Race Report: 2006-02
World Superbike Support Races
Date: 3rd - 5th March 006 Venu: Phillip Island, Victoria
   
Riders & Results

The World Famous Phillip Island Circuit
Darren Sciberras (Superstock)
Qualifying:
9th, 1:46.8
Race 1:
12th
Race 2:
9th
Race 3:
7th
Overall:
8th

Wow, what a whirlwind of a week! Only days after receiving my brand new 2006 YZF R6 we were racing it in the World Superbike support races at Phillip Island . The decision was not taken lightly but track time was most important and if we could use the weekend to gain valuable data on the bike, it was a chance not to be missed. The bike was in absolute stock form, lights indicators the lot and barely run-in with only 200km on the clock. Add to that, the fact that I would be in Perth on business for the week leading up to the race and I am actually amazed that we managed to get everything done in time.

Of course these things don't just happen and I need to say some very big thankyous before I go any further. Firstly to Lisa and Ian for doing so much work and running around while I was away, without their work this just wouldn't have happened, so thanks heaps!!!! Thanks to Ken from Megacycle, Glen and Trevor at Shocktek, Mansfield Motorcycles for delivery our wonderful new bike and Julie and the team at Racer's Edge. Without their help, racing this weekend would just not have been possible.

 

Stock as a Rock!

Ken still hasn't figured out where his hands go

We arrived at the track still with lots of work to do on the bike before it would even be eligible to race, so Ian and I got to work. Things were made a bit easier because we were pitted with Ken, from Megacycle, who was racing in Australian Supersport and also in the exact same situation as us, receiving his new R6 only days before the race too. We were able to share ideas and help each other all weekend which always makes life a little easier..and louder, if you are reading this and know Ken I am sure you know what I mean!

We also had an international flavour in our pit with Neil Faulkner from Performance Friction Brakes (UK) visiting Ian and spending a lot of time with us. Performance Friction isn't a name you would have heard of here in Aus but you will soon. They will be investing heavily into the Australian market and also launching a range of brakes for road users. Believe me if the road brakes are anything like the race pads Neil supplied me with this weekend, even those cabs pulling out in front of you won't pose a problem for you anymore, these things just STOP. Thanks to Neil not only for the pads but all the help he provided throughout the weekend.

Amazingly by the time my first qualifying came around we had got the bike ready to race, an achievement in itself. I ended up qualifying in 9 th position and equalling my previous PB of a 1.46.8 at Phillip Island . Although the new bike had some very strong points it was still a long way from being what we would consider a finely tuned and sorted race bike, so it wasn't too bad a result considering.

Race 1 was just mayhem, bikes everywhere, bumping fairings, elbows, and anything else protruding from the bike. I got a crap start and subsequently I was in the thick of the field into turn 1. We had made our way around to turn 6 and on the exit I could feel the rear of the bike moving in the wrong direction. All of a sudden I was partially dislodged from the bike. I noticed that my right foot was going past the rest of my body and was stuck in the side of a green Kawasaki !! He had hit me and taken my foot with him in the process. I had to keep the gas open so that I could keep up with my dislodged foot and somehow I managed to break free, however I did lose the position . The rest of the race was a struggle to make up the positions I had lost at the start and I ended up finishing in 12th.

Daz Pushing in Qualifying
In Race 2 I was now more used to the clutch and got a better start but the bike still had some handling issues. This was to be expected with the bike being so new in its development stage but I still pushed as hard as I could and finished where I started in 9 th . We made some further changes on Sunday morning for race 3 and we had definitely made a step in the right direction. I got an average start but made up for it in turn 1 with an aggressive move, going around the outside of 3 riders. The improvements to the bike were making it easier to ride and with 3 laps to go I was in 7 th place. I made a mistake into turn 4 which saw me loose 2 places but I was determined to get them back. With one lap to go I was back into 8 th and hot on the heels of 7 th . As we approached the ultra fast turn 1 I dug deep, OK I closed my eyes, and held off braking to the last possible moment. I slipped up the inside but with the extra entry speed, the bike started to patter and the front wheel started to slide. For a split second I thought that maybe I had gone in too hot, but the whole thing stayed together and I managed to keep both of the pursuing riders at bay, finishing in 7 th with my fastest lap of 1.45.8. That's a full second faster than my previous best on my old bike.

The main World Superbike Races were action packed and it was a great weekend of racing. My overall result was 8 th and although that's nothing too flash on its own, I think we did a pretty good job considering the time we had to prepare the bike. There's still a lot of room for improvement in the bike but we have a few weeks to get the changes made before Round 1 of the Australian Superbike Championship. We are hoping for a great start to the series.

All in all it was a positive start to the new R6s race caOreer.

...back to Home page