We take a look at the entry list ahead of the upcoming season and review who we believe will be the ones to watch. Jam packed with talent it’s tough to pick out a handful, and it’s tough to see who will be able to bring the fight to Kawasaki Racing Team but we believe they will face some stiff competition.

Hosting seven former world champions, the FIM Superbike World Championship is set to be a phenomenal one.

Chaz Davies

To say Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) finished 2016 in stunning form would perhaps be an understatement, as the Welshman became unstoppable after the #WorldSuperbreak summer break. Taking seven out of a possible eight victories in the second half of 2016, it makes you wonder how different the title chase would have been if Davies had this pace at the beginning of the season with his Panigale R. Continuing this phenomenal pace into 2017 and feeling comfortable on the Italian machine, it’s hard to see Davies not battling up at the front as the lights go out in Phillip Island.

Eugene Laverty

Returning to the WorldSBK paddock following two seasons out in MotoGP, Northern Irishman Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) will be hoping to make an immediate impact in the class. Joining Shaun Muir’s team as they make the switch to the Italian factory, Laverty joins an experienced team and brings a wealth of WorldSBK knowledge with him; he has 13 wins and 33 podiums in the top class to his name. Satisfied with his pace and times in testing, Laverty will no doubt be up and fighting for podiums early on as he returns to the RSV4 RF, a bike with which he has enjoyed plenty of success with in the past.

Marco Melandri

Another former WorldSBK race winner returns to the series for 2017, and Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) is sure to make an impact on the class as soon as we go down under for Round One at Phillip Island. Having spent four seasons in WorldSBK in the past the Italian is sure to fit right back into the series and rejoining former team-mate at BMW, Chaz Davies, it won’t take long for Melandri to settle in. Now fully recovered from a knee injury sustained over the winter, the 34 year old will be a force to be reckoned with aboard the Ducati Panigale R. As well as this, Melandri could make history and take the 100th victory for his country in the series – something he’d certainly want to shout about.

Stefan Bradl

It’s always interesting to see how riders make the switch from MotoGP to WorldSBK, and Stefan Bradl (Honda World Superbike Team) will be no exception. Spending the majority of his career in the GP paddock and securing the Moto2 world title in 2011, the German is not short of racing experience at a high level. Joining forces with Nicky Hayden, who continues to adjust to the switch from MotoGP and with the brand new CBR1000RR on the way Bradl will hope to make a strong impression in the series. Early indications from winter testing are positive, but the 27 year old has a lot to learn and it will be interesting to see how he can tackle the ever evolving MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship.

Michael van der Mark

Young Dutchman van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official Team SBK) will begin his first season in WorldSBK aboard a Yamaha following four full seasons with Honda in both WorldSBK and WorldSSP. Yet to showcase his full potential in the pinnacle of production racing, van der Mark will hope to add to his nine podium tally he has built up so far as he tackles the YZF R1. Ready for a new challenge with a team who he feels are making strong progress developing their bike, the 24 year old is ready to be up and fighting for podiums – thirsty for that sip of Prosecco.

Leon Camier

Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) has made some phenomenal steps aboard the MV Agusta 1000 F4 and will certainly be one to look out for in 2017. Narrowly missing out on a podium finish at Magny-Cours last season, the Brit is a man on a mission going into his third full season aboard the Italian machine; and as early testing indicates Camier hopes to make some big impact in 2017.

Randy Krummenacher

Just two points off being named 2016 World Supersport runner-up, Randy Krummenacher (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) will also be one to keep an eye on for 2017. He was able to bring the fight to his former team-mate and most successful WorldSSP rider, Kenan Sofuoglu last season and moves up with his team – Puccetti Racing aboard the Kawasaki ZX-10R. 2017 will no doubt be a learning year for the Swiss rider, but it will be interesting to see how quickly he can learn and adapt to the powerful Superbike machine.

There are just over two months before the MOTUL FIM World Superbike championship kicks off at Phillip Island for the hotly anticipated 2017 season, an new time schedule has been released and will provide fans with an unmissable weekend full of racing action.   

With the addition of the World Supersport 300 Championship next season, times have been altered so the class follows the same format as WorldSBK and WorldSSP. Friday will see all classes have the chance to get equal track time and begin their set-up for the weekend ahead, with bikes out on track from 09:00am to 17:30 for free practice.

Saturday has seen a change of format with World Supersport Superpole now running after WorldSBK race one, and the WorldSSP300 Superpole shootout follows WorldSBK Superpole.

The European Superstock 1000 Championship will continue with its usual qualifying format, and will also have an extra free practice session across the weekend, on Saturday morning.

Sunday will see racing action begin from 11:30am, as World Supersport’s lights now go out ten minutes later. Drama and battles will continue on through the day for WorldSBK race 2, WorldSSP300 and the STK1000 class will be the final chequered flag of the weekend.

Ending his first season in the  FIM World Superbike Championship with a strong top five finish in the championship standings, Nicky Hayden will take what he learnt in 2016 and progress forward on the new Honda CBR1000RR.

Hoping to test the new 2017 model at the test in Jerez in two weeks time, the former MotoGP™ champion is looking forward to this season, once he can put his knee injury sustained over the winter behind him.

Will your recent knee surgery affect your performance this season?

“I hope to be recovered by Phillip Island for sure. It will probably affect me at these next tests, but we still have a month and a half until Phillip Island and I hope by then to be very close to 100%.”

How is your rehabilitation going?

“The doctors are telling me it’s on track and going well. It’s the first time - luckily for me - that I’ve had to deal with knee injuries, and recovery definitely doesn’t happen overnight. It takes some time, but the doctors say it’s recovering as expected and on schedule so I’ve just got to keep going. The plan is to be at the Jerez test (24th-25th Jan).”

What exactly was the injury you sustained?

“I had a complete rupture of the Medial Collateral Ligament (the MCL is one of four major ligaments that are critical to the stability of the knee joint), so I had an MCL repair.
It wasn’t that painful, not that I’m trying to play the hero because I’ve had some little injuries that have really hurt! But this wasn’t like a crash; I just caught and twisted it. I thought ‘man that don’t really feel right’, so I stopped and sat down and it didn’t feel good. I could walk on it but that wasn’t the problem, the problem was it wasn’t stable. It did start to hurt a little bit, but the pain wasn’t the issue, it was the stability.”

How are you feeling ahead of the new season?

“I’m looking forward to ’17 like every year. Last year was my first year in World Superbike and I enjoyed the experience and the team. I had a couple of pretty decent races - getting the win was nice – I also learned a lot. There’s certainly a few races I can definitely do better, so I’m ready to get locked in and try to come out and improve.”

Is there anything you are going to take forward from last season into 2017?

“There’s a lot I can take from last year. In terms of working with the team - I’m basically going to have all the same guys working with me which I’m happy about. I feel like we have a good working relationship and we’re on the same page on a lot of things. Obviously there were a couple of tracks I had to learn but none were too difficult. And I’ve now adjusted to the difference with the atmosphere, the structure, the schedule, and the one bike format. Some things are a bit different with the Superbike as far as approaching the weekend – like knowing you will have the one bike in the sessions. And there are some changes you can’t do with the World Superbike machine I suppose; with the gearing, also different suspension things or different geometry things but I definitely learnt something, so we can improve.”

Finally, the question everyone wants to know – do you know when you will get the new Honda?

“As far as I know the plan is to ride the new bike in Jerez. I don’t want to speak too much but I know that’s the plan. I’ve been in contact with them and from what I’ve heard they’ve had the bike for a couple of days now, so that’s the current situation. It would have been better to have it earlier that’s not a mystery, however the reality is that it took a little longer than we’d hoped. But we’ve got it now and let’s see what Ten Kate can do with it. I know they’re excited because for them it’s like having a new toy, and they did a great job last year. “

Kyle Ryde will join the Kawasaki Puccetti Racing squad for a full season of competition in the FIM Supersport World Championship in 2017, sharing a pitbox with five times World Champion Kenan Sofuoglu in the process.

Ryde’s original 2017 racing plans had been stopped in their tracks very recently but with help and encouragement from numerous sources, a deal was struck that now sees 19-year-old Ryde in an enviable position to display his undeniable talent all through 2017.A podium finish at his home WorldSSP round in Donington in 2015, when riding as a wildcard, led to a full-season opportunity in the class in 2016. After competing at world level on two types of machinery in the earlier rounds Kyle utilised Kawasaki machinery for the final few races last year. This has given him some important general experience of the Ninja ZX-6R before he steps up to his official bike next year. Kyle should have his first 2017 test over two days in Spain, between 24th and 25th January.

Young British talent is the latest rider to join the expanding Kawasaki and Puccetti operation in the overall WorldSBK paddock. Thus far the 2017 Kawasaki Puccetti Racing team features Randy Krummenacher in his first WorldSBK season, with Sofuoglu and Ryde on the Ninja ZX-6R in the WorldSSP division and Toprak Razgatlioglu challenging for the top prize in the revamped STK1000 European Championship. Michael Canducci, like Kenan and Kyle, will ride within the overall Puccetti WorldSSP pit-box set-up, but in the Puccetti Racing Junior Team FMI, which is operated in partnership with the Italian federation.

Kyle Ryde said: “I am delighted to have this ride in 2017 and grateful to the many people who have bent over backwards to help me to have this opportunity. To see where I was a week ago - not riding in WorldSSP and looking for rides again in the UK - it was hard for me. When I got told about this chance it was an awesome feeling. It was all sorted a couple of days after I spoke to my team manager, Manuel. My new team-mate Kenan likes me and messages me all the time to see how I am doing. He had helped me enough already, even when he wasn’t even my team-mate. He will be happy for me to be where I am now. Jonathan Rea has also been a big part of it and it is good to have a racer like him helping me.”

Manuel Puccetti, Team Principal, said: “I am very happy to be racing with a team like this. We have one really experienced WorldSSP rider like Kenan and our two young kids close to him. It will be very good to help grow their careers. Kyle and Michael each have a big talent and are only 19-years-old. To have a young team and young riders in the same garage as Kenan is very good for me. I am also happy put one foot in WorldSBK with Randy Krummenacher this coming year. It will take time to make sure of a good results because we know we will be fighting with truly official factory teams. This will not be easy. It will take time to improve our project and after some months we will see where we are.”