MRW Issue 27
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NEWS DESK<br />
Corser on WorldSBK in 2022: “It’s<br />
been fantastic to watch… this is<br />
what makes WorldSBK so special!”<br />
The MOTUL FIM Superbike World<br />
Championship campaign was an<br />
unforgettable affair in 2022 after an<br />
incredible three-way fight between Alvaro<br />
Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), Toprak<br />
Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx<br />
WorldSBK) and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki<br />
Racing Team WorldSBK), with Bautista<br />
coming out on top. Two-time WorldSBK<br />
Champion Troy Corser sat down to discuss<br />
the unbelievable season, his favourite rider<br />
to watch in WorldSBK, Ducati’s success and<br />
speaks about two Australian riders looking<br />
to make their mark in the paddock.<br />
After 12 rounds and 36 races, the<br />
WorldSBK campaign concluded at the<br />
iconic Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit<br />
with the action in Australia capping off<br />
an unforgettable season. Australia’s Troy<br />
Corser, who took the 1996 and 2005<br />
WorldSBK titles, took time out to reflect on<br />
the action throughout the season as Ducati<br />
ended an 11-year drought for the title,<br />
Bautista redeemed himself after 2019 and<br />
the titanic trio fought throughout every<br />
race in 2022.<br />
Looking back on 2022, Corser said: “It’s<br />
been fantastic to watch. To see three riders<br />
at that level on different manufacturers,<br />
racing so close, and the respect between<br />
the riders I see on the track… they’re racing<br />
hard but fair, they’re not causing any<br />
problems to the other riders. For me, this<br />
is what makes WorldSBK so special. For<br />
Ducati, with the history of their success in<br />
WorldSBK, it’s difficult to believe it’s been<br />
11 years since they won the Championship.<br />
I’ve always said Bautista is a great rider and<br />
to work with the engineers and personnel<br />
in Ducati, I think it really brought the best<br />
out of him as a rider and he brought the<br />
best out of the team. It’s great. He’s a good<br />
character, very nice with the fans and the<br />
public and everybody.”<br />
Corser also spoke about six-time Champion<br />
Rea, revealing he was the rider he enjoyed<br />
watching the most on track. During the<br />
Australian Round, Rea equalled Corser’s<br />
record for number of starts in WorldSBK<br />
on 377. He said: “I’d probably say Jonny<br />
Rea. Jonny’s the rider, when I watch, who<br />
looks like he’s very in control all the time.<br />
I’ve obviously known Jonny for a long,<br />
long time from when he first entered the<br />
Championship back in WorldSSP back<br />
in the day. Spent some time with him<br />
also, helping him as much as possible. To<br />
actually watch him now, to see what he’s<br />
achieved as a rider, is pretty special. It’s<br />
another record where I’ve been waiting<br />
for it to be broken. For Jonny to meet this<br />
milestone, it feels nice. Like I said, he’s a<br />
rider that I’ve always enjoyed helping and<br />
watching him win and for Jonny to take my<br />
record, I guess you could say, it’s good.”<br />
An Australian rider will be on the<br />
WorldSBK grid as Remy Gardner joins<br />
the GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team<br />
from MotoGP, making his debut in the<br />
Championship aboard the Yamaha YZF-R1<br />
machine. Corser spoke about Gardner’s<br />
chances when he joins WorldSBK, while<br />
also discussing Oli Bayliss who made<br />
his debut in WorldSSP this year with the<br />
BARNI Spark Racing Team and took a best<br />
finish of sixth in tricky conditions at the<br />
Circuito Estoril.<br />
Discussing Gardner and Bayliss, Corser<br />
said: “For Remy, for me, it’s a little bit<br />
difficult to see where he’ll finish in<br />
WorldSBK. For sure, he’s a very talented<br />
rider, but it’s a different paddock. He has<br />
a lot of talent, he’s very fast, but to put a<br />
whole season together here, it’s not easy.<br />
He’s learnt a lot in MotoGP but I think<br />
the Superbikes are probably a little bit<br />
harder to ride. I wish him all the best. We’ll<br />
wait and see, it’s difficult to say before I’ve<br />
seen him on a Superbike. Oli Bayliss, for<br />
sure, has a lot of pressure, I think, because<br />
of his father, Troy’s, success and with the<br />
name. He seems quite calm and relaxed.<br />
He still needs a bit of experience, a bit<br />
more time on the bike. But it’s fantastic to<br />
see Troy have his son out there, I’m sure<br />
he’s very proud to see his son. I’m sure<br />
it’s very stressful also, for him and Kim!<br />
I’d like to say he could be another World<br />
Champion but there’s a long way to go at<br />
the moment for him, just to get results and<br />
get experience.”