Aussie WorldSBK round looming

The 2023 Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) will take place at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit over February 24 to 26, with the debut of Remy Gardner marking the long-awaited return of an Australian rider to the production-based series.

Gardner, who will turn 25 on the Sunday of the event, will ride for the satellite GRT Yamaha team in 2023 after being exiled from the MotoGP paddock after just one season.

The 2021 Moto2 world champion will begin testing his YZF-R1M shortly alongside teammate and fellow WorldSBK rookie (but two-time World Superport Champion) Dominique Aegerter, with the final pre-season shakedown to occur at Phillip Island the week before the opening round.

Central to Gardner’s familiarisation with the Yamaha will be getting to grips with the Pirelli tyres after using Dunlop (Moto2) and Michelin (MotoGP) in recent years.

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The last decade has been a fallow one for Australia in WorldSBK, a championship where riders like the two Troys – Corser and Bayliss – once roamed with authority. In fact, the last Australian to compete full-time in WorldSBK was Corser in 2011, and his third place at Misano the year before was the last podium for a rider from Down Under.

The 2023 WorldSBK will also benefit from the injection of talent in the shape of former MotoGP winner Danilo Petrucci, who will ride a Ducati, along with Italian Lorenzo Baldassarri (Yamaha) and reigning British Superbike Champion, Bradley Ray (Yamaha).

And it won’t be easy, because Gardner and Co will not only face off against the three undisputed heavyweights – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki), Toprak Razgatlioglu (Yamaha) and current world champion Alvaro Bautista (Ducati) – but also stars such as Alex Lowes (Kawasaki), Scott Redding (BMW), Michael van der Mark (BMW), Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Ducati) and Honda duo Xavi Vierge and Iker Lecuona.

In the World Superport (WorldSSP) title, Ollie Bayliss will return for his second season on a Ducati, while compatriot Luke Power (Kawasaki) joins the championship after a successful stint in America last year. Tom Edwards (Yamaha) will also compete in the European rounds of WorldSSP.

Like WorldSBK, WorldSSP will also benefit by the arrival of some big names, including 2021 British superbike champion Tarran Mackenzie (Honda) and former Moto2 riders Marcel Schrotter (MV Agusta) and Jorge Navarro (Yamaha).

The WorldSBK opener will also host round one of the 2023 Australian Superbike Championship.

A variety of ticketing options are available for the WorldSBK opener, from general admission to corporate hospitality. Camping packages are also available. For more information on the event and to purchase tickets, visit www.worldsbk.com.au.