The opening round of 2018 saw the field closely packed, with thrilling racing and numerous bikes at the front. It is too early to project the effect of the new regulations, but it is clear that Australia delivered on their promise.
Phillip Island is never the best place to gauge the competitiveness of a field. The Australian circuit is one of the best in the world because it is fast, flowing nature produces close racing.
With only a handful of slow corners during the lap, we regularly see bikes and riders clustered together. That being said the opening round of the 2018 WorldSBK season did produce some notable talking points for the new regulations.
We saw five manufacturers lead a lap, four different manufactures in the top four during Superpole and two exceptional races.
It was a great foundation for the season ahead, but it is important not to get too far ahead of ourselves and think that 2018 will rewrite the form book.
The Kawasaki advantage wasn’t apparent in Australia and it does seem that the Ninja’s Katana has been blunted somewhat. The Ducati’s enjoyed a clear top speed advantage in the opening round but that could be due to a host of reasons.
It is so rare to see bikes slipstreamed to the line, such as we saw from Marco Melandri in Race 2, that you would have to presume that the gear ratios for Jonathan Rea were not ideal.
With fixed ratios for the season, teams in WorldSBK have to make a compromise for the campaign and afterwards Rea commented that his fourth gear was a little to tall for Phillip Island.
With the final corner exited in fourth, this could have played a key role in seeing Rea drafted to the line.
“Some tracks will suit us, some tracks will suit others,” said Rea about the new regulations. “Unfortunately our fourth gear is too tall for here.”
“I enjoyed the race, and don’t blame the rules for being beaten by Marco. I think that Xavi Fores did a great job this weekend because while I didn’t have the legs to lead the race, he could lead and do a really constant pace. He was very impressive.”
“Phillip Island is a bit unique too because some riders, such as Marco Melandri and Michael van der Mark are always so strong here.”
“I think that we need to wait for four or five rounds until the championship finds its rhythm to fully understand the new regulations. Phillip Island always throws up amazing races so we should reserve our conclusions until later races.”
Coming into the season, it was clear that the goal of the new regulations was to close the field. With Rea and Kawasaki having won three titles in a row, organisers wanted to bring the field closer.
During the opening round, Kawasaki were consistently slightly slower than Ducati through the speed traps. In Superpole it was by 1 km/h, and this ensured that during the race the Ducati’s were able to get behind him and use the slipstream to overtake.
Typically Rea was able to stay behind them, but not able to overtake unless he made daring moves into Turn 1, as shown on the final lap of Race 2.
For Ducati the weekend was hugely successful. A double victory for Melandri showed their competitiveness, but for Chaz Davies the weekend showed how strong many bikes can be in 2018.
“Phillip Island is always Phillip Island,” smiled the Welshman. “It’s always close and exciting, but I think that the guys you see at the front here are going to be the guys you see all year.”
“The core group will be the Ducatis, Aprilias, Yamahas, Leon Camier, Xavi Fores, and all these guys are capable of being in the mix for the podium fight.”
“It’s too early to say if the advantage for Kawasaki is gone. It looks like they are fighting a little bit more on track, and we’ve seen some mistakes being made by the Kawasakis where they’ve been losing traction and things like that. They seem a little bit more normal at the moment, at least from Johnny’s side.”
Those mistakes were clear to see throughout the winter, with Rea crashing during testing, including two earlier in the week at Phillip Island.
The Kawasaki rider is having to push harder than in the past to make the lap times and while it is not ideal for the Northern Irishman it should produce some closer racing throughout the year.
One bike trying to get to the front is the Honda. For the Red Bull Honda team the opening round offered plenty of encouragement for the future.
Leon Camier was able to scrap in the leading group and Jake Gagne was fast for much of the weekend. Finding some improvement is still necessary and Camier offered his thoughts on the Fireblade.
“We need a little bit more acceleration,” said Camier. “If we can stand the bike up and use the power of the engine instead of having to use the edge of the tire, especially at this type of track, it makes a lot of difference.”
“I think it was good to be in the fight with the front guys here and I am happy with our weekend. We’ve done the first round and learned a lot, so it is positive for sure.”
“I think there will be some races we can be competitive fighting towards the podium. I think a podium this year is possible for us.”
The goal of the new regulations is to ensure that the likes of Honda can make a step forward. It’s also to see Yamaha and Aprilia get to the front.
In Australia Lorenzo Savadori led the times on the opening day, and Eugene Laverty led the early laps of Race 2 before a crash. It’s clear that at the opening round, at least, all these bikes were more competitive.
“I thought that I could challenge for the podium,” commented Yamaha’s Alex Lowes. “The bike felt good even though I had a couple of issues that held me back.”
“I enjoyed the racing this weekend even though it’s has been a tough week for me. To get through the first round and feel comfortable during the race was good for me.”
“I am reasonably happy with our results, but I can’t be completely satisfied with fifth and sixth-place finishes as I want to be fighting for podiums and winning races but I’m looking forward to Thailand.”
In Thailand, Yamaha should have a new electronics package that will offer improved performance. If they can make a step forward, Aprilia can show the same pace and Honda can get to the front it will be a clear indication that the new regulations are having their desired effect.
The opening round was thrilling but it will take a few rounds for a clear picture to develop for WorldSBK in 2018.
Photo: Ducati Corse
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