PREVIEW – 2024 World Superbikes Australian Round
The 2024 season for the Motul FIM Superbike World Championship and Supersport World Championship gets underway this weekend. There’s lots to look forward to, including the first hit-outs for riders with new teams and the debut of fresh faces in the championship. It all kicks off at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit this 23 to 25 February.
World Superbikes - What to look for at Phillip Island
- Ducati's Nicolo Bulega and BMW's Toprak Razgatlioglu, fastest in the pre-season test at Phillip Island on new bikes or 2024.
- Two-time WorldSBK Champion, Alvaro Bautista, adapting to new weight regulations in the category.
- After nine seasons with Kawasaki, Jonathan Rea will have his first hit-out in Yamaha colours, but was injured in pre-season test.
- Elf Marc VDS Racing team make their category debut in a single rider entry with Sam Lowes.
Andrea Iannone joins WorldSBK after serving a four-year doping ban.
World Superbikes - New riders and new-look teams everywhere!
Only four teams are bringing unchanged lineups from last year – Team HRC, GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK, Barni Spark Racing and Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK – with 12 of the 23 riders on this year’s grid either with new teams or new to the category.
The high-profile moves are Toprak Razgatlioglu, who has departed Yamaha for the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team, while Jonathan Rea ended his longstanding partnership with Kawasaki to replace Razgatlioglu at Pata Prometeon Yamaha. The incumbents at both factory teams – Michael van der Mark (BMW) and Andrea Locatelli (Yamaha) - remain for 2024.
Bringing a fresh dynamic to the WorldSBK grid is the arrival of Nicolo Bulega, who joins Aruba.it Racing – Ducati after winning the 2023 World Supersport Championship. Alvaro Bautista remains at the factory Ducati team and will be gunning for a third successive title.
Axel Bassani steps up to the Kawasaki Racing Team after Rea's departure, transitioning from an independent Ducati team to join Alex Lowes, while Michael Ruben Rinaldi steps down from the Aruba.it – Racing Ducati factory team to Motocorsa Racing.
It’s all change at Petronas MIE Racing Honda, with Adam Norrodin and Tarran McKenzie replacing Hafizh Syahrin and Eric Granado. Scott Redding has moved to Bonovo Action BMW from the factory BMW squad, while longtime independent WorldSBK team, Kawasaki Puccetti Racing, will field Tito Rabat this year.
New arrivals include Sam Lowes, riding for Elf Marc VDS Racing Team after many seasons in the grand prix paddock, and Andrea Iannone, who makes a return to international competition with Team GoEleven after serving a four-year doping ban.
With these seismic shifts in the WorldSBK grid, the stage is set for a fiercely competitive season.
World Superbikes - Navigating 2024 new regulations
Significant rule changes implemented for the 2024 WorldSBK season start with a minimum bike/rider weight limit. This means that riders below a reference weight must add ballast to their bikes to meet the minimum. Additionally, a fuel capacity limit of 21 litres is now enforced, and fuel flow regulations are under scrutiny, with some bikes assigned to collect data this season.
There’s also been a change to RPM limits, but all manufacturers will start 2024 how they ended 2023 – except Ducati, who have their original 2023 limit back.
World Superbikes - Pre-season insights
The Official Test at Phillip Island on 20 Feb served as a platform for teams and riders to assess their readiness for the season ahead. Razgatlioglu's move to BMW proves promising, as the Turk smashed the old WorldSBK lap record with a 1’28.511. Bulega made an impressive start in WorldSBK, with the next fastest time of 1’28.585.
Locatelli was third fastest in the test, but a big highside from Rea compromised his day, finishing 15th fastest. Of the factory Kawasakis, Lowes was fifth fastest and new arrival Bassani tenth.
Iannone is new to WorldBSK, but no stranger to Phillip Island, so his fourth fastest time shouldn’t have been a surprise. Rinaldi was sixth fastest, while Bautista's struggles in adapting to the new-for-2024 weight regulations, along with injury setbacks, meant his best lap was only good enough for seventh fastest overall.
Gardner, ninth fastest in the test, outperformed team mate Aegerter (13th) and also put in the most laps of anyone on the day – 103.
World Supersport - What to look out for at Phillip Island
- Bulega’s move to WorldSBK opens the door for Stefano Manzi and Marcel Schroetter to secure the Championship they missed last season, while Can Oncu is determined to reclaim his position at the top of the grid.
- Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team, reigning champions in the category, have enlisted Adrian Huertas to replace Bulega.
- Oli Bayliss will fly the flag for Australia at Phillip Island, with Tom Edwards to join him at D34G Racing Team for the European WorldSSP rounds.
- 32-rider grid is the largest since 2016.
World Supersport - Grid updates
Changes abound on the WorldSSP grid. Adrian Huertas steps into the spotlight, taking Nicolo Bulega's place at the Aruba.it WorldSSP Racing Team, while Valentin Debise is set to represent the Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team.
Stefano Manzi, last year’s runner-up, continues his journey with Pata Yamaha Ten Kate, now joined by Glenn van Straalen. Marcel Schroetter, who secured third place last season, remains with the MV Agusta Reparto Corse outfit, alongside Bahattin Sofuoglu.
Despite facing challenges in the 2023 season, Can Oncu returns for his fifth campaign with Kawasaki Puccetti Racing. Meanwhile, Yari Montella, a podium finisher in 2023, remains committed to the Barni Spark Racing Team.
Oli Bayliss retains his seat with D34G Racing WorldSSP and will be joined by Tom Edwards this year, making it an all-Australian lineup in the Italian squad. However, Edwards will only be competing in the WorldSSP Challenge for the team and will not take the grid at Phillip Island.
Making a return to WorldSSP are Lorenzo Baldassarri (ORELAC Racing VERDNATURA) and Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha); both eager to build on their past successes.
Other new riders and teams entering the WorldSSP arena include Niccolo Antonelli, who joins the Ecosantagata Althea Racing Team, while Triumph expands its presence with a second team, WRP-RT Motorsport by SKM-Triumph, featuring Jorge Navarro and John McPhee.
World Supersport - New regulations
In 2024, WorldSSP undergoes significant scheduling changes. Notably, the grid for Race 2 will now be determined by the fastest laps recorded in Race 1 for the top nine contenders, emphasizing outstanding performances. Tissot Superpole sessions for the category take place on Friday afternoons, after a Free Practice session in the morning.
Alongside these changes, the SBK Commission has introduced sustainable fuel for both WorldSBK and WorldSSP, commencing from this season, with a mandatory minimum of 40% sustainable fuel content.
World Supersport - Pre-season insights
During the WorldSSP pre-season tests at Jerez and Portimao, riders exhibited their readiness for the upcoming season. Marcel Schroetter led the pack at Jerez, with Stefano Manzi close behind. Can Oncu showed promising performance, too. At Portimao, Huertas maintained his dominance, topping the charts ahead of Niccolo Antonelli.
The Official Test at Phillip Island on 19 February saw Montella record the fastest time on the newly-resurfaced track – 1’31.881 – which was 0.062 faster than WorldSSP veteran, Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing). Caricasulo had earlier set the first PI lap in the 1’31s for the class before being eclipsed by Montella, with this pair the only riders to go under 1’32.
Manzi was third fastest with a 1’32.183, while the best lap for Huertas at Phillip Island was a 1’32.290. Debise rounded out the top 5 at the test with a 1’32.325, just ahead of Oncu’s 1’32.334.
Of the Aussies, Bayliss improved over the course of the day to log a 1’32.884, which was twelfth overall, while Tom Toparis (Stop & Seal Racing Yamaha), riding as a wildcard for this round, recorded a 1’33.248, which was good enough for 17th overall.
Get to the Island!
The 2024 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship, Grand Ridge Brewery Australian Round, will be held on 23-25 February at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. For more details, including last-minute ticketing options and the latest schedule information, click HERE.