Race 1 Report – 2016 World Superbikes Australian Round

Josh Brookes:
Grid: 14th
Finish: 10th

“Top ten is nice considering we started the week with a crash and struggled to improve the lap times, but it’s far from what I want to achieve. Points are good, but at the moment the gap to the top of the field is too big to be satisfied with.

Now that we’ve got time before tomorrow to review the data and see what areas need improving, I’m hoping we will be more productive in Race 2. I don’t know for sure if that will happen, but that’s what my instincts say.

There were a few specific areas on the track where it felt like I was losing time, so if we use not only the data from the bike but also what I could see on track, it should be enough to put together a plan for tomorrow.

Karel Abraham: 
Grid: 15th
Finish: 13th

“I’m really happy to see the chequered flag and to get my first points in the World Superbike championship. There are a couple of things to change, because the bike was really good but it can still get better, so we have a few set up changes to make tonight.

I need to start taking a few more risks with my riding style, and I think this will really help towards some better results. It’s also my first race in nearly half a year, so I’m happy to have finished this race and I really enjoyed it.

We’ve still got a few more issues to solve, mainly with the electronics which always take a long time, but we are definitely headed in the right direction, and hopefully we can fight for more points tomorrow.”

Mick Shanley, Team Coordinator:

“Overall we’re pretty happy, but we know we’ve got a bit of pace to find to reach the next guys. To come away from our very first World Superbike race with a 10th and a 13th I think we should be fairly happy, and it’s the first time we’ve done so many laps in succession.

We’ve got a lot of useful data from the race which we need to go back to tonight, and the guys now have a chance to gain further understanding of the bike in a race situation. All in all, I’m sure after some changes tonight we will be a step closer tomorrow.”