The excitement is building as Australia’s top speedway riders gear up for the highly anticipated Monster Energy FIM Speedway World Cup (SWC) in 2023. Check out the epic Australian talent that have lined up this year…
The excitement is building as Australia’s top speedway riders gear up for the highly anticipated Monster Energy FIM Speedway World Cup in 2023.
This year, the speedway world will witness a remarkable change as the “usual” Speedway of Nations format rotates to the Monster Energy FIM Speedway World Cup format. Team Australia is all set to compete in Semi-Final 2 against formidable opponents, Denmark, Finland, and France, in a thrilling showcase of speedway prowess.
The 2023 Team Australia lineup boasts an impressive roster of world-class talent for SF2:
Max Fricke
Jack Holder
Jason Doyle (Captain)
Jaimon Lidsey
Chris Holder
* note Australia has selected 10 riders for the event and may choose any riders from that lineup in subsequent finals.
With a rich history in speedway and a proud legacy, Australia stands tall as the defending champions of the FIM Speedway of Nations from the previous year, adding to the excitement surrounding their prospects in this year’s World Cup.
Mark Lemon, the long-time Speedway Team Australia Manager, brings a wealth of experience and expertise and will be guiding the riders once again in 2023. Also returning in 2023 are long-time sponsors and passionate Speedway Fans, South Australia’s CBS Bins.
The Monster Energy FIM Speedway World Cup is set to take place at Wroclaw’s iconic Olympic Stadium.
The Monster Energy FIM Speedway World Cup is set to take place at Wroclaw’s iconic Olympic Stadium, and this year’s event holds even more significance as it marks the first time ever that the entire Monster Energy FIM Speedway World Cup will be held at one venue. The will encompass Semi-Final 1, Semi-Final 2, the Race Off, and the World Cup Final. The action-packed week of racing is scheduled from Tuesday, 25th July, culminating in the grand finale on Saturday, 29th July.
Peter Doyle, Chief Executive of Motorcycling Australia (MA):“Australia has a great history in speedway and has consistently delivered impressive results on the world stage. We are all immensely proud of the team and have high hopes for their performance in the Monster Energy FIM Speedway World Cup. We eagerly look forward to witnessing our talented riders showcase their skills and tenacity in pursuit of a remarkable victory. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to CBS Bins for their unwavering support of Team Australia, enabling our riders to compete at the highest level of international speedway.”
The first two days of the Goodwood FOS (Festival of Speed) welcomed tens of thousands of fans from all over the world. With a very welcome surprise: the presence of MotoGP in the Main Paddock, with Aprilia and its RS-GP definitely at home among the legends of two and four-wheel motorsport.
Thousands of fans applauded the RS-GP, during the event that brings together the legends of world motorsport.
The Italian V4 was ridden along the legendary uphill track on Thursday and Friday by tester and MotoGP rider Lorenzo Savadori, who sent the crowd into raptures by also performing a spectacular burnout. Incredible then was the turnout at the Aprilia box recreated in the English paddock, testifying to an extremely curious and knowledgeable public.
Aprilia at Goodwood FOS.
Aprilia at Goodwood FOS.
Aprilia at Goodwood FOS.
Aprilia at Goodwood FOS.
Activities were unfortunately suspended for Saturday due to the bad weather conditions, but will resumed on Sunday when Raúl Fernandez took on the riding duties of the RS-GP.
The fifth round of the mi-bike Insurance ASBK Championship presented by Motul was absolutely breathtaking with exceptional racing across all the classes, readying us for a monumental last two rounds. Every race featured at least four riders duking it out for the win. Release & Images: ASBK Media
The fifth round of the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul was absolutely breathtaking with exceptional racing across all the classes.
Alpine Superbike
Race One
The first 16-lap race exploded into action with Herfoss grabbing the holeshot from Jones, Waters, Allerton, Halliday, and Sissis who had a blinding start while Broc Pearson went backward from the first row to be back in eighth position after the first lap with the top five separated by just 0.766 seconds.
Halliday was the first to be dropped off the extremely fast pace with Allerton valiantly hanging on to the leading trio of Herfoss, Jones and Waters. The leading pair were locked together as Waters was on the rear wheel of Jones as Herfoss tried to break away. Herfoss led for the opening five laps from Jones and Waters as Jones tried everything in the book but on the sixth lap, he found the page with the move to take the lead in a great braking move, but Herfoss was back in front two laps later.
Josh Waters surrenders his championship lead after a race one mistake.
The pace started to tell on Waters as he was noticeably dropping off the pair to be over a second off the lead after 10-laps as millimetres separated the two riders who have dominated the previous two rounds. On the start of the twelfth lap as Waters tried valiantly to keep in touch, in a déjà vu moment from Darwin ran off the track at Turn Two but managed to re-join way back in eleventh place nearly 20 seconds adrift while Allerton inherited third place. The mistake ensured that Herfoss would take the lead in the championship. It all is depending on how many places Waters could make up to salvage as many points as possible.
The dynamic duo was all over each other with no rider able to make a break as Jones retook the lead on the fourteenth lap setting the scene for a lightning bolt finish. For nine of the sixteen laps the pair were separated by less than a tenth of a second bringing back memories of the golden years of Australian road racing with the legendary battles of Robbie Phillis and Mal Campbell. The engrossed spectators all knew that there was one shot left for Herfoss in the closing two laps and it happened at the sixth corner on the last lap as Herfoss jammed his Honda on the inside of Jones and in a perfect brake check forced Jones wide with the pair side by side on the exit, but Herfoss had the slight advantage to get on the gas that millisecond earlier.
Troy Herfoss and Mike Jones were inseparable for the third round in a row.
Jones tried a way through in the final few corners, but Herfoss was not to be denied and took the win by 0.097 of a second from Jones to move into the championship lead. Allerton was third a little over a second in front of Halliday with Pearson recovering from his bad start to claim another sixth place from Bryan Staring, Anthony West, and Arthur Sissis. The end results saw Waters eight-point lead turn around to be a five-point deficient. As Jones continued to clamber up the points table in his sterling efforts to retain his Number One plate.
Race Two Lights out and it was Herfoss again who stormed into the lead with Allerton in hot pursuit with Pearson third from Jones, but Jones was into third by the end of the opening lap while Waters had a shocker of a start in his view to end lap one in sixth place.
By the time the Alpinestars Superbike field lined up for race two, the track temp was over 38 degrees and the wind had dropped to ensure the race would be run at a red-hot pace.
Jones muscled his way into second place on the fifth lap with a gap of about eight bike lengths to make up as Herfoss set the pace at the front although Jones bettered Herfoss’ 2018 lap record on the second lap and on the fifth lowered it again to take almost half a second off the old record. An amazing feat considering the tight nature of Morgan Park where it is so very difficult to make up time.
Allerton held third for the entire race while Pearson managed to maintain fourth spot for the entire race as some battles raged behind with Halliday, Waters, Staring, West and Sissis having some great battles just out of the top four spots.
Broc Pearson recovered from a difficult race one to be right in the mix in race two.
Back at the front, the Jones and Herfoss street fight continued unabated as Herfoss attempted to keep the ever-closing Jones at bay. Jones had his wish answered at the halfway point to take the lead and held it for five laps before Herfoss found a way through, but it was far from over. With just over a lap remaining Jones hit the front again and it appeared that he had enough of a gap to finally grab his first victory since the final round at The Bend Motorsport Park last year.
But with just three corners remaining Jones tried to cover his line but entered turn ten a little too hot and a little too tight as he attempted to prevent Herfoss from a final attack but the rear tyre of his bike slid out which was enough for Herfoss to slip underneath the Yamaha and take the lead with enough momentum to hang onto take the win by nearly eight-tenths of a second, the biggest gap between the pair the entire weekend.
ASBK Morgan Park Round Results (Full Results Here)
1 Troy HERFOSS / Penrite Honda – Honda CBR RR
2 Mike JONES / Yamaha Racing Team – Yamaha YZF-R1M
3 Glenn ALLERTON / GT Racing / Macarthur Motorrad – BMW M RR
Michelin Supersport The two Michelin Supersport races were confirmation as to why this year’s championship is one of the closest-fought titles for some years. There have been many shining lights exposed this season as riders graduate from the lower classes to join their more experienced Supersport rivals. The most prominent is 15-year-old, Cameron Dunker who now sits second in the championship just a few points shy of leader Olly Simpson.
The two Michelin Supersport races were confirmation as to why this year’s championship is one of the closest-fought titles for some years.
The surprise of the weekend is another 300cc graduate, Hayden Nelson from Taree, New South Wales. He is a typical racer; in the pits he is quiet and almost withdrawn but once the helmet goes on and he dons his suit of armor he transforms into a tenacious, talented, and extremely determined character. Nelson surprised many except himself when he claimed his first pole position of his fledgling Supersport career to be in the box seat.
Race One Off the line, it was Olly Simpson who powered his way from the third row to lead the opening meters before Ty Lynch, Dunker, Tom Bramich and Nelson muscled their way through. Lynch took up the running but on the fifth lap tossed it away at turn six to hand the lead to Dunker but Ty remounted in the last spot in an attempt to salvage points as he knew his second place in the championship was done. He was the third rider to crash after Glenn Nelson and Scott Nicholson’s confronting weekend continued as the race became one of attrition.
Off the line, it was Olly Simpson who powered his way from the third row to lead the opening meters before Ty Lynch, Dunker, Tom Bramich and Nelson muscled their way through.
As the battle at the front raged between Dunker, H Nelson, Bramich, defending champion John Lytras and Simpson, Nelson was shuffled back to sixth before his charge to the front began, as Bramich crashed out in his efforts to make an impact. He took the lead on the 10th lap with the leading five less than a second apart but with a lap and a half to run Nelson crashed on oil at turn ten. The bike was demolished as it slammed into the wall as Nelson cartwheeled into the kitty litter, the crash bringing out the red flag.
Race Two
As expected, the second race produced more of the same but unfortunately for young Hayden, his bike could not be repaired in time, and had to sit out the race. As for Lynch, he dislocated his shoulder but in typical rider form had it popped back in. Not even a flesh wound! It must’ve fired him up as he grinned through the pain to lead Dunker and Simpson off the line as Bramich, Lytras and ever-improving JJ Nahlous joined the party.
Cameron Dunker led early but was shuffled back and missed out on a podium.
Hayden Nelson showed incredible speed and tactics to be right in the mix.
The places were changing constantly in a thoroughly entertaining spectacle as any one of the five were in with a chance of victory. It was polarising as they quintet swapped positions but with a few laps to go it had come down to a battle between, Dunker, Simpson, Lynch and Lytras.
As they crossed the line after the 14 laps it was Simpson who claimed another win by 0.024 of a second from Lytras with a battered Lynch in third and Dunker off the podium for the first time since Sydney, the four less than a second apart.
ASBK Supersport 600 Morgan Park Round Results (Full Results Here)
Supersport 300 The two Sunday Supersport 300 races continued the fine tradition of no-holds-barred racing but there was no denying the rapidly rising star that is Cameron Swain. He won the three races (and pole position) in great style demonstrating an innate knack of race craft and riding maturity far beyond his 14 years, but for that matter, that applies to most of the field.
The two Sunday Supersport 300 races continued the fine tradition of no-holds-barred racing but there was no denying the rapidly rising star that is Cameron Swain.
Race Two The first race on Sunday morning was a bit of an anomaly as it quickly turned into a duel of two between Swain and the extremely rapid Brodie Gawith as after just one lap, they had opened a gap of over a second on the field. In that bunch was Marcus Hamod, Henry Snell, and series leader Brandon Demmery, who as usual were all over each other.
Swain led Gawith across the line at the end of every lap but that gives no indication of what was happening in between as the pair swapped positions any number of times on any lap. Gawith broke the lap record in the opening heat on Saturday afternoon and repeated the feat on the fifth lap, halfway through the race but no sooner had he accomplished that task than he crashed out in a repeat performance of the exact same feat the day before! There’s no doubt that he does not want to do that again anytime soon!
Swain went on to have a comfortable win of over five seconds (the largest wining gap of all races all weekend).
Swain went on to have a comfortable win of over five seconds (the largest wining gap of all races all weekend) but behind him, the battle raged for the minor podium spots between Hamod, Snell, Demmery and another improving teenager, Jai Russo. Hamod claimed second from Snell in another photo finish with Demmery fourth a similar margin ahead of Russo.
Race Three Race three and normal transmission was resumed with the top five as there were nanoseconds apart for the entire 10 laps. Teammates Gawith and Snell hammered Swain at every opportunity, but Swain was always leading as they crossed the line. On the final lap, Snell refrained from his usual dive bomb tactic at turn 10 so as not to lead coming onto the straight aiming to take advantage of the slipstream but Swain sensed what was happening and entered the final chicane slightly faster than usual and managed to hold f Snell by just 0.030 of a second with Hamod third and Gawith managing to stay upright to cross the line in fourth all less than a second apart.
Race three and normal transmission was resumed with the top five as there were nanoseconds apart for the entire 10 laps.
For championship leader Demmery, it was not the weekend he was hoping for as he failed to finish on the podium in any race his best results a pair of fourth places and to add a bit of salt to the wound, he very uncharacteristically crashed out of the race on the second lap while battling with the leading bunch to put a huge ding in his points lead to see his lead shrink by over 20 points to be now just two points from Swain.
Hamod now sits in third, nine points adrift, while for Gawith the lap record was cold comfort for the number of points, he jettisoned with the two crashes to slide to sixth overall. Highest placed Kawasaki over the three races was another rapid learner in Josh Newman, who happens to be Glenn Allerton’s nephew with a sixth and two seventh places.
ASBK Supersport 300 Morgan Park Round Results (Full Results Here)
1 Cameron SWAIN – Yamaha YZF-R3
2 Henry SNELL – Yamaha YZF-R3
3 Marcus HAMOD – Yamaha YZF-R3
Yamaha Finance R3 Cup The three races featured three different winners and two lap records with the three chapters of the weekend having a total winning margin of an astonishing 0.033 of a second!
The first leg saw Hamod smash Brodie Gawith’s 11-month-old record by 0.642 of a second as at the finish he crossed the line with Swain locked together, the gap on the timing screen listed as 0.000! It took timekeepers some minutes to decide the winner as they trawled through the finish line camera footage with Hamod finally getting the nod by 0.010 seconds.
Marcus Hamod took out the first race of the weekend after recording the closest winning margin in class.
Sunday’s two races were just as entertaining as the leading quintet continued to swap paint, positions, and bang elbows for every one of the 16 laps, over the two races. With the nature of the racing, it is extremely difficult to give an adequate lap-by-lap description, without becoming confusing as the places at the front changed constantly from corner to corner, let alone lap by lap.
Race Two For Hamod, the race was in stark contrast to the day before as he crashed at the daunting turn three on the opening lap to tumble into the dirt, while the rest of the pack carried on. Swain led across the line at every lap with the quartet of Swain, Gawith, Snell and Demmery never more than half a second apart that involved so many breathtaking passes throughout the eight laps.
Swain led across the line at every lap with the quartet of Swain, Gawith, Snell and Demmery never more than half a second apart that involved so many breathtaking passes throughout the eight laps.
Into the final couple of laps and the battle gained intensity as Demmery claimed a new lap record eclipsing Hamod’s time from the day before by a tiny 0.043 of a second. Gawith and his teammate Snell were not working together but were trying to hassle Swain into a mistake. That was asking a lot as Swain is one cool cookie under pressure, however in the final mad dash to the line Gawith claimed the win from Swain by 0.011 with Snell third and Demmery fourth as they gapped the rest of the field by nearly eight seconds.
Race Three As in the previous race, Swain aimed to lead across the line at the end of every lap but scanning the result sheet disguises the intensity of what these lads were throwing at each other in between. Words don’t do justice to the talent and tenacity of these riders who except for Demmery are all teenagers.
As the sun set on the day and the laps counted down, it again all came down to the final mad scramble to the line out of the final chicane. Snell took a page out of his teammate’s notebook and was right on the rear heel of Swain as they exited the final corner, gaining millimetres as the slipstream effect came to the fore. With just metres to go, Snell pulled out of the draft and nudged ahead of Swain to take the win with the biggest margin of the three races – 0.012 seconds – as Hamod made up for the disappointment of the earlier race to be 0.052 seconds away in third with Gawith on his rear wheel.
The third leg was the final race of the weekend and the lads aimed to not leave anything out there with so long before the combatants regroup for Phillip Island in three months.
As for Demmery, he was feeling the effects of his earlier get-off and was someway off the pace battling with Russo for fifth and sixth with Russo gaining the ascendency over him in the final run to the line. When speaking to Demmery post-race, it was uncovered that he was riding his spare bike in the final race, and as it was not tuned to the same setup as his number one machine, he struggled to match his pace from earlier in the day. Snell’s win and his two third places gave him the round win from Swain who finished second in all three heats with Gawith third overall and just two points separating them over the weekend.
The R3 Cup has seen Swain move into the points lead after Demmery’s 48-point haul from his 5-4-6 placing over the weekend to be now 10 points adrift of Swain with Gawith third in the chase seven points away and Snell fourth just four points shy of his teammate. Hamod paid the price for his indiscretion to slip to fifth overall.
As for young Swain, his future is looking brighter as before the series reconvenes at Phillip Island in late October, he has been invited to contest the world final of the Yamaha R3 Cup and will be heading to Europe.
As for young Swain, his future is looking brighter as before the series reconvenes at Phillip Island in late October, he has been invited to contest the world final of the Yamaha R3 Cup and will be heading to Europe to contest the races at Magny-Cours and Portimão alongside the WorldSBK Championship.
ASBK R3 Cup Morgan Park Round Results (Full Results Here)
bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup The bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup exceeded its normal expectations by providing three different race winners, riders to the podium for the first time and lap records broken with the usual on-track entertainment in the three races.
It started from the first qualifying session when cup leader and dirt bike champion, Bodie Page smashed the qualifying record set by Levi Russo last year by 0.923 seconds to be over a second in front of his rivals!
The bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup exceeded its normal expectations by providing three different race winners, riders to the podium for the first time and lap records broken with the usual on-track entertainment in the three races.
Not to be outdone another whizz of the dirt and fellow Queenslander, Riley Nauta bettered that newly set record in the second qualifier by a further 0.286 seconds to now stand at 1:35.457. These kids are guns, and many of them have very promising futures in the game. Every race is a slipstream battle that lasts the entire duration as they jockey for positions on their pint-sized machines. Some passing manoeuvres over the weekend took one’s breath away as they demonstrated their exceptional racecraft skills and commitment.
Race One Bodie grabbed the lead off the line and at the end of the first lap he led a group of seven, including his younger brother, Jake with Archie Schmidt, Nauta, another dirt track gun in Jed Fyffe, line astern with little over a second splitting them. On the second lap, Paige broke the race lap record by two-tenths set by Hudson Thompson last year. Not to be outdone, two laps later in the duels, Fyffe took over half a second off that time as he crossed the line in third and a split-second later Nauta, in fifth spot, bettered his time by 0.009 of a second, to now hold two lap records in the same class – Extraordinary!
Race One started and ran as normal; completely mental! After a couple of months away from the bitumen the kids were bouncing around as if they had sculled a bottle of red cordial!
Places were constantly changing but as the leading five crossed the finish line it was Bodie Paige the victor, from Schmidt second, for his fourth podium finish of the year with Fyffe claiming his first podium in the series in third place, a fraction of a second in front of Jake Paige with Nauta proving how critical track position is in the final run to the line pushed back to fifth with 0.636 seconds covering them.
Race Two The second race had drama on the start line. As one of the rising stars, ‘Stella’ Ella McCausland, who qualified eleventh, bogged down on the line, and was hit by two other riders from behind. The red flag was displayed immediately to attend to the riders but thankfully there were no serious injuries, and all riders were able to start the last race.
On the restart, it was all back to normal as the field sliced and diced each other for the five-lap duration with seven riders line astern. Well momentarily, as positions changed constantly as usual. Schmidt was the early leader from the two Paige brothers with Jake leading his older sibling with Nauta beside them with first-round victor Haydn Fordyce from across the ditch and the ever-improving John Pelgrave joining the party.
On the restart, it was all back to normal as the field sliced and diced each other for the five-lap duration with seven riders line astern. Well momentarily, as positions changed constantly as usual.
At the finish, there was one second covering the top seven riders as Jake turned the tables on his brother to record his first win and first podium in the series to bring Bodie’s winning streak to an end. Who better to do it for the bench racing bragging rights than your younger brother? Schmidt was third with Bodie fourth, Fordyce fifth and Pelgrave sixth.
It is the first time in Oceania Junior Cup that two brothers have been first and second at any time in a race as well as the more memorable moments of brothers recording wins on the same weekend. In a bit of irony, when Bodie won the first race, Jake was fourth, and when Jake won the second race, Bodie was fourth!
Jake Paige was the rider who put an end to brother Bodie’s winning streak.
Race Three This time there were seven bikes in the six-lap freight train with McCausland from eleventh on the grid putting the morning’s drama behind her to join in the fun and be in sixth place after two laps. John Pelgrave was another who climbed the leaderboard to be up to third on the second lap behind Jake and Bodie Paige, with Nauta and Schmidt chasing the trio. As usual, the intensity lifted on the last lap as they all knew it would be the last race lap of the class for the next three months.
Schmidt prevailed to take his first win after five previous podium finishes with McCausland in a stunning performance to finish second from Pelgrave third, Bodie and Jake in fourth and fifth, Fordyce in sixth with lap record holder Nauta in seventh.
The last leg was another cracker with more history being made. It couldn’t get any closer for the final podium positions.
Schmidt won by the ‘massive’ margin of 0.763 seconds from McCausland who claimed second by just 0.006 from Pelgrave, second to sixth covered by 0.336 of second. With his 2-3-1 results, it was Schmidt who won the day by four points from Bodie Paige with his brother, Jake one point adrift for third overall.
The reigning Champion battled hard for victory at Imola as he edged closer to history while Toprak Razgatlioglu claimed his 100th podium on Saturday. Sunday was a different story for Bautista as he crashed out and Razgatlioglu denied Axel Bassani an emotional maiden victory, gaining 25 points on Alvaro.
The reigning Champion battled hard for victory at Imola as he edged closer to history while Toprak Razgatlioglu claimed his 100th podium on Saturday.
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) overcame his rivals in an incredible Race 1 for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship to record his 17th victory of the 2023 campaign in style. The Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola hosted a sensational battle as Bautista claimed took a stunning win ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) who racked up a century of podiums as he finished second.
The opening laps were a sensational fight in front of the passionate Italian fans as two Italian riders led their first laps of the season. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) got the holeshot from second and led until the final chicane on Lap 2, when Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) overtook his compatriot. At the start of Lap 3, Bassani had a huge wobble through Tamburello which dropped him down to fourth, before Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) went through at the Variante Alta at Turn 4.
The opening laps were a sensational fight in front of the passionate Italian fans.
On Lap 3, Razgatlioglu made one of the best overtakes of the season as he went around the outside of Bautista on the entry to the Variante Alta to move into P2 behind Locatelli, before it all kicked off at the front as Locatelli, Razgatlioglu and Bautista battled for first. The Turkish rider was able to get ahead of his teammate on the run into Turn 1 when Locatelli ran a bit wide into the final chicane and compromised his exit, although the Italian was able to defend from Bautista. The Spaniard demoted the home hero into third a lap later with an overtake into the Variante Alta before he set his sights on Razgatlioglu.
Razgatlioglu and Bautista pulled out a gap over Rea, who passed Locatelli on Lap 5 at the final chicane, to duel it out for victory although Bautista did lose second to the six-time Champion after he had a massive moment on the run to the Variante Alta on Lap 8; he swiftly re-passed to take second back. There was little to separate the pair throughout the first two-thirds but an error from the Turk allowed Bautista to pass him on the run down to Rivazza 1. He ran slightly wide at the final chicane but the #54 was unable to capitalise and remained in second. From there, the reigning Champion pulled out a gap to claim his 49th win in WorldSBK, ahead of Razgatlioglu while Rea took third.
There was little to separate the pair throughout the first two-thirds but an error from the Turk allowed Bautista to pass him on the run down to Rivazza 1.
Bautista’s win puts him on 17 for the season which equals the most in a season, putting him level with Doug Polen in 1991 and Jonathan Rea in from 2018 and 2019. One more win at any point throughout the season will give him the all-time record for wins in a single campaign with 18. Second gave Razgatlioglu his 100th WorldSBK podium and his 16th consecutive rostrum finish; the joint sixth-longest all-time streak. Rea racked up his 252nd podium, while Razgatlioglu and Rea have now shared the podium 75 times together.
Locatelli’s stunning start was rewarded with fourth place although he had to work hard as he fended off Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in the closing stages. Rinaldi was the quicker rider and the gap between them on Lap 19, the final lap, was just over a second but the Yamaha rider was able to hold on lead a quartet of Italians inside the top seven. After his podium at Donington last time out, Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) headed into his second home round full of confidence and he scored sixth, 2.6s down on Rinaldi ahead. Bassani dropped down the order to finish seventh, having to fight hard to keep that position.
Rea racked up his 252nd podium, while Razgatlioglu and Rea have now shared the podium 75 times together.
French rider Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) was the top BMW rider as he took eighth, but he was very close to finishing one place higher. He put pressure on the Independent Ducati directly ahead of him but was unable to make the move before he had to defend from Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK). The Brit had to settle for ninth but finished just over three tenths down from the two-time race winner, while Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) completed the top ten.
Rookie Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) put in a strong charge to take 11th after a fierce fight with four riders. The Australian battled with Xavi Vierge (Team HRC), Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) and Leon Haslam (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) to take 11th with the Honda rider in 12th; Vierge was forced to start from the back of the grid due to a tyre pressure limits infringement, but he was up to 17th in the early stages before claiming P12. American star Gerloff was 13th with stand-in BMW rider Haslam right behind. Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) started from the second row and secured a point as he claimed 15th.
Second gave Razgatlioglu his 100th WorldSBK podium and his 16th consecutive rostrum finish; the joint sixth-longest all-time streak.
Tito Rabat (Barni Spark Racing Team) took 16th place, 19 seconds down on Ray ahead of him, as he fended off two Italians. Wildcard Gabriele Ruiu (Bmax Racing), who started from the pit lane, was 17th and only 0.181s down on the Moto2™ World Champion while Roberto Tamburini (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team) was 18th and last of the classified riders.
Lorenzo Baldassarri (GMT94 Yamaha) crashed out of his home race on Lap 3 when he went down at Turn 2, while German rider Philipp Oettl (Team GoEleven) retired just shy of the halfway mark of the 19-lap race. Czech rider Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing MOVISIO) retired shortly after Oettl while Eric Granado (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team) crashed at Turn 18 on Lap 13. Spanish duo Isaac Vinales (TPR by Team Pedercini Racing) and Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) also did not complete the race. Swiss rookie Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) brought his Yamaha YZF-R1 machine into the pits on Lap 17 to retire.
WorldSBK Imola Race One Podium (Full Results Here)
1 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) +3.672s
3 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +7.847s
Tissot Superpole Race Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) beat Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in an epic Tissot Superpole Race scrap at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola. The battle for victory went down to the final lap as the 2021 Champion fought hard to claim his first victory at Imola with the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship standings closing ever so slightly with the results in the Prometeon Italian Round.
The Superpole Race was a stunning affair in Italy as Razgatlioglu beat Bautista by just 0.244s to secure a win.
Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) once again got the holeshot and defended valiantly despite pressure from teammate Razgatlioglu, with their battle allowing Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) to stay in contention. Razgatlioglu looked to pass his teammate on several occasions but was unable to make the move before the Spaniard bundled his way through on the Turkish star at the Variante Bassa at the end of Lap 5. Just a few corners later and the reigning Champion was out in front as he passed Locatelli into the Variante Tamburello.
It left the two Yamaha riders to fight it out and the 2021 Champion attempted to pass his teammate into the Tosa hairpin, but Locatelli held position. Heading out of Acque Minerali, Locatelli made a small mistake which allowed Razgatlioglu through forcefully at the Variante Alta. He soon closed the gap to Bautista out in front, with Razgatlioglu making the race-winning move at Piratella on Lap 9 as he caught his rival by surprise. Bautista kept him in his sights and looked for a way through on the final lap but the #54 was able to hold on for a hard-fought victory.
The Turk was able to hold on despite last-lap pressure from the defending Champion to claim his third win of the season and close the gap in the Championship standings by three points.
The Turk was able to hold on despite last-lap pressure from the defending Champion to claim his third win of the season and close the gap in the Championship standings by three points. It was his 35th win in WorldSBK, putting him alone at sixth in the all-time list. Bautista took his 77th podium while Locatelli resisted Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) in the second half of the race for his 12th podium. The front row for Race 2 will therefore be Razgatlioglu, Bautista and Locatelli.
Rea will lead off the second row after he moved up from seventh on the grid for the Superpole Race and he will be joined by two Italians who go in search of a stunning home result at home. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) renewed their rivalry as they battled over fifth place, with Rinaldi coming out on top after the #47 fell down the order, partly aided by a poor start.
Bautista took his 77th podium while Locatelli resisted Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) in the second half of the race for his 12th podium.
Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team) will line up seventh for Race 2 as he finished 0.616s down on Bassani ahead. Danilo Petrucci’s (Barni Spark Racing Team) continued his strong run of form as he scored eighth place, the second consecutive Superpole Race he has taken points from. Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) will complete the third row in Race 2 as he secured ninth; just beating Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) by 0.194s.
1 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK)
2 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.244s
3 Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) +1.720s
Race Two
The gap in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship standing was cut by the maximum 25 points as Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) took advantage of Alvaro Bautista’s (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) opening lap crash at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola. The 2021 Champion had to battle his way into the lead in the closing stages of Race 2 at the Prometeon Italian Round after Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) went hunting after a maiden win but was denied with a handful of laps to go.
Toprak Razgatlioglu denied Axel Bassani an emotional maiden victory but gained 25 points on Alvaro Bautista as the reigning Champion crashed out.
Bautista got the holeshot in the shortened 15-lap race, but his race unravelled as soon as it started. He came off his Panigale V4 R at Turn 3 and into the gravel, ending his run of feature length wins in 2023. It allowed 2021 Champion Razgatlioglu to move into the lead as teammate Andrea Locatelli had to take avoiding action. While the Turkish star was in the lead, Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) pulled off a mega move to go from fourth to second.
Bautista got the holeshot in the shortened 15-lap race, but his race unravelled as soon as it started. He came off his Panigale V4 R at Turn 3 and into the gravel, ending his run of feature length wins in 2023.
He took advantage of Locatelli running wide at the final chicane at the end of Lap 2 and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) being held up to blast past the pair on the run into the Tamburello chicane to take second. From there, he put in a series of fast laps to close the gap to the Yamaha rider. The gap was just over a tenth on Lap 7 with Rea in hot pursuit of the pair; less than half-a-second separating the top three.
On Lap 8, Bassani made his move on Razgatlioglu for first. He looked to overtake into the Villeneuve chicane first but that didn’t work out, before he went up the inside of his rival at the left-hand hairpin of Tosa. He initially pulled out a small gap, but Razgatlioglu kept in touch as the race entered the final third of the race. At the end of Lap 12, Razgatlioglu made his move into Rivazza 1 with the #47 aiming to cut back into Rivazza 2 although the #54 held on through the exit. On his first full lap with clear air, the Yamaha rider pulled out six-tenths as he went on to claim his first feature-length race win of 2023.
On Lap 8, Bassani made his move on Razgatlioglu for first. He looked to overtake into the Villeneuve chicane first but that didn’t work out, before he went up the inside of his rival at the left-hand hairpin of Tosa.
Razgatlioglu was able to claim his 36th career win and his 102nd podium, while it was also Yamaha’s 410th rostrum in World Superbike. Bassani took his sixth podium in the Championship, and his second this season, as he equalled his best result. Rea took two feature-length race podiums in a single round for the first time in 2023. With Bassani taking the fastest lap, a 1’47.491s, Bautista secured the Pirelli Best Lap Award for 2023.
Locatelli was demoted to fourth when Rea overtook him at Turn 9 on Lap 3, and he remained there for the rest of the race to take P4 and end his home round in a good way following on from his Tissot Superpole Race podium. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was fifth ahead of a three-way scrap for sixth. Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) took a career-best sixth after fending off two BMW riders. Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) and Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) were separated by just half-a-second at the line with Baz taking P7.
Razgatlioglu was able to claim his 36th career win and his 102nd podium, while it was also Yamaha’s 410th in WSBK.
Rookie Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) was ninth, five seconds down on the fight ahead. He also had a decent margin on the riders behind as they battled it out for a place in the top ten. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) put Honda in the top ten for the first time this weekend as he, Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), teammate Dominique Aegerter, Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) and Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) battled it out.
The quintet was changing positions throughout the race with Gardner finishing 0.44s down on Lecuona in 11th while he was almost two seconds ahead of his teammate. Aegerter was 12th with Gerloff and Vierge directly behind; just 0.117s separated the trio. Philipp Oettl (Team GoEleven) was the final points scorer in 15th, with Lorenzo Baldassarri (GMT94 Yamaha) narrowly missing out on a home point. Gabriele Ruiu (Bmax Racing), who started from the pitlane after exceeding the engine allocation, was 17th ahead of Roberto Tamburini (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team) in 18th and his teammate, Eric Granado, completing the classified riders.
Tito Rabat (Barni Spark Racing Team) crashed out of the race on Lap 5 at Turn 12, while Leon Haslam (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) retired after a trip across the gravel. It was a similar story for Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing MOVISIO) while Isaac Vinales (TPR Team Pedercini Racing) crashed at Turn 12 on Lap 9. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) had a tumble at Turn 7 on Lap 12 which ended his hopes of a top-six finish.
WorldSBK Imola Race Two Podium (Full Results Here)
1 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) 2 Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) +1.996s 3 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +2.458s
Championship standings
1 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 391
2 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) 321
3 Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) 208
It’s been quite a number of years since I read a rider education book. In fact, it would have to be a decade. I’ve read the Twist of the Wrist series (who hasn’t?) but to be honest, even in my job, I don’t see too many genuinely good rider education books land on my desk these days… Review: Jeff Ware
When I was made aware of Complete Rider, I was genuinely excited. Not only because it’s written by an Aussie plus printed and designed here, but also that it’s new, modern and not just another updated book from back when bikes had drum brakes, carburettors and 100hp was out of this world!
Finally, a new education book with online options, for the new generation and for experienced riders. I’ve been reading it now for a few months on and off and still have plenty to go, probably a third of it, but I can confidently write this review on it… I’ve been picking it up every other day and learning more.
Not just another updated book from back when bikes had drum brakes, carburettors and 100hp was out of this world!
I’ve found rather than read it front to back, I’ve been perusing the brilliant index, finding a subject I’m interested in (even Plexus is there, man, I love that stuff it is the best!), then reading that section or some of it, jumping forwards and backwards through the book. I do the same with workshop manuals… Which I admit to reading in the little spare time I have!
There is humour hidden throughout Complete Rider, which always lightens up the read with anything technical. An example is under T in the index, you can find Tom Cruise listed… Page 105 (drop down visor info) and then further along you will find Wanker… see Tom Cruise… Ha!
That stuff will make you laugh. I also related to it as, like the author, the first time I saw a drop down visor I thought you would have to be a wanker to wear a helmet with one… and now I have about three helmets with them and love them! It’s called getting old, I’m told.
Seriously, though, there is plenty that ANY rider can learn from this book. I always say that as riders we never stop learning. I’ve been an A Grade racer for 26-years this year, competed 413 times, been a full time bike journo since 2001 and have tested over 1000 bikes and I still learn something new ever week at least. I love learning new things to apply to my riding. Some work out, some don’t, but I always try!
I’ve always had a terrible ‘Risk versus Reward’ meter, and have found some great points in Complete Rider to remind me of this and hopefully address it. On the other hand, my ‘Anticipation’ meter has always been my get out of jail free card… But I have still picked up a few things there in the book. It’s easy to pick up bad habits and sometimes it takes a third party to wake us up to them.
For experienced riders, there is plenty in here to help you iron out some old creases and even prompt you about things you may have forgotten. The author is super experienced and understands that us long term riders do not always like to be told better ways to do something we have been doing for years. Fair enough, but he will offer an alternative and back it up with reason and proven testing.
The newbies will get huge gains from Complete Rider. It covers everything and anything and will truly help you on your journey and be a bike bible for you for many years as you continue to develop as not only a rider, but as a motorcycle owner. There is info on riding gear and bike maintenance that will help you no end and drills at the back to help you practice your riding and apply some of the techniques…
Complete Rider is a big book. It is not a quick guide to riding. You need to take your time to read and study it, think about the things you pick up and apply them to your daily or weekend riding, have a think about them then move on to the next section, or choose one that you think you need to read to help address a riding issue you are currently experiencing. As mentioned, it’s a reference for experienced riders and a great learning tool for new riders.
To buy Complete Rider, purchase a course or visit the YouTube channel click here…
It’s a road riding guide – something that is very important as it is not adapted from a racing book or racing skills, which are completely different to the street in so many ways. For me, over the past few decades as a bike journo and a bike racer, I often feel like two completely different people who ride totally differently – one road rider and one track rider.
It’s like I have a mental switch between the two. There are not that many track skills that apply to the road and it goes the other way, so a dedicated road book is important… Another area I found very good was the Human Factors chapter. It’s so easy to forget how one small bad choice can impact our lives until it is too late. My injuries over the past few years are testament to that… I have a bad habit of riding when I have a lot on my mind, which leads to mistakes. Complete Rider helped me address this issue.
Complete Rider is available for Left and Right side of the road countries and written accordingly. It is also available as a digital edition. There is an online course, which involves the author presenting the book and with bonus quizzes and a digital edition. The website (below) has these available.
Complete Rider is split into five sections – The 3 Essential Bike Handling Skills, Interaction (Roadcraft), Human Factors, Our Stuff (Gear and Maintenance) and Drills. There are 11 Chapters, with great illustrations throughout, as well as QR codes that you can scan and ‘find out more’ for example watch the YouTube clip.
Highly recommended for all riders. Visit the Complete Rider website for more info and to order yours!
Check out some of the videos on the YouTube Channel
An action packed weekend at the Prosecco DOC Donington Park, UK, WorldSBK round saw Bautista and Razgatlioglu share the top spot, while Danilo Petrucci scored his first podium. Oli Bayliss was injured on Saturday and missed Sunday. Report: WorldSBK
Friday
On the first day of the Prosecco DOC UK Round at Donington Park, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) concluded the day as the fastest rider in mixed conditions, as he set the best time in the morning session before intermittent rain affected the proceedings in FP2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK team) finished just 0.012 seconds off the fastest time with his best FP2 lap.
Team GoEleven’s Philipp Oettl secured the third-fastest time, leading the Ducati riders. British riders Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team)and Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) secured fifth and sixth places respectively. Varying conditions and limited mileage meant that Championship leader Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) finished only eighth in the day’s standings.
Saturday
17 different polesitters throughout the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s history at Donington Park and with two of them on the current grid, we were in for a treat in WorldSBK Superpole. The rain had been dispelled and on track, plenty of riders were looking to excel as the existing lap record was broken and the battle for pole position triggered. As the chequered flag flew in the British breeze, it was Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) who took a first pole of 2023. On hand to present the awards in Parc Ferme was Roger Burnett, the first ever WorldSBK polesitter from Donington Park 35 years ago.
Top three after WorldSBK Superpole (Full Results Here)
1. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 1’26.041s
2. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.068s
3. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.164s
Race One Bautista got the holeshot as the lights went out as he looked to end Ducati’s Donington drought, but his lead did not last long as polesitter Rea took advantage of the Spaniard running wide on the entry to the Foggy Esses on Lap 2 to take the lead. The Ulsterman was able to pull away from Bautista, but the reigning Champion soon found himself under pressure from 2021 Champion Razgatlioglu as the Turk looked to make gains.
Razgatlioglu made his move on Bautista at Turn 11 on Lap 3 before setting his sights on Rea out in front, with the gap coming down as soon as the Yamaha rider got ahead of Bautista. On Lap 6, the Turkish star made his move on Rea at the same corner to move into the lead, but he was unable to pull a gap as the ‘Titanic Trio’ battled it out at the historic venue.
The trio switched positions several times between Lap 6 and Lap 9 with all three taking their turn to lead the race before Bautista made a move on Razgatlioglu on the exit of Coppice to move back into first. Razgatlioglu and Rea both remained in touch with the reigning Champion edging out a small gap. On Lap 11, Bautista posted a new race lap record of 1’26.615s as the gap edged out to just over half-a-second to his rivals.
The Ducati rider’s pace was shown two laps later when he set a 1’26.610s to break his own lap record with the gap up to 1.200s at the start of Lap 15. A lap later, he went a tenth quicker as he showed his consistency. He was the only rider to lap in the 1’26s bracket at this stage of the race with Razgatlioglu and Rea dropping into the 1’27s.
While Bautista and Razgatlioglu had their places secured, Rea had to fight Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) for third place. The rookie had been just behind the lead group, but his late-race pace allowed him to pass Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) on Lap 16 at the Foggy Esses before chasing down Rea for third although Rea was able to manage the gap throughout the final laps to secure third.
Bautista’s victory means Ducati’s 12-year wait for a Donington victory came to an end as he extended his Championship lead to 91 points ahead of Razgatlioglu. His win also means his winning streak has reached 11 races; equalling the longest set by Rea in 2018 and himself in 2019. Razgatlioglu’s second place puts him on 97 WorldSBK rostrums as he closes in on a century while Rea secured his 250th podium; the first rider to achieve this feat.
Top three WorldSBK Race 1 (Full Results Here)
1. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) +3.718s
3. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +6.115s
Superpole Race
Bautista got the holeshot but six-time Champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) responded immediately to take the lead at Turn 2. Bautista was soon demoted to third as Razgatlioglu went through at the Old Hairpin to move up the order before the trio battled it out for victory. The Ulsterman tried to stretch his legs and got the gap up to half a second before the 2021 Champion brought the gap back down to just over a tenth at the halfway stage.
The Spaniard remained in touch as he posted several lap records, including a 1’25.896s on Lap 6 to bring the gap across the top three to 0.5s. As the 10-lap encounter progressed, Bautista closed in on his rivals and he made a last-lap pass at Turn 9 to move into second and soon set his sights on Razgatlioglu but, with two corners left, the Turkish star was able to hold on to claim his second win of the season and ended the Championship leader’s winning streak.
Razgatlioglu’s victory means he ends Bautista’s run at 11 races with the Spaniard unable to break the all-time run, while Razgatlioglu took his 34th career win. It is the first time Bautista has finished a race and not won in 2023, while Rea moved on to 251 WorldSBK podiums and he also took Kawasaki’s 530th rostrum in the World Championship. The trio will start alongside each other on the front row in Race 2. It was also the closest podium finish of the season.
Top three Tissot Superpole Race (Full Results Here) 1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK)
2. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.315s
3. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) `0.537s
Race Two The race was red flagged on the opening lap following a crash involving Tom Sykes (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) on the exit of Coppice. All riders were conscious following the crash. The race was restarted over a 22-lap distance, one shorter than the original distance, although it did not feature the three riders involved.
The new race grid was based on the Tissot Superpole Race results. Sykes was diagnosed with a thoracic injury, rib fractures on his right-hand side and a left ankle injury; he was transported to Queen’s Medical Centre for further assessment. Rinaldi was diagnosed with a mild concussion and a right ankle injury.
As the lights went out for the new race, Bautista got the holeshot to take the lead before rival Rea attempted a move to first at Turn 4. At the Old Hairpin, he was able to pass Razgatlioglu but ran wide when overtaking the Championship leader and stayed second. However, in the same lap, Razgatlioglu made his move on Rea at Turn 11 to re-claim P2. A lap later and there was a fight as Razgatlioglu stood Bautista up at Turn 11 allowing the six-time Champion through to demote the reigning Champion to third.
On Lap 7, Bautista made a small error at Turn 7 when he ran wide but he was able to recover without losing position and his pace allowed him to close back in on the leading duo by the end of the lap. The Spaniard ran wide a couple more times, but he soon promoted himself to second when he overtook his rival at Turn 9 on Lap 10. Rea’s pace dropped into the 1’27s while the top two remained in the 1’26s, allowing them to pull a gap.
The battle between the last two Champions reached a crescendo on Laps 13 and 14 as the duo switched positions on several occasions. Bautista had tried to move ahead on Lap 12, but the move came at Turn 1 the next lap before Razgatlioglu responded at Turn 4. Bautista repeated the Turn 1 move a lap later but was able to create a gap and resist Razgatlioglu’s pressure to claim his second victory at Donington with the Turkish star in second.
Bautista’s win means he is now only one shy of record victories in a season with 16 in 2023, with the all-time record standing at 17. He has also gone level with Colin Edwards and Marco Melandri with 75 podiums. Razgatlioglu is closing in on a century of podiums and now has 99, putting him level with Chaz Davies.
With Rea dropping back from the lead pair, the battle for the podium heated up. Rea was initially under pressure from teammate Alex Lowes but, as the race progressed, other riders were joining the party. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) started from the second row but his pace, like in Race 1, allowed him to fight for the podium as he did in Race 1. He moved into fifth place by passing Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) on Lap 15 at Turn 11 before moving into fourth by overtaking Lowes at Turn 9 two laps later. The Italian rookie’s crucial move for the podium came on Lap 18 when he overtook Rea at Turn 4 before he pulled a gap to take his maiden WorldSBK rostrum and Barni Ducati’s first since Argentina 2018. He also became the 129th different rider to stand on the podium.
Top three WorldSBK Race 2 (Full Results Here)
1. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) +2.650s
3. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +7.936
WorldSSP Friday
The rain fell at Donington Park in the FIM Supersport World Championship on Friday afternoon to cause shocks and surprises, with Jorge Navarro (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) leading Thai star Anupab Sarmoon (Yamaha Thailand Racing Team) in the wet conditions. In the combined classification, it was Navarro’s teammate, Stefano Manzi, who led the way by just 0.015s as the Prosecco DOC UK Round shapes up to be an unpredictable and classic battle.
For the Full Friday World Supersport results Click Here
Saturday Qualifying
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) claimed a stunning pole position as he smashed the FIM Supersport World Championship lap record at Donington Park after lapping two tenths quicker than his nearest rival. He will be joined on the front row by title rival by Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) as he took third to set up both races at the Prosecco DOC UK Round in perfect fashion, with Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) sandwiched between the duo on the front row.
Oli Bayliss (D34G Racing) had been showing strong pace throughout the weekend but his Superpole came to an end after a highside on the exit of Turn 12. He was taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the crash and declared unfit with a left shoulder contusion.
Top three qualifying (Full Results Here) 1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) 1’29.323s
2. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.209s
3. Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) +0.559s
Race One Championship leader Bulega started from pole position and kept the lead from the start ahead of Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) and Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha). While the duo kept the pressure on in the early stages of the race, the Ducati rider was able to lap in the 1’29s to smash the race lap record and pull out a gap of two seconds on Manzi, in second, after six laps. The Ten Kate Racing rider moved into second after he passed Montella at Turn 11 on the opening lap.
On Lap 6, Manzi was able to pull the gap down as he lapped in the 1’29s while Bulega slowed into the 1’30s but they were soon both lapping in 1’29s with just a tenth separating their race pace in the first part of the encounter. However, as the second half got underway, Bulega was able to stretch his legs again and he pulled out a gap of almost three seconds at the end of Lap 11. The gap was maintained at round three seconds over the next few laps as Bulega extended his Championship lead by five points over Manzi with victory. Although the gap reduced in the closing stages, Bulega held on to win by 1.2s.
The battle for third featured two Italian riders as Montella and Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing Team) fought it out for a podium. Montella, who started from the middle of the first row, dropped out of the top three when ‘Carica’ overtook him at Turn 11 on Lap 6 before the one-time winner was able to respond. From there, he was able to pull out a gap of more than two seconds on his rival to secure his first podium of the year.
Bulega’s seventh win puts him level with Andrew Pitt, Caricasulo and Randy Krummenacher at 11th place in the all-time winners’ list, while it was also his 18th podium; half of which have come in 2023. Manzi is now on a run of four consecutive podium finishes and has seven in total in World Supersport while Montella claimed his second rostrum.
Top three WorldSSP Race 1 (Full Results Here)
1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team)
2. Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) +1.231s
3. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +6.615s
Sunday Race Two
The fight for victory was between a trio of Italian riders in the opening stages. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) surged into the lead as the lights went out as he looked to go one better than his Race 1 second place, but he soon found himself demoted to P2 as Championship leader Bulega battled his way into the lead with a move at Turn 9 on the opening lap. Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) forced his way into second place on Lap 2 as he lunged Montella at Turn 11, but he soon fell down the order.
A crash at Turn 11 on Lap 5 dropped him to tenth place but he soon fought his way back up. On Lap 7, he passed Niki Tuuli (Dynavolt Triumph) and Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) at Turn 1 aggressively to move into seventh, before overtaking home hero Tom Booth-Amos (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) at Turn 11 on the same lap. On Lap 9, the FIM Stewards gave the Italian a Long Lap Penalty for irresponsible riding after he forced Mahias onto the grass on the exit of Turn 1, which he took a lap later before fighting his way back.
With the Yamaha rider dropping out of contention, Bulega was able to pull away from the chasing group with Montella and Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing Team). The #11 was posting lap record pace throughout the race with a best of 1’29.018s on Lap 4 as he extended his Championship lead over Manzi. Montella finished two seconds down on his compatriot but he fended off ‘Carica’ to claim his second consecutive second place finish with Caricasulo securing third place. Montella’s pace was so strong that he set his personal best lap on the final lap to make sure the #64 was unable to challenge him.
Ducati secured their first podium lockout in WorldSSP while it was the fifth all-Italian podium of 2023. Bulega’s victory gave him his eighth World Supersport win to put him level with Sam Lowes in the all-time list. Montella’s rostrum gave him his third in the Championship and consecutive podium finishes for the first time, while Caricasulo moved up to fifth in the all-time list, level with Broc Parkes, with his 32nd rostrum.
The top six from WorldSSP Race 2 (Full Results Here) 1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team)
2. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +2.119s
3. Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing Team) +3.629s
The dominant performance of Josh Waters (McMartin Racing with K-Tech Suspension) in the opening race of the Alpinestars Superbike category at Darwin confirmed his results at the last round were no fluke. It was an action packed weekend… Release & Images: ASBK Media/Motorcycling Australia
Josh Waters was stoked to score pole position in Darwin.
SATURDAY
ALPINESTARS SUPERBIKES QUALIFYING
The dominance commenced in the morning’s qualifying session when Waters went within one-thousandth of a second of equalling the fastest-ever recorded lap by a motorcycle of the Hidden Valley circuit set by Wayne Maxwell last year. He was the only rider in the 15-minute session to record a sub-65 second lap with defending champion Mike Jones (Yamaha Racing Team) second fastest and Troy Herfoss (Penrite Honda) rounding out the front row. Josh Waters scored his second pole of the season and scoop up the AMX Superstores Gift Card
Alpine Superbikes Queensland Raceway Front Row (Full Results Here)
1 Josh WATERS (VIC) / McMartin Racing with KTech / Gotzinger Smallgoods Ducati V4R 1:04.963
2 Mike JONES (QLD) / Yamaha Racing Team Yamaha YZF-R1M 1:05.067
3 Troy HERFOSS (QLD) / Penrite Honda Racing Honda CBR RR 1:05.108
RACE ONE
Hidden Valley provides a massive 440-metre drag to the first turn from the front row of the grid so it was vitally important for his rivals to attempt to beat Waters to the turn but it was not to be. Herfoss and Glenn Allerton (GT Racing BMW) managed to be side-by-side, but Waters on the outside managed to hold the corner entry to take the lead from Allerton, Herfoss in third, and defending champion Mike Jones in fourth.
Waters on the outside managed to hold the corner entry to take the lead from Allerton, Herfoss in third, and defending champion Mike Jones in fourth.
The quartet quickly gapped the rest of the field but after five laps Waters had carved out nearly a second lead as Allerton muscled him trying to force the “Mildura Missile” into a mistake, but Waters responded by breaking the lap record (also held by Maxwell) twice in two laps to set the bar at 1:05.307 and demoralise the opposition.
Waters set up an unassailable lead to establish a race-winning buffer of 2.435 seconds after 13 laps, as Herfoss, Jones and Allerton fought over the scraps. Allerton tried everything to stay in touch with Waters and held onto second spot until the start of the sixth lap when Herfoss overtook him charging into turn one. Jones followed soon after with a very brave, ballsy and committed move on the BMW rider going through the daunting Turn 3.
Allerton tried everything to stay in touch with Waters and held onto second spot until the start of the sixth lap when Herfoss overtook him charging into turn one.
Behind the leading four, an entertaining battle ensued between Bryan Staring (MotoGo Yamaha), Cru Halliday (Yamaha Racing Team) who will rue another shocker of a start, with Anthony West, (Addicted To Track). Halliday after being eighth early in the race muscled his way to the front of the trio but no sooner had he succeeded that he ran off at turn one and dropped back to an extremely disappointing eighth place. It was undoubtedly not the result he was after and Cru cut a dejected figure after the race.
Waters increased his championship lead 24 points over Herfoss with Allerton now in a clear third position 29 points adrift of Herfoss with Halliday’s lackluster result putting him a further five points behind with his teammate, Mike Jones clambering his way up the points table to be in sixth, seven points behind Cru.
Alpinestars Superbikes Race One Podium (Full Results Here)
1 21 Josh WATERS (VIC) / McMartin Racing with KTech / Gotzinger Smallgoods Ducati V4R
2 17 Troy HERFOSS (QLD) / Penrite Honda Racing Honda CBR RR
3 14 Glenn ALLERTON (NSW) / GT Racing / Macarthur Motorrad / Spectro Oils BMW M RR
SUNDAY Race Two In race two when the drama transferred to the track, Waters repeated his effort from Saturday to lead into turn one from Allerton, Herfoss and Jones. Unlike the day before, Halliday got a halfway decent start to be in fifth after the first lap as Waters led Jones Herfoss and Allerton across the line. Waters accelerated to a two-bike length lead but approximately 440 metres later as the quartet peeled into turn one, Waters was in too hot, had a moment and was forced to run off track allowing the following trio to inherit the lead.
Waters accelerated to a two-bike length lead but approximately 440 metres later as the quartet peeled into turn one, Waters was in too hot, had a moment and was forced to run off track.
Waters re-joined the race in 16th position to begin his battle through the field and lowered his lap record he set the previous day to be now 1:05.178 – just 0.116 sec off the all-time fastest lap set by Wayne Maxwell last year on the McMartin Racing Ducati. As Jones led Herfoss and Allerton, Jones and Herfoss were all over each other as Allerton faded with brake problems with Herfoss passing Jones when he ran slightly wide at turn six.
Jones regained the lead with six laps to go but a fired-up Herfoss was not to be denied and reclaimed the lead. With just a couple of laps to go, Jones put a move on Herfoss at turn five but Herfoss pinned the throttle on the exit as the pair were side by side heading into the hairpin. In the powder keg of the final few laps, the defending champion tried everything to deny Herfoss but the Honda rider would have none of it as he rebuffed the challenge and reclaimed the lead to take the win from Jones by just 0.169 sec with Allerton a distant third a further five seconds adrift.
“Honda rider would have none of it as he rebuffed the challenge and reclaimed the lead to take the win from Jones”…
Halliday had a better result in race two as he finished fourth five seconds in from Waters in fifth. There were a number of personal best results through the field with Broc Pearson (DesmoSport Ducati) in sixth place putting in his best lap of the weekend on the last lap as he chased Waters. Anthony West in seventh was another improver with Arthur Sissis fighting through the pain of his still-healing broken left wrist in eight. Rounding out the top ten was Max Stauffer who at one stage was in fourth place but ran wide on the ninth lap and finished ninth and Ted Collins tenth.
The drama didn’t take a rest as immediately the bikes returned to Parc Ferme, a protest was lodged by the Penrite Honda Team against the McMartin Ducati regarding an alleged unauthorised part on the front forks of the Ducati Panigale V4 R. Due to the time of the protest and with another race to run, the protest hearing was postponed until a Post-Race Technical inspection of the McMartin machine after the final race.
Alpinestars Superbikes Race Two Podium (Full Results Here)
1 17 Troy HERFOSS (QLD) / Penrite Honda Racing Honda CBR RR
2 1 Mike JONES (QLD) / Yamaha Racing Team Yamaha YZF-R1M
3 14 Glenn ALLERTON (NSW) / GT Racing / Macarthur Motorrad / Spectro Oils BMW M RR
Race Three With the tit-for-tat protests it was a very tense affair heading into the final race on Sunday afternoon as the track temperature nudged 50 degrees celcius under the blazing blue skies of the Nothern Territory.
“Herfoss was on the inside, Sissis almost went into pit lane as he made his charge from the third row as Allerton cut through the middle of them with Waters beside.”.
The field blasted down the straight and the riders were five abreast. Herfoss was on the inside, Sissis almost went into pit lane as he made his charge from the third row as Allerton cut through the middle of them with Waters beside. Allerton moved into second on the fourth gear flat-out charge to turn five but lost the front and crashed out. He managed to remount but had to reset the electronics as the bike would fire up again. The three times champion managed to restart the bike, but he re-joined the race over half a lap down in last place.
The extremely hot track temperature took away the chance of any lap records as the pace was slowed by about a second a lap, but it sure didn’t detract from the action. As they crossed the line to start lap two, Herfoss led Jones and Waters from Sissis and Staring, Stauffer and Halliday the seven riders 1.8 seconds apart.
The usual suspects of Jones, Herfoss and Waters quickly gapped the rest, but it wasn’t long before Waters lost touch slightly to be over a second off the as the Honda and Yamaha pitched at each other in the battle for supremacy. The lead between Herfoss and Jones swapped a few times during the 16 laps, but Herfoss led across the line on every lap as Waters stayed well clear of the slipstream in an effort to keep the V4’s engine temperature down as well as aiming to have a better corner speed entry into turn one but it didn’t make any difference.
Halliday was on the charge to be up to fifth behind Sissis but as they negotiated turn one on the seventh lap Halliday attempted to go underneath Sissis on the exit, but they clashed, with Halliday coming down and tumbling to the outfield with the frightening sight of the bike hitting the back of Halliday but so fortunately he was not too badly injured. As such Staring inherited fourth and hung onto the position to improve his race two result to gain the confidence that the MotoGo Yamaha is getting closer to the front.
“Staring inherited fourth and hung onto the position to improve his race two result to gain the confidence that the MotoGo Yamaha is getting closer to the front”…
Broc Pearson put in a similar effort to again improve his finishing position to cross the line in fifth. Anthony West also improved for his best result of sixth, to gain some valuable points and put a smile on his face as Sissis was seventh from Stauffer, Collins and Matt Walters on his Aprilia to round out the top ten.
Last year was the turning point in the season for Jones when he took two wins and a second. Twelve months later, Herfoss did the same to well and truly bury the ghosts of two years ago and head to Morgan Park in a very strong position. It was a very heart-warming sight and quite emotional for many in parc ferme as Herfoss celebrated his win.
Alpinestars Superbikes Race Three Podium (Full Results Here) 1 17 Troy HERFOSS (QLD) / Penrite Honda Racing Honda CBR RR
2 1 Mike JONES (QLD) / Yamaha Racing Team Yamaha YZF-R1M
3 21 Josh WATERS (VIC) / McMartin Racing with K-Tech / Gotzinger Smallgoods
The next round of the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship Presented by Motul takes place at Morgan Park Raceway on the 14th to 16th of July.
ASBK Round 4 Gallery, Hidden Valley
Troy Herfoss (Penrite Honda) holds all the championship momentum after winning six of the last seven races and gaining the ascendancy from early-season pacesetter Josh Waters (McMartin Racing with K-Tech Ducati).
A few years back, Jeff took the BMW HP4 Race for a ride and it blew his mind. With a production run of just 750 units, the amazing BMW HP4 Race is the lightest and most powerful production superbike ever built by BMW. Check out the full video review below…
With a whopping 215hp and 90ft-lbs on tap, powering only 146kg dry, combined with an electronics system that would be at home in MotoGP and the same level of suspension and brakes as World SBK, this is one serious track bike. In fact, with a carbon-fibre frame and carbon-fibre wheels the HP4 chassis is higher-spec than a factory World SBK racer.
The BMW HP4 Race has WorldSBK and MotoGP spec suspension, WorldSBK brakes and MotoGP electronics. At only 146kg dry or 171.4 ready to ride the HP4 is incredibly light.
The frame weighs only 7.8kg and is the very first all carbon-fibre production frame in the world. The Ohlins FGR 300 forks and TTX 36 GP shock are identical to those used in MotoGP and World SBK while the milled and sheet aluminium swingarm is directly from SBK. The incredible brakes are similarly high-spec, being Brembo GP4 PR monoblock calipers, are World SBK specification as are the 6.75mm thick 320mm T-type racing steel brake rotors.
The 215hp@13900rpm engine revs to a staggering 14500rpm and makes 90ft-lbs@10000rpm. It has a close-ratio gearbox, reverse quickshifter and is World SBK and World Endurance specification.
Even in damp patchy conditions on slicks, with traffic, I was able to easily lap in the 1:42s at SMSP thanks to incredible electronics and an amazing level of feedback from the brakes and chassis.
The electronics are mind blowing with a 2D logger and 2D dash. Wheelie control, traction control, engine braking control, pit lane limiter, launch control and lots more. Of course, being a track bike there is no ABS system. The bodywork is all carbon-fibre and the bikes, including the engine, are all hand assembled.
For more info on the amazing $114,500* BMW HP4 Race visit this BMW link here.
This world famous Cagiva V593 belonged to huge motorcycle fan and avid collector, Steve Byrne. The bike held a spot at Steve’s bar with Andrew Pitt’s world title winning ZX-6RR. Steve’s other 18 bikes live in the garage locked up tightly. Just over a decade ago, Jeff rode it!
Carbon-fibre swingarm is reputed to have cost $100,000 USD to built in 1994. An option on the C594 was CF frame.
When Steve heard that Paul Feeney, the then importer of MV Agusta in Australia, was selling the V593 that John Kocinski won the US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca in 1993 and the Australian GP on in 1994, Steve just had to have it. Naturally, when Steve offered me a ride I didn’t hesitate in saying yes, I could not get on a plane quick enough. I think this is the first time I’ve felt true fear from a motorcycle.
The bike is invaluable and has a lot of important history. Cagiva entered Grand Prix racing in 1990 and had to battle against the ultra rich Japanese manufacturers that had seemingly unlimited budgets in days when expenses and rider salaries were peaking. Still the small factory with the big heart pushed on and eventually, against the odds, rose to the winner’s podium. Some believe that the odds of them winning a world title was more than likely, had finances not restricted the forward progression.
Stripping a factory 500 would never have happened in 1994. Now we can all admire the incredible engineering.
Eddie Lawson gave Cagiva their debut victory on a drying track in the 1991 Hungarian Grand Prix. Lawson left Cagiva before he retired from racing but other stars were drawn to the passionate Italian team with Randy Mamola, Mat Mladin, Doug Chandler also riding the bike at one stage their careers.
But it was the determined and highly talented John Kocinski that gave Cagiva the most champaign, winning at Laguna Seca in what was to be the final grand prix in the USA for 12 long years. After completing the season on the updated V594 John finished the 1994 championship in third position but sadly that was the end of the line and Cagiva went broke.
The huge alloy frame on the Cagiva 500 is extremely stiff. Just check out the size of it. Mammoth is the word!
The Ride
I’m pacing around nervously as the bike gets warmed up by the legendary Dick Smart, it is a nerve wrecking time as it is probably the most expensive bike I may ever get to ride. Daryl Beattie obviously picked up on my panicked pacing. “Just stay relaxed and ride it normally. It’ll just feel like a superbike, only faster and lighter. Watch those carbon brakes until they’re up to temp,” Daryl Beattie, along for a ride, reassures me in that weird way a surgeon reassures you before cutting your chest open with a hacksaw, “Keep an eye on the temperature too and watch the powervalves, they seem to be jamming up a little at 9500rpm”…
Dick Smart warms the V4 up prior to the test. Dick is a legendary GP 500 mechanic that happened to be in Brisbane.
The next minute I’m being pushed down pit lane by ex Mick Doohan GP mechanic, Australian Dick Smart, just like the professional riding you see on the TV. I let the clutch out and the V4 fires into life. The racer comes out in me almost straight away. I’ve already got my knee down by turn two.
The first run down the back straight of Queensland Raceway I short shift and load the bike up, holding the throttle open in third gear to clear it and after a few coughs the digital tachometer suddenly screams past 9500rpm. I can feel my shoulder joints pulling apart as I shift at 12500rpm before grabbing the brakes for turn three, they felt just like normal brakes in that moment due to them still being cold.
Daryl competed against this bike in 1994 when he rode for Marlborough Yamaha and always wondered what it was like.
Out of turn three I feed the throttle on slowly to lean the engine out a little and get through that rough patch at 9000rpm. Again, the engine clears its throat and I’m struggling to hold on, let alone keep the front wheel down. All I can feel is wheel-spin then the front wheel lifting up, this thing hammers. I’ve never felt acceleration like it, not even on a turbo or a World Superbike or drag bike.
I’m cautious through the two left-handers on my first time around but I feed it on a little on the short straight before turn six, just to get a feel for the power delivery. Onto the chute for the first time the engine coughs again but once it clears, the bike explodes in a surge of acceleration and shifting through the ‘box via the electronic reverse-pattern quick-shifter delivers a feeling like no other. Nothing feels like this – no four-stroke could be this exciting.
Riding a million dollar bike is nerve wrecking but the risk and thrill were worth it on reflection, says Jeff.
I feel like the Cagiva GP500 has knocked 20 years off my age, I’m 20 and fearless again. I squeeze the Brembo front brake lever at the end of the straight. One finger is all it takes but I have this picture in my head of the rotors suddenly getting up to temperature and locking the wheel before I can modulate the pressure. But soon I’m trail-braking into corners and I’ve got the hang of feeding the power on progressively out of the turns. I can’t believe how much concentration this bike is sapping from me.
The Dunlop tyres are up to temperature now and with more confidence in them, I’m pushing the Cagiva further and further on its side every lap. But I’m more than aware that I need to stand the bike up as much as possible before opening the throttle. Make no mistake, this ain’t no proddie or 600. Wind it on mid-corner on this thing and I’m going to be flying pretty high.
Wheelspin, wheelstand, wheelspin… the Cagiva GP500 feels like it is going to flip it when the throttle is closed and the rear tyre suddenly has some traction!
The chassis is ultra-stiff and the bike is so light. You’d really have to have an intimate relationship with the machine and a lot of laps under your belt to decipher confidence-inspiring feedback from it. Once you knew the bike, though, it’d be a brilliant talker. In my short session I was just relying on my past experience with slick tyres and knowing how far to push them at my very moderate pace.
The rear Ohlins GP-spec shock is predictably stiff and, to be honest, probably in need of a service after sitting around for so long, especially with my weight on it. The front suspension action is firm but nowhere near what I’d imagined. In fact the machine is riding the nasty bumps at Queensland Raceway quite well, with the exception of getting air over the bumps at the end of the main straight.
Daryl checking the magnesium cases for leaks as the bike is warmed up. That’s Paul Feeney looking on. Owner Steve Byrne is in the yellow and black leathers also waiting for a ride on his treasure.
The session is coming to an end and my dream is almost over, just as I start to get smooth and comfortable, I put in what I feel are a few half decent laps about as quick as I could go on a stock 1000cc roadbike.
Not surprisingly the V593 feels better the faster I go and on the last lap I do just what Daryl said. I ride it like I’d ride a normal bike running into the turns fast, standing it up and winding it on harder and taking it right through to 13000rpm, 1000rpm short of redline. On the last lap I feel like I’m detached from the world. Like I used to feel when I was on a hot lap and in my ‘groove’ in my racing days.
The carbon rotors took a bit of warming up but boy did they work well. Scary stuff for the first experience.
No bike has made me feel like that since I stopped racing and I don’t think anything else ever will. I think I’m in love. I ride back into the pits and hop off the bike feeling eerily calm and sedate. The 1993 Cagiva GP500 represented the pinnacle of the Italian firm’s 500cc Grand Prix competitiveness. It was passion and drive that got them there, however, a World Title was not meant to be as they ran out of money soon after during the following season on the V594 version, the last of the GP500.
World Champion John Kocinski Talks
Sitting down with the legendary John Kocinski, I got to learn more about the bike that had a short lived life in GP racing but a long lived legacy. John spoke about the team’s passion and excitement that surpassed the want to make money out of the sport, which is what motor racing should be about.
The Cagiva looked beautiful from any angle. This bike has since been sold to an overseas collector. Such a shame.
JW – It has been said that this was the bike that turned Cagiva from also-rans to almost wins and if you didn’t take the ride Cagiva would have pulled the pin. What is your take on that?
John Kocinski – Yes, it is probably true but a lot of my greatest memories have been when I rode for Cagiva. It was a company of great passion.
Huge titanium bottom clamp and carbon-fibre forks reputed to have cost $2,000,000 USD to develop.
JW – When you think back on the V593 and V594 and the results, particularly the wins you achieved on the bike how do you feel?
John Kocinski – It is one of my greatest accomplishments to win on a machine that no one else other than Eddie Lawson has won on. It was heartbreaking when Cagiva could not continue in 1995 because we were so close to having a machine that could win a World Championship.
The amazing yet temperamental JC won the Australian Grand Prix on the Cagiva GP500 V593 in 1994.
JW – How much of the work, in development terms, was done when you arrived at the team?
John Kocinski – Obviously, there had been work done, but it was far from complete.
Massive billet titanium triple-clamp and digital LCD dash.
JW – What were the strengths and weaknesses of the V593 and V594?
John Kocinski – The strengths were the agility and steering. The weakness was the power band.
Despite every effort to provide cooling the V593 was prone to overheating the rear cylinders.
JW – Was this motorcycle capable of winning the title?
John Kocinski – Yes, most definitely.
The ultra expensive Ohlins remote reservoir shock sits between the titanium rear expansion chambers.
JW – Were you keen to stay on for 1995 if the team had survived?
John Kocinski – Absolutely. I loved the team, the engineers, I had great mechanics. It was just a matter of making some small improvements to the power delivery and handling.
Ferrari carbon-fibre wheels were just some of the amazing technology on this bike.
JW – Daryl Beattie said that overall he rates the bike well and that both yourself and Eddie Lawson proved that it is a reasonable motorcycle. But were you guys over-riding to compensate for lack of performance or was the bike really that good?
John Kocinski – No matter what machine you ride there are always issues. But definitely in 1994, the machine was the best it had ever been. I think the results say the same.
Twin crankshafts, note the tiny ignition pickups.
JW – What did it for you with 500s – the challenge, the acceleration, the adrenaline or the fear?
John Kocinski – That’s exactly what does it, I think, for everyone. The challenge, the acceleration, the adrenaline and fear.
Monoblock Brembo calipers worth a small fortune at the time. We are talking 25-years ago.
JW – Give us one word that sums up the Cagiva.
John Kocinski – Passion.
The twin crank V4 is very similar to the YZR500 of the era.
500c Legend, Daryl Beattie Chat
Catching up with ex 500 GP racer, Daryl Beattie, after his laps on the Cagiva, it’s safe to say that he’s hooked again despite not riding a 500 GP bike since he retired back in 1997. There were some similarities between the motors on the Cagiva and his old Yamaha but the frame was a new experience for Daryl. “That’s the most fun I’ve had since I retired in 1997,” declared Beattie as he tried to wipe the smile off his face after leaving blackies all over Queensland Raceway on the V593 Cagiva GP500.
Ex 500 GP legend Daryl Beattie enjoyed being back on a 500 back in the mid 2000s when we tested the V593.
“That’s the most laps I’ve done on a track for years. I’ve only done those commentating laps at Australian Grand Prix but as soon as I left pit lane all the memories of 500 GP came back. Nothing beats a 500.” Admitted Daryl, “I felt good on the bike and it all started to come back to me.
“I remember this bike well and always wondered what it would be like to ride. It feels similar engine-wise to the Yamaha I rode in 1994 but it handles better. It’s really sweet and the carbon brakes are just awesome when you haven’t used them for a long time”.
Daryl Beattie had not ridden a 500 since 1997 but had the back hanging out in no time.
Daryl says he always knew the Cagiva was a competitive machine in the right hands, “The King (Eddie Lawson) did a lot for Cagiva and Kocinski had some good results on the bike. There’s no doubt that it had more potential so it is a shame that this was the second last one.”
“It feels really good to ride a race bike again. You just can’t beat the way they steer, stop or accelerate. The thing just wants to wheelstand in every gear. Unreal…. I’ve gotten a taste for it again so I’ll have to talk Mick (Doohan) into coming out to some ride days with me”!
ENGINE: Liquid-cooled, 80-degree V4, twin crank, two-stroke, 56 x 50.6mm bore x stroke, 498cc, two twin-choke 36mm electronic power-jet flat-slide Mikunis, crankcase reed-valve induction, pressurised airbox, titanium expansion chambers with carbon-fibre mufflers, electronically controlled cylindrical power valves – five transfer, three exhaust, electronic ignition with programmable advance curve linked to throttle opening, exhaust powervalve and carburettor power jet, NGK plugs, single plain piston ring pistons, needle roller small-end and roller big-end bearings, straight-cut gear to clutch from right-hand end of lower crank
GEARBOX & CLUTCH: six-speed cassette-style, ten possible ratios for first and fourth, seven for second and fifth, nine for third and sixth, drum selection, electronic quick-shift, dry multi-plate, seven friction and six steel plates, six springs
The ultra expensive Ohlins remote reservoir shock sits between the titanium rear expansion chambers
The twin crank V4 is very similar to the YZR500 of the era.
The amazing yet temperamental JC won the Australian Grand Prix on the Cagiva GP500 V593 in 1994.
Monoblock Brembo calipers worth a small fortune at the time. We are talking 25-years ago.
Massive billet titanium triple-clamp and digital LCD dash.
The huge alloy frame on the Cagiva 500 is extremely stiff. Just check out the size of it. Mammoth is the word!
Ferrari carbon-fibre wheels were just some of the amazing technology on this bike.
Dick Smart warms the V4 up prior to the test. Dick is a legendary GP 500 mechanic that happened to be in Brisbane.
Daryl competed against this bike in 1994 when he rode for Marlborough Yamaha and always wondered what it was like.
Despite every effort to provide cooling the V593 was prone to overheating the rear cylinders.
Daryl checking the magnesium cases for leaks as the bike is warmed up. That’s Paul Feeney looking on. Owner Steve Byrne is in the yellow and black leathers also waiting for a ride on his treasure.
Daryl Beattie had not ridden a 500 since 1997 but had the back hanging out in no time.
The carbon rotors took a bit of warming up but boy did they work well. Scary stuff for the first experience.
Eastern Creek or SMSP is an amazing track relatively close to the city as far as race tracks go. It’s has plenty of fast corners but a handful of technical sections where you can pick up plenty of time. Check out how to get the most out of this track. Feature: Andrew Pitt
There are plenty of corners at Eastern Creek where you can improve a lot on your lap times.
Gearing A common mistake at Eastern Creek is to gear the bike for the super-long front straight. You must gear it for the corners because there are so many second and third gear corners that if the bike isn’t jumping out of them the lap time will never come.
Grid Position Not as critical here as some places because there is such a long drag to and through turn one. Most bikes don’t even need to brake for turn one off the start. The ideal position though is on the outside where pole is, or even seventh or eighth which places you on the outside of the second row. A good start can get you around everyone into turn one.
Turn one is a high speed corner where you’ll find yourself braking less and less each lap as you gain confidence.
TURN ONE This is a really awesome corner regardless of your bike size because it is so fast and open that you can make up so much time through this turn when you get it right and feel comfortable running into it. The bike always gets a little light going into it over the bumps from the dragsters. On the 250 Production bike it was top gear and some say it could be done flat out. I tried it once while leading the Australian Championship race in 1996 and lost the front on the bump that is halfway around it. In Supersport it was fifth or fourth gear depending on gearing and the Superbike was fourth. One of the only real overtaking places is into turn one out of the slipstream and up the inside if your bike is fast enough.
Turn two is tough one, it all depends on what you want out of the next corner with where you place your bike.
TURN TWO What you could do into turn two depended on your run through turn one. Other than that it’s a pretty boring double apex corner where you could lose more than you could gain if you tried too hard. It’s about getting out of it well then short shifting to get the run over the tunnel that could open up another passing opportunity down the inside.
Turn three is the first right hand corner of the track. Make sure that rear tyre is up to temp before hitting it!
TURN THREE This is the first right hand corner on the track so you have to make sure the rear is up to temperature because getting the right run through here could open up a passing chance into four. Keeping the front wheel down over the tunnel is an issue on the bigger bikes.
Turn four is another corner that you need to position yourself ready for the next few turns.
TURN FOUR You need to hit the inside apex early here over the bump because keeping it tight all the way around is important for setting up turn five. Pick the throttle up early through the right but not too aggressive so you can set up turn five in third gear.
Turn Five can be really rewarding when you get it right! It flows really nicely at high speed.
TURN FIVE As soon as you flick it left, pick up the throttle even before apexing the left to get the run up the hill. Getting it right means you drift out onto the ripple strip exiting the turn. I remember the first time I tested Kev Curtain’s race winning ZX-6R. I was loving the fact that for the first time on the road I could spin the rear in third gear.
In recent years, SMSP have also added a wider run off area so you can take this turn quite wide on the GP layout.
TURN SIX Turn Six used to actually be two corners but in recent years SMSP have straightened out the entry and eliminated a turn. Back to second on the ZX-7R Superbike the exit here is really fun in spinning it until it’s upright. The drive is really important out of here because a passing opportunity into turn nine starts here.
“ Blind on entry over a bit of a rise and as soon as the bike is settled, it’s straight back on the throttle again.”
TURN SEVEN Corporate Hill, as it was called, is a fun corner on any bike. Blind on entry over a bit of a rise and as soon as the bike is settled, it’s straight back on the throttle again. Many people get in trouble getting into turn seven so it’s one of those turns you have to sacrifice a little going in so you can get a super exit on opening up the possibility of diving up the inside of someone into turn nine.
“I found you can pretty much use any line going into nine without losing anything as long as you get it stopped and can open the throttle quickly on the exit.”
TURN EIGHT I found you can pretty much use any line going into nine without losing anything as long as you get it stopped and can open the throttle quickly on the exit.
“Really fast entry here that doesn’t need a lot of braking, mostly when you are upright picking it up to tip into turn 10.”
TURN NINE Really fast entry here that doesn’t need a lot of braking, mostly when you are upright picking it up to tip into turn 10. I found out the hard way grabbing a big handful of brakes just as I tipped in one day on the RGV 250.
Turn 10 can be a tough one to get right as you’re coming off a relatively high speed corner and switching sides.
TURN 10 You need to pay attention to the inside kerb on a Production based bike because I have seen many people touch the case on the inside kerb here and go down. Once into 11 you need to pick the throttle up again drifting out to the kerb before pulling it back in for the entry to turn 11.
When tackling turn 11 on a low powered bike, your exit is everything as it sets you up for the next few corners.
TURN 11 Along with turn one, this is probably the most important corner on the track because the exit out of here determines your straight-line speed and chances of getting a slipstream or stopping someone getting in your slipstream. Getting it turned and pointing down the straight before you open the throttle allows you to open it very quickly and get all the important drive over the rise and down the hill.
OTHER THINGS Among other things that stand out in my mind at Eastern Creek is the afternoon sun. Any time after about 4:00pm going into turn one becomes pretty tough, along with corporate hill as you’re suddenly blinded going into turn nine.
The most important thing about riding at SMSP is to have fun. It’s a great flowing track.
The pit roof is another unique aspect to Eastern Creek with everybody going up there to watch the races and then running from one side to another to see the bikes come down the straight, over the tunnel and into turn nine.
The lovely NSW Police Force also set up on Brabham Drive under the expressway, at the roundabout and behind the huge spectator mound outside turn one. A cynical person would say that this is purely to book people as they enter and leave the area…
