Friday

Sykes continues to fine tune his Ninja at Phillip Island

The first WorldSBK round got underway today at the Phillip Island circuit in Australia. Kawasaki Puccetti Racing is fielding Englishman Tom Sykes, the 2013 World Superbike champion. During winter testing and in the official tests earlier this week at the same Australian track, Sykes and his technical staff worked hard to improve the setup of their ZX-10RR in preparation for the season’s start, with encouraging results.

Free practice 1 ran in sunny conditions and on a dry track this morning. Tom concluded with a time of 1’33”015 while, in the afternoon’s second session and with higher temperatures, his best was a 1’33”179 which saw him place twentieth overall in the day’s combined standings.

Tomorrow, with possible rain on the horizon, the WorldSBK schedule will see riders compete in Superpole and the first race of this Australian round.

Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit – Victoria – Australia
Superbike World Championship
Combined free practice results: 1) Bautista (Ducati) – 2) Locatelli (Yamaha) – 3) Lecuona (Honda) – 4) Rinaldi (Ducati) – 5) Rea (Kawasaki) – 6) Van der Mark (BMW) ………. 20) Sykes (Kawasaki)

Tom Sykes

“Lots to think about and ultimately we need to carefully consider the situation and try to understand what we can do. There are areas where I’m struggling and so I’m trying to overcompensate through certain corners. It was also so hot here today which makes it very difficult to set strong lap times. But we’ve made some set-up changes and now the guys have a lot of information from the tests and from today that we can use to make a plan ahead of tomorrow, when we’ll focus on the race. If it rains? I wouldn’t mind actually…”

Oncu sixth in WorldSSP free practice at Phillip Island

The long wait is over. After months spent preparing the Kawasaki ZX-6R at both their base in Reggio Emilia and at the tracks during winter testing, Kawasaki Puccetti Racing and its rider Can Oncu were out on track at Phillip Island in Australia today for the first free practice sessions that mark the start of the 2023 Supersport World Championship.

The young Turkish rider took part in two test days at the Australian track earlier this week, in preparation for the opening round and so today he was able to begin with the set-up he had defined in the tests.

During the morning’s first session, and in cool, sunny conditions, Oncu set a best of 1’34”044 to place fifth.

In the afternoon, the Turkish Kawasaki Puccetti Racing rider improved on his earlier time to record a 1’33”975 with which he placed sixth in the day’s combined standings. Tomorrow he will back out for Superpole and the first race of the season.

Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit – Victoria – Australia
Supersport World Championship
Combined free practice results: 1) Bulega (Ducati) – 2) Manzi (Yamaha) – 3) Huertas (Kawasaki) – 4) Caricasulo (Ducati) – 5) Spinelli (Yamaha) – 6) Oncu (Kawasaki)

Can Oncu

“Today we worked hard to improve the performance of our bike and now we need to carefully analyse all the data so that we can take a step forward in Superpole and the race. I know we can do it and so I’m optimistic going into tomorrow. I hope to have fun and run a good race, to start this championship in the best possible way.”

Saturday

Sykes improves in Superpole, but retires from race 1

The first Superbike World Championship round continued at Phillip Island today with the qualifying session and first race. Kawasaki Puccetti Racing rider Tom Sykes completed two practices yesterday, which he concluded in twenty-first place with a time of 1’33”015, focusing more on the setup of his ZX-10RR than on lap times.

This morning, the Englishman was back out for the third and final practice in which he improved on his best of yesterday (1’32”684) and prepared for the subsequent Superpole.

During qualifying, the former WorldSBK champion improved significant on his best time, setting a 1’30”914 with which he placed nineteenth.

This meant a seventh row start for the afternoon’s 22-lap race, which ran in difficult, wet conditions. Sykes was making up positions in the early stages when he began to struggle with a gear issue that forced him to pit. With this resolved, Tom returned to the track but then retired definitively during the course of the eleventh lap. A real pity, but the Kawasaki Puccetti Racing rider will be able to make up for this tomorrow, in the Superpole Race and Race 2.

Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit – Victoria – Australia
Superbike World Championship

Combined free practice results: 1) Lecuona (Honda) – 2) Bautista (Ducati) – 3) Oettl (Ducati) – 4) Rinaldi (Ducati) – 5) Rea (Kawasaki) – 6) Gardner (Yamaha) ………. 20) Sykes (Kawasaki)

Superpole: 1) Razgatlioglu (Yamaha) – 2) Bautista (Ducati) – 3) Aegerter (Yamaha) – 4) Rea (Kawasaki) – 5) Oettl (Ducati) – 6) Rinaldi (Ducati) …………..19) Sykes (Kawasaki)

Race 1: 1) Bautista (Ducati) – 2) Rea (Kawasaki) – 3) Razgatlioglu (Yamaha) – 4) Locatelli (Yamaha) – 5) Bassani (Ducati) – 6) Lecuona (Honda) ………. n.c) Sykes (Kawasaki)

Tom Sykes

“To be honest not an easy day. We know our limitations and know where we can improve but we also had a little bad luck. We had a gear shifting issue in the race and it was tricky to manage, particularly in the damp conditions – I was lucky not to crash. I came in to fix the problem before heading back out and the lap times were starting to look promising actually, but I had to pit again before the end of the race. So a difficult day, but the data from this wet race is useful anyway, and we will see what we can do in tomorrow’s races.”

Oncu second in Superpole, but crashes in the race

The first race of the Supersport World Championship played out today at Phillip Island in Australia. In yesterday’s free practices, Kawasaki Puccetti Racing rider Can Oncu worked hard with his team to find the best setup for his ZX-6R. His best lap time was a 1’33”975, which saw him close in sixth place in the day’s combined standings.

This morning, and in very cloudy conditions, the young Turk prepared for the first Superpole of the season. In the final stages, Oncu returned to the pits to put in a new tyre and, once back on track, was able to set a fantastic 1’33’058 to finish second, which meant a front row start for the afternoon’s first 18-lap race.

The first race got underway on a dry track but under heavy clouds. Oncu didn’t make the best start and was lying in around tenth place through the opening laps but then made an incredible recovery that saw him move into first place. The race was brought to a halt on lap four due to a crash for other riders. The race was restarted, reduced to just ten laps, but unfortunately the Kawasaki Puccetti Racing rider fell victim to a crash during the sighting lap that damaged his bike and prevented him from starting the race.

He will have chance to make up for this in tomorrow’s second race, which will again run at the Phillip Island circuit.

Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit – Victoria – Australia
Supersport World Championship

Superpole: 1) Manzi (Yamaha) – 2) Oncu (Kawasaki) – 3) Montella (Ducati) – 4) Bulega (Ducati) – 5) Spinelli (Yamaha) – 6) Schroetter (MV Agusta)

Race 1 1) Bulega (Ducati) – 2) Spinelli (Yamaha) – 3) McPhee (Kawasaki) – 4) Tuuli (Triumph) – 5) Mackenzie (Honda) – 6) Manzi (Yamaha) …… DNS Oncu (Kawasaki)

Can Oncu

“After the strong Superpole result I was feeling confident for the race. After the first start, I made up a lot of ground and moved into the lead but then the red flag put paid to all that. During the sighting lap prior to the restart, I crashed in a wet area of the track. I could have got back on if a rider who was following me hadn’t hit my bike, damaging it irreparably. What bad luck. I hope to make up for this tomorrow.”

Sunday

Superpole Race and Race 2 WorldSBK at Phillip Island

The opening round of the Superbike World Championship concluded today at Phillip Island in Australia. Yesterday saw Kawasaki Puccetti Racing rider Tom Sykes qualifying nineteenth in Superpole (1’30”914) before being forced to retire due to a technical issue in what was a wet Race 1.

Clouds early on this morning soon made way for the sunshine and the Superpole Race, which runs over a distance of just ten laps, took place on a dry track. Like yesterday Sykes started from the seventh row based on his qualifying result. Tom made a good start and started to make up positions, but an electrical problem meant he then had to reutn o the garage. The Englishman later rejoined the race but only with the intention of collecting data for the subsequent race.

The Kawasaki Puccetti Racing returned to the track in the afternoon for the final race of this Australian weekend. Unfortunately, another electrical problem emerged and Sykes again had to seek the help of his technicians. He again rejoined the race, but an innocuous crash then ruled him out.

A difficult round, but also an extremely useful one for the team and rider as they work to resolve problems relating to the development of new devices and components of the ZX-10RR.

The next Superbike World Championship round will take place at the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit in Indonesia over the weekend of 3-5 March.

Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit – Victoria – Australia
Superbike World Championship

Superpole Race: 1) Bautista (Ducati) – 2) Rinaldi (Ducati) – 3) Razgatlioglu (Yamaha) – 4) Lowes (Kawasaki) – 5) Locatelli (Yamaha) – 6) Oettl (Ducati) …………. 20) Sykes (Kawasaki)

Race 2: 1) Bautista (Ducati) – 2) Rinaldi (Ducati) – 3) Locatelli (Yamaha) – 4) Bassani (Ducati) – 5) Oettl (Ducati) – 6) Lecuona (Honda) ………. DNF) Sykes (Kawasaki)

Tom Sykes

“A complicated day, in which we had to deal with some electrical problems. On the one hand, these prevented us from scoring good race results but, on the flip side, they helped us to understand the nature of the problems and how we can resolve them. The team has worked hard and I think that, together, we will soon be able to be competitive.”

Oncu on the third step of the WorldSSP podium at Phillip Island!

The first round of the 2023 Supersport World Championship concluded today at the Phillip Island circuit in Australia. Kawasaki Puccetti Racing Can Oncu scored second place in yesterday’s Superpole before crashing during the race 1 sighting lap as a result of rain at the Australian track.

Today, in sunny conditions and on a dry track, the young Turk took part in race 2, starting from second on the grid. The Kawasaki Puccetti Racing rider made a very strong start that saw him hold second position. In the space of only a few laps, the leading group, comprising Oncu and two other riders, had built a good lead over the chasing pack. The trio continued to exchange positions until lap fourteen, when the race was brought to a definitive end with the red flag when geese entered the track (a common occurrence at Phillip Island). At the time the race was stopped, Oncu was lying third which meant he scored his first podium of the season! A strong result for the Turkish rider who was nevertheless disappointed that he didn’t have the chance to try for the win, due to the race ending prematurely.

Two races into the championship and Can Oncu places eighth in the general standings with 16 points. The next Supersport World Championship round will take place on 3-5 March at the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit in Indonesia.

Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit – Victoria – Australia
Supersport World Championship
Race 2 – 1) Bulega (Ducati) – 2) Manzi (Yamaha) – 3) Oncu (Kawasaki) – 4) Schroetter (MV Agusta) – 5) Van Straalen (Yamaha) – 6) Navarro (Yamaha)

Can Oncu

“The race was good, I think. We did a good job and improved a lot. I enjoyed racing with these guys at the front a lot, especially after the bad luck of yesterday. I am happy to be back on the podium and I want to continue like that, at full gas and pushing. I will enjoy racing at Mandalika next week and now we will have some days off, with good motivation. I think we will be even more ready in Mandalika and I will try to win both races there.”