MRW Issue 27

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