STATS GUIDE: unpredictability awaits at the home of close finishes as WorldSBK heads Down Under to begin 2025
The season is getting underway and there are still plenty of big stats and milestones to come from Phillip Island
The 2025 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is here and the iconic Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit hosts Round 1 of the season, the Australian Round. Phillip Island always delivers, and it’s the circuit with 18 finishes decided by less than a tenth – a record for WorldSBK. We’ve gathered some of the best stats and facts ahead of the round for you to know everything you need to before racing gets underway Down Under.
335.4 – The fastest ever top speed recorded at Phillip Island is 335.4 kph, set last year by Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) on his Honda CBR1000RR-R during the Superpole Race.
182.014 – Last year, Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) set the new record for the highest average speed in the Tissot Superpole session: his time of 1’27.916 was good for an average of 182.014 kph, the highest value for the 2024 season.
79 – Ducati have collected no fewer than 79 podium finishes at Phillip Island: that is the third highest value in history for a manufacturer on a given track after their own 100 podiums at Misano and the 89 at Assen.
70 – Phillip Island holds the record for most WorldSBK races run at. In second place Assen, with 68 races run.
59 - Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) has 57 wins, just two short of the 3rd all-time place held by Carl Fogarty. Ahead: Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha) at 119 and Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) at 63.
33 – Ducati is the most successful manufacturer at Phillip Island with 33 wins. Their last winless weekend here was 2020.
29/57 – The 70 races run at Phillip Island so far have had 29 different winners and 57 different riders on the podium.
23 - Australian riders have won their home race here 23 times, the last was in 2008 with a double from Troy Bayliss.
18 – Phillip Island is the home for thrilling finishes: no fewer than 18 races here were decided by less than 0.1 seconds.
16 – In 2022, Rea claimed the record for Phillip Island podiums: his tally is now 16, four more than Troy Corser.
14.983 – In 2019, Bautista made a stunning debut in WorldSBK, winning his maiden race with a gap of 14.983 seconds over Rea, the largest winning margin in a dry race at Phillip Island.
13 - The last rider who won at Phillip Island starting outside the top ten on the grid is Noriyuki Haga; he lined up in 13th position in 2009 Race 1, and by the end of the opening lap he was already in second place and took the lead after just four laps.
8 – In 2023, Bautista became the most successful rider in Phillip Island, with 8 wins, with Troy Corser and Jonathan Rea at 7.
7 – No fewer than 7 manufacturers set pole at Phillip Island: the latest addition was BMW in 2020 (Sykes). The record is Ducati, with 13 poles, the last one coming last year with Bulega.
6 – Six different manufacturers have won at Phillip Island. Ducati lead the way on 33, with Kawasaki the only other with double-digit wins (15). Suzuki, Aprilia and Yamaha all have six, with Honda on four.
1-3 – The last 9 races here have been won only from the first 3 spots of the grid.
1 – Only once in WorldSBK history, the podium was composed by riders starting outside the top ten grid spots. That was in Phillip Island 2009, Race 1. Noriyuki Haga won from 13th, Max Neukirchner was second from 14th and Yukio Kagayama was third from 11th.
CAN IT GET ANY CLOSER? Find out whether milestones and records are hit in Australia using the WorldSBK VideoPass!
