Team boss Paul Bird will hope that history repeats itself as the Vent Axia VK Honda team heads to Australia for the second round of the World Superbike Championship at Phillip Island.
The team, graduating to WSBK for a full season for the first time, secured a brace of points finishes in Qatar thanks to former BSB champion Gregorio Lavilla despite a lack of pre-season running and the fact that neither rider nor team has extensive experience of the Pirelli tyre fitted to the 2007-specification Fireblade.
Although there is plenty of work to be done in Australia, Bird said he was hopeful the team would benefit from the fact he won't be making the trip due to his own racing commitments back in the UK – with the team having won in his absence last year.
"We had a tough time in Qatar and we'll be looking for improvements in Australia but the team knows that we have some work to do," Bird, who will be driving a Subaru WRC in the Malcolm Wilson Rally back in his native Cumbria, said. "Greg learnt a lot and he'll hopefully do well at Phillip Island and it's a good omen me not going to a race, when that happened last year, they won!
"I'm really looking forward to driving the car again as apart from a couple of miles before a problem struck last time out, I've not driven in anger since early October. I love the Malcolm Wilson Rally and the possibility of a hat-trick and equalling Bill's record meant I decided to contest the rally instead of spending two days on a plane. A fourth win for me on Saturday and a pair of decent top ten placings [for Lavilla] on Sunday will be a perfect weekend for us."
