CycleOnline.com.au casts our sights ahead to assess Phillip Island’s opening round of the 2016 World Superbike Championship on 26-28 February. With new riders, bikes and teams in the mix, this year’s shaping up to be one of the finest on record. Here are some of the topical pre-season contenders.

Image: Russell Colvin.

Rider: Jonathan Rea
Team: Kawasaki Racing Team
Rating: 9/10
Rundown: It’s extremely difficult to look past Jonathan Rea at any race this season. After a dominant last year that saw him finally clinch the WorldSBK crown first year in with Kawasaki, chances are he’ll only improve further this year. After seeing his early form during testing on the brand new ZX-10R at the end of 2015, don’t rule out a double to open his title defence next month.

Rider: Chaz Davies
Team: Aruba.it Racing Ducati Superbike Team
Rating: 7/10
Rundown: We have a feeling the time could be right for Davies to really challenge for the title this year. 12 months ago in Australia he marginally missed out on Superpole and finished third in both races, within a second of victory during each. With another season of development carried out on the ever-improving 1098R, the Welshman will be a hot favourite at the Island all weekend.

Rider: Tom Sykes
Team: Kawasaki Racing Team
Rating: 5/10
Rundown: The two-time WorldSBK champion had nothing for teammate Jonathan Rea in Australia last year, going 6-4 in the races. He steadily improved over the course of the weekend, but we can’t see him upstaging his newly-crowned world champion teammate for the top honours this year. In saying that, the new ZX-10R could be enough to boost him onto the podium in one race at least.

Source: Supplied.

Rider: Alex Lowes
Team: Pata Yamaha
Rating: 6/10
Rundown: There’s no denying that Alex Lowes will be incredibly quick once again at Phillip Island when the action begins in February, however whether he can maintain it across the race weekend remains to be seen. Armed with the brand new factory YZF-R1, he has his best shot yet at putting it all together for a pair of strong finishes on Sunday. This year will no doubt be his best yet.

Rider: Nicky Hayden
Team: Honda World Superbike Team
Rating: 6/10
Rundown: The 2006 MotoGP World Champion finally makes his competitive switch to WorldSBK and we’re excited to see how he fares. Equipped with the aging CBR1000RR, the American has historically been very strong at the circuit, so with plenty of mileage in the pre-season there’s no reason why he can’t challenge for the podium, if not the race wins. Regardless, his arrival is certain to be a major – and popular – talking point.

Rider: Josh Brookes
Team: Milwaukee BMW
Rating: 5/10
Rundown: Coming off a glorious season in BSB, there’s no doubting the experienced Aussie can ride a Superbike with the best of them. But the challenge of quickly developing the S 1000 RR in WorldSBK trim will be a mega task and he’ll need everything to go smoothly in the lead-up if he’s to challenge at the front. If not, Brookes’ home round will be an opportunity to build a base and work forward from there. We’re betting he’ll shine though.