- Jan 9, 2004
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This weekend marks the first round of the 2014 Superbike World Championship season and it begins in our own backyard at the iconic Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. The series has seen quite a shakeup this year in the form of rider movement and new manufacturers leading to significantly healthier grid numbers (albeit somewhat artificially expanded). Eight manufacturers are competing this year - Kawasaki, Honda, Suzuki, Aprilia, Ducati, BMW, MV Agusta and Hero EBR (Eric Buell Racing) - with the possibility of a ninth if Bimota are granted homologation. Of these, BMW (and Bimota) are only fielding teams in the newly form "EVO" class which is a lighter spec closer to Superstock which will cover the entire field in 2015. The superbike riders are as follows:
Tom Sykes: Kawasaki Racing Team - The reigning world champ, gave Kawasaki their first superbike world title in 20 years. Has started very strongly in 2014 pretty much leading all pre-season testing and will be hard to beat. He enters the season fully fit unlike last year where he carried a busted wrist into the first round, he won't be giving his competition a head start. Has to start as favourite.
Loris Baz: Kawasaki Racing Team - The young Frenchman showed further improvement in his first full season of WSBK until he broke his back late in the season. Still wild and erratic, he'll be expected to deliver regular podiums and consistent top 5's on board a quality machine. He's good enough and will have to deliver.
Sylvain Guintoli: Aprilia Racing Team - Sylvain lead much of the 2013 title through consistency with only one race win (in the first round at Phillip Island) and a truck load of podiums until a shoulder injury sure him struggle through the end of the year. Will be thereabouts again but will have to find that extra tick of pace to win more races if he wants to take the title.
Marco Melandri: Aprilia Racing Team - Marco has a reputation as an enormous talent but probably hasn't properly made good on the ability he possesses. Contender in 2012 until a late season meltdown, he never really found his stride in 2013. Aboard the Aprilia this year, there are no excuses.
Jonathon Rea: Pata Honda - Ever loyal to Honda, Rea will be hoping that the upgraded SP model Fireblade will finally be the weapon sharp enough to really see him contend for the title. Always with a few race wins and crashes (which usually lead to injuries), if he can't contend this year then it might be time to leave Big H for greener pastures.
Leon Haslam: Pata Honda - Joined Honda last year and started competitively enough until significant injuries really took their toll. Has proven pace but this field is strong and top 5's will likely be a struggle.
Eugene Laverty: Voltcom Suzuki - Runner up to Sykes last year, Eugene won as many race wins as Tom and scored one more podium but crashed too much. Despite his superior results, he lost his ride at Aprilia to Melandri and finds himself on the recalcitrant Suzuki where he is surprising many with blistering speed. The question mark is on how far over the limit he has to push the Gixxer to keep up with the front runners.
Alex Lowes: Voltcom Suzuki - Lowes is the reigning British superbike champion and twin brother of World Supersport champion, Sam Lowes. So far Alex has taken to the Suzuki like a duck to water, running third fastest at the recent Phillip Island test. As with Laverty though, it remains to be seen if the Zook can consistently maintain the pace to run with the leaders.
Chaz Davies: Ducati Superbike Team - The 2011 World Supersport champ, Chaz has switched teams again for the umpteenth year in a row. The Ducati, so long a force in superbike racing, was a disaster in 2013 with their new Panigale model. Pre-season testing has been reasonable for Chaz, a proven race winner but probably don't expect podiums until later in the season.
Davide Guigliano: Ducati Superbike Team - "Googs" is wild, flamboyant, very fast and very Italian. He's really pushed the Ducati to some very fast times in the pre-season giving hope that the Panigale will be competitive this year. Fingers crossed Davide can become less erratic in 2014 because he has the speed and talent to really cause some headaches for the front runners.
Claudio Corti: Yakhnich MV Agusta - Colin Edwards teammate in MotoGP last year, Corti impressed with some strong results. Joining the MV Agusta, the legendary Italian marque on their return to big bike racing, Corti will likely be pretty up and down this year - in results and on the bike!
The rest of the field is made up of the Hero EBR's ridden by American Geoff May and old man Aaron Yates, former Moto2 champ Toni Elias on a privateer Aprilia and then the rest of the field on EVO spec BMWs, Ducatis, Bimotas and a phalanx of Kawasakis.
Overall and despite my significant bias
, I find it extremely difficult to see Sykes having his title taken from him. He's in the form of his life, completely relaxed and in tune with his ZX10R, qualifies well and knows how to dominate. Melandri on paper looks his main competition and is probably a more gifted rider. The problem with Marco is that he's proven to he flakey in the past, crumbling when the pressure really elevates. Guintoli is quality and will be looking to emulate Laverty's dramatic increase in race wins in his second year aboard the Aprilia. I just don't think he has the raw pace to win enough though. Rea and Laverty are both probably good enough but I don't think their machinery is good enough over the course of the full season. The likes of Baz, Guigliano and Lowes will show their talent well but not enough to challenge for the title.
I'd give a more full rundown of the second half of the field and the supersport class but I'm tired, still at work and about to head home. Perhaps will give belated coverage after the weekend. The only interest in the superbike class as far as Aussies go this weekend is Glenn Allerton who got the call up to cover Sylvain Barrier who broke his pelvis in testing. Bryan Staring has a strong ride in the supersport class and would be a chance of a podium with Billy McConnell wildcarding on his British Supersport spec Triumph and local Ryan Taylor also having a wildcard ride on his Yamaha R6.
L-R: Allerton, Laverty, Davies, Sykes, Guintoli, Rea, Corti, Yates
Tom Sykes: Kawasaki Racing Team - The reigning world champ, gave Kawasaki their first superbike world title in 20 years. Has started very strongly in 2014 pretty much leading all pre-season testing and will be hard to beat. He enters the season fully fit unlike last year where he carried a busted wrist into the first round, he won't be giving his competition a head start. Has to start as favourite.
Loris Baz: Kawasaki Racing Team - The young Frenchman showed further improvement in his first full season of WSBK until he broke his back late in the season. Still wild and erratic, he'll be expected to deliver regular podiums and consistent top 5's on board a quality machine. He's good enough and will have to deliver.
Sylvain Guintoli: Aprilia Racing Team - Sylvain lead much of the 2013 title through consistency with only one race win (in the first round at Phillip Island) and a truck load of podiums until a shoulder injury sure him struggle through the end of the year. Will be thereabouts again but will have to find that extra tick of pace to win more races if he wants to take the title.
Marco Melandri: Aprilia Racing Team - Marco has a reputation as an enormous talent but probably hasn't properly made good on the ability he possesses. Contender in 2012 until a late season meltdown, he never really found his stride in 2013. Aboard the Aprilia this year, there are no excuses.
Jonathon Rea: Pata Honda - Ever loyal to Honda, Rea will be hoping that the upgraded SP model Fireblade will finally be the weapon sharp enough to really see him contend for the title. Always with a few race wins and crashes (which usually lead to injuries), if he can't contend this year then it might be time to leave Big H for greener pastures.
Leon Haslam: Pata Honda - Joined Honda last year and started competitively enough until significant injuries really took their toll. Has proven pace but this field is strong and top 5's will likely be a struggle.
Eugene Laverty: Voltcom Suzuki - Runner up to Sykes last year, Eugene won as many race wins as Tom and scored one more podium but crashed too much. Despite his superior results, he lost his ride at Aprilia to Melandri and finds himself on the recalcitrant Suzuki where he is surprising many with blistering speed. The question mark is on how far over the limit he has to push the Gixxer to keep up with the front runners.
Alex Lowes: Voltcom Suzuki - Lowes is the reigning British superbike champion and twin brother of World Supersport champion, Sam Lowes. So far Alex has taken to the Suzuki like a duck to water, running third fastest at the recent Phillip Island test. As with Laverty though, it remains to be seen if the Zook can consistently maintain the pace to run with the leaders.
Chaz Davies: Ducati Superbike Team - The 2011 World Supersport champ, Chaz has switched teams again for the umpteenth year in a row. The Ducati, so long a force in superbike racing, was a disaster in 2013 with their new Panigale model. Pre-season testing has been reasonable for Chaz, a proven race winner but probably don't expect podiums until later in the season.
Davide Guigliano: Ducati Superbike Team - "Googs" is wild, flamboyant, very fast and very Italian. He's really pushed the Ducati to some very fast times in the pre-season giving hope that the Panigale will be competitive this year. Fingers crossed Davide can become less erratic in 2014 because he has the speed and talent to really cause some headaches for the front runners.
Claudio Corti: Yakhnich MV Agusta - Colin Edwards teammate in MotoGP last year, Corti impressed with some strong results. Joining the MV Agusta, the legendary Italian marque on their return to big bike racing, Corti will likely be pretty up and down this year - in results and on the bike!
The rest of the field is made up of the Hero EBR's ridden by American Geoff May and old man Aaron Yates, former Moto2 champ Toni Elias on a privateer Aprilia and then the rest of the field on EVO spec BMWs, Ducatis, Bimotas and a phalanx of Kawasakis.
Overall and despite my significant bias
, I find it extremely difficult to see Sykes having his title taken from him. He's in the form of his life, completely relaxed and in tune with his ZX10R, qualifies well and knows how to dominate. Melandri on paper looks his main competition and is probably a more gifted rider. The problem with Marco is that he's proven to he flakey in the past, crumbling when the pressure really elevates. Guintoli is quality and will be looking to emulate Laverty's dramatic increase in race wins in his second year aboard the Aprilia. I just don't think he has the raw pace to win enough though. Rea and Laverty are both probably good enough but I don't think their machinery is good enough over the course of the full season. The likes of Baz, Guigliano and Lowes will show their talent well but not enough to challenge for the title.I'd give a more full rundown of the second half of the field and the supersport class but I'm tired, still at work and about to head home. Perhaps will give belated coverage after the weekend. The only interest in the superbike class as far as Aussies go this weekend is Glenn Allerton who got the call up to cover Sylvain Barrier who broke his pelvis in testing. Bryan Staring has a strong ride in the supersport class and would be a chance of a podium with Billy McConnell wildcarding on his British Supersport spec Triumph and local Ryan Taylor also having a wildcard ride on his Yamaha R6.
L-R: Allerton, Laverty, Davies, Sykes, Guintoli, Rea, Corti, Yates
