The FIM Superbike World Championship may not be quite the full re-invention many thought it might become in 2015. And as the first ritual to the gods of speed is now upon us with the upcoming season opener at Phillip Island, the revamped version looks to be all thriller, no filler.
Some people still (bizarrely) disrespect or dismiss the second biggest road race championship in the world, this year or any other. In 2015, however, World Superbike is in fighting mood, with more riders than ever fancying their chances and eight manufacturers engaged with the support of factory efforts. And even the odd Yamaha wildcard should make it a fine nine at some races.
The Players
Pata Honda’s Sylvain Guintoli became only the second Frenchman to win the World Championship last year. In 2015 the reigning champ has swapped his Aprilia for the latest Honda CBR1000RR, and it may turn out to be the ideal year to have to leave the RSV-4 garage. That’s simply because the rules should suit all the previous next best machines, like the Honda. “Guinters” will have World Supersport Champion Michael van der Mark with him in a theoretically ideal Honda mix of experience and youth.
Too many British riders again in World Superbike, but just like the ubiquitous Spanish riders in MotoGP, the Brits are on the best bikes on merit.
One time champion and two-time near-miss man Tom Sykes has the fierce challenge of Jonathan Rea in the Kawasaki Racing Team (KRT) garage with him. As a swap for the young Loris Baz, who rode with and against him last year, Rea presents a whole new world of challenges. This internal K-fight has the makings of a drama on all levels, but so far the old British Superbike teammates are playing nice with each other. Most observers think the ultimate fight for the title will be between these two. But other forces are gathering.
Another Brit, in Welshman Chaz Davies is surely a potential champion. Riding for the Aruba.it Ducati World Superbike squad, along with a very dark horse in Davide Giugliano, Davies is a proven race winner on two other kinds of World Superbike machinery. And last year his Ducati was not quite race-winning material. Chaz and Ducati in general are saying the new rules allow for a re-leveling of the World Superbike playing field rather than the advantage their four-cylinder rivals say they will have. Giugliano would have to have a transformative approach in his ability to finish races at the same pace he starts them, but if he does he should move to race winner status.
Aprilia may have lost its full factory team for 2015, not to mention talents like Marco Melandri and reigning champion Guintoli, but as the winter tests have shown, the full weight of their backroom technical effort is still pulling the strings. Runner-up in 2010, Leon Haslam and new World Superbike rider Jordi Torres are the inheritors of the remarkable recent legacy of the RSV-4. It should still be a top bike—despite the new rules—after lots of winter revamps. Haslam should be a regular challenger for top honors. If it goes well from the very start, anything could happen.
To read the rest of the World Superbike 2015 season preview in this week’s issue of Cycle News, click here
