World SBK | ROUND 01 | Grand Ridge Brewery Australian Round | 23 - 25 FEB

Bummed for Rea and Toprak but that was a hell of a race. Lowes move was all balls. And here we thought it was just the kawi MX boys that rode with em hanging out like that!

 

Awesome racing so far. So many names with a fighting chance this year. I know it's only one weekend, but Rea and Toprak have to be second guessing their moves after seeing Lowes and Locatelli this weekend. That Kawi is looking good since getting some of the concessions. Even the Yamaha isn't getting walked like last year.

 

Loved the racing but this track is like Daytona. The draft keeps the front group larger and doesn’t quite tell us what the bikes are going to be able to do at other tracks. Plus these guys had soooo much more traction than I’ve ever seen there. You always see guys sliding around on this track and I didn’t see much of it this weekend.

 

And everybody remembered to count to 10 laps, then pit

 

On 250GP stink bikes you learn that higher CR = Higher peak power while lower CR = less peak power but longer. The extended peak leads to higher trap speeds. From my technical understanding of it the higher CR engines build up heat much faster when wide open in 5th and 6th gear causing them to start to pre-ignite and lose power. Going to a lower CR counteracts that
I'm assuming that four strokes suffer the same effect but less pronounced.

 

at first i was bummed when they stated this for the race but in the end i think it made everyone sprint hard before and after which may have added to some better racing

 

I loved how all 3 races had a different mix of riders at the front battling for the win. Alex Lowes obviously had the best weekend, so congrats to him. But I don't think those 2 wins says much about his prospects for the rest of the year.

As if we needed any confirmation, but Toprak's winter testing results and this first round show there is no better rider in WSBK.

 

I am holding judgement of the Kawis until they go to a track with normal, or below, grip. But they do seem to have that motor humming! The added grip seemed to throw a wrench to many.

 

I am also holding judgement of Garrett. Les Pearson mention they were running a set up they developed in the offseason for Garrett that was for Europe and did not give them confidence for Australia. Once they turned the bike upside down they found something and were able to improve and finish p8 4 seconds off the leader.

 

GG may be disappointed in the results this weekend but I think it was a solid weekend. He was pretty racy, made passes and no major issues. Still losing ground on lap one. Where he finished the races from where he was in testing and qualifying was quite a step up. And, it’s not like the other BMW riders were that much better. Even Toprak was working real hard for top 5. Realistically, 6-10 in the championship would be really good for GG. He’s 10th now to start, and the 9 above, and a few behind, are all solid riders. Lots of potential for great racing! I wish there was a GoPro onboard of that Lowes pass.

 

We have our answer!

 

so where are the people that said WSBK racing wasn’t the best current racing series out there? this shit is great. passes all over the place with 7 guys in contention for the victory.

i’m really bummed about gerloff. his results aren’t going to cut it.

stumped about johnny rea too. you wouldn’t think the transition from kawi to yamaha would be this difficult but he’s like the worst yamaha rider out there at the moment.