| | | | | | | | | World Superbikes at Phillip Island – the best! |
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| | Win The Ultimate All Access World Superbike Experience |
| Ho Ho Ho!! Want to win the ultimate all-access world superbike experience for Christmas?
Book any 3 day ticket to the Yamaha Finance Round of the 2017 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship, at Phillip Island and you’ll go into the draw to win one of four ALL ACCESS WORLD SUPERBIKE EXPERIENCES. But be Santa slick because our offer closes midnight next Wednesday December 21 !!
We’ll solve all your Christmas gift-giving hassles with a few clicks on line at www.worldsbk.com.au.
Just think..no shopping queues, no crowds, no parking hassles..and your world superbike tickets downloadable in seconds for you to wrap and pop under the Christmas tree.
These exclusive passes from world organisers, DORNA, give access to the world superbike grid for the thrilling start of Australia’s WorldSBK race – experience the tension, the nerves at close range as the riders launch their season at Phillip Island. You’ll also get exclusive access to parc ferme to watch the victorious riders as they alight their bikes and view the podium celebrations at ultra-close range.
Buy any three day pass to go into the draw. A three day general admission is just $120* purchased in advance. Or go for BAR SBK at $260* and get access to viewing facilities at Lukey Heights, Doohan Corner and Siberia. Go to www.worldsbk.com.au to buy tickets or Ticketek direct.
If you want to go in style, opt for a VIP package and watch the race from a fully catered hospitality suite on pit roof. Go to www.worldsbk.com.au for details or ring the Superbike Hotline on 1300 728 007.
World superbike tickets are the ultimate Christmas present for anyone in your life who loves sport, speed and racing..or a treat for yourself.
We’ll draw the four winners next Thursday December 22. Ho ho ho!! Give your Christmas a shot of high-horsepower world superbike fun. Back To Top |
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| Camping Is The Way To Go!
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| Want to enjoy summer at the world superbikes?
Book your camping spot at the circuit and enjoy camping – affordable and convenient - all weekend long.
We’ve modified trackside camping with a dedicated motorcycle area, a quieter area for families with restricted noise, the return of the powered sites and extended viewing along the fence line.
Camping is so reasonably priced it is the way to go. You can stay for up to four nights – check in Thursday and out Monday – for just $105* purchased in advance.
And the best news…Kids 15 and under are free, accompanied by a full –paying adult.
Entertainment wise, Go Karts run close to the camping precinct so if you feel the need for speed, your own race machine is just around the corner. Live entertainment returns with bands booked for Friday and Saturday night, in an entertainment zone on the far-side of the Go Kart track.
If you’re camping, you are set for an awesome February summer weekend. You’ve views over Bass Strait to waken you, incredible world superbike action during the day just metres from your tent, a little karting maybe in the late afternoon sun for a laugh, and a safe-haven campground at night whether you want to crash early or catch up with mates.
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| | 2017 WorldSBK: New Bikes and Red-hot Field |
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If the injection of three massive names into the 2017 Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) wasn't enough to spice up proceedings, there will be even more intrigue when the season kicks off at Phillip Island on February 26 as Honda and Kawasaki unveil updated machinery.
Honda's factory riders Nicky Hayden and MotoGP convert Stefan Bradl will line up on the all-new homologation-special CBR1000RR SP2, while the Kawasaki pairing of Jonathan Rea and his teammate Tom Sykes – world champion and runner-up respectively in 2016 – will have an up-spec limited-edition ZX-10RR at their disposal.
But it certainly won't be a two-marque race, with all the planets aligning for the most competitive season in years with a smorgasbord of potential race winners.
Aruba.it Racing Ducati, fresh from winning the last six races of the 2016 season with Chaz Davies, will head into 2017 eager to extend that advantage – amplified by the inclusion of returning Italian star Marco Melandri – while Pata Yamaha (Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark) will be a much more competitive team after a year in the production-based series.
And on it goes. MV Agusta (Leon Camier) also made huge development strides in 2016, while Aprilia's decision to return to WorldSBK at the factory-support level sets the foundation for Eugene Laverty and Lorenzo Savadori to be fighting hard at the front on their Milwaukee-backed machines.
And finally, while Suzuki doesn’t have an official presence in WorldSBK, it does have a new race-ready GSX-R1000R, which it unveiled at the Intermot motorcycle show in Cologne in early October alongside the CBR1000RR SP2 and ZX-10RR.
In particular, the arrival of the SP2 to replace the long-serving CBR1000RR is a massive shot in the arm for Honda, with Bradl timing his move to WorldSBK with absolute precision.
The sophisticated electronics on the new Honda now puts it in the same league as its well-equipped contemporaries – closing a gulf that was becoming profound – which will not only hearten Bradl but also provide Hayden with a major shot at adding a WorldSBK title to his MotoGP success in 2006. As well as rookie Bradl, Laverty and Melandri make up the trio of top-shelf new faces in the 2017 WorldSBK title, the duo returning to the championship where they won 32 races between them this decade. Laverty has been competing in MotoGP for the last two years, while Melandri returns to racing after a spell on the sidelines.
Meanwhile, the independent team ranks in 2017 are also bursting with talent, and for Althea BMW that means classy Spaniard Jordi Torres and promising young German Markus Reiterberger. Torres was sixth in the 2016 WorldSBK title in a magnificent performance on the S 1000 RR.
New arrivals include Swiss rider Randy Krummenacher (Puccetti Kawasaki), Italian Ayrton Badovini (Grillini Kawasaki) and Riccardo Russo (Guandalini Yamaha).
With most of the teams and rosters finalised – only some privateer teams are yet to declare their hand – pre-season testing happened at the Spanish circuits of Aragon and Jerez in November. Back to Top |
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| | | It was the three big guns of 2016 – Rea, Davies and Sykes – who were the most impressive, especially Rea who stunned the road racing world by setting the fastest time in the combined WorldSBK and MotoGP test session at Jerez.
Rea, riding the ZX-10RR for the first time, lapped the Jerez layout in a best lap of 1:38.721 ahead of MotoGP rider Alvaro Bautista (Ducati). Davies and Sykes were also on the pace in third and fifth respectively, sandwiching MotoGP rider Loris Baz (Ducati).
While the big guns in Rea, Sykes and Davies are already in great shape ahead of the 2017 WorldSBK season opener at Phillip Island from February 24-26, Jerez also saw a number of returning riders (Marco Melandri, Eugene Laverty), new riders (Stefan Bradl) and those swapping manufacturers (Michael van der Mark) continue to acclimatise to their new surroundings.
Ducati-backed Melandri (1:39.694) completed the test session fourth on the WorldSBK timesheets ahead of Leon Camier (MV Agusta, 1:40.693) and Alex Lowes (Yamaha, 1:40.985). Italian Lorenzo Savadori (Aprilia, 1.41.048) was next from van der Mark (Yamaha, 1:41.328) and Laverty (Aprilia, 1:41.692).
Nicky Hayden (Honda) was absent with a knee injury which required surgery back in America, leaving his new teammate Bradl (1:42.5) to carry the workload.
| | | Stefan Bradl with Honda for 2017 |
Combined times from Jerez test (Nov 21-25):
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team): 1.38.721
Chaz Davies (Aruba It.Racing- Ducati): 1.39.116
Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team): 1.39.461
Marco Melandri (Aruba It.Racing- Ducati): 1.39.694
Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse): 1.40.693
Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official Team): 1.40.985
Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia Team): 1.41.048
Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Team): 1.41.328
Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia Team): 1.41.692
Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Team): 1.41.830
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| | | Melandri, the former 250 GP world champion and runner-up in the MotoGP title three years later, loves his new Ducati. He said: “I’m happy with the way these tests went. We tried several upgrades for the 2017-spec of the bike, with positive feedback, even though we need to make further evaluations especially in wet conditions. "Every day I feel more comfortable on the Panigale R, and our pace is quite good. We’re not far from the front. I still miss something on a single lap, and we struggle a bit on new tyres, but I really like the overall character of the bike.
"During the break I’ll keep training hard and in January I will try my first race simulations to be ready for Phillip Island. It won’t be easy, but I can’t wait to give it a go.”
It hasn't been all positive news for Melandri though, as the 34-year-old tore the meniscus in his knee in a charity soccer match just days after the Jerez test, but has plenty of time to recover with the winter test ban now in place. Back to Top |
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| | Testing Recommences Mid January |
| Jerez, Portimao (Portugal) and Phillip Island all feature on the WorldSBK pre-season test schedule in 2017, with the two-day Aussie hitout on February 20-21 the final shakedown before the championship commences three days later (February 24-26).
To purchase for the Yamaha Finance round of the 2017 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship visit www.worldsbk.com.au or call the Superbike hotline on 1300 728 007 for tickets and general event information.
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| | All About Nicky Hayden by Dad Earl |
| >From the small rural American town of Owensboro in Kentucky, Earl Hayden has created a legacy in motorcycle racing. All three of his sons have made successful careers in the sport, with the middle one Nicky making the most of his opportunities with Honda across AMA, MotoGP and now WorldSBK, as well as becoming World Champion in 2006.
Earl has followed Nicky’s journey in two-wheeled racing from very close range, from when – at the age of three – the ‘Kentucky Kid’ jumped on his very first motorcycle. Earl is not only Nicky’s father, but his mentor, coach and friend, too. He knows Nicky like no other and, from the house where it all began, he explains how he nurtured Nicky to that World Championship, his connection to his family, his determination and so much more!
Click here to see Earl Hayden speak about son Nicky. Back to Top |
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| | | Tickets for the Yamaha Finance round of the WorldSBK at Phillip Island are available through Ticketek, with a three-day general admission pass costing $120* – a saving of $35 over the gate price. BarSBK passes, for undercover viewing locations at some of the most spectacular parts of the circuit, are $260*, while adult single-day passes cost $30 for Friday, $65 for Saturday and $80 for Sunday.
Camping is available for up to four nights for $105.
Best of all, children aged 15 and under are in for free, making the event affordable for families of all sizes.
For tickets visit www.ticketek.com.au. For more information ring the Superbike Hotline on 1300 728 007 or visit www.worldsbk.com.au. |
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| | | Get your World Superbike tickets for a scorchingly hot, scorchingly fast Phillip Island, Yamaha Finance Australia round at Ticketek orwww.worldsbk.com.auor call the circuit hotline on 1800 728 007
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