News

A two-time World Supersport Champion and also a World Superbike race winner, Andrew Pitt now finds himself as a crew chief in WorldSBK. He has moved over to Michael van der Mark’s (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team) side of the garage for 2020 but here at home in Australia, Pitt gives us the insights to mastering Phillip Island’s intricacies.

‘Everyone likes it Down Under…’

“I’m in Australia, so it is great! The circuit is amazing, we had a great test and the riders are always fast here. It is a good environment, we spent some time here before the test and before the event, so it was a nice relaxing time. However, now it is Friday and Free Practice, so it is time to get serious!”

‘We are ready for racing’

“The test is very useful. We did race simulations and checked all the tyres and even though it rained today, we are quite ready for the race already. It’s actually good for us if others miss out on practice!”

‘Don’t tire your tyres’

“Tyre management is the key here really! You can’t ride this race with the tyres at 100% because you will have tyre problems. You must be smart, so you still have a tyre that works in the final three to five laps.”

“Four seasons in one day!”

“Here, you can have four seasons in one day. There was no rain forecast but it has rained three or four times already. You have to be as ready as you can and fortunately, it is only Friday, but if it is like this on race day, it will be a bit of a lottery. You have to be ready for anything on this circuit!”

Rekindling those memories…

“I have good memories here from when I was racing, it is the place I came to ride 20 years ago, and I’ve been coming here for a lot of years. All of the guys in the team like to be here; it is one of the really good events in the year!”

Follow all of the WorldSBK action in 2020 with the WorldSBK VideoPass!