Preview: 2006 World Superbike Series
February 23, 2006
By Alan Fleming
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Most people don’t know this, but I have an old sports injury (I threw out the thumb on my left hand during a nasty bottle-opener incident while watching the 1993 Donington World Superbike race on TV. I was paying too much attention to Scott Russell, who was leading the race despite his horrific crash in qualifying, and not enough to the warm Boddingon’s Ale I was trying to open....). Anyway, the scar tissue from that aged gash really starts to hurt when there is a storm brewing, and lately, with each World SBK press release I read, that ornery old wound is bothering me something fierce.

The class of 2006.

At the end of last season, the World Superbike paddock was full of smoking craters caused by the lightning bolt that was Troy Corser. The Australian won eight races out of the 23 that were run, and he was on the podium a staggering 18 times on his way to his second World Superbike title. Fellow Aussie Chris Vermeulen put in an amazing string of wins at the end of the season to challenge for the championship, but by then Corser had a big enough points lead that he could ride conservatively and still win the #1 plate. The devastation wrought by the Aussie thunder from down under has shaken up the World Superbike paddock this year, as some of the major teams have decided to make dramatic changes to their lineups for the 2006 season in an effort to unseat the champ.

ALSTARE CORONA SUZUKI
First up, the Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra team is returning with their existing lineup of Troy Corser and Yukio Kagayama. Naturally, Corser is expected to return strong this year. Additionally, teammate Kagayama should improve in ’06, as he has now had a year to learn the tracks and adapt to the Pirelli tires. Surprisingly, Alstare chose to add a third rider to their ’06 Superbike effort: 2002 World Supersport champ, Fabien Foret. The Frenchman was gifted a Superbike ride when Alstare decided to shut down their Supersport effort for ’06 after having already signed Foret to ride that series. Foret will have to adapt to the superbike platform but he’s been racing in the Supersport class for five years now, so he should come up to speed quickly, as he already knows the tracks and his fellow riders. Running a three-rider team seems like a particularly interesting decision for Suzuki since, as Ducati as found in the past, multiple talented riders racing in the same class actually take points away from each other in the all-important riders’ championship (though it does increase the likelihood of winning the less prestigious manufacturers’ championship).

WINSTON TEN KATE HONDA
Next up are last year’s runner-up, the Winston Ten Kate Honda team. With their lead rider, Chris Vermeulen, moving to the Suzuki MotoGP team this season, they needed a new A rider. They found one in 2004 World Superbike Champion and ex-factory Ducati rider James Toseland. Teamed up with the young Toseland is 2004 World Supersport champ and equally young Karl Muggeridge. Both are very talented riders, and both had some solid rides in ’05, but they’ll need more consistency in ’06 to challenge for the title.

XEROX DUCATI
Speaking of Ducati, the factory Xerox team has a new lineup for ’06: The lead rider is returning ’01 World Superbike champ and fan favorite Troy Bayliss, who moves back to WSBK from MotoGP. The Australian has been fast in pre-season tests, so expect him to be a challenger for the title. Teamed with Bayliss is the Italian rookie sensation Lorenzo Lanzi. Lanzi won a race in ’05 during a stand-in ride on the factory team and has to be the hope for the future for the Bologna-based manufacturer. If Lanzi rides with the same passion he had last year, he should be among the frontrunners this year. Either way, things look good for Ducati in 2006.

YAMAHA MOTOR ITALIA
Another of the race winners from ’05 that will be returning this season is Yamaha Motor Italia’s Noriyuki Haga. Nitro Nori is another fan favorite, and his results last year improved throughout the season as new parts were developed for the bike. With a competitive bike under him, Haga should be racing at the front from the very beginning of the season. Teamed up with Haga will again be ’01 World Supersport champ Andrew Pitt. Pitt was consistent last year but lacked that extra little bit needed to run in the top five. He’ll have to find that extra speed this year since he’ll be racing against an even stronger field of competition.

YAMAHA MOTOR FRANCE
Yamaha has another squad back on the grid this season in the form of the Yamaha Motor France team. Their lead rider will again be ex-GP ace Norick Abe. Abe was much slower to adapt to the superbike than most expected, but now that he has a season under his belt, the team have high expectations for the Japanese rider. He’ll need a strong year to break the string of lukewarm results he’s had in GP and World Superbike over the past decade. Also returning to the team is ex-World Endurance champ Sebastian Gimbert, who’ll also be expected to improve after a mediocre season in ‘05. Finally, the team is bringing on a third rider in the form of Japanese racer Shinichi Nakatomi. Nakatomi has raced for Yamaha in the All-Japanese Superbike series for the past two years, but since he’ll need to figure out the new tracks and adapt to the Pirelli tires, ’06 should be a learning year for him.

PSG-1 KAWASAKI CORSE
Another squad fielding three riders will be the PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse team. They return with Chris Walker, who had some spectacular rides in ’05 on the underdeveloped and ill-handling Kawi. Supposedly, the new model of the ZX-10 is much better behaved, and Walker is a rider that can ride fast on whatever he’s given. Whether he’ll be fighting for the championship remains to be seen, but he’ll definitely run with the lead group. In addition to the Brit, PSG-1 have brought on board the other ex-factory Ducati rider from last season, Regis Laconi. The Frenchman has been inconsistent the last few years, but when he was hot, he was always challenging for the win. If Laconi can find the speed and the consistency with the Kawasaki, then he must be considered a favorite for the title this year. Finally, ex-250cc GP rider Fonzi Nieto lands at PSG-1 after a trouble-filled debut season in WSBK last year. The Spaniard needs to find the form he showed during first half of the 2002 250cc GP season and put his abysmal debut World Superbike results behind him. One never likes to give up hope on a rider, but Nieto has struggled to much the past few years that it’s hard to believe he’ll turn it around this season.

FOGGY PETRONAS
Speaking of bad 2005 seasons, let’s talk about the Foggy Petronas team for a minute. They’re back this year for what they just announced is their final World SBK season, and returning to the team as lead rider is Steve Martin. The Aussie helped develop the Pirelli tires before they became the spec tire but is now hamstrung by an underpowered bike and is thus unlikely to improve his results this year. Joining him will be class newcomer Craig Jones, who was recruited after some spirited rides to runner-up in the British Supersport class. Jones will be learning the tracks, learning the Pirellis, and learning to ride a superbike, so this is definitely a learning year for the young Brit.

D.F.X. TREME
At the opposite end of the experience spectrum is Team D.F.X. Treme’s lead rider Pier Francesco Chili. The veteran rider will be hoping for a return to his ’04 form after an injury-plagued season last year. Frankie has a huge fan following and his mere presence on the grid is sure to add excitement. Hopefully, he’ll have some strong rides this season to increase that status even more, but I doubt his privateer Honda will be able to run with the factory boys. Teaming with Chili is another Italian, the ’03 World Superstock champion Michel Fabrizio. Fabrizio had a strong season last year in Supersport after a year in MotoGP and has now made the jump to the superbikes for this year. He’ll be learning, but he has one of the best teachers in the paddock as a teammate, so expect him to improve throughout the year.

DUCATI SC-CARACCHI
The experienced Team Ducati SC–Caracchi gave up their star rider Lanzi to the factory Ducati team this year but have placed all their 2006 hopes on another Italian, ex-GP racer Roberto Rolfo. Rolfo was a perennial championship contender in the 250cc GP class but had a tough ’05 in the MotoGP class on the second-string Ducati team. He’ll now have to learn the ins and outs of the Superbike class like Abe did last year and is thus unlikely to be a championship contender this year.

KLAFFI HONDA
The Klaffi Honda team is also banking its 2006 aspirations on an ex-MotoGP rider, but in this case it is longtime GP ace Alex Barros. Barros is among the most experienced racers in the world and has previously raced superbikes at the famous Suzuka 8-Hours endurance race. As a result, The Brazilian has to be among the most exciting additions to the 2006 World Superbike grid and should also be ranked as a potential championship contender. Unfortunately, Barros’ late move into the Klaffi team bumps talented Superbike rookie Max Neukirchner out of a ride with the Klaffi team. Unless he can find a lot of sponsorship money or a ride with a different team, the German will not be racing in the WSBK series in 2006.

STERILGARDA-BERIK DUCATI
Another exciting addition to the paddock this year is the return of ex-World Superbike and ex-MotoGP racer Ruben Xaus. The Spaniard joins the Sterilgarda-Berik Ducati team for his return to superbike racing, and his dramatic riding style always adds drama to the races. If he can find the form he had during his 2003 season on the factory Ducati, he’ll be a frontrunner, but his longstanding reputation for visiting the gravel traps means he’s unlikely to be in the title hunt. Xaus is teamed with veteran World Superbike racer Marco Borciani. The Italian has been in the WSBK series for five years but has never stood on the podium or finished better than 10th. I don’t expect him to improve on that this season.

BERTOCCHI KAWASAKI
The experienced Team Bertocchi Kawasaki has made a change this season by bringing in ex-MotoGP rider Franco Battaini to the team. Battaini suffered through a tough year on the WCM prototype bike and may actually find the Kawasaki superbike an upgrade! Still, like so many of the other riders making the move to World Superbike from the GP classes, the Italian will probably have too much to learn to be a frontrunner this year.

PEDERCINI DUCATI
The Pedercini Ducati team is also hoping that a pair of Italian World Superbike veterans can help them improve their results, as they have Ivan Clementi and Lucio Pedericini as their riders. Neither has ever made the podium before, and with the depth of talent in the field this year, it’s not likely they’ll do so in 2006.

CELANI SUZUKI
Team Celani Suzuki has brought back 2002 World Superstock champ Vittorio Iannuzzo, who raced a GSX-R Superbike in 2003 alongside Gregorio Lavilla, but he then returned racing a Superstock bike for the past couple of years. The Italian will be learning the new Suzuki after another year of racing the MV Agusta, and he’s being groomed as future talent and is not expected to be an immediate frontrunner.

PN CORSE DUCATI
Last but not least is the Team PN Corse Ducati team, who have hired 2004 World Superstock rider Lorenzo Alfonsi to their squad after the Italian struggled through last season on a privateer Yamaha. In ’05, Alfonsi didn’t crack the top 10, and although he’s still young and improving, he’ll probably struggle to accomplish that this year as well.

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So those are the 28 riders currently scheduled to step into the tempest and fight for the 2006 World Superbike title. The statistics should dictate an Italian champ, since 10 of the 28 riders are from that country. However, you’d probably get better odds betting on one of the five Australians. Riders from the land of the rising sun are the third most numerous, with four. There are three each from Britain and France. Surprisingly, bike-mad Spain only has two representatives in WSBK this year. Finally, there’s one rider each from Brazil and Germany. Sadly, there are no Americans in the series this year.

A huge atmospheric disturbance had been looming over the series at the end of 2005 based on the rumor that the four-time world champion and ex-MotoGP rider Max Biaggi would be joining the Alstare Suzuki team for ’06. However, press releases from the team have now dampened that firestorm, though there’s still talk that the Italian may race as a wild card during one of the Italian rounds.

Speaking of the rounds, the storm season during which these riders will play out their drama is made up of 13 of them, with the traditional two races per weekend, for a total of 26 races. Only one new track is on the schedule this year, and although it’s shown as being in South Africa, the actual circuit has not yet been undisclosed. It will probably be at Kyalami (which hosted World Superbike races until 2002), but Welkom (which hosted MotoGP races until last year) is also a possibility. All of the remaining 12 circuits on the provisional calendar hosted World Superbike races in 2005.

The season will crash upon us this weekend with a race in Qatar, followed by visits to Phillip Island in Australia, Valencia in Spain, Monza in Italy, Silverstone in the UK, Misano near San Marino, Brno in the Czech Republic, Brands Hatch in the UK, Assen in the Netherlands, Lausitzring in Germany, Imola in Italy, and Magny-Cours in France, before ending at the yet-to-announced South African circuit near the end of October. That’s nine months of racing, one of the longest race seasons in the series’ history.

Finally, we should comment on those dark clouds that are hovering on the horizon. Nope, it’s not another rider rumor but is instead smoke from the new version of the Pirelli spec tires that the riders have been testing this winter. Based on the early reports, it appears that the Italian company has made a big leap forward during the winter. The ’06 model of their tire appears to handle the abuse dished about by the big liter bikes much better than the one used last season. This should allow the racer to ride harder and longer before the tires start to slide and slow their pace. Only time will tell which teams the better tires will help and which they will hurt.

Well, that’s about it. I need to go dust the TV screen, get the couch area set up, and pick up the first round of snack supplies to get ready for the first race on February 25. Heck, I might even buy some Boddingtons. After all, I’ll need something to wash down a few aspirin, because this old damaged thumb is really starting to bother me after reading these new pre-season press releases from Valencia....

Check out Alan Fleming's road racing blog here, and his World Superbike podcast here.