WSBK Superbike Australia: How Kawasaki approaches the final test before kick-off at Phillip Island...

One last day of testing remains before the Superbike World Championship kicks off 2024 this weekend, and it will not be too much to perfect the settings and get its bearings on the emblematic and completely resurfaced Phillip Island circuit in Australia.

A two-day test was planned, but logistical issues relating to the arrival of essential equipment from Europe meant that the available WorldSBK track time was condensed into a single day, not spread over two.

Big changes have also taken place for this year, both with regard to the technical regulations and the composition of certain teams, which completely reshuffles the cards at the dawn of a season which promises to be at least interesting, and maybe even exciting.

For now, the 23 WorldSBK riders will find a new track surface on which to ride during this final pre-season test, with the Phillip Island circuit having recently been resurfaced across all of its tracks. 4,445 km long, which should result in a much grippier surface. Much more grippy but perhaps also much more demanding on the tires on the left side, one of the usual points of attention on the Phillip Island layout, which could therefore become even more critical.

Before the last day of work on the Australian island begins tomorrow Tuesday, here is the state of mind of the protagonists of the KRT team (Kawasaki Racing Team) which lost its steel blade Jonathan Rhea, left for Yamaha, and now lines up the newcomer Axel Bassani alongside the experienced alex lowes.

Alex Lowes: “I’m looking forward to this final pre-season test. They resurfaced the track at Phillip Island. As always when it is completely new, the asphalt is very dark, which normally means that the temperature of the track is a little higher. In general, the stones of the track are rougher when it is new and the lifespan of the tires, from our experience, is normally less good. So that's something we need to take into account in what is now just a one-day test. We just need to see how the tires will perform over the race distance. It's still the most important thing on Phillip Island; have good speed with worn tires. This year it will be even more important. »

Axel Bassani: “We are finally going to start the real season and we have arrived in Australia to ride on a new tarmac at Phillip Island. We'll see how it works. I just want to see how the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR performs here, because last time I was on a different bike, so now I have to see how different it is. For now, I'm relaxed and just want to see what happens on this test, rather than expecting to find one thing or another. The test day will be more difficult. Before, it was two days of two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon. Now it's eight hours a day, four hours in the morning and four hours in the afternoon. So you have to do all the work in one day. It's not easy, but it's the same for everyone. »

Guim Roda (KRT Team Director): “The pre-season test at Phillip Island has become, over the years, a classic way to start the season. This is the gateway to the new season. This is the first time that everyone can see the 'real tools' of all the manufacturers on the track and no one is hiding anything. Of course, it's still a test session and a time to check things out, but it also helps us prepare for the race weekend itself. The new track surface will give us a hard time, that's for sure. We are getting here to the limit of the stages we have completed, so everything has not yet been checked and confirmed, but we will try to be as ready as possible for the races. From a marketing perspective, this is the first time the world will see the latest KRT models on the track. DWO, the organizer of the championship, carried out a photoshoot here to publicize the new image during the season. I hope we can participate in some great action and let fans enjoy the colors of KRT in 2024.”