An unexpected start to the 2023 Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) has seen DesmoSport Ducati leave Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit sitting 10th in the championship after Broc Pearson raced to 10-9-11 results over a rain-effected weekend of racing. Report: Ducati DesmoSport.
Broc Pearson #4
- Qualified: 9th (1:32.835)
- Fastest Lap: 1:32.835
- Results: 10-9-11, 10th Overall
- Championship Standing: 10th
Team co-owner, Ben Henry: “It was a disappointing way to start the year that’s for sure. We’ve been really strong in testing with good lap times and results that have exceeded our expectations in the few local races we did, but that didn’t translate to results on the track this weekend. Yes, the weather played a factor, with us choosing to send Broc out on wets in the second part of race one, it didnt work out with the track drying, but the reality was we had nothing to lose based on our speed in the first half of the race. We spent some time supporting Pirelli with their Diablo SuperCorsa SC and SP launch on Monday and managed to get a few additional laps in with Broc to try a few things that the race weekend didn’t allow for and we’re motivated to put ourselves back where we belong.”
Broc Pearson: “We had a few issues over the weekend that didn’t come through in testing and it was difficult for me to push any harder than I was in the races. It was frustrating to race at a speed slower than what I know I’m capable of. I apologised to the team when I came in after race two, and the guys were pretty quick to correct me. We go well as a team, we have bad weekends as a team and no one person caused our problems this weekend. We’re all part of the solution, that’s what being in a team is about and we’re all putting everything in to getting my Panigale back up the grid.”
DesmoSport Ducati will now take the rest of the week to rest, recuperate and return to work before heading back in to the workshop next week with the teams Ducati Panigale V4 R superbikes.
