By Peter Cleeland
THE SPECTACULAR Motul FIM 2025 World Superbike Championship launches at Phillip Island for round one next weekend, February 21-23.
After exhaustive testing regimes in the off season the riders and teams will be raring to go at the seaside circuit providing an exciting series of races.
One notable change to the longer race format is the now mandatory pit stop all riders must make after the completion of 11 laps. The reasoning behind this rule change is focused on the abrasive new surface of the track which has increased tyre wear resulting in a loss of traction. With a new dimension, the addition of a mandatory pitstop mid race for a change of rubber, riders and teams will be required to perform slick changes to be competitive. Longer race distances have therefore been reduced to 20 laps.
The lone Australian rider, Remy Gardner will pilot the GYTR GRT Yamaha alongside team mate Dom Aegerter. Reigning World Superbike champion, BMW’s Toprak Razgatlioglu has refused the temptation of being lured into the frenetic world of MotoGP competition and he will start a hot favourite for this year’s title. The Ducati assault is headed up by Nicolo Bulega and three time World Supers Champion Alvaro Bautista for Aruba Racing. World Supersports rider Yari Montella has graduated into the Superbike category along with British Superbike race winner Ryan Vickers who are both riding Ducati’s. A notable omission from this class has been Spanish rider, Michael Ruben Rinaldi who steps back into World Supersports to ride the Yamaha R9 and Philip Ottel riding a Ducati V2 Panigale.
For the Pata Yamaha team, six time World champ Jonathan Rea and Andrea Locatelli are sure to be competitive when the lights go out.
In the World Supersports class, Australians Luke Power riding the MV Augusta F3 800 RR and Oliver Bayliss riding a Triumph Street Triple RS 765 will have their work cut out against a throng of Ducati Panigales
and Yamahas. Italian rider Stefano Manzi will be the one to beat with his depth of experience and knowledge of the Island track.
With a race program including World Superbikes, World Supersports, Australian Superbikes and Australian Supersports fronting the grid there will be action aplenty to keep fans on the edge of their seats. Practice and qualifying commences on Friday followed by a ten lap Superpole and two twenty lap events for Superbikes over the weekend. With the prospect of a new season in the offing riders will be leaving nothing in the tank at round one so get down to the Island for a great weekend’s racing.
