Dual Australian Supersport Champion Daniel Falzon has made a well-publicised transition to the premier Superbike ranks in 2015, debuting at Phillip Island’s ASBK opener alongside the World Superbikes late last month. After finishing sixth overall despite a crash in race two, CycleOnline.com.au got in touch to discuss his progression on the 1000 to date.

Image: Keith Muir.

You’ve made the switch to the Superbike for this year and made your debut at Phillip Island, so how did you find it?

Enjoyment was through the roof. I really enjoyed the weekend and loved racing with the factory guys again – it’s been a while since I’ve been on the grid with them. As for the bike itself, it’s extremely fast and the category is very competitive. I enjoyed it and I felt it was timely that we moved up to Superbikes. Starting off at World Superbikes in the ASBK round one was the perfect place to do it, we felt.

In terms of the weekend, Phillip Island is the quickest track on the calendar, so how’d you find that in a race situation and had you spent much time on the Superbike there prior?

We had completed Paul Free’s double test, doing about 100 laps over the two days. We had a bit of testing before and had done one or two meetings at Mallala, but every session on track I was learning, because it was the first time I was able to chase somebody else. By the time race two came on Sunday afternoon, I felt like I was getting much faster and put down my fastest time – a 1m34.0s – but unfortunately lost the front. It was a bit of a pity, but I managed to get back up and finish in eighth position.

How did you find the talent in the field? You mentioned it was nice to race against the factory guys, and it also looked like quite the battle for positions third through fifth or so…

Yeah, that’s right. The factory boys throughout the weekend had a little bit on the privateers, so it was pretty much a race for us amongst the other privateers. For us it was quite cut-throat, because Linden [Magee], Mike [Jones] and Sean [Condon] all showed good pace and I knew if I could stay with them throughout the race it would be a good debut for us. With some more time on the bike we can improve and when we take delivery of the new R1 we will be able to work on set-up more, whereas with the other bike we rode it very much standard.

I know it’s not ideal to mention the other bike – a Kawasaki – while you’re waiting on the new Yamaha, so when are you expecting delivery and what’s the plan moving forward?

Well we haven’t had a definite delivery date as yet, but I’d like to see it here within a fortnight and it’d give us time to get it set up before ASBK round two. It’s not so much just getting the bike, it’s also getting the aftermarket suspension, full exhaust system and all the modifications to keep us competitive. It’s a bit of a waiting game at the moment and it’s a tedious process, so we’ll just have to wait it out a little bit longer and get in as much practice as we can when it comes.

Source: JD Racing.

You’re a two-time current ASBK Supersport champion, now focused on the Superbike class in that series for 2015. Is the championship the goal?

Yeah, that is the goal, but whether it’s realistic or not, I’m not to sure yet. I haven’t seen the entry list for who will be competing at every round, but I think if we can just remain consistent then we can be in it for the title. This year though, I’m all about developing. I want to develop myself to become a Superbike rider, not so much a 600 rider, and learn some new tracks as well because I’ve not ridden Morgan Park’s full circuit or Barbagallo, or ridden Symmons Plains since 2011. It’s about me learning these new tracks and a new bike, plus also a new team structure, because we are running other riders in the team and it has put pressure on us to do that bit more.

I was going to mention that, because although you’ve personally stepped up to the Superbike, JD Racing still has guys in Supersport, so tell us a bit about that. How does that affect you, if at all?

We figured at the end of last year it was time for me to go to the Superbike, but we had two very competitive Supersport bikes at home. We thought it would be a good idea to get some younger riders on these bikes and expand our team. As for the actual riding, I think it’s a bit harder to get time with my brother Jon, who does all my data on the bike, because he is working with the other riders as well. It’s a development year for us and I have to accept that; we won’t have a spare bike at the track or as much time with Jon and the suspension guys in the team. It’s one step at a time and I’m sure it will become easier as the year goes on.

No worries, thanks a lot for your time and well done on your debut. We definitely look forward to seeing you out there on the new R1.

I can’t wait [laughs], cheers Alex!