World Superbike 2008 - Round Two

World Superbike 2008 - Round Two - Phillip Island - Preview

World Superbike rider Troy Bayliss has Ducati to thank for prolonging his international racing career and as series leader will start as favourite going into this weekend’s round two of the Hannspree superbike world championship at Phillip Island.

The veteran Australian had been thinking about retirement for a while, and may well have called it quits if he had won a third world title in 2007 and had Ducati not released the all-new 1098 sportsbike, which has already won a swag of media awards since its release, including International Bike of the Year.

“Retirement had been on my mind for two years, but then I saw the pictures of the new 1098,” said Bayliss. “I realised then that I won’t be around to race the next new Ducati - it’s a bit like the Olympics with new bikes only coming around every four or five years.

“I’d love to win another title on the 1098, but if not it’s still okay. I plan on enjoying myself, but that won’t take any of my drive away to win.”

Bayliss leads this year’s championship by 2pts over Italy’s Max Biaggi (Ducati) after the opening round in Qatar, and is focused on extending his lead at Phillip Island’s round two this weekend (February 29-March 2). He and fellow Australian Troy Corser welcomed the international field down under today with an Aussie bbq on the grid and a demonstration of the local art of whip cracking.

“The 1098 has a lot more acceleration than the old Ducati 999, which is making us competitive again,” said Bayliss, who is second on the all-time world Superbike winners’ list behind Carl Fogarty. “Phillip Island has always been a great circuit for me and I hope I can eke out a few more wins.

“But Phillip Island is going to be like the rest of the season: long and hard. There are five or six guys capable of winning races, and three or four with real chances of winning the championship.”

Wollongong’s Troy Corser (Yamaha) is another Phillip Island class act, and he was the last rider to score a clean sweep of wins in 2005.

The two-time world champion stormed to his 41st pole position in Qatar last weekend, before leaving the round in fifth position on 25pts, behind Ruben Xaus (Ducati, 33pts) and race two winner Fonsi Nieto (Suzuki, 34pts).

“It was great to score some solid points in Qatar, but it’s great to be back here as I’ve always had great results at Phillip Island,” said Corser. “This year, my Yamaha is better setup to do the job at Phillip Island, so I’m looking forward to it.”

The other Phillip Island world Superbike winners in this weekend’s 22-lap races are Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) and Regis Laconi (Kawasaki), while Biaggi is a former 500cc GP winner around the 4.448km circuit.

Biaggi hit the ground running in Qatar and is enjoying life on the V-twin Ducati after switching from Suzuki in the off-season.

“The twin-cylinder is quite a bit different to the Suzuki, but I fell in love with it straight away,” said Biaggi. “My bike is powerful enough to win races and that’s my goal.

“I’m now enjoying getting back into racing, as sometimes testing is very boring. Everyone is tough to beat in this class, but it all depends on track conditions, bike setups and other variables.”

Other contenders on Sunday will include Spain’s Carlos Checa (Honda), who has just joined the world Superbike caravan from MotoGP; Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki), who went fastest in pre-season testing at Phillip Island; and German Max Neukirchner, who is relishing his new-found factory status with Suzuki.

Russell Holland and Karl Muggeridge (both Honda) complete the Australian presence this weekend, and will savour the hometown support after tough openings in Qatar.

NEWCASTLE’S BROC PARKES LEADS THE CHARGE IN WORLD SUPERSPORT

World Supersport is the second international class in action this weekend, with a posse of Aussies all capable of seizing victory on a track they all know intimately.

Newcastle’s Broc Parkes (Yamaha) is the standout, after winning - albeit fortuitously - in Qatar last weekend, and leading the way in pre-season testing. Andrew Pitt (Honda) was also in great touch at Phillip Island in January, as were Garry McCoy (Triumph) and Josh Brookes (Honda).

Mark Aitchison (Triumph) will also line-up on the 36-bike Supersport grid.

The three-day event will be a non-stop procession of racing, with four national-level support classes also strutting their stuff: Superbike, Supersport, Supersport and the Period 4 & Period 5 Challenge for historic bikes.

EVENT INFORMATION AND TICKET PRICES
Ticket prices are as follows
Adult Concession/Child Family
3 Day $128 $256
Friday $36 $18 $72
Saturday $56 $33 $112
Sunday $72 $45 $144
Camping Trackside - $90 for four nights