SBK: Ducati off the pace, BMW find solace in Miguel Oliveira’s mega comeback

M 1000 RRs far from the podium, but it’s worth highlighting the rookie Portuguese rider’s excellent comeback in the first SBK race in Australia. Petrucci finishes inside the top 10.

Phillip Island isn’t the best track for BMW—that’s no secret. Seeing Miguel Oliveira and Danilo Petrucci struggle isn’t all that surprising, as both are in their first year with the M 1000 RR and couldn’t fully capitalize on the pre-season Superbike tests to adapt to all the new features. In Race 1 both riders made the top 10: the Portuguese eighth, the Italian tenth. The gap to Nicolò Bulega, winner with the new Ducati Panigale V4 R, was over 20 seconds.

While Petrucci managed a good Superpole to secure sixth on the grid, qualifying was a nightmare for Oliveira. He crashed at the start of the session, then couldn’t set a meaningful time due to a technical problem with his M 1000 RR. He was forced to start from the back of the grid, which will also be the case for the Superpole Race. From 21st he did well to climb to eighth, but in the “sprint” he’ll only have 10 laps: it won’t be easy to finish in the top 9 and thus gain grid positions for Race 2.

The Portuguese rider is disappointed with how Superpole went today at Phillip Island, but he still tried to do his best to learn and score points: "It was definitely tough. It’s a pity I crashed on the first lap of qualifying, because it probably cost me the chance to get better results all weekend. I pushed a bit more on the front and went down. I picked up the bike and came back in, then an electronic issue didn’t allow me to go back out. In the race I tried to get the most I could, making clean overtakes and trying to understand the bike better every lap. We gathered feedback and useful information for the future. We’ll build from here and see how Sunday goes."

Oliveira found himself mounting a strong comeback and even had the chance to battle with his teammate, Petrucci: "It was fun," he commented. "I had a few strong points and tried to make the most of them. During the race I was able to learn some things to try to exploit the bike better. Now I need to process everything and use it tomorrow."

Looking ahead to the Superpole Race, he knows it will take a feat to score points and secure a good starting spot for Race 2: "In 10 laps it will be difficult to reach the top 9, but anything can happen in a short race. I need to be ready if someone makes mistakes and make more aggressive passes if I want to get a place in the top 9." It remains to be seen whether Superbike Sunday at Phillip Island will be affected by rain and whether that factor could play in favor of the BMW riders.