WSBK preview: Losail, Qatar, October 16-18

The final final two races in the 2015 Superbike World Championship will be held in Qatar on October 18.

All is decided in terms of rider and manufacturer titles, in favour of Jonathan Rea and Kawasaki, but the runner-up spot is yet to be sealed. Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team) is currently holding out Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) by 16pts, with the gap having come down from the 22 in the penultimate round at Magny-Cours.

This time, Welshman Davies is joined by Xavi Fores who is the last substitute of the season for the injured Davide Giugliano. Spaniard Fores raced earlier this season at Aragon and Assen. Davies will be looking to cement second overall as quickly as possible, while Sykes has finished only first or second in the standings for the last three years.

With the title signed, sealed and delivered for Rea at Jerez last month, he and his team-mate were in Barcelona last week in order to help launch the new Ninja ZX-10R for 2016. For now, however, Rea is looking to amass more points than any rider has even scored in a single season of WSBK. One more race victory would be enough to beat Colin Edwards’ record of 2002.

Losail debuted on the calendar in 2005, running through to 2009 prior to a four-year break. It returned at the end of last year, with a scintillating finale in which Sylvain Guintoli picked up his first and so far only career double, seeing off the challenge of Sykes whose own weekend was marred by a team orders scandal with Loris Baz. Guintoli duly became France’s second world champion after Raymond Roche in 1990.

In 2007, Max Biaggi stormed onto the WSBK scene by winning his first race in the series. He makes headlines again eight years on, returning for a third outing of the season after Misano and Sepang. He tested for four days at Losail last week, and now fully fit — having raced to a podium last time out with an injured shoulder — he wants even more this time.

Guintoli’s single-year spell with Honda will end after this event, as he's heading to Yamaha in 2016 alongside Alex Lowes. He is on the lookout for another positive two races at what is one of his favourite race tracks, having finally jumped up onto the podium at home in France two weekends ago. Lowes in is a similar situation, looking to enjoy his last outing on a Suzuki before he joins the 2014 title winner as Crescent switches to Yamaha machinery for the start of 2016.

As with every year, the final race meeting of the season marks a wonderful opportunity for those riders still seeking a placement for the following campaign. With the market wide open, numerous big names are yet to be allocated to seats…

Alex Phillis (Grillini Kawasaki) will be the sole Aussie in WSBK, while Glenn Scott and Aiden Wagner (both Honda) are in world supersport. Turkey's Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki) wrapped up the supersport title at Magny-Cours.