Bike sparring begins

REUTERS

Max Biaggi on his Aprilia leads Ducati's Noriyuki Haga during Race 1 of the Qatar round round in the Superbike World Championship at the Losail international circuit.

Larry Tate

SPECIAL TO THE STAR

Spring seems to be finally peeking its head around the corner in southern Ontario, and never mind the robins – there's no more certain harbinger of the season than motorcycle racing being underway.

World Superbike

Two of 14 weekends in the World Superbike season are already in the books after events at the Philip Island track in Australia, and the desert Losail Circuit in Qatar. With many new teams, new bikes, and new rider/team combinations, the first two races of the season indicate that it'll be a dream year.

Retired series champion Troy Bayliss picked his Ducati replacement Noriyuki Haga and series "newcomer" Ben Spies (Spies, at 24, is already a three-time U.S. champion) on the new Yamaha "crossplane" R1 to fight for his crown. So far, Bayliss is looking right on the money, as Haga won the first race while Spies has taken the other three. Spies has also taken pole position at both events and set the fastest time at Losail, leaving the series regulars reeling and Yamaha beaming about its new bike and rider.

Haga leads the title chase, with three hard-fought second places behind Spies to add to his opening victory. Chances are good Spies would be four for four had he not been bumped off the track by Aprilia's Max Biaggi in the first race; he managed not to crash but was too far back to score points.

New team entries from BMW and Aprilia also impressed, with Italian hero Biaggi having carded an amazing four podiums on the new Aprilia RSV4, while Aussie Troy Corser and mad Spaniard Ruben Xaus have taken the new BMW into the top 10, Corser running as high as fourth at Losail.

All the Japanese factories are represented, along with Ducati, Aprilia and BMW. And the depth of riding talent in the series is such that any of a dozen riders could be in contention for a victory on any given day. North America

Back in North America, U.S. racing has also begun, surviving an off-season filled with controversy: new owners, new class structure, and almost non-stop fighting among all the participants about the new rules. The March 6 running of the 68th edition of the Daytona 200 went off with some brilliant racing, albeit with not a little controversy of its own.

On track, Graves Yamaha riders Ben Bostrom and Josh Herrin gave the Yamaha factory a 1-2 finish, Herrin barely holding off the M4 Suzuki of Jason DiSalvo at the line. Kawasaki's Jamie Hacking and Buell rider Shawn Higbee carded fourth and fifth, putting four makes in the top five.

Daytona's high banks and the race's length (requiring two refuelling and tire change stops) have always set it apart. This year, the event ran at night under a battery of floodlights. That worked out well, until a section of lights in the chicane area went out and a pace car (another unique Daytona feature) was dispatched to slow down the field while repairs were made.

Unfortunately, the resulting confusion and delays held up the race for some time. The final clear sprint to the flag was short but suitably dramatic, with the top three all in contention right to the flag. Josh Hayes, who won the race last year for Honda but was disqualified for a technical infraction, was also in the mix but fell four laps from the end.

Interesting sidenote: Hayes' wife, Melissa Paris, was also in the race (her first professional event) and finished 21st out of 75 – and ahead of her husband!

There wasn't a lot to cheer for among Canadian racers. Miguel Duhamel, with five 200 victories in his pocket, is out of a ride since his long-time employer American Honda is sitting out the season. Duhamel's Quebec friend and rival Pascal Picotte put together a last-minute deal with a Suzuki via Blackfoot Motorcycles in Calgary, but although Miggy rode hard the bike wasn't up to speed. His 16th was probably the best he could expect.

Calgarian Chris Peris was 24th on an Erion Honda but was disqualified for a rules infraction, Alan Schmidt of Kamloops was 19th on a Buell, Matt McBride took 39th on a Velally Racing Suzuki, and Jean-Paul Taché from North Bay was 46th on a Yamaha R6.

Moto GP

On the premier Moto GP scene, the first race isn't until April 12 in Qatar, but there's been enough pre-season drama to fill a novel. The biggest news was Kawasaki's announcement that it is pulling out of the series due to the poor economic climate. That left riders John Hopkins and Marco Melandri up in the air, not to mention the series organizers, suddenly short of the number of bikes guaranteed for entries and TV coverage.

A last-minute deal (no doubt to avoid threatened lawsuits) seems to have patched up a compromise whereby Kawasaki is giving one bike to respected technician Ichiro Yoda to run for Melandri, although it won't even be called a Kawasaki, but a Hayate.

Kawasaki won't be providing any development or parts during the season, either, so it's likely going to be something of a disaster for Melandri, who probably just wants to make sure the other teams don't forget about him for 2010.

So far, testing has shown Casey Stoner on the Ducati and Valentino Rossi on the Yamaha to be fastest, so business as usual there. The Suzukis have shown a surprising turn of speed, and American Nicky Hayden is coming to grips with the Ducati in his first year with the Italian team.

Honda is struggling, and had the disappointment of seeing its No. 1 rider, Spaniard Dani Pedrosa, crash heavily in the February pre-season test and reinjure the wrist and knee that he's been in rehab for all winter.

He'll almost certainly miss the last test, and is doubtful for the first race.

Larry Tate reports on motorcycle racing for Wheels. He can be reached at larryt@primus.ca

More videos from Wheels.ca and our partners