as his last chance to excel on the world stage . Fourth in 2022 and title winner in 2023 suggests he took the hint and , at the same time , is just one of those riders more suited to production-based than prototype racing . Determined to stay put even with the music still going , Alex Lowes stayed in his seat at Kawasaki Racing Team . Lowes may have tasted more gravel than champagne in recent years but KRT clearly still see him as an integral part of their outfit , and , with Axel Bassani joining the team from satellite MotoCoursa Ducati , perhaps Lowes was seen as a good mentor for the young and fiery Italian . Without wanting to spoil the story , Lowes ’ performance at WorldSBK Round One would blow the critics and non-believers away . More on that later . What to say about Honda ? Factory Honda HRC retained Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge , both decent riders but the team seems unable to get the bike where it needs to be to feature consistently in the lead groups on track . Other notables ? Barni Spark Racing have Danilo Petrucci , a huge fan favourite who is next to impossible to get a photo of without him smiling , waving or both , on board for another season and , based on his first season in WorldSBK , in 2023 , he can be expected to be playing with the fast guys through the season . Alex Lowes ’ brother and 2013 World Supersport champion Sam joins the circus on the MarcVDS Ducati V4R after six seasons in Moto2 where he scored a best season finish result of third place in 2020 .
INCOMING But … the biggest noise around a new entrant to WorldSBK goes to the man dubbed ‘ The Maniac ’ or Andreas Iannone as his mum likes to call him . After a four-year absence from the sport , as a result of a drug infraction , he ’ s back . He has a huge following , he had a huge talent and whilst still tainted in some people ’ s eyes , most just want to see if he ’ s still got it . It would quickly become apparent that he does . He also got to ride one of the most striking bikes on the grid , the beautiful yellow and white GoEleven Ducati V4 .
PHILLIP ISLAND ROUND ONE For Round One the changes weren ’ t just limited to tech and rider lineups , the iconic , fast and unpredictable ( in a weather sense ) track had a complete resurfacing with super grippy tarmac that would lead to lap records being obliterated , and tyres screaming for mercy . And not getting any . So , how did all these pieces come together at The Island , with two days of testing followed by a race weekend at the end of February ?
TESTING Testing is testing and racing is racing so whilst results from pre-season test are always interesting , they rarely provide an accurate guide as to how the season will play out but a few things were apparent . Bulega might only have
58 KIWI RIDER