The first signs in the tests
The week leading up to the first appointment of the season a Phillip Island, scheduled from 23 to 25 February, began with the last test session on the Australian circuit for both Superbike and Supersport. Tests which, thanks to the new asphalt of the track, significantly increased tire degradation.
Mandatory stops
The excessive consumption of Pirelli tires in both classes led to an ad hoc decision for this round: the Race Direction, in agreement with FIM and Dorna, has in fact decided to introduce the flag-to-flag regulation which provides the mandatory pit stop and the replacement of tires in order to guarantee the safety of the pilots.
Rev limit
The rear tiresin this case, cannot be used in Superbike for more than 11 laps, while in Supersport it will not be possible to go beyond 10 laps. In addition, again in Superbike, the race distance will be reduced to 20 laps in both Race 1 and Race 2with two sets of extra tires in both classes for each driver.
“The circuit performed very well with the new asphalt – we read in the press release drawn up by Gregorio Lavilla, Executive Director of WSBK – as the track becomes more rubberized, the conditions of the track itself evolve and this causes some problems. Since the tires were shipped in at the end of November to arrive for this first round, there was not enough time to develop specific and ad hoc tires for the current asphalt conditions. We carefully assessed the situation, considering the first activities on the track after the resurfacing and the two days of testing we carried out at the beginning of the week. Conditions have undoubtedly improved but they may not have improved enough, especially considering the challenging and fast nature of this circuit's layout. In such circumstances, with the collaboration of Race Direction, the FIM and the Phillip Island GP Circuit, we must opt for the safest solution which is of vital importance.”
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