SBK, Flag-to-flag at Phillip Island: how it works and what's at risk

There's no backtracking. Dorna confirmed the flag-to-flag for Race 1 and Race 2 of the Superbike and SuperSport at Phillip Island. Riders will be forced to change tires  between laps 9 and 11.

However, let's go over how the tire change works, because there are time limits they have to respect to avoid receiving penalties at the end of the race.

First of all, the pit lane at Phillip Island is 549.20 meters long, and it takes 33 seconds to go through it at top speed from 60km/h. That said, from the time a rider enters the pit lane to the time he exits, a minimum of 1 minute and 3 seconds must have elapsed (1 minute and 18 seconds for the Supersport). If a rider exits before the predetermined time, the penalty imposed will be the time difference multiplied by three.

So, if a rider exits the pit lane one second earlier than the abovementioned time, a 3-second penalty will be given at the end of the race. Instead, if the rider leaves the pit lane 3 seconds earlier than the predetermined time, the penalty will be 9 seconds at the end of the race.

This is what the Superbike regulations say about the flag-to-flag. At this point, teams and riders will be forced to challenge the stopwatch without getting caught up in the frenzy.