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Phillip Island WorldSBK: Rea unsure over flag-to-flag order

Even bigger than the tyre problems in the WorldSSP class and the solution to it for raceday was the decision that after WorldSBK race one had been completed the second WorldSBK race would be run in similar manner as WorldSSP, flag-to-flag.

Some premier-class riders had suffered blistering on their rear tyres in race one despite the new 1.6 bar minimum pressures being applied at this round.

Race two will still be a 22-lap flag-to-flag affair, with no more than 12 laps on one tyre. So tyre changes will be on 10th, 11th or 12th laps.

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Many agreed that after the WorldSSP problems, maybe a flag-to-flag solution was at least a decent compromise there, but a lot of others were less convinced by a flag-to-flag Superbike contest.

It was a surprise to World Champion Jonathan Rea, who was one of the riders to suffer a tyre blister in race one, so bad it dropped him to fifth overall.

“It was pretty evident to see what happened. We had a huge blister on the rear tyre, on the left side. With about six laps to go I started having a huge vibration and I did not know how bad the problems was. I tried to check a few times but when the tyre is rotating cannot really see it. I just started getting really worried about what has happened to me in the past with this kind of issue, so I just tried to nurse it home. It was hard to let guys like Fores and Chaz go, but for me it was safety first,” Rea told bikesportnews.com.

When asked if he was thinking about his big Donington crash in 2017, when he was spat off at high speed down Craner Curves when his rear tyre blew out, he agreed that was just what he was thinking. “Of course,” said Rea. “when this happens to you once you get this recurring issue. Even last year I had some issue when the tyre spun on the rim and I would think back to that idea, so it is not the best. Aside from that the race was really nice for me.

“I have felt OK in the test - just OK as I haven’t really been at one with the bike. We have been changing things quite a lot especially this weekend, trying to find a good feeling. We are a little bit behind, a little bit off.”

Rea was surprised to find that race two was going to be a flag-to-flag affair, and felt that with another 22 straight laps to run he and his team would have liked to have found a solution for full race distance, But he did think that as a spectacle it, “Will be amazing! I do not know how it is going to be to race in it. KRT do not wan to tempt fate but our stops are pretty good. It will be more of a strategy race because we will have three options, on which lap to come in now.

“I think we have a good direction with the set-up to race for 22 laps, to fix some issues we had today so part of me is a little bit not happy about it, because it opens the door for a lot of other riders to be in the mix, to be fast. Pitlane is going to be a bit chaotic as well. I am excited about it but I also feel our fortunes could be a lot better if we could run full distance as well.”

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