ROAD RACE
FIM SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND 1 / FEBRUARY 23-25, 2018
PHILLIP ISLAND CIRCUIT / PHILLIP ISLAND, AUSTRALIA
P70
The first race was a much
more conventional affair in be-
ing a straight fight between four
riders over a full 22 laps in one
go. Melandri won that one after
Sykes, from his record-equaling
43rd superpole starting position,
led with some style after making
a second on his peers over one
lap. He grew that to 1.5, then Me-
landri and Rea—finally struggling
on a tire that was blistering from
lap 16 onwards—closed in, with
Davies and Fores following on.
Rea had not got a perfect
setup on his bike, and dropped
back as his rear tire started to
vibrate, bringing back worrying
memories of his Donington crash
in 2017.
So many riders had tire com-
plaints in race one that the new
two weeks ago having surgery on
my finger, I had two huge crash-
es Monday and Tuesday, and I
have come down with a sickness
from Wednesday. Some tracks
will suit us and some tracks will
suit others and unfortunately our
fourth gear in the last corner is
too tall, too long."
Rea hurt his finger in a moto-
cross training accident.
In third place in race two was
the leading Independent rider,
Fores.
On Saturday, Fores became
part of the winner's circle Parc
Ferme group as the top Indepen-
dent rider (a new points category
for him ands his fellow non-
"works" riders), but said that he
wanted more than fourth place.
He got it the next day.
turn. Still, my bike is wobbling
and many things affect this prob-
lem. We are working on it, but if
the result can be this one, then
okay, the bike can shake!"
Melandri's race two victory
saw him set a new record for Ital-
ian riders in WorldSBK, with 22
wins to Max Biaggi's 21.
The margin of victory was
0.024 seconds for Melandri, with
Rea knowing it was partly due
to a slightly too high fourth gear
on his final corner exit plan and
partly the lack of punch at the
top end he used to have more
of—before the new rules knocked
1100 rpm off the top of his engine
performance.
He was also ill, and injured, as
he explained. "My last two weeks
have been crazy. I was in theater
