News 25 Feb 2013

World SBK CEO Alonso reveals plan to develop Australian talent

Australian riders could be boosted onto competitive Superbike World Championship seats sooner than expected.

WSS regular Mitchell Carr was top Australian finisher in 16th at Phillip Island. Image: Andrew Gosling/TBG Sport.

WSS regular Mitchell Carr was top Australian finisher in 16th at Phillip Island. Image: Andrew Gosling/TBG Sport.

Australian riders could be boosted onto competitive Superbike World Championship seats sooner than expected, with new SBK CEO Javier Alonso revealing a master plan to get an Aussie back in the category full time.

In an interview with SPEED TV Australia during the weekend’s coverage at Phillip Island, Alonso confirmed Dorna’s intention to assist an Australian in becoming a regular on the World Superbike stage.

With Phillip Island confirming a new three-year deal to host World SBK through the 2017 season on Sunday, having a competitive Australian rider in the series to promote the sport locally will further strengthen the series locally.

With MotoGP organisers Dorna now also in charge of SBK, Alonso is confident the series will be able to leverage a ride for an Australian rider despite the current sponsorship requirements needed to secure seats until they are proven contenders.

“We need to find a rider that can be consistently in World Superbike, maybe starting in Supersport,” Alonso explained. “We are already making a plan, identifying the riders and where we could place those riders in the future.

“One of the advantages of having the world championships under Dorna, we will be able to transfer riders easier than it was before. We have Australians racing in Red Bull Rookies, as well as racing in Moto3 and Moto2 – they can be transferred easily.

“It’s just a matter of identifying a way and identifying the rider that we must have here in World Superbikes. We need a rider, we need an Australian rider and this is one of my number one priorities for the championship.”

Alonso is aware of the series’ need for top level Australians, which previously enjoyed the success of many strong Aussie contenders including world champions Troy Corser and Troy Bayliss.

“When you are in a territory like Australia and we have had so many successful Australian riders in WSBK, but we don’t have one now, it doesn’t make sense,” Alonso added. “There are difficulties today because of the crisis, because of the cost, but we need to change that. We need to make a plan and stick to the plan.”

The 2013 season will see just two full time Aussies in the SBK series as national champion Mitchell Carr (AARK Racing Triumph) and Matt Davies (PTR Honda) contest their rookie seasons in the World Supersport category.

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