News

Dominique Aegerter can hardly wait to start the race week on Phillip Island with a one-day test on Tuesday.

33-year-old Dominique Aegerter has almost completely recovered from a virus infection, the doctors gave him the green light last week to travel to Australia, where the 2024 FIM Superbike World Championship is set to kick off this weekend. The long journey was a somehow exhausting for Aegerter, but he has now acclimatized well and is eagerly awaiting his first laps aboard the Yamaha R1 of his Italian GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team this year.

As it is well known, the rider from the canton of Bern had to miss the two winter tests in Jerez and Portimao at the end of January due to illness. Therefore, the main purpose of Tuesday's test will be to get a feeling for his racing bike at race pace again in order to be ready for the Championship opener from this Friday on at the beautiful Phillip Island Circuit on the island of the same name, two hours' drive south of Melbourne in the Australian state of Victoria.

The Superbike World Championship races can be seen live in the German speaking are on these platforms:
-    Live Stream of WorldSBK’s official website (all sessions of the weekend, English commentary, but with costs)
-    "ServusTV On" streaming service. This is an app that is easy to install on any modern TV set and can also be used via browser on desktop computers, notebooks, tablets, and smartphones. All races and qualifying sessions are shown.
-    Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2 with broadcasting the series in Switzerland, Germany and Austria on a non-exclusive basis. While Eurosport 1 can be received free of charge via cable, satellite, and streaming, Eurosport 2 is only available on pay TV and is included in packages from Discovery+, DAZN, Sky or Joyn. Reception via IPTV (provider of broadcasts of television programs and films using the Internet Protocol; subject to a charge) is also possible.
All broadcast times of the respective broadcasters will be published in good time before a race weekend.

Due to unexpected logistical problems, the schedule for the official test originally planned for two days before the World Championship opener has been changed at short notice. Teams and riders of the Superbike World Championship will be able to use the Phillip Island circuit for eight hours on Tuesday, where a new resurfaced asphalt awaits them.

#77 Dominique AEGERTER (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team, Yamaha YZF R1)

"The journey to Australia took what felt like an eternity this time, I was on the way for almost two days. But when I arrived here at this nice place, I was spoiled by beautiful weather. I am also over the moon that I finally can get back on my race bike. Unfortunately, I have to wait until Tuesday because there was a last-minute change due to logistical problems. This hits me personally a bit harder than my competitors because I am still lacking kilometres on the bike this year. So, we only have Tuesday to prepare for the first race weekend. But these eight hours of track time are definitely better than nothing."

"It has been almost four months since I rode my Yamaha Superbike. That is why I am looking forward to finally getting back out on track in race mode. But we will take things step by step, especially as my physical condition is not yet 100 percent perfect. So, the most important thing is to develop a good feeling for the bike, riding lots of laps and shake off the winter rust. I am also looking forward to seeing my team again and finally getting to work. Of course, there will also be a few parts to evaluate, but as I said, I mainly need kilometres to get back into the swing of things and up to speed. Let's see how things will go and hopefully I can have a lot of fun and enjoy the day."

Time Schedule official WorldSBK Test Phillip Island (LT, CET +10):
Tuesday, 20.02.: 09:10 – 13:10 Session 1
Tuesday, 20.02.: 13:40 – 17:40 Session 2

WorldSBK Calendar 2024:
23/24/25 February - Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, Australia
22/23/24 March - Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Spain
19/20/21 April - TT Circuit Assen, Netherlands
14/15/16 June - Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, Italy
12/13/14 July - Donington Park, Great Britain
19/20/21 July - Autodrom Most, Czech Republic
9/10/11 August - Autódromo Internacionale do Algarve, Portugal
23/24/25 August - Balaton Park Circuit, Hungary
6/7/08 September - Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, France
20/21/22 September - Cremona Circuit, Italy
27/28/29 September - MotorLand Aragón, Spain
18/19/20 October - Circuito de Jerez, Spain