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MotoGP, In Australia it is open season on Johnny Rea

Less than a week until the season opener with Davies and Sykes ready to snatch the sceptre, Melandri, Savadori and Hayden loose cannons

MotoGP: In Australia it is open season on Johnny Rea

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It is the last chance to hone the weapons before the curtain is raised. At Phillip Island, Superbike is ready to start the engines: two days of tests for the factory derivative bikes in view of the season opener scheduled for next weekend. The spotlight is, as always, shining on him, Johnny Rea, uncatchable during this preseason. The Northern Irishman is ready to chase his third consecutive title in the premier class, but at the same time, he is well aware that the road to confirmation will not be a downhill coast.

Indeed, because this year the competition has increased. In addition to his teammate, Tom Sykes, Chaz Davies also intends to rain on his parade. The 2016 season finale demonstrated the Welshman’s progress and now he steps forward as a direct contender in the title fight. We get the feeling that this time all the papers are in order at Borgo Panigale to aim for a year as protagonists. This is the same goal Marco Melandri has, returning to Superbike after a twelve-month absence. Will he be the winning card to take the fight to the competition? It is difficult to say now. In any case, one thing is certain: the rider from Ravenna has taken giant steps forward over the winter break, so much that he has become a true loose cannon. In the Phillip Island tests, he will be keen to show that he can keep pace with the rivals, chasing away a few difficulties that came up three weeks ago in Portimão.  

He will not be the only Italian holding the colours high in this 2017 Superbike season. In his new adventure with Milwaukee, Lorenzo Savadori has already left his mark in Spain and Portugal, finishing just behind the top spot. His year of apprenticeship with Ioda is by now behind him and he will doubtless want to live up to expectations. As will his teammate, Eugene Laverty, who could not resist returning to Aprilia after his MotoGP experience. Phillip Island seems to be the ideal test bench for him, where he also managed to win in the past with Suzuki. Underestimating him would be a serious mistake.

The Australian round will also be the chance to see the Fireblade SP2 at work again with the Red Bull fairing. The latest arrival in the Honda camp represents a clear turning of the page. Nicky Hayden and rookie Stefan Bradl are fully aware of this and they can’t wait to burn up the times. Those same times that Yamaha dreams of lowering after a year of apprenticeship after returning to the factory derivative championship. On one hand, Alex Lowes has been confirmed and on the other, new entry Michael van der Mark has been signed. The Japanese manufacturer has responded to their own ambitions in the Flying Dutchman, protagonist last season astride a Honda.

The 2017 grid would not be complete with BMW, who will once again have Markus Reiterberger and Jordi Torres in their garage with Raffaele De Rosa joining the Superbike team after winning the Superstock title. Alex De Angelis will be among the Italians on the starting grid, with the duty of holding high the Pedercini colours, whereas the rider from Campania, Riccardo Russo, will be racing with Guandalini. And we cannot forget about the rider from Biella, Ayrton Badovini. Swiss rider Randy Krummenacher will be one of the rookies, wearing Puccetti colours. In addition to Superbike, Supersport will also see action in Australia. For this championship, there are still doubts as to the presence of Kenan Sofuoglu, victim of another injury to his right wrist. If he is a no-show, he will hopefully be able to catch up at the Thai round of Buri Ram, scheduled for the second weekend of March.

Translated by Jonathan Blosser
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