It’s almost time for the Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup to get in gear for 2019 and the first port of call before competition begins is testing, with riders ready for two days of track action at Sepang International Circuit. That’s on the 9th and 10th of February as the returners come face to face with their 14 new rookie rivals, with reserve rider Shota Kiuchi and Malaysian Harith Zamri also in attendance. Danial Sharil, injured in a crash at the end of last season, won’t be back on track just yet, but the Malaysian is expected to return to the IATC mid-season.
Teenage motorcycle racing star Tom Toparis has left no stone unturned in his preparation for the opening round of the 2019 Supersport World Championship at Phillip Island’s Yamaha Finance round from February 22-24.
After a “warm-up” wildcard in the 2018 Phillip Island WorldSSP round when he finished in 15th position, the 18-year-old from Goulburn (NSW) believes he now has all the key elements in place to “give it a red-hot go” in 2019.
“I didn’t really have a major goal ahead of the 2018 event,” said Toparis, who’s the current Aussie supersport No.2. “In 2019, armed with my new Yamaha, I am certainly aiming at scoring at least a point, or even points, and I want to get my lap times down into the 1:34 bracket.”
Tom Toparis – ASBK 2019 – Official Phillip Island Test
Toparis has switched from Kawasaki to Yamaha machinery in 2019 and, as well as the YZF-R6 he’ll be riding in the Aussie title, a bespoke machine is being prepared for his one-off ride in the 18-lap WorldSSP race on February 24.
“I’ll be racing with the Landbridge Transport team, and they are the same outfit that ran Aiden Wagner and Mitch Levy in WorldSSP,” said Toparis, who’s an apprentice builder.
“Sam Costanzo is putting together the R6, and I’m confident that with the work we’re putting in with the suspension, engine and data logging, we won’t be at too much of a disadvantage compared to the internationals.
“We’ve also got a great data technician, Adrian Monti, joining us so that’s going to be a great help. That all said, I also want some familiarity with the WorldSSP machine: I don’t want it to feel much different to my local bike, which I am already very comfortable on.”
Tom Toparis – ASBK 2019 – Official Phillip Island Test
Toparis will ride his WorldSSP Yamaha at the official two-day test at Phillip Island on February 18-19. There he’ll be joined by the championship top brass such as 2018 Phillip Island winner Lucas Mahias, Jules Cluzel, Randy Krummenacher, Federico Caricasulo and Raffaele de Rosa, as well as new faces such as Hector Barbera and Isaac Vinales.
“I really love the thrill and challenge of world championship competition,” continued Toparis, who also has Moto3 wildcards to his name. “It helps me to become more race-hardened, and Phillip Island is also one of my best circuits – so why not try and take advantage of that.”
Tom Toparis – ASBK 2019 – Official Phillip Island Test
Like fellow Goulburn native Troy Herfoss in WorldSBK, Toparis will be the only Aussie competing in WorldSSP – and he’ll also start his 2019 domestic supersport campaign at Phillip Island as well.
With 13 races across the race weekend including the Australian supports, the schedule launches a new and expanded WorldSBK formula: two 22-lap races at 3:00pm on Saturday and Sunday, and a 10-lap no-holds-barred sprint at midday on Sunday. World Supersport races Sunday in an 18-lap showdown, with Australian Superbike, Supersport and Production 300 completing the bill with races across Saturday and Sunday.
Tickets now on sale A three-day general admission pass with FREE Paddock access for World Superbikes is just $120*, secured in advance, or $230* when you add on-circuit camping to your purchase.
For all ticket and racing information, visit www.worldsbk.com.au or Ticketek.
“I’m very happy to ride again after a long winter, but I was expecting to be better than I was. I still don’t have full power, for one or two laps it’s ok but I had to change my riding style to compensate. We stopped early to save myself for the rest of the test, there are still two days and we will see what the feeling is. Honda have been working really hard this winter and we tried a few things, but the list is really big. We’re trying the most important things first. The bike is already at a good point, but there’s always more to try before Qatar.”
Marc Marquez
Alex Rins – P2
“My first impressions are very good. We have a lot of new parts here to try, aiming to build on our 2019 bike. The lap times and race pace already felt strong today, so I feel we have a lot of potential. I’m aiming to start the year in the best way so I can put together a strong and consistent season from the very beginning. I feel good about what we’ve achieved today.”
Alex Rins
Maverick Viñales – P3
“I’m actually really happy, because I felt good straight away. I trained quite a lot with bikes this winter, so physically I’m OK. I want to do the three days with maximum power, so I can be quite precise, especially on the track. There’s room to improve and that is very important if we want to battle for this championship. I would like to improve the acceleration and also a little bit the breaking areas, where we struggled last year, so I’m really focused on that.”
Maverick Viñales
Danilo Petrucci – P5
“It’s been a positive first day. Despite the fact that we didn’t try a flying lap, I was able to be quick right away this morning with medium tyres. On the other hand, we still need to improve when temperatures rise and grip levels decrease, so tomorrow we’ll focus on this. Physically I don’t feel fatigued, which means I followed the right conditioning regime over the winter break, and for tomorrow we have a couple of longer runs on schedule during the hottest time of the day. We have a solid base already, which is the most important thing. Also, I have to say it was pretty emotional to go out with the new livery for the first time.”
Danilo Petrucci
Valentino Rossi – P6
“First of all it is a great feeling to be back on the bike and I enjoyed it even though it was very tough physically, because it was very hot for the first test. The first day is quite positive for us, because I always had a good feeling with the bike and we worked very much on improving the grip and our lap times, especially with used tyres. As it is the first day, I looked a bit at the pace of the strong guys, and we are not so bad. It looks like we made some improvements compared to last year.”
Valentino Rossi
Takaaki Nakagami – P7
“The overall position isn’t so bad, but this morning it took a bit of time to get the feeling back with the bike. The last time we rode was in November so you notice two months without sitting on a MotoGP bike! During the winter I have done lots of training to prepare for the season ahead, but even then, it is always different to the real thing. Step by step I got the feeling back with the bike and the lap time was eventually quite good. We need to focus a lot on the set-up of the machine at the moment, we are still not happy with the braking stability, but for the first day it’s not so bad. We have no new parts, so it’s quite simple for us, we just focus on what we’ve got and make it feel as good as possible.”
Takaaki Nakagami
Andrea Dovizioso – P8
“Today has been really positive because we found the track in good conditions already and the weather stayed dry. We made some comparisons but we haven’t found substantial differences yet so we need to make more evaluations in the following days. We have a really good base, and the work done by Michele Pirro is always helpful to this end, because he can try some components beforehand, saving us precious time. Also, I felt great physically, so I’m pretty happy overall.”
Andrea Dovizioso
Jack Miller – P11
“I trained a lot during the winter break but riding a MotoGP bike in conditions like the ones we found today is something else. The feeling is good and I think the first day of testing was positive. It’s a shame about the small crash – without any particular consequences – that forced me to change bike. All things considered, I’m satisfied”.
Jack Miller
Franco Morbidelli – P12
“We are really happy with the first day of the test here at the Sepang International Circuit – the feeling with the bike was similar to the way it was at the end of 2018, even though today we weren’t super fast. We focused this morning on getting back up to speed because it has been two months since I last rode a MotoGP bike. In the afternoon we worked more on the medium and used tyres to see how the bike behaved and gathering data for analysis. We finished up on the soft compound but it wasn’t a real time attack. The Yamaha bike flows well and is very stable, which I think helps me a lot with my riding style. It also suits the characteristics of this track a lot. I am delighted with the support that the factory is giving me and the way they are listening to and analysing my feedback.”
Franco Morbidelli
Cal Crutchlow – P14
“I feel good. It’s really nice to be back out there on the motorcycle and working with the LCR Honda Castrol Team and HRC again here in Malaysia. I thought it was going to be a difficult day, but I was honest about how it was feeling. The first laps were so strange, I went round the track thinking I was doing a 2’01, but I was in the 2’08s or something! I don’t feel fantastic, but I feel I can be competitive this season – which is great. I didn’t really push too hard today, I just worked on trying to understand my feeling on the bike again after so long off. The team did a great job today, they were patient with me with regards to my information. It seemed I quite quickly got back into the way I normally work, so I enjoyed it. I’m confident that if I needed to go one second quicker, I would have. I got to ride the 2019 machine this afternoon. The plan was always for me to start on the 2018 bike anyway, to get back some familiarity with me riding again. I feel HRC have done a good job with the new bike. We need to adjust the setting as is usual and understand it a bit more because it is different to what I’ve been used to, but as expected they’ve done a good job and we’re pleased with how it feels.”
Cal Crutchlow
Pecco Bagnaia – P15
“I made a first positive day especially this morning when I managed to keep a convincing pace. In the afternoon we put on a new tyre to improve the lap time but I didn’t feel comfortable. Tomorrow we will work to see how we can improve in this area. All in all, I am happy: we are on the right path”.
Pecco Bagnaia
Miguel Oliveira – P16
“Our day has been good. We had a small step back because we couldn’t run as much as we wanted with both bikes and the changes took us quite long, but the team did a really great job. We adapted our program and managed to test everything that we wanted. We did many good laps, which is a positive sign. Finally, to do a fast lap at the end was ok, in general I had a decent pace. So, I’m happy with this first day and look forward to improve tomorrow.”
Miguel Oliveira
Fabio Quartararo – P18
“We were really looking forward to riding again after two months off the bike and we were excited for the first day here at the Sepang International Circuit. It wasn’t easy to get a feeling for a bike with so much power but I thought the first few laps would be more difficult. I am happy because we have taken a step forward, in that [at Jerez] I needed a lot of laps to set a fast time but today we were able to do a qualifying time after just two laps. The test here at Sepang is different to Jerez, which is a much smaller circuit, whereas here we have some very long straights and it is very hot. Tomorrow we need to keep working on the bike and try to find a better feeling under braking, which is where we are lacking. I’m really keen to just keep on learning.”
Fabio Quartararo
Sylvain Guintoli – P22
“I’ve been with the team for a few days of testing ahead of this official test, but it feels great to be back on track with all the riders. It’s been a very good and productive day for us. We’re trying some new components for the 2019 package and they were very good, and we made some useful discoveries. In the next days, Alex and Joan can try these things too. I think I set my best ever time in Sepang today, and the rhythm was good as well, it’s been a nice day of work, I did 58 laps and the feeling is positive.”
Sylvain Guintoli
Joan Mir – P23
“It was a hard day with a lot of work, but we made good progress, and we’ll also be trying a lot of other things in the next couple of days. I feel like a fully-fledged rider now, and the focus today was on the bike, but I will also be focusing a bit on myself tomorrow and Friday so that I can gain more experience and knowledge. I felt an improvement in the bike since I last rode it in Jerez, I really like how the bike is now, and I think everything’s going in a good direction.”
Joan Mir
Hafizh Syahrin – P26
“My first impression was great after the long break following the test in Jerez. It has been a long wait, but in the end, we had the shakedown a bit earlier than some other teams. Overall, I feel good, although we are still a bit far. I was working hard to improve many things in order to try to find the best setup for my new bike, but at the moment I don’t have a good feeling with the rear. Nevertheless, with the front I have some great sensations. Tomorrow we’ll try to find a solution to get more grip on the rear and to improve the exit of the corners.”
Hafizh Syahrin
Davide Brivio – Suzuki Team Manager
“Today was a positive day because we went through our programme and we tried different settings. We’re working on the 2019 bike and trying to find the best base setting as well as trying to improve the package overall, using different combinations of parts. So far so good, Alex set strong lap times, not just one isolated ‘fast lap’, but many good quality laps. We were able to get helpful comments and feedback from him. Joan was restarting again with the bike and he is still gaining experience, but he did some useful testing, gave us good feedback and told us his impressions. Everything went smoothly today, let’s continue to work tomorrow.”
2019 MotoGP Sepang Test Day One Times
MARQUEZ, Marc Repsol Honda Team 1:59.621 26/29
RINS, Alex Team Suzuki Ecstar 1:59.880 25/61
VIÑALES, Maverick Monster Energy Yamaha 1:59.937 28/63
“From the start it was too long without touching a MotoGP (bike) and in the first laps the speed is so fast, but we worked well and we did a good job,” continued Rabat. “I felt comfortable with the bike, it worked really well. When I’m on the bike my leg is 200% no problem and I can ride well, this is the most important thing. I’m so happy for today but there is still two more days and this is just the start, there’s a long way to go.
“Yeah I don’t feel fantastic, but I feel like I can be competitive this season which is great,” continued the Honda rider. “I didn’t really push so much today, I worked on trying to understand my feeling of the bike again after so long off. The team did a great job with me today, they were patient with me with regards to my information and it seemed I got straight back into working how I would usually work but no I enjoyed it, I thoroughly enjoyed it and I’m confident if I needed to go one second quicker I could.”
The number 42 rider completed 61 laps in total on the opening day and was in good spirits when reflecting on his day: “Today I felt quite good. It’s always a little bit hard when we come back from holidays to be on a good rhythm and go fast. But sincerely today I felt strong, with the new bike, 2019, we had good race pace. For sure tomorrow we will try new things because today we didn’t have enough time, but sincerely I’m happy because the Suzuki guys worked really hard this winter and they brought a lot of things.”
Despite still suffering the effects from surgery on his left shoulder during the winter break, Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) has topped the timesheets on Day 1 at the Sepang Test after setting a 1:59.621, going 0.259 faster than second place Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and 0.316 quicker than third place Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) as 2019 revs back into life. Marquez completed 29 laps on Day 1 before stopping in the early afternoon to give his left shoulder a rest ahead of the next two days, with the reigning World Champion heading for more physio in the afternoon. Teammate Jorge Lorenzo sits out the test due to injury, but there were three Hondas in the top ten as Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu), fastest in Jerez, took seventh and Stefan Bradl (Honda Test Team) ended Day 1 in P9, just under six tenths off Marquez.
Elsewhere, Johann Zarco (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) has been testing a modified seat, the Frenchman currently sitting 17th fastest. Sticking with KTM, the Austrian factory have been testing a new exhaust, with Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) eighth on the timesheets at the minute – 0.692 off Marquez.
Mike Jones, 2015 Australian Superbike Champion, has been a familiar face at previous pre-season tests in the past few years before venturing overseas.
This year he was again in attendance at the recent ASBK Test session at Phillip Island, onboard a Kawasaki ZX-10R on loan from Matt Harding.
Jones has committed to doing the opening round of the ASBK at Phillip Island but, unlike the last three years, has no immediate plans beyond that in regards to where he will be racing for season 2019.
We caught up with him over the weekend for a brief chat.
Mike Jones Interview
Phillip Island, Official ASBK Test 2019
MCNews: First up what were you doing here?
Mike Jones: I’m having a ride around, I’m doing the ASBK test here in preparation for Round 1 of the ASBK. That’s the plan at the moment.
Mike Jones at Phillip Island in 2018 – Image by TBG Sport
MCNews: So what happens after Round 1 in two weeks time?
Mike Jones: Not too sure, haven’t got anything solid yet, I’m still looking at options overseas as I don’t currently have anything right now. So that’s the position I’m in.
MCNews: You’ve been pretty up and down since you won the championship in 2015.
Mike Jones: I won the Australian Championship 2015 then raced for Desmosport Ducati 2016, and that was a tough year. The Ducati was new to the whole team so we had, I spose you’d say, teething problems. That made things quite tough, but we showed some potential there on the Ducati and Troy helped me get a ride with the Aruba.it Ducati team in the European Superstock 1000 Championship in 2017, I had a reasonable year there. For a year racing in Europe, I was fifth overall in the Championship, which was a pretty solid overall effort.
Mike Jones in the FIM Stock 1000 Championship in 2017
“Then with the Superstock 1000 championship being discontinued it meant I was looking for a ride elsewhere, so then I changed completely to a different manufacturer, different tyre, different team, different tracks, so everything was brand new again, and I still finished fourth overall in the Spanish Championship. So while it may seem up and down, it’s still been progressing upwards in my opinion, and I feel like I’ve been showing some strong results over there, on the podium in Europe and Spain, that for me has been pretty good.
“Right at the moment I’ve come to a point where, it seems like a lot of the teams are really struggling for budget and asking the riders for budget, so trying to get the budget together is the most difficult thing right now. Especially because I’ve been in the position where I haven’t really had to bring budget to a team, so I’m not really prepared for that.”
MCNews: So the first question they ask is how much money have you got?
Mike Jones: “And my answer is I have nothing, as I’ve been paid enough to live, but not enough to go racing with your team.”
Mike Jones at the 2018 Australian MotoGP round – Image by AJRN
MCNews: Is it looking more and more that you’re going to be doing ASBK?
Mike Jones: “Yeah, it seems that way right at the moment. Racing in the Australian Superbike Championship, but I’m still looking and trying to race overseas.”
MCNews: Where’s the strongest option at the moment?
Mike Jones: “Probably Asia at the moment, I’m looking in Asia and it might be possible, there’s possibly something there.
Mike Jones at the Phillip Island Official ASBK Test – Image by Rob Mott
McNews: And what about the two days here?
Mike Jones: “I had a good weekend, we’re riding KNR Hydraulics Kawasaki, one of Matt Harding’s bikes, so it’s a first time for me today on that bike, and we tried a bunch of different stuff for geomoetry and suspension, a few small electronic changes, but we made progress all day. I started to get comfortable on the bike, so it’s been a really good first day and I feel like if we continue on this path, with the progress we’re making, there shouldn’t be any reason I can’t be competitive at the first round here.”
MCNews: All the best in whatever you do mate, it would be good to see you mixing it up down here.
MJ: “You never know!”
The first round of the Australian Superbike Championship will be held alongside the opening round of the Superbike World Championship at Phillip Island 22-24 February.
Kawasaki Superbike – Phillip Island Test – Merged classification
