The final round of the 2022 FIM Superbike World Championship will take place at the Phillip Island circuit, Australia, from November 18-20, and spearheaded by the Kawasaki Racing Team, Jonathan Rhea, must end the season in style.
At the previous round in Indonesia, the world championship was won by Alvaro Bautista while Toprak Razgatlioğlu achieved the grand slam by obtaining: pole position, circuit record, Race 1, Superpole Race and Race 2, with the fastest lap in each of them… A somewhat frustrating situation for Jonathan Rhea, even if the latter managed, by making the most of his Ninja ZX-10RR, to get on the podium each time in Mandalika.
Members of the WorldSBK paddock are now heading to the season finale at Phillip Island, and the Kawasaki rider is hoping history will be kinder to the green bike...
All in large curves which contrast with two slow hairpins on the right, the Phillip Island circuit, 4,445 km long, turns left. Due to its layout, it is the most difficult circuit on the calendar for tires, and if the site was not visited last year due to the pandemic, the date of mid-November for this round is very unusual compared to recent years and next year when Phillip Island will host the first round of the championship on the last weekend of February.
This weekend, with the Australian spring, we are expecting a sort of thermal shock with the last extremely hot round in Indonesia, not to mention the maritime side of the place which traditionally generates rain and wind in February/March which can make appearances every quarter of an hour, between two nice clear periods. In short, potentially changing weather, which we will have to know how to take advantage of, which is what a Jonathan Rhea winner of only 5 races out of the 33 already contested this year, and that 37 points separate Toprak Razgatlioğlu in the fight for second place in the championship, with 62 points on offer over the three races of the weekend.
As a reminder, in 2019, the three races in Australia were won by Alvaro Bautista before Jonathan Rhea, while in 2020 Toprak Razgatlioğlu, Jonathan Rhea et alex lowes had shared victories and second places.
Jonathan Rhea : " I'm really looking forward to Phillip Island. I'm really excited because it's like a second home race with my wife being born in the city here. We spend a lot of time here, but it's strange to get out of my own bed and go to the track. I like the Phillip Island layout and it's a difficult circuit. The fast, flowing nature of the corners makes them one that all drivers love, and it brings plenty of excitement with the fourth and fifth gear corners. The challenge will be different than before, as I assume there will be a lot more grip because the conditions will be much cooler than in recent years. The times will be faster because we are putting a lot of energy into the tire at Phillip Island, and high temperatures create more slip with the tires and more tire consumption, so with more grip and potentially less slip, the tire should last longer and times should be faster. It's mid-spring and early summer in Australia, so anything is possible. We can have four seasons in one day in February, in the middle of summer, so what will it look like in November? You never know what will happen here. Friday is supposed to have good weather while Saturday and Sunday could be anything. »
