Phillip Island has always been a track suited to Alex Lowes, who even four years ago, on his debut with Kawasaki, established himself by closing the round as championship leader. Today history repeats itself (hopefully not the sequel) after an incredible Australian event.
In the Superpole Race, Lowes prevailed after a tough battle for the podium and replicated the splendid performance a few hours later. The experience now helps the Kawasaki rider, who did not let himself be distracted by a late start to Race 2 due to the track being soaked in oil due to a leak which occurred during the Australian SBK race held shortly before. Ready, go, a red flag for an accident between Remy Gardner and Jonathan Rea immediately interrupted the race.
On the restart, he pulled out his claws and took the win over Alvaro Bautista on the final lap with an overtake on the outside. However, the reigning world champion's performance was excellent and, after the disappointment on Saturday, he raised his head again and returned to being competitive, even if not an absolute dominator as he had shown last year.
In both the short and long races (which were however interrupted by the obligatory pit stop), the Spaniard led the Ducati to the top, making up for the difficulties encountered by his teammate Nicolò Bulega, who lagged behind after the dominance achieved in the Australian Saturday. The rookie finished both the Superpole Race and Race 2 in fifth position and leaves Australia second in the championship, 9 points behind the new leader Lowes.
However, the Italian flag waved on both podiums on Sunday: in the Superpole Race it was Andrea Locatelli who took the second step of the podium, confirming his incredible form. However, a fall while attempting to overtake Lowes put an end to the Yamaha rider's chase, who ceded the podium to his compatriot Danilo Petrucci. Great feat for the Barni rider, who grabbed third place at the last minute, beating Andrea Iannone by 97 thousandths.
The Goeleven team rider faced a complicated Sunday, in which he saw the dream of his first victory in the Superpole Race fade away: the handlebar grip slipped off and, while he was dominating, he was forced to retreat and then finished 14th. He looked for redemption in Race 2, which he missed by a whisker, but nevertheless crossed the finish line in fourth place and goes into the Barcelona round, scheduled for a month, in fourth place overall, 21 points behind Lowes.
Bittersweet Sunday for Toprak Razgatlioglu, who celebrated his first podium with BMW colors in the Superpole Race, but was betrayed by his bike in Race 2. The Turk showed that he already felt good aboard the M 1000 RR, fighting for the top positions and taking third position in the short race. It's difficult to say what he could have done in the Australian afternoon if he hadn't been stopped by a technical problem.
The sore point on Sunday, however, bears the name of Jonathan Rea. After some tough tests and a complicated weekend, the Australian round ended at the medical centre. The six-time world champion had managed to reach the top 10 in the Superpole Race, but a contact with Remy Gardner in Race 2 knocked him out. Some bruises and abrasions for the Northern Irishman, who immediately left the game, ending in a bitter way an inaugural event that certainly didn't make him smile.
The Superbike now stops for a month, before returning to action in Barcelona, where the European season will begin (in fact Australia was the only event outside the old continent). Starting from the Catalan round, the values on the field will begin to emerge, even if Phillip Island has given us a good taste of the 2024 season.
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