The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship kicked off in style Down Under and while the Grand Ridge Brewery Australian Round did answer a few questions about 2024, it also left us with a lot of unanswered ones. Rookies were rapid, there were ups and downs for riders who changed teams while some embraced their position as team leader very well. What are we still looking for answers from ahead of the next round?

WILL IANNONE BE QUICK ALL YEAR? So far, so good for ‘The Maniac’

Despite it being his first race back after four years, Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) secured a podium in Race 1 in Australia. It was a memorable comeback to race, but one key caveat is it’s a circuit he’s always gone well at in MotoGP™. The question is now whether the #29 can be fast at every circuit this year despite his lengthy absence. Testing would suggest he can be, having gone quick at Jerez and relatively fast – albeit slightly further down the order – at Portimao. He’s raced a lot of circuits on the WorldSBK calendar before even if it was a while back, so will ‘The Maniac’ be in podium contention at every round in 2024?

MORE TO COME FROM BAUTISTA? No wins at Phillip Island in 2024…

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) came into Australia almost undefeated on the Panigale V4 R: eight wins from 12 on Ducati machinery, including five in a row from the 2022 Tissot Superpole Race, meant he was the favourite in Australia. It didn’t work out that way, however. A best of P2 in Race 2 was the highlight, with a crash in Race 1 dropping him to 15^th. With no wins and only one podium at a circuit he’s been so quick at in the past, will the #1 struggle throughout 2024 as new challengers and rules come into play or was Phillip Island a one-off following a disrupted winter through injury?

RAZGATLIOGLU AND BMW: why we need to wait until later in 2024 to fully assess?

It was a strong start for Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) with BMW, taking a Tissot Superpole Race podium and fighting at the front all weekend. However, Phillip Island is often a strange weekend for various reasons, including on tyre life – where the BMW has historically been weaker than its rivals. A mandatory pit stop in Race 1 reduced this problem, as did the 10-lap Superpole Race, while the #54 had a technical issue in Race 2. The question as to whether ‘El Turco’ and the three other BMW riders can fight for a rostrum consistently will be answered when WorldSBK hits Europe in a couple of weeks.

ALEX LOWES AND KAWASAKI: genuine on-track step forward or Phillip Island factor?

One of the surprise packages in Australia was Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), with the #22 taking two wins on Sunday and leaving as the Championship leader for the first time since 2020, when he won for KRT at the same circuit. Throughout testing, the British rider was keen to reiterate that he and Kawasaki had been focusing on long-run and end-of-race pace to find gains in the closing stages, but third on the grid in the Tissot Superpole session suggests the one-lap pace is up towards the front too. Caveat: like Iannone, it’s a circuit Lowes has gone well at, with three of his four WorldSBK wins coming at the iconic venue. The potential is there for it to have been a genuine step forward, but the Phillip Island factor has to be considered.

DISASTER DOWN UNDER: don’t read too much into it for Rea

Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) started his stint with Yamaha by showing quick pace in testing, but that disappeared in Australia. Chattering issues throughout the Official Test and the round left him struggling and he departed Phillip Island without a point to his name, and he was declared unfit following his Race 2 crash. That said, he’s shown his potential on the R1 throughout testing at Jerez and Portimao, so fully expect the six-time Champion to be back towards the front when WorldSBK resumes in Europe.

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The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship fired into life for the 37^th season of racing and what a weekend it was to open. Seven different podium finishers across four manufacturers, from rookie stardom to established guard not as strong as we thought, what are the things that shocked us after Round 1?

REA’S YAMAHA DEBUT DISASTER: 0 points, two big crashes and a lot of head-scratching

It’s possible that we couldn’t have been more wrong for Jonathan Rea’s (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) first weekend in blue. After promising signs in testing, he ended up with no points in his first three races of 2024. Suffering with heavy rear chatter from testing on Tuesday at Phillip Island – which ultimately caused the crash at Turn 11 then – the problem persisted during the weekend. He would’ve had points in Race 1 but lost 22 seconds in the pits, putting him down in 17^th. He fought into P10 for the Superpole Race but only the top nine get points there. Then, in Race 2, having run as high as fourth and just starting to get comfortable, he was bit again at Turn 11 with a huge highside, leaving him being declared unfit. A weekend to frankly forget, he’s never started four straight races and failed to achieve points in any (he didn’t score any points in his last Kawasaki race in 2023). There’s work to be done for him, crew chief Andrew Pitt and the rest of the team for Barcelona. The knock-on we didn’t expect is teammate Andrea Locatelli to be so clearly the best Yamaha so far.

BAUTISTA NOT WINNING AT PHILLIP ISLAND: 8 from 9 on Ducati but nothing in 3 of 2024

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) has always gone well at Phillip Island, even back in his Grand Prix career. He made an emphatic debut in 2019 at the track to cruise to a hat-trick and since being back at Ducati, he’d won five of six races – then 2024 happened. A crash whilst pushing through in Race 1, followed by being unable to get through on Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) in the closing stages in the Superpole Race for a podium, Bautista did grow into the weekend. However, even the lightweight Spaniard, always easy on tyres, couldn’t resist Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) on the last lap of Race 2, with the #22 passing him around the outside at Turn 9 to double up on Sunday. Bautista not winning at Phillip Island could be influenced by the fact that he’d been injured throughout testing, the new rules or something else but for the #1 not to win something in Australia was a shock. Will normal service resume for Round 2?

LOWES DOUBLES UP: extraordinary performance to lead the Championship

Always fast at Phillip Island, Alex Lowes was exceptional in 2024. He had been fast throughout testing and inside the top three, something that transferred into the season-opening round too with a fourth in Race 1 before two wins on Sunday – the first dry wins for Kawasaki since 2022. Working with Pere Riba is obviously making a big impact from the start for the #22 but the way he approached, carried out and concluded the weekend was impressive. Did we see him doubling up on Sunday after Nicolo Bulega’s (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) domination on Saturday and Bautista’s rise on Sunday? Perhaps not but that goes to show that the step Lowes and Kawasaki have made is a real one.

ROOKIES AS STRONG AS EVER: Bulega winning, Iannone holeshotting and Sam Lowes in the mix

Pole and a win for Bulega on his debut as well as Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) grabbing the holeshot in Race 1 and the Superpole Race, leading the charge of the WorldSBK brigade in his maiden race and his first World Championship event in four years were amazing things to see. Bulega demonstrated his pace throughout testing but did we actually think he’d be Ducati’s only winner of the weekend in World Superbike? As for Iannone, regardless of how much talent he’s got, the testing he’s done or the track days he’s participated in, to come back in and straight away lead after four years away is arguably one of the most remarkable sights we’ve seen in WorldSBK. Add into the mix a solid debut from Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) who was a constant challenger for the top five, it’s fair to say that the rookies of 2024 won’t be disappointing. Let’s see if Tarran Mackenzie (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda) and teammate Adam Norrodin can climb the order too.

OTHER SHOCKS: a quick glance elsewhere

On Sunday, one of the biggest shocks was Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team), who after finishing 15^th in the Superpole Race was third in Race 2 – he was a big beneficiary of the red flag for Jonathan Rea’s crash, having originally started in P12 but going for P7 on the restart. With only the Phillip Island test on Tuesday in his pre-season, Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) quietly went about his business and despite a huge lack of testing, surprised us with three top ten finishes. In Race 2, like Petrucci, Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) was sensational as he challenged for the lead in the early stages before finishing in sixth, having been 14^th in Race 1.

Further down, there was big disappointment for Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW), who was the only BMW to not feature inside the top ten at all, with a best of P11 after a penalty for a pitlane intervention time infraction. With Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) bagging a semi-surprising podium, teammate Michael van der Mark taking a P7 and Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) likewise in the top ten, the #45 knows there’s work to do to reach BMW’s potential.

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One of the hot topics leaving Phillip Island after Round 1 of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship was that Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) has made a clear step forward and is within striking distance of a first win. Perhaps when that first victory does come true, it’ll unlock the flood gates for ‘Loka’ and, in the eyes of Andrea Dosoli – Yamaha Motor Europe’s Road Racing Manager – could see him challenge for the title.

DOSOLI’S THOUGHTS: “Locatelli made a big step”

Two second places were achieved by Locatelli in Race 1 and the Superpole Race, seeing him right in the fight across both and really demonstrating the steps he’s made, as well a successful start with new crew chief Tom O’Kane. In Race 2, a story of what could have been as he put in two Superpole-style laps to catch right onto the back of race leaders Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), passing the Brit at Turn 4 on the last lap only to crash out of victory contention due to a false neutral. Nonetheless, the 27-year-old is third in the Championship and riding the best we’ve ever seen and it’s probably not just the Phillip Island effect either.

“It was clear to see that Andrea Locatelli made a big step,” began Dosoli, debriefing his way through the #55’s weekend. “Not only was this clear from his performance but for me, the biggest thing was his approach to the weekend. Before heading to Phillip Island, Andrea and his crew chief Tom O’Kane had a very clear target in mind – they wanted to win a race, and their performance on track shows they can achieve this.”

GOING FOR GOLD: “He’s thinking like a winner… can be a title contender this season”

Continuing on, Dosoli praised the mentality of the 2020 WorldSSP Champion who is now in his fourth season of WorldSBK action: “I think we can say that this weekend Andrea has shown a new level of maturity as throughout the weekend he displayed a winning mentality; he is thinking like a winner. This is a combination of the steps he has taken himself but also what he has learned from his new crew chief so I would like to congratulate both Andrea and his crew for this. It is just a matter of time before his first WorldSBK win now.

“In both the Superpole Race and Race 2 he was the quickest rider on the track making an impressive series of overtakes. It was only the unlucky false neutral on the last lap which prevented him winning in Race 2, I am 100% convinced he deserved the win in that race.  Of course, he’s disappointed with the result of the last race, but these things happen in racing – the most important thing is he showed his potential to fight at the front. Locatelli can be a title contender this season.”

O’KANE SPEAKS: “It’s fantastic to be working with Andrea; he was strong in every area”

Locatelli’s crew chief, Tom O’Kane, also added about his first weekend working with the Italian and the potential that he has for the year ahead: “It’s fantastic to be working with Andrea, he is an extremely focused and professional rider. His feedback is good and he understands a lot, it’s hard to single out particular strengths because from what we saw at Phillip Island, he was strong in every area. He rode incredibly well all weekend in Australia and there is no doubt he can be a contender for the title this year.”

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The 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is going to be a blockbuster, of that there is no doubt. However, the Grand Ridge Brewery Australian Round was something quite spectacular, as new names emerged whilst others sunk despite pre-season hype. So, what did we learn? Nothing. That’s the short answer; it was a weekend that we’ve left with more questions than answers and more uncertainties than many other seasons. In any case, we put the small findings below!

BULEGA IS THE REAL DEAL: full gas for ‘Bulegas’ in 2024 after maiden win

Reigning WorldSSP Champion Nicolo Bulega rewrote history on Saturday as he strolled to victory from pole, perhaps one of the biggest shocks – even if he did look fast in testing. Racing is a different kettle of fish but Bulega, whilst with many things still to learn, was absolutely phenomenal on Saturday and had he not over-conserved on tyres in Race 2 on Sunday, could have been a podium man again. We know he’s going to be fast going forward and Barcelona could be a circuit where he challenges teammate Alvaro Bautista – something nobody’s done whilst the Spaniard’s been on Ducati at the track.

LOWES AND LOCATELLI RISE TO SHINE: the ex-number 2s come good

Having been fast throughout testing, there was an element of surprise that Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) converted into meaningful race-pace and a Sunday double in Australia. He had some serious pace in the Free Practice sessions too and with the modifications to the engine for Kawasaki, the ZX-10RR held its own in a straight line too. With a Kawasaki leading the Championship for the first time since 2022, let’s turn to Yamaha and Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha), who out-shone new recruit Jonathan Rea no end. Two P2s and what could’ve been a race win in Race 2 but for a last lap crash in battle, ‘Loka’ was riding exceptionally well and has clearly gelled instantly with new crew chief Tom O’Kane. Let’s see if it continues in Barcelona, not necessarily a track that Lowes nor Locatelli have shone at before. They have strong pace and you’d have got good odds on both being inside the top three overall after Round 1.

BAUTISTA THE ONLY TITANIC TRIO MEMBER SHOWING BIG STRENGTH: but it’s still not convincing

With Jonathan Rea leaving Australia with precisely 0 points and Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) in contention but lacking rear tyre at the end of races – as well as the engine blow-up he suffered in Race 2 – only Alvaro Bautista featured as a real race threat in Australia. The #1, reigning double Champion, was right in contention despite languishing on row three in Superpole. He got himself into contention in Race 1 before Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) ran him wide at Turn 9 and then, when fighting back through, crashed at Turn 10. The Superpole Race saw him strong but he went back at the end and was, ironically, unable to draft by Toprak on the Gardner straight, whilst he was mugged in a final lap classic in Race 2. He didn’t win at Phillip Island and whilst he’s down on meaningful testing, there’s work to do for the #1 going forward.

ROOKIES ARE FAST: a new guard and generation enter contention

We’ve already spoken of Bulega but Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) and Sam Lowes had strong races too. Iannone qualified on the front row, grabbed the holeshot in both Race 1 and the Tissot Superpole Race and walked off with a podium and a taste of ‘what could’ve been’ on Sunday morning had it not been for a handlebar grip coming off. For Lowes, a pit-stop drama in Race 1 pushed him outside the top ten but he featured in the leading group throughout the weekend, not easy with him and the team being new to WorldSBK. ‘The Maniac’ was close to a second podium in Race 2 whilst Lowes took a solid P7; Barcelona will be very interesting to keep an eye on those two.

BMW REALLY HAVE MADE A STEP: and not just with Stoprak

Toprak Razgatlioglu may have stormed to an impressive podium in the Superpole Race to end BMW’s year-and-a-half wait for a podium (in just his second race) but there’s a big picture for the German manufacturer. Toprak wasn’t the only BMW looking strong; teammate Michael van der Mark blasted up the order after a P16 Superpole result to take P7 in Race 1, whilst it was another top ten in Race 2 in P9. Then, Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW), whilst not featuring as high up as he’d have liked, took P9 and P8 in a solid first weekend of the year and because of that, those three BMWs are in the top ten – don’t ask the last time we saw that. The only one that did struggle consistently through the weekend was Gerloff’s teammate Scott Redding: a P11 the only thing to write home about. As BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director Marc Bongers said, they can leave “satisfied”.

WorldSBK IS BACK: 7 podium finishers, 4 manufacturers in contention and unpredictability

Social media was alive with reaction on Saturday and Sunday to the new era of World Superbike and we got the start we wanted and somewhat deserved. The new rules have clearly worked and the shake-up on the grid has really jumbled up the order. Those who struggled will come good, those who were strong Down Under will come undone at some point. We really are in for a vintage year of racing but we knew that anyway. Perhaps that’s the only thing we really can learn from Phillip Island: that in racing, it’s going to be as wild as we all hoped.

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The 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship stormed into action last weekend and what a start to the season it was, with records smashed at every possibility as well new characters emerging into contenders. We look at the rookies and how they went over the weekend, with a pretty obvious place to start.

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) – second in the standings, a maiden race winner

The reigning WorldSSP Champion became the first rider to achieve a WorldSSP and WorldSBK pole in consecutive events but that isn’t the big claim; a maiden pole and maiden win in his maiden race, only John Kocinski managed that before. He looked comfortable on the bike in Race 1 and had to deal with a pit-stop, which he got absolutely perfect too. After that and once he broke clear of the pack, he eased to victory. However, there’re still aspects to learn; dealing with being bullied in the opening laps is one, as he dropped down to P10 in Race 2 as well as not being afraid of scrapping it out in the first stages. It’s a dog eat dog world in WorldSBK, there’s no time to chill.

Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) – fourth overall, maiden podium and good race craft

What can we say about Andrea Iannone? ‘The Maniac’ is back to World Championship competition with a bang and got the holeshot in his first two races back too. He rolled back the years with some vintage Iannone passes and it really was like he’d never been away. A podium in his maiden race was sublime and it was a story of what could have been in the Superpole Race, had a handlebar grip not come off; he was looking on for a victory. That shoved him down field on the grid for Race 2 but he came through and was still near to the podium, so the race craft is there and he’s not ring rusty like we perhaps expected him to be. Let’s see how he goes in Barcelona and beyond but it was a promising start for life in WorldSBK for #29.

Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) – 11^th overall but results don’t tell the story

It was a solid debut for Sam Lowes in WorldSBK, with he and the ELF Marc VDS squad in the mix throughout the weekend and taking a double top eight on Sunday, with a best result of P7 in Race 2. All the results came after a huge crash at Turn 12 in Free Practice 3, so it wasn’t the most ideal way to kickstart the first of two race days. The pit intervention time was something new for him and the team and he lost 5.4s there, which may have put him inside the top ten for Race 1. However, good time in the lead pack and an encouraging base to build from on slightly more indicative tracks.

Tarran Mackenzie (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda) – the hardest round out the way

There was little to expect from Tarran Mackenzie, given that he’s had limited testing and that it’s the first weekend of the year but having been 3.9s off in Superpole to then, after 11 laps, being 3.6s off Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) ahead of him. All in all, Tarran can be satisfied and again, with more ‘normal’ tracks ahead and places he knows well like Donington Park and Assen, he’ll be a bit closer to the front.

Adam Norrodin (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda) – similar to teammate Mackenzie

Again, for Malaysian hopeful Adam Norrodin, there was very little he could have hoped for more. Maybe the target for him was to be closer or ahead of Tarran but with the #95’s Superbike experience, it wasn’t a bad display for Norrodin to be where he was. Both will be wanting more one-lap performance and to work their way closer to the points but as we’ve seen in previous years with Midori Moriwaki’s team, that will come through the season. Let’s see how their gap evolves to the factory Hondas throughout the year.

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Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) made his Ducati debut in the FIM Supersport World Championship with mixed fortunes. A maiden pole position and a podium in Race 2 were the highlights for the Spaniard at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, while an issue before lights out in Race 1 took him out of contention. It was a strong start for the #99 following his switch from Kawasaki machinery to the Panigale V2, even if results across the whole weekend didn’t reflect his pace.

Huertas had been competitive through the off-season, and during the Official Test, as he adapted from the Kawasaki ZX-6R to the Panigale V2. In the sole Free Practice session on Friday morning, the Spaniard was three tenths off Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) out in front, before finding a huge amount of time in the Tissot Superpole session. His 1’31.407s – a new lap record – secured him a maiden pole position for Race 1.

However, a technical issue just before lights out meant his bike was taken off the grid and the Spaniard was unable to take part in the race. With the Race 2 grid for the first three rows based on the fastest laps set in Race 1, the Madrid-born rider started tenth for Sunday’s race. He was able to charge through the field to finish third, his first WorldSSP podium, finishing just 1.658s away from Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) who took both victories Down Under.

Discussing his Race 2 rostrum, Huertas said: “It was a really difficult weekend although we were really strong at this track. Starting from tenth was quite difficult because I needed to push too much at the beginning. I struggled with the tyres a little bit, and just as the leaders pushed in the last laps, I couldn’t catch them. I am happy with the pace I’ve shown, the work I’ve done with the team, and we solved the problem from Race 1 on Saturday. I think we will keep getting better together and having good results.”

Huertas made his WorldSSP debut in 2022 after taking the 2021 WorldSSP300 title, racing with what was then the MTM Kawasaki outfit. He was close to the podium on several occasions, taking a best finish of fourth, but was just shy of the rostrum. However, in his first round with Ducati, the #99 was able to take his first podium and speaking after Race 2, Huertas explained how important it was for him to get the first one as he looks to mount a title challenge.

He said: “I think it’s so important, more for the team than me, because I wanted to show them that we are all a team, and we can do good things together. This is good for the Championship overall, not just the points because we lost some points this weekend, but for our future and our relationship together.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com