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The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is getting ever closer and this year, the line-up promises to bring even more exciting racing. However, the traditional starting point is usually in Australia at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit and whilst it’s back on the calendar, it’s not going to be the season-opener. As a tribute to WorldSBK’s traditional first round, we’ll be looking at a Phillip Island classic each day in this last week of February, as we warm up for a new dawn this year.

We start with a bang and the closest WorldSBK finish ever seen in the Championship’s history. Race 1 of the new decade was a thriller, as Alstare Suzuki’s Leon Haslam – one of the early favourites for the title – went head-to-head with Michel Fabrizio, now in his third season with Xerox Ducati. Both were chasing each other throughout the race and took turns at the front before a final lap shoot-out began. With Noriyuki Haga waiting in the wings, both Haslam and Fabrizio went wide at Turn 10, before Fabrizio tried to pass Haslam at the final corner.

‘Pocket Rocket’ Haslam held on but now it was a run to the line, with Fabrizio gaining all the way down the Gardner Straight and the pair crossed the line neck-and-neck. Original timing gave the verdict to Fabrizio, declaring him the winner by just 0.004s but it proved to be even too close for timing, as halfway through the cool-down lap, it went to a photo finish and was then reversed and given to Haslam, with the British rider picking up his first win and Alstare Suzuki’s first in two years in what remains as the closest finish in WorldSBK history. Eventual Champion in 2010, Max Biaggi, didn’t feature in the battle but took his Aprilia to fifth.

Get ready for 2022 and enjoy more timeless classics in WorldSBK with the WorldSBK VideoPass!