As part of the build-up to the Yamaha Finance Australian Round of February 2017, Jonathan Rea was invited to cycle around the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit on Friday morning. However, the Kawasaki Racing Team (KRT) rider was not expecting a mass gathering on the starting grid with Bass Coast Mayor, Cr Pamela Rothfield and the ‘Key to Phillip Island’.

Busy riding the 4.45-kilometre circuit with a group of friends, Rea was stopped by Mayor Rothfield and Fergus Cameron, the circuit’s Managing Director, plus a crew of pupils from the local Cowes Primary school which Rea’s wife Tatia once attended. Now a double WorldSBK Champion, Rea was awarded with the giant key and invited to accept his status of ‘adopted citizen’ to the southern Australian island, in the company of wife Tatia and sons Jake and Tyler.

In a further twist, the school children then whisked the WorldSBK title holder onto a bus and across to the karting circuit on the inside of Doohan Corner, Turn 1, where they duly unveiled a Jonathan Rea go-kart in full Kawasaki green livery, complete with his race number 1. Even the World Champion was taken aback!

“That was a massive surprise with my cycling mates!” Rea laughed. “We pulled into the circuit and I got awarded the key to Phillip Island and got some special recognition from the community which was so nice. I really consider Phillip Island my second home. My wife was born here and lived her for many years and it’s nice to come back. The double win last February here was amazing. It’s always the best round of year for me and we have it in the summer here, which is incredible.”

The Northern Irishman added that his target remains to become the first rider since WorldSBK’s inception in 1988 to claim three consecutive Riders’ Titles, before summing up the surprise of Friday:

“I feel like an adopted son down here. Cycling is quite a social sport, we all go and have coffee in the local café after the rides and hangout; it’s a nice switch off for me and it is also when I start my physical preparations in December for 2017 before I head back to Europe testing in January where I throw some motocross into the mix, a lot more gym work and by the time I come back here in February for Round 1, I’m really ready to kick start the year.”

The Yamaha Finance Australian Round will once again kick off the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, witnessing the all-new Race 2 grid format across the weekend of 24-26 February 2017. 

Busy riding the 4.45-kilometre circuit with a group of friends, Rea was stopped by Mayor Rothfield and Fergus Cameron, the circuit’s Managing Director, plus a crew of pupils from the local Cowes Primary school which Rea’s wife Tatia once attended. Now a double WorldSBK Champion, Rea was awarded with the giant key and invited to accept his status of ‘adopted citizen’ to the southern Australian island, in the company of wife Tatia and sons Jake and Tyler.

In a further twist, the school children then whisked the WorldSBK title holder onto a bus and across to the karting circuit on the inside of Doohan Corner, Turn 1, where they duly unveiled a Jonathan Rea go-kart in full Kawasaki green livery, complete with his race number 1. Even the World Champion was taken aback!

“That was a massive surprise with my cycling mates!” Rea laughed. “We pulled into the circuit and I got awarded the key to Phillip Island and got some special recognition from the community which was so nice. I really consider Phillip Island my second home. My wife was born here and lived her for many years and it’s nice to come back. The double win last February here was amazing. It’s always the best round of year for me and we have it in the summer here, which is incredible.”

The Northern Irishman added that his target remains to become the first rider since WorldSBK’s inception in 1988 to claim three consecutive Riders’ Titles, before summing up the surprise of Friday:

“I feel like an adopted son down here. Cycling is quite a social sport, we all go and have coffee in the local café after the rides and hangout; it’s a nice switch off for me and it is also when I start my physical preparations in December for 2017 before I head back to Europe testing in January where I throw some motocross into the mix, a lot more gym work and by the time I come back here in February for Round 1, I’m really ready to kick start the year.”

The Yamaha Finance Australian Round will once again kick off the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, witnessing the all-new Race 2 grid format across the weekend of 24-26 February 2017. 

FIM World Superbike Championship will once again take on the famous Corkscrew at Laguna Seca from the 7th to 9th July 2017.

Returning for the fifth year, the WorldSBK championship will play host to some phenomenal racing action at a circuit which provides pure adrenaline at speeds of over 260kmh.

The series heads Stateside with a star-studded line up and some great offers that will give you the best chance to see the racing action, as the championship goes hits the final third of the season.

Nuova M2 Racing have confirmed their line up ahead of the 2017 season, as they are set to compete for another season in the European Superstock 1000 Championship with Aprilia Racing.

Taking on the ever competitive European championship with Maximilian Scheib and Luca Vitali the Italian team are hoping to bring a strong fight next season. Undergoing winter testing at Cartagena in Spain with some success, they are confident heading into the winter with a strong line up behind them.

Maximilian Scheib won the final round of the STK1000 series last season, therefore the Chilean will approach the season understanding the competitive nature of the championship. Italian Luca Vitali adds to the experienced line-up; finishing the 2016 STK1000 season in 12th position overall.

Enzo Chiapello: "I am very pleased to be able to put on track a very strong team for 2017. Aprilia Racing season is now a certainty; there remains a high level of support in the knowledge that the RSV4 are very competitive bike.

"He new drivers are all top-notch. We spent a few days together in Spain during the winter tests and they proved immediately very fast, but above all capable of integrating with the right team spirit within the team."

"Matteo Baiocco will bring a number one that makes us proud and very spur everything to give the best team. "

Kawasaki Grillini Racing Team unveiled next season’s livery this weekend in the charming setting of the Principality of Monaco, along with the riders who will zip up the Grillini team leathers next season.

Ayrton Badovini and Ondrej Jezek both have a great desire to impress aboard the Kawasaki machine, and hope to embrace the changes coming into the FIM MOTUL World Superbike class for 2017. Both riders are making the step up from World Supersport, meaning it will be an added challenge for the pair.

“I thank all the people who have accepted my invitation here in Monaco,” said Grillini “and that made this evening very special. I’m really happy to have Badovini and Jezek in my team and cannot wait to begin this new adventure.”