| The opening Yamaha Finance round of the 2018 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship at the iconic Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit kicked off the season in stunning style. |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
SEASON 2018 KICKS OFF WITH A BANG AT PHILLIP ISLAND
The opening Yamaha Finance round of the 2018 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship at the iconic Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit kicked off the season in stunning style.
The on-track action was nothing short of fierce as Australian fans witnessed classic Phillip Island battles across the World Superbike, World Supersport and Australian National classes.
World Superbike fans congregated at the Victorian circuit to observe the world’s best production racing Live At The Island! |
|
|
|
|
| In This Edition
| » | Season 2018 kicks off with a bang at Phillip Island | | » | Front Row Seat for Aussie Fans | | » | Melandri Takes a Thrilling WorldSBK Double | | » | Mahias Dominates WorldSSP Opener | | » | Support Classes on Fire as Bayliss Returns |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Front Row Seat for Aussie Fans |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
In an absolute first for World Superbikes at Phillip Island, all 3 Day ticket holders gained FREE access to the WorldSBK Paddock, bringing them closer to the action than ever before! The Paddock Show was a hub of entertainment over the weekend featuring meet and greets, team manager chat shows and the ever popular SuperShow on Saturday.
|
|
|
|
|
|
“What a good weekend. I must mention the presenter in the paddock who kept everything rolling along brilliantly. He ran several shows on stage & introduced some younger riders to the spotlight as well as "called" the races as they appeared on the big screen. All of this, with just a headset microphone & his own talent. Amazing”
Said Ian – WorldSBK Fan. |
|
|
|
|
|
| Fans were also treated to the relocation of Parc Fermé into the Paddock giving them unprecedented access to the high energy and elation of the WorldSBK and WorldSSP victors and their teams. |
|
|
|
|
|
| Melandri Takes a Thrilling WorldSBK Double |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Italian veteran Marco Melandri has scored a resounding double win in the opening round of the 2018 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship at Phillip Island.
Race one saw the oldest rider in the field at 35, Melandri (Ducati) pass long-time leader and polesitter Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) on lap 19 and then remain in control for the balance of the 22-lap race.
In a fast-paced battle from the get-go – an incongruity at Phillip Island where it’s often a game of cat and mouse until the last few laps – he won by 1.180 seconds ahead of Sykes, with Chaz Davies (Ducati) a further eight seconds back in third position.
It was Melandri’s 21st victory in WorldSBK competition and his first at Phillip Island. His affinity with the seaside circuit is now bordering on legendary, as he’s also won grand prix races at the venue in the 125cc (1999), 250cc (2002) and MotoGP (2006) classes.
“To win the first race of the season is amazing,” said Melandri.
“It was a very difficult race. Tom set an amazing speed during the first part of the race, but after a year back with Ducati I am much more aware of my potential.
“For sure the other riders will be stronger tomorrow, and a lot will depend on the weather.”
WorldSBK Race 1 Results: 1. Marco Melandri - Ducati 2. Tom Sykes - Kawasaki 3. Chaz Davies - Ducati
Australian Wildcards: DNF. Wayne Maxwell (crashed lap two) DNF. Troy Herfoss (retirement) DNF. Daniel Falzon (retirement)
Melandri went on to defeat world champion Jonathan Rea by a scant 0.021 seconds in Sunday’s Race 2.
The 22-lapper, which included a mandatory pit stop, was a thriller from go-to-whoa, and on the final lap it all whittled down to an arm wrestle between Melandri’s V-twin Ducati and Rea’s four-cylinder Kawasaki.
| Credit: WorldSBK | Credit: WorldSBK |
Rea kept his opponent behind him across all 12 turns of the grand prix circuit, but in a typical Phillip Island drag to the finish line the Italian got his nose in front when it mattered, to seize a stirring victory. It was Melandri’s 22nd triumph in the production-based series, and he’s now the seventh rider to score a WorldSBK clean sweep in Australia after winning yesterday’s race one.
On top of an already stellar weekend for the oldest rider in the WorldSBK field, the 35-year-old Melandri also set a new lap record of 1m30.848s.
“It was a really crazy race and really difficult to make a plan for the last lap,” said Melandri. “With three or four laps to go I found my speed and rhythm, but then Rea was amazing on the brakes at turn one on the last lap, and very smart at turn two, so I then had to make a revised plan to get past him.
“It was amazing that I got the win again – my Ducati Panigale was working well and we had good speed. I’d like to thank my team for a great weekend.”
WorldSBK Race 2 Results: 1. Marco Melandri - Ducati 2. Jonathan Rea - Kawasaki 3. Xavi Fores - Ducati
Australians: DSQ. Daniel Falzon - Yamaha DNS. Wayne Maxwell - Yamaha DNS. Troy Herfoss - Honda
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Mahias Dominates WorldSSP Opener |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
Frenchman Lucas Mahias dominated round one of the 2018 MOTUL FIM Supersport World Championship at Phillip Island. The reigning world champion was in a league of his own, as he led from start to finish to win the shortened nine-lap race ahead of fellow Yamaha riders Randy Krummenacher and Sandro Cortese.
Meanwhile, it was a disaster for Australia’s big hope Anthony West (Kawasaki), who retired with a mechanical problem after starting from the front row of the grid. It was better news for West’s compatriot Tom Toparis (Kawasaki), with the 17-year-old scoring his first world championship point in 15th position.
The first attempt at the WorldSSP race was red-flagged on lap four after Hans Soomer (Honda) and Michael Canducci (Kawasaki) crashed heavily – but in separate incidents – at turn 11.
In the restart, Mahias returned straight back to his peerless front-running business, leaving Krummenacher, Caricasulo and Cortese to fight over the final two podium positions.
Krummenacher held onto second position for the final two laps, while Cortese drafted past Caricasulo on the final run-down Gardner Straight to finish third by just 0.039 seconds.
Four-time world champion Sofuoglu (Kawasaki) was as high as third on lap one, but fell through the pack on the final few laps to finish in 13th position – just ahead of Hikari Okubo (Kawasaki) and Toparis in 14th and 15th
The final Aussie in the field, Lachlan Epis (Kawasaki), was also a retirement. |
|
|
|
|
|
| Support Classes on Fire as Bayliss Returns |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
YMI Australian Superbikes
Also on show was the opening round of the Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul Pirelli (ASBK) with Australian Superbikes, Australian Supersport, Australian Supersport 300 and the YMF R3 joining the international classes.
Everyone’s eyes were on 48-year-old Troy Bayliss who made his return to professional racing in the Australian Superbike class - and it was like he never left!
The Desmosport Ducati rider made a sensational return in the first practice session, completing the 30-minute session second on the ladder behind defending Australian champion Josh Waters (Team Suzuki ECSTAR).
The first race of the season was a particularly stirring affair and one for the ages which saw spills, thrills, and a nail-biting re-start with Bayliss coming up just 0.2 seconds short of victory behind Penrite Honda’s Troy Herfoss.
Wayne Maxwell (Yamaha) and Bryan Staring (Kawasaki) took the chequered flag in races two and three.
Staring was the overall winner on 60 points, with defending champion Josh Waters (Suzuki) and Herfoss tied on 59 ahead of Bayliss (51).
Credit: Andrew Gosling - TBG Sport |
|
|
|
|
|
Australian Supersport
Cube Racing’s Tom Toparis pulled a hat trick at Phillip Island to start the season in scorching form. Fifteen-year-old Toparis was simply untouchable, starting all three races from fifth position on the grid, and taking no time to hit the front and extend the gap on his competitors.
Yamaha Racing Team’s Cru Halliday was consistent in his return to the Supersport class aboard the new Yamaha YZF-R6, taking three-second place finishes. Broc Pearson (Yamaha, YZF-R6) was flying on Friday in qualifying and earned himself pole position for the weekend, and with a tidy weekend he finished in third position overall. |
|
|
|
|
|
Australian Supersport 300
Young gun, Oli Bayliss was on fire at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit to claim overall victory in the Supersport 300 class. The 14-year-old son of three-time World Superbike Champion, Troy Bayliss, came out on top in the bragging rights in the intra-family battle, tearing up the grand prix circuit with 1-2-1 finishes on his Kawasaki to claim the overall weekend crown for Supersport 300 ahead of Yamaha pair Tom Bramich (4-1-3) and Locky Taylor (3-4-2). |
|
|
|
|
|
YMF R3 Cup
A newly added support class for the World Superbikes, the YMF R3 Cup is the development ground for many future road racing stars, all riding Yamaha YZF-R3 machinery.
Credit: Andrew Gosling - TBG Sport
The three races delivered action aplenty, with the result going down to the wire. Yamaha’s Tom Bramich ran away with an early lead in the first race despite the damp conditions, taking a one second advantage on the rest of the field. Ford Brothers Racing’s Hunter Ford took a narrow win in race two as Puma RV’S’s Zac Levy took a strategic victory in race three.
Tom Bramich took the overall win on 65 points, followed by Zac Levy in second and Hunter Ford in third. |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
