Midweek Rubbers....WSB is finally here!!

By Burning Rubber on Feb 25, 09 03:16 PM

LADIES and gentlemen, the waiting is over....we're just days away from the start of the season as the WSB circus rocks into Phillip Island, Australia.

And with MotoGP looking more than a little bit sorry for itself this year, this is going to be THE racing series of 2009.

Yes, World Superbikes is where it's going to be at in 2009, and if you're one of these race fans who has taken your eye off the ball in recent years, now is the time to come back - but expect some BIG line-up changes.

First of all, top dog Troy Bayliss has retired, which means this year is not just going to be a case of who can keep up and possibly catch him.

Instead, Samurai of Slide Noriyuki is spearheading the Ducati Xerox Team challenge, with Michel Fabrizio returning to the famous red machine alongside him.

Haga's former team-mate, Troy Corser has also moved to pastures new, and will lead the new BMW Motorrad Motorsport assault, with leggy Spaniard Ruben Xaus as his team-mate, running bike numbers 11 and 111 respectively.

The enigma that is Max Biaggi returns to the marque which brought him much 250GP success, as he heads up the new Aprilia Racing outfit with fellow GP defecter Shinya Nakano.

And it's also the year of the Brits. Big BSB names like 2008 champ Shakey Byrne, Leon Haslam, Tom Sykes, Tommy Hill and Jonny Rea have arrived to upset the applecart.

Shakey joins Team Sterilgarda with Alessandro Polita, and Tom Sykes has scored a corker of a ride with the Yamaha World Superbike team.

The other three, confusing as it is, will all ride Hondas, but all with different outfits.

Haslam joins Roberto Rolfo on the Stiggy Racing Honda, Hill will race the HANNspree Honda Althea machine while Rea joins Carlos Checa at HANNspree Ten Kate Honda.

So who will win? It's a hard one to call. Haga surely must be a one to watch on a bike which has won time and time again - and with his previous Ducati experience, if he was to ever have a chance, this is it.

The Brit lads are all with good, strong teams so wins are not out of reach for any of them. Rea apparently set the unofficial fastest time in the last day of practice last week, and I personally believe he is going to come to the fore this year, possibly eclipsing Haslam and Shakey.

Sykes will go well, and Tommy Hill will be looking to make up for his dire year in 08 when he was sidelined due to injury.

The new BMW and Aprilia squads will certainly spice things up a bit, and with riders like Corser and Biaggi on these new bikes, as well as all the other old favourites - Kagayama, Muggeridge, Kiyo, Laconi, Lavilla et al - this year is going to be blinding.

Roll on Sunday morning!

ends.