WorldSBK Analysis: Why Ducati at full flow leaves rivals on the rocks

Here’s a fun fact: Did you know, water drains counterclockwise in the southern hemisphere, whereas it swirls clockwise in the north?

If you didn’t, then I’ll make like QI host Sandi Toksvig and explain that this is predominantly due to the earth’s rotational pull. Since this is Bikesportnews.com and not a scientific journal, I’ll skip the physics tutorial…

Point is, this ‘quite interesting’ phenomenon sums up the opening round of the 2023 WorldSBK Championship opener at Phillip Island, which at times felt a touch back-to-front.

As ever, the curtain-raising event played out with pent-up, keen-to-impress riders racing like over-stimulated children piling back into school after the summer break.

For Jonathan Rea - in fact, Kawasaki on the whole - and Toprak Razgatlioglu though, they come away from Australia knowing there is some homework ahead if there is any chance for them to dethrone ‘head boy’ Alvaro Bautista.

A blip or a case of diminishing returns for Kawasaki?

The rhetoric from Rea coming into the new season had been one of caution.

As for why, well, according to Rea at the end of the weekend, Kawasaki ‘didn’t nail the set-up’. This is unfamiliar territory for Rea, a rider whose diligent hours in testing and the ZX-10RR’s well proven base has made it such a consistently strong contender.

Indeed, whereas Rea came into the 2022 season knowing a bit of self-development to sharpen the elbows in battle was a solution to tackle a gnarly rival like Razgatlioglu, there are limits to what he can do personally to repel the Ducati-branded missiles on the straight and narrow… that is unless he is willing to sacrifice a couple of his limbs to lighten the load.

Phillip Island does flatter to deceive at times and forthcoming