Broc Pearson recently took the time out to pen a Revolving Racer column for AMCN, saying he's looking forward to the upcoming 2024 ASBK season with Desmosport Ducati.
Broc Pearson Revolving Racer column from AMCN Vol 73 No 15: We are already on the verge of starting a new ASBK season and I can’t tell you all how happy I am to be continuing with Desmosport Ducati for 2024. We had a bit of a mixed 2023 results wise; it was so good to see the team still backed me.
When we returned home from The Bend, there were a few weeks where we all just stepped back and didn’t talk about plans for 2024. Honestly, if something hadn’t come off with Desmosport Ducati that was probably me done for racing.
The boys knew my position, so I left the ball in their court. I ended up having a chat with Ben (Henry) and discovered he always had me in mind to ride the bike this year – knowing that is a real shot of confidence.
Morgan Park, the fifth round of 2023, saw Broc Pearson take fourth overall for the weekend, his best performance so far for the season
Since then, I’ve been training extra hard and I feel like we’re in a position where we can fight at the front from the start and perhaps even fight for a championship. I’ve always considered myself to be very committed and I train hard – but 2023 was very trying. Desmosport is expected to be at the front and we haven’t been there. At some rounds, I don’t think it has been possible for us to be there and at other rounds I don’t think I was personally at my best. I started questioning a few things about myself – but the pole position at Phillip Island really helped my frame of mind. It meant on that day I was the fastest Superbike rider in the country.
It’s hard to nail down exactly what we lacked last year, but not finding a consistent base set-up on the bike at each round was a problem. The standard is so high in ASBK you’ve got to arrive at the track capable of fast lap times right away. Not having that solid base gives you the feeling of having to play catch-up right from the outset. As to exactly what has to change – well, part of that has to come from me. Sometimes I feel like I rush things, expecting top results too soon.
Pearson wants to repay the faith Troy Bayliss has placed with him over the past two seasons
The Ducati is a unique bike – it has one of the best electronic systems on the grid, but if you’re not smooth and relaxed it can also feel like one of the worst. I feel like I need to relax on the bike and take my time to get comfortable – that is something that comes with experience.
We will also have an interesting situation with Troy (Herfoss) this year that can only be helpful for us as a team. When the current champion is without a ride [Herfoss has since signed to race with Indian in the King of the Baggers series in the USA in 2024], any team would be crazy not to take a look at him. Troy has always wanted to ride the Ducati and I think it will be really helpful having someone of his calibre giving feedback and helping with direction. At this point, he is the best Superbike rider in the country, so I really hope he can go fast on it which can only help me understand better what I need to do to achieve fast times.
After claiming pole position at the previous round at Phillip Island, Pearson qualified 10th at the final round at The Bend (now called Shell V-Power Motorsport Park). A ninth and sixth in the two races saw him finish the season a disappointing sixth overall
Racing is very personal here in Australia. Ben works on the bikes all week and puts his heart and soul into it when we compete. Nobody enjoys it when you’re not racing at the front and it does take a toll, but I think we turned a corner in the last few rounds and I feel like we were gelling well as a team.
Now we are moving forward with preparation for the opening ASBK round at Phillip Island, and that involves the St George Summer Night Series. I would love nothing more than to go out and get good results to repay the faith the whole team has placed in me, especially Troy (Bayliss) and Ben. The goal this year – stop battling for top fives and start battling for wins!
PHOTOS: ROB MOTT