The race
Max Biaggi conquers Phillip Island, dominating Race 1 and making an incredible comeback: from last to second place in Race 2. The great performance earns the provisional leadership for the Corsair, while Eugene Laverty leaves Australia with eighth place in Race 2.

Phillip Island, 26 February 2012 – Two spectacular races for Max Biaggi and the Aprilia Racing Team at Phillip Island. The first round of the 2012 world Superbike season provides the Corsair and his RSV4 with extraordinarily positive confirmation on a track which historically has not be favourable.
At the start of race 1 Max shot out well from the second spot on the grid, straight away breathing down the tailpipes of Checa and Sykes. Aided by the good pace he showed during the test sessions, Max skilfully overtook the Kawasaki rider during the third lap, then putting a lap record on the boards at 1'31.785. A crash by Checa, at that point with Max bearing down hard on him, paved the way to victory, won with more than 7 seconds advantage over the closest rival.

Race 2 was even more exciting and will be long remembered by the fans. Rocketing out well when the red lights went off, Max was involved in contact with Sykes on the first turn, a collision which moved the brake lever and prevented proper braking. Re-entering the track in last place, with an eight second disadvantage, the five time world champion laid down 22 breathtaking laps filled with duels, overtaking and repetition, fast laps and deadly cool concentration, coming back to second place and earning the provisional leadership in the 2012 World Championship.

The emotion came through clearly in Max's words: “After such a difficult winter this is extremely satisfying for me. I worked without sparing myself and during the testing here at Phillip Island we truly tried a lot of things and the results prove us right. The first weekend with my new Team puts us out front and I have to thank both my guys and Aprilia for that. Race 1 was great, and the second one maybe even better. After running off the track I only thought about focusing and giving my all, because coming back from last place is always risky. We succeeded. We're taking home two good results and now there is nothing left to do but keep the tension high to confirm our strength at Imola. I am leaving for Montecarlo so Monday I'll be home and I'll begin to prepare for the next round”.

Eugene Laverty, who had a rough weekend, was in any case able to cross the finish line in Race 2 in eighth place after pulling out of the first. The two recent crashes left their mark, besides compromising the extremely important test sessions for a rider who is making his début on a new bike. The young Northern Irish rider is sizing up his RSV4 and feels confident for the next races.

“In the end, if we think about what has happened, I'm not disappointed. I would have been happy with two placings among the first 10. It's a shame that the bike went into neutral in the first race which forced me to run on. Race 2 was just as difficult due to my condition after the crashes, but all in all eight points can prove to be important for such a long and difficult championship”.

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Saturday qualifying
Superpole cancelled at Phillip Island after a fatal accident in the Australian superstock 600 race.
The starting grid for the two races tomorrow was lined up based on the last qualifier standings: Biaggi second, Laverty on the third row.

Phillip Island, 25 February 2012 – The Superpole scheduled for this afternoon on the Australian track at Phillip Island was cancelled. During the first race of the national Superstock 600 championship, a serious accident in the second of twelve scheduled laps involved three riders, causing the race to be suspended. Sadly, seventeen year old Oscar McIntyre died from the injuries he sustained, while the other two riders are out of danger.

The starting order for the two Superbike races tomorrow was therefore decided by the standings from the morning qualifiers, which place Max Biaggi in the second block of the grid, while Eugene Laverty will start from eleventh place.

“Any statement seems superfluous – was the first reaction from Max – we are very saddened about what happened. We don't know the details but suspending the session seemed like the logical thing to do. We'll start from the second spot on the grid tomorrow and I don't think Superpole would have made any great changes to the balance that came out of the test sessions. My goal is to get a good start and to try for two good results. It would seem that the work we've done the last few days will allow us to do that.

Eugene Laverty's physical condition has improved since his crash yesterday. The Northern Irish rider participated in the test sessions, coming in eleventh in the qualifiers which will also determine his spot on the grid.

“Today went much better. Yesterday was a complete disaster with the crash, which was maybe favoured by the condition of my hand. I was able to get in some good times this morning, thanks also to the Mobile Clinic. Unfortunately our work was interrupted by a serious accident. We'll start from the third row and if I think about what happened yesterday I can only be happy about that.

Phillip Island WSBK – Starting order

1 – T.Sykes (Kawasaki)
2 – M.Biaggi (Aprilia)
3 – C.Checa (Ducati)
4 – J.Smrz (Ducati)
5 – S.Guintoli (Ducati)
6 – L.Camier (Suzuki)
7 – N.Canepa (Ducati)
8 – J.Rea (Honda)
9 – M.Berger (Ducati)
10 – M.Fabrizio (BMW)
11 – E.Laverty (Aprilia)
12 – L.Haslam (BMW)

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Friday session
The first times are in for the Aprilia Racing Team from the Phillip Island track. Max Biaggi came through two sessions searching for the right rhythm on his RSV4, with good results as his times confirm. Team mate Eugene Laverty fell victim to a crash in the afternoon tests without serious physical consequences.

Phillip Island, 24 February 2012 – The second and final testing session just ended on the Australian circuit of Phillip Island, the first round of the 2012 World Superbike season. The Aprilia Racing Team continues the work they began during the recent five days of testing, searching for the ideal set-up on the RSV4 bikes ridden by five time world champion Max Biaggi and Eugene Laverty.

Max, as his times confirm, worked at race pace during both sessions. The times achieved in various conditions were good and earned him second and fifth place in the two 45 minute sessions. The most striking aspect of the sessions was the consistency shown by the Corsair, who took quite a few laps, as is his habit. The responses from the bike and tyres were encouraging, but there is still room for improvement.

“We did some good work today – confirmed Max – taking a lot of laps and trying to solve the problems on various parts of the track. Our race pace is good, even if there is still some work to do to catch Checa. Tomorrow we'll focus on performance in the fast lap, trying to take the best advantage of the tyres in that situation so that we can line up on the grid Sunday with our papers in order to battle with the best”.

Team mate Eugene Laverty, back in the saddle after an injury to his hand last Wednesday, took advantage of the first session to regain familiarity with the bike and the track. But in the first few minutes of the afternoon qualifiers the Northern Irish rider took a spill in turn 9. Eugene was treated at the track medical centre, not for any particular physical injury, but for a state of confusion due to minor concussion.

His participation in the sessions tomorrow shouldn't be a problem: “In the first session I just wanted to see how my hand would perform. In the second the feeling was good from the first laps. I was on a used tyre and I lost the back end and took a slide, hitting my head and my foot. I'm fine now and there don't seem to be any problems for tomorrow, but I'm still disappointed about the important time we lost because of the crash. Tomorrow the goal is to stay in the top sixteen in order to get into Superpole and try to bring home good results in the two races”.

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Preview
Aprilia Racing Team at the start of World Superbike.  After five days of testing, Max Biaggi and Eugene Laverty are ready for the first round of 2012 on the Australian track at Phillip Island.

Phillip Island, 23 February 2012 - The engines of the factory derivative bikes start back up with the first race of the world SBK season on the Australian track at Phillip Island. The first of the 14 races scheduled for this year will be a chance to see the competitiveness of the teams and riders after the winter break.

The 2012 début for the Official Aprilia Team RSV4 bikes was preceded by five days of tests during which five time world champion Max Biaggi worked hard together with his team, radically renewed, to compete as best as possible on the 2012 season starting grid. The times the Corsair put on the board are promising, always close to the top spots.

On the other hand, his new team mate, Northern Irish rider Eugene Laverty, had to skip two days of official tests after an injury sustained during last week's test sessions.  In any case, the fracture to the third metacarpus on his left hand will not keep him from climbing aboard his RSV4 for the first tests on Friday, and only then will Eugene remove any doubts about his participation.

"These days of testing have been very important for us - commented Max Biaggi - having a completely new team we need to try out the mechanisms and work out any kinks in the way we work. I'm rather satisfied. We really tried everything on a track which is certainly not one of our favourites. The lap times were good, considering the fact that I wasn't pushing for maximum performance, but I was looking for a set-up which will allow us to be fast over the long distance. In any case, the race will put us to a hard test. Our rivals have shown speed and consistency, so we will really have to fight tooth and nail right from the beginning of the season to aim for a good result".

Eugene Laverty is optimistic about his physical condition: “My season has suffered a minor setback following my hand injury in the test last week.  Fortunately we have had more than a week off the bike which has allowed the hand to improve a huge amount.  I have flown my doctor out to Australia to help with my rehabilitation and we have been working constantly on my injury for five hours every day.  I feel confident that I will be fit to ride but I guess I will have to wait until Friday to find out.  Honestly I feel that Carlos Checa and my teammate Max are out of reach unless I am 100% but it won’t stop me from trying!”.