WorldSBK: Thai Round Preview – The ‘Destination Of Speed’ Awaits

The 2019 FIM Superbike World Championship returns this weekend, with the second round coming from the Chang International Circuit, in Thailand.

Affectionately known as the ‘Destination of Speed’, the 4.55km track is situated in the south of Thailand, just on the outskirts of Buriram. With only 12 corners and a 1km long back straight (plus two other straights at over 500m each), the circuit is all about horsepower. A true test of a motorcycle’s raw power.

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Ducati) will be looking to consolidate his lead in the series. The Spaniard was in imperious form last time out in Australia, romping away to a hat-trick of victories. This weekend, Bautista faces a relatively unknown test. He has only raced once before around the Buriram circuit. However, with the track boasting two very long straights, the horsepower advantage of the Ducati Panigale V4R will ensure he is once again a major force to be reckoned with.

The Kawasaki Racing Team will be expecting the early season tide to turn more in their favour this weekend. Thailand has been a happy hunting ground for Jonathan Rea. Since the world championship started to visit the region, in 2015, Rea has practically owned the place. The Northern Irishman has 6 wins out of the 8 races to have been held here. Only on one occasion has he failed to make the podium (Race 2, 2018).

Rea will of course have to first see off the challenge from the man on the other side of the garage, Leon Haslam. The 2018 BSB champion produced a solid display in the opening round of the season, getting to grips with the new ZX10-RR and with the team. Despite a tumble in the first race, Haslam kept improving and was more than a match for his world champion teammate as the weekend reached its climax. Despite having not raced at the circuit since 2015, Haslam will quickly get himself up to speed and look to spend the business end of the weekend fighting for the podium.

Despite only securing one podium finish down under, Yamaha left Phillip Island feeling very optimistic about the rest of the season. Marco Melandri and Sandro Cortese produced memorable performances for the GRT Yamaha team. The former securing the Japanese manufacturer’s podium finish, and looks to be completely at ease with himself and with the R1. Certainly no sign of the pressures and stresses we saw when he was a factory Ducati rider. Cortese had a brilliant debut weekend in the superbike class. The 2018 World Supersport champion was undaunted, with three top ten finishes. Both riders are confident the team will make steps forward to the likes of Kawasaki and Ducati, beginning this weekend.

The picture is looking perhaps a bit less rosey in the Pata Yamaha garage. Both Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark produced strong performances in Australia, but there is growing concern from the riders that the R1 is very close to reaching its performance limit. A subtle hint perhaps to the manufacturer that, after 3 years, they could do with a brand new machine to be serious title contenders. That aside, the Buriram circuit has been a successful place for the team, with both riders having secured podium finishes over the past two seasons.

Tom Sykes is preparing himself for what could potentially be the most difficult weekend of the season for the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK team. The 2013 world champion revealed after the Australian round that the S1000RR was still being raced with a stock engine, and that the team have chosen to incrementally upgrade the motor over the course of the year, rather than rush through a highly strung SBK spec engine and experience a rather embarrassing blow out. The first update is reportedly due at the Aragon round, next month. As such the team’s objective might simply be to just secure points finishes this weekend.   

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Puccetti Racing Kawasaki) and Eugene Laverty (Team GoEleven Ducati) put on a fierce display in the battle of the top independent riders. The duo were practically inseparable on track at Phillip Island, and more of the same is expected for this weekend. Both have top quality machinery (albeit without direct factory support) and despite being at complete opposites of the career spectrum, both are desperate to make a big impact on the season and with the factory teams.

Finally, there will be a local wildcard entry for this weekend. Thitipong Warokorn will contest the Thai round with the Kawasaki Thailand Racing Team, making his SBK class debut in the process. The 30-year old brings a wealth of top level racing experience with him, having competed in the World Supersport category in 2015, and has spent the past two seasons racing in Moto2.