SBK | Asphalt too abrasive: flag-to-flag races in Australia

The tests on Monday and Tuesday were important for the Superbike World Championship, which gathered valuable information not only in terms of the performance of the bikes, but also the reaction of the tires to the new asphalt at Phillip Island. Thus, Pirelli, Dorna, FIM and the manufacturers' managers opted for the safest choice: holding the races under a flag-to-flag regime.

The Australian asphalt is very abrasive, therefore, for the two Superbike races, there will be a pit stop window in which to change tyres. Out of a total of 20 laps (no longer 22 as initially planned), the pit stop can be made between the 9th and 11th lap. The same goes for the Supersport, which out of a total of 18 laps will have a change window between the 8th and 10th lap.

Furthermore, it will be necessary to change the rear tire, while as regards the front you can choose whether to keep it or not based on availability. For the Australian round, historically very demanding for bikes and riders due to the layout, Pirelli has chosen only harder compounds, specifically SC0 and SC1. The allocation for the first race weekend of the year does not include SCQs or SCXs.

Gregorio Lavilla wanted to explain the choice: “The circuit performed excellently with the new asphalt. As the rubber is gradually rolled out, the track conditions evolve, posing some challenges. Since the tires were shipped at the end of November for Getting to this first race, there wasn't enough time to develop specific tires for the current asphalt conditions.”

“We have carefully assessed the situation, considering the first activities on the track after laying the asphalt and the two days of testing we conducted at the beginning of the week. Conditions have certainly improved, but perhaps not enough, especially considering the demanding and fast nature of this track. In such circumstances, in collaboration with Race Direction, the FIM and the Phillip Island GP Circuit, we must opt ​​for the safest option, which is of fundamental importance,” he concludes.