak Razgatlioglu, as Gardner rattled off 86 laps in the first day alone around the Spanish circuit to bank the 14th best time. Gardner then impressively made headway on day two, for his fastest lap was over a second quicker than the previous day and saw him secure the 10th quickest time, which was roughly one second off Toprak.

Giving him a fantastic chance to log some laps in the dry, after his first test was scuppered by rain in December, while he familiarised himself with the bike, the tyres and the team, the number 87 cut a content figure afterwards.

“Yeah it was fun!” Said Gardner “Very different to what I’m used to. New tyres, which I think is the biggest thing at the moment and just understanding how much confidence the front tyre gives and how much support as well. Did lots of laps, but it was just good to understand what I need to adapt and change. I have some bad habits from last year that I’m trying to kick. Just [need to] ride easier and more fluid. Last year I had to ride like an animal every single lap and every single corner to go half-fast.

Possessing all the ingredients to be a success, in the case of Gardner, KTM’s loss is certainly Yamaha’s gain..

“After a year of that and also the tyres are very different as well. I’ve got to let it flow a bit more. At the moment, that’s just what we wanted to do. I enjoyed myself a lot and, at the end of the day, I felt a bit more comfortable.”

Set to continue using the number 87, which is a tribute to his father Wayne’s memorable 1987 500cc World Championship, 2023 looms as a massive year for Gardner, as he looks to get things back on track after a forgettable 2022. Full of talent, extremely motivated for the challenge ahead, in the prime of his career and possessing all the ingredients to be a success, in the case of Gardner, KTM’s loss is certainly Yamaha’s gain.

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Day One testing for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto was a busy affair as teams and riders got their first 2023 running under their belt. 2021 Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK) topped the times ahead of reigning Champion Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) by two tenths of a second, with Bautista crashing in the afternoon, while rookie Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) shone brightly on his debut.

Three rookies were taking part in the Jerez test as they got adjusted to new surroundings, teams and bikes. Petrucci took sixth spot at the end of the day with a 1’39.790s, just over a second slower than Razgatlioglu. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) was ninth fastest on his first day in dry conditions with the Yamaha R1, lapping in 1’39.934, as he worked on linkage, swingarm and electronic components.

Teammate Remy Gardner was close behind in 14th place and six tenths back from Aegerter. Baldassarri (GMT94 Yamaha), learning the Championship and bike along with his team, was the lowest-placed rookie with 19th place as he took to the Yamaha R1 for the first time.

Testing at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto came to a conclusion for the teams and riders from the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship that attended. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK) was able to bounce back from his crash in the morning to record the fastest time with a 1’31.269s set in the afternoon; attempting to break the 1’37s barrier. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was second on Day 2, less than a tenth behind Razgatlioglu while 2022 WorldSBK Champion Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) took third place.

After a strong showing on Day 1, three WorldSBK rookies finished the test inside the top ten on Day 2. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was sixth fastest after posting a 1’39.193s, with Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) taking eighth place after setting a 1’39.311s. Aegerter’s GRT Yamaha teammate, Remy Gardner, took tenth spot but was only three tenths slower than Aegerter at the end of Day 2; showing how tight the WorldSBK field is in 2023.

Most teams will now be headed to Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal for another two-day test to be held on Tuesday 31st January and Wednesday 1st February.

Read the full report from Day 2 in Jerez on worldsbk.com

JEREZ WORLDSBK TEST 2023 GALLERY

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Read all the race reports here…

Championship Standings After French Round (Full Standings Here)

1 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 332 points
2 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) 302
3 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 285

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Where to begin with 2022? How about at the top of the points table? Dominique Aegerter is one of the most experienced riders on the grid, he exited Moto2 at the end of 2020 and went electric with the MotoE World Cup and added World Supersport to his roster in 2021.

Aegerter has smashed out nine out of 12 race wins for the 2022 WorldSSP and is on track to snatch the crown on-board his Ten Kate Racing Yamaha R6. It was all going well for the Swiss rider until Race one at Autodrom Most where he came off. In a bizarre turn of events, Aegerter simulated a medical emergency in order to cause a red flag. He was later found fit to ride but was banned from racing in Race two of the weekend due to unsportsman-like behaviour. Truly strange…

WorldSBK officials said: “On Saturday afternoon, Aegerter was rescued on the track and checked by the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) at the Medical Centre and was declared unfit due to the presence of possible concussion symptoms. On Saturday evening, Aegerter went to the Hospital for further assessments and on Sunday morning he admitted the simulation of symptoms to the CMO, and after a deep re-check was declared able to ride.”

Thanks to Aegerter’s strange behaviour, his title rival, Lorenzo Baldassarri, managed to close the 64 point gap down to just 14, Baldassarri has hardly put a foot wrong this season. Apart from winning race one at Aragon, finishing third in Race two at Estoril and a DNF in Race one at Assen, Baldassarri has only just missed out on matching Aegerter’s pace. It’s clear he has the drive to win the 2022 season as without Aegerter in the picture, he stormed through to score both race wins last weekend. I’d be keeping an eye on him if Dominique’s strange tactic’s keep up.

While the two Yamaha’s run away win the championship lead, third spot on the championship is really anyone’s for the taking. Nicolo Bulega current sits in third spot, 84 points behind Baldassarri and just four points ahead of Stefano Manzi.

How are the Aussies looking? Well, Oli Bayliss is the only full-time rider in the series for 2022 and he seems to be settling down into the Barni Racing team well. Despite breaking his ankle in the pre-season testing which would shaken up his confidence, Oli has been proving that he deserves to be there with plenty of point finishes and currently sits 17th in the standings with 32 points.

Two other Aussie’s have shown their face in WorldSSP this year too, Tom Edwards and Benjamin Currie. Tom Edwards has been blistering fast in the Supersport 600 ASBK category this year, this helped gain him a wildcard ride at the Estoril round where he put the borrowed R6 in the points!

Benjamin Currie had a spin on the Kawasaki ZX-6R where he picked up a point at Estoril too. We hope to see both him and Edwards out on WorldSSP for a full season next year. Check out all the best shots from 2022 so far below…

WorldSSP 2022 Season So Far Gallery

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