WorldSBK 2017 set to be one to remember
Take a look back over WorldSBK ahead of the season kick off from WorldSBK commentator Steve English
Canberra is the capital of Australia but Phillip Island has long been the motorcycling capital of the country. The track is a flowing ribbon of asphalt that is equal parts beautiful, breath taking and challenging. There is no other circuit like it on the calendar and there is also no circuit more fitting to host the opening round of the 2017 WorldSBK championship.
The coming season will be one that will be intriguing from the outset. The winter has been spent getting bikes and riders up to speed but with the championship a centre piece of conversation amongst race fans. Most of the talking has been about the new grid procedure for Race 2 and while there has been plenty of scepticism about the changes there is also excitement.
As a pure racing fan I have to admit that it took time for me to accept the changes but a delve through the history books of WorldSBK has shown to me that while the chances of winning from row three are diminished they are not removed.
There have been 722 WorldSBK races since Donington Park hosted the first race in 1988. On 64 occasions the winner has started from the third row or worse. Of course some of these wins can be attributed to the lottery of racing in the wet, for instance Chris Walker's famous win at Assen from 13th on the grid, but we also saw Frankie Chili and Carl Fogerty win from 9th and 8th on the grid on the very same day at Alabcete. It can be done and races can be won from the midfield.
This is the 30th season of WorldSBK and it's fitting that one of the sports legends, Nitro Noriyuki Haga, was the most successful rider from the midpack. The Japanese star took a remarkable ten of his 43 WorldSBK wins from the third row or further back on the grid. Of the current grid Jonathan Rea, Tom Sykes and the returning Marco Melandri have all managed the feat multiple times while Chaz Davies won from tenth on the grid in 2012.
A rider needs to be decisive and have a competitive bike to win from the midfield. The big difference for 2017 is that we will know in advance that the riders starting on the third row have competitive bikes-they finished on the rostrum 24 hours previously.
When the season begins in Australia we'll see the new system implemented for the first time. Phillip Island has seen so many great races in the past, including seven midpack winners such as Anthony Gobert's stunning win in 2000, and this year should be no exception. Fans can rightfully expect that the 30th season of WorldSBK will be one to remember.
