Noriyuki Haga of the Yamaha Motor Italia team has had to take some time to adapt at the forefront of the 2005 Yamaha challenge but yet another Aussie with a World Supersport championship in his trophy cabinet, Andrew Pitt Yamaha Motor Italia, has shown his true pace already as Haga's team-mate. On home tarmac, Pitt has always been a force, but he is only one of a whole raft of quick R1 riders collecting at Phillip Island. Jose Luis Cardoso with the DFX Extreme Sterilgarda squd, Sebastien Gimbert of Yamaha Motor France and his team-mate Norick Abe have already unveiled glimpses of their pace and power, and that of the 2005 R1. In numerical terms, the R1 predominates in WSBK this season, with Yamaha riders into double digits on the grid.
Chris Walker and Mauro Sanchini are two of the main driving forces for the Kawasaki concern, riding the awesome PSG-1 ZX-10 Superbike. Walker showed that he will be a force to be reckoned with now he is back on a four-cylinder machine, but after luck deserted him in Losail he is not as high up the points charts as his obvious speed would indicate. The Bertocchi squad, represented by Giovanni Bussei and Ivan Clementi, has one more year of experience of the ZX-10 Superbike, having taken
advantage of the 1000cc ceiling for four-cylinder Superbikes, first introduced in 2004.
Pierfrancesco Chili rode his heart out to almost earn a podium finish in race two at Qatar, in his latest WSBK incarnation as a Honda rider. The likeable Italian expects a faster bike down-under.
"We must concentrate our energies on working to make the most of our expected new parts when we get to Australia," said Chili. "I am a rider who needs grip for my riding style so not to have the grip I need to go fast was frustrating at the Valencia tests. Phillip Island is a very different track."
His young team-mate Max Neukirchner joins him in the Klaffi Superbike squad, having already made a swift transition from a WSS rookie position with the team in 2004 to WSBK rookie in 2005. Another new team in WSBK 2005, the Klaffi outfit has already made a double-barrelled impact.
