High winds, and rains which came and went, were a feature of raceday at Phillip Island, a particular problem given that all previous testing and qualifying had been held in warm and dry conditions, with the wind a constant yet predictable companion. Six thousand Pirelli tyres were transported to the Australian circuit, with Superbike and Supersport classes each supplied with the latest Pirelli products. The second Superbike race of the day was affected by rain and was halted and re-started, while the Supersport race was delayed due to the high winds, which had knocked down two TV towers, plus other paddock equipment.

Race 1
TRACK CONDITION Dry AIR HUMIDITY 64%
TRACK TEMPERATURE 24° AIR TEMPERATURE 33°

The first race went to the red-hot pre-race favourite, Troy Corser, who held off his team-mate Yukio Kagayama for his second win of the season. Kagayama, running his Suzuki well clear of the battle for third, was once more a true force in his rookie World Superbike season. The battle for third, which went to Chris Vermeulen, over Max Neukirchner, was so close that each rider touched on the last couple of laps, with Vermeulen’s defence only just adequate in the final run to the flag. Andrew Pitt had been third for long periods, but dropped back to a battling fifth. All riders chose the same spec rear, but only Corser used the softest possible front tyre.

Race 2
TRACK CONDITION Dry-Wet AIR HUMIDITY 63%
TRACK TEMPERATURE 31° AIR TEMPERATURE 20°

The second 22-lap race on the Superbike card was halted after 12 laps, with a 10-lap restart carried out in wet, but drying track conditions. Corser won this contest once more, being fast in both wet and dry conditions. Kagayama benefited from the crash suffered by Regis Laconi’s Ducati, although he restarted to finish seventh for the second time.

Pirelli Racing Manager Giorgio Barbier, stated, “What we missed this weekend were the results we got in the January Yamaha and Suzuki tests, in terms of the lap time at least. Same with Petronas last weekend. In January we had Troy doing a long run with 1’33 high and 1’34 low laptimes. Even with Petronas we got 1’34 lows. This weekend we never saw this except with the qualifying tyres. We are disappointed with this and we cannot explain it. Apart from the wind direction changing from Friday and Saturday. So, I am not happy with the grip and performance, of the rear tyres especially. The wind was at such a level today that we could have stopped the race, and it was hard for the riders to keep the correct lines. The rains brought a lot of dust onto the track as well. None of this helps the grip on the racetrack. In race two all the riders used the softest wets, and they finished the tyre by the end of the race. Kagayama told us that he understood now why Haslam won in BSB at Brands last year, because even when it is worn you can play and use it and keep the lap time. So we were pleased with that. All the riders used an A rear slick, while only two used the softest front, and one of them won the race. Mostly they used the hardest – and two them got onto the podium. I think the weather did not allow the riders to find a set-up where they could use one tyre only, which they normally do. It was great to see such a young rookie SBK rider like Neukirchner taking a podium. It shows that you don’t need just one type of Honda to get good results, and that is very good for the championship.”

TRACK CONDITION Dry AIR HUMIDITY 70%
TRACK TEMPERATURE 31° AIR TEMPERATURE 20°

After losing a commanding lead at the previous round in Qatar Sebastien Charpentier had to fight for his win again, this time succeeding in his quest with his Honda. He chose a hard front tyre and had experienced Yamaha runner Kevin Curtain for close company for most of the race. Fabien Foret scored an excellent podium, having hurt his knee in a pre-race fall.

Pirelli Racing Manager, Giorgio Barbier, stated, “All the riders in Supersport had more settled weather conditions, and a dry track, so they all seemed to use the same front, except Charpentier, who used a harder front after his experiences in Qatar. And this was the best solution”