Nicolò Bulega (Aruba.it Racing Ducati)
“An exciting weekend. I am very happy, especially because the feeling with the bike has been fantastic since the tests at the beginning of the week. I would like to say a big thank you to my team, because they put me in a position to go fast, even in the rain. Racing on this circuit with these feelings is something extraordinary”. 

Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing Ducati)
“To be honest, on the one hand, I’m a bit frustrated with how things went in Race 2. From the first few laps, the feeling with the rear wasn’t what I wanted. On the other hand, I’m happy to have recovered positions and finished a weekend I consider positive, having gained a lot of experience. We are doing a great job with the team, step by step, and I can’t wait to be in Portimão.”

Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha)
“For sure, one of the most difficult races – I don’t know why, but we (as a team) and also me… we are honestly struggling. Basically, in some parts of the track it’s quite difficult to get a good feeling and in the end, the final set-up choice we made for the race was probably not the best for our bike here in Phillip Island. We need to learn and try to understand which is the direction to go in to regain the feeling, and maybe also to decide to use the optional specification rear tyre and then try again. Tomorrow, we have two more races, we will try to learn something and push until the end of the weekend.”

Xavi Vierge (Pata Yamaha)
“We didn’t end the Saturday like we wanted and like we deserved, but I think we did a very good job in our preparation. In FP3, we found something better than yesterday – that was the goal. With the race tyre and also the qualifying tyre, I felt quite good and I did a decent lap. Our goal was to try to be on the first three rows for the race and we achieved that also, so really happy with that. The race started very well and I made a good start to be in the mix. Unfortunately, lap-by-lap I started to struggle with the tyres, but I was trying to manage and to fight with this position until the end. With five or maybe four laps to go, in Turn 3 something strange happened and I had a crazy high-side on the exit. The team is now working to understand what was going on and we will try to be again ready tomorrow to make two good races.”

Stefano Manzi (GYTR Yamaha)
“It was a crazy Sunday due to the changing weather conditions, even from the morning. Thankfully, we were able to complete some dry laps in Warm Up and then race in dry conditions in the Superpole Race. The feeling improved a lot compared to yesterday, and I really enjoyed the battles. Unfortunately, Race 2 was much more difficult. I felt confident going into the wet race after our test in Jerez, but the feeling wasn’t there, and I couldn’t ride the way I wanted. We’ll keep working to improve and, back in Europe, I hope we can make a step forward.”

Remy Gardner (GYTR Yamaha)
“It’s been a tough weekend, honestly, but we can still take some positives. We made progress overall, and I was able to ride despite the injury, which is important. I’m happy to have finished the races and gathered valuable data. Now we head back to Europe, where we’ll return to the tyres we’re more familiar with. We also have a test in Portimão before the race, so hopefully we can find more speed, regroup, and come back stronger.”

Tetsuta Nagashima (Honda HRC)
“Today was a challenge, especially because it was the first time this weekend that we faced wet conditions, so it wasn’t easy for me to find the right feeling straight away. On top of that, the conditions were changing constantly during the day, and we didn’t have much data for this situation, so we tried to approach the setup in the smartest and calmest way possible. After a demanding Superpole race, I have to say that the overall feeling with the bike in Race 2 was not at all bad. There were only a few areas where I felt uncomfortable due to the amount of water on track, but that’s quite normal in these conditions. My start was really bad. There was a lot of spray through the first corner, and I could barely see the front. I dropped to last place midway through the opening lap, but I tried to stay calm and find my rhythm again. Step by step, I managed to pass a few riders. My pace was not amazing, but not too bad either and I feel there is still some margin – that’s important for me. The key thing today was to avoid mistakes. It was very important to finish the race without crashing and without pushing like crazy. I tried to manage the race and collect as much useful data as possible for the future. Looking at the whole weekend, I really enjoyed working with the team. They are pushing hard and we are improving step by step. We will continue working together to take another step forward in the next races.”

 Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki Racing)
“The weather was crazy on Sunday. Compared to how we finished yesterday, I am so much more happy with how we finished today. I am happy with our performance in the Superpole Race, mainly. I feel like we made a big step with the bike in general. I was feeling really good riding it, and in a good position for Race Two. I tried my best in the rain, and felt really good initially. Then as the pace dropped, and everybody started going faster and faster, I started having more and more ‘moments’ on the bike. I tried to keep up but was not able to. We got a top ten finish, so we will take it for now. I am really looking forward to the next round in Portimao.”

Álvaro Bautista (Barni Racing Ducati)
“This morning we were able to test the changes we made to the electronics yesterday, and I felt better, with more confidence on the bike. In the Superpole Race, we made a good comeback from twelfth to seventh place and, above all, we confirmed the progress made compared to testing and the rest of the weekend. We’re working in the right direction, and lap after lap, my confidence is growing, which allows me to keep pushing. In Race 2, the conditions were very difficult. In the early laps, it was difficult to find references for the many riders ahead of me, but then I found my rhythm. I’m happy because I always had everything under control and a good pace, without taking excessive risks. Toward the end, with the track starting to dry, it was more difficult to manage the rain tires. After yesterday’s mistake, it was important to reach the finish line, and to do so on the podium is a great satisfaction for the entire team. It was a demanding weekend, our first together, but the team’s work was exceptional, and I’m confident for the next races.”

Yari Montella (Barni Racing Ducati)
“It was a positive weekend. The work we started in testing allowed us to be consistently fast. Today, in the Superpole Race, we had a good pace again; we started strong, led the race for a few laps, and the feeling was good. It’s a shame I slowed down slightly a couple of laps when I saw the raindrops; I lost a few positions, and that cost us the podium, which we narrowly missed. Still, it’s a performance that leaves me satisfied. Race 2 was unusual, with very difficult conditions. Unfortunately, I crashed—a strange slide that’s happening again in the wet with this bike, and we still can’t explain it. It wasn’t my fault or the team’s, but we need to find a setup that allows me to be more confident in the wet. Now, let’s keep our heads down and continue working in this direction.”

Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW)
“The weekend was a progression, for sure. It was just a shame that the qualifying dictated most of the outcome of the weekend. We made three really good comebacks, especially this morning in the Superpole Race with getting into P9 but then a small problem in the quick shifter prevented a better starting position for me for race two. But this afternoon we got another chance to go for points and I did that. Making the comeback from last in these fully wet conditions was probably the hardest thing I had to do because the visibility was so poor and the conditions were tricky. But we managed to to stay on the bike which was already an accomplishment in itself due to the conditions and then finishing in P7, really close to Danilo, we have to be to be happy about it. At least we scored some points in both races. It‘s for sure not the place that we want to be but given the circumstances we took the most out of it. We definitely go to Portimao with our heads held up high because we did a good job getting better with the bike and we still have two extra days there before the race. I‘m sure we‘ll show much more competitiveness there.”

Danilo Petrucci (ROKiT BMW)
“Finally, we had our first race weekend. We knew it would be tough because of not much testing this winter, so we mainly started to work on the bike last Monday during the test here. I set my target to be into the top ten and we always achieved that. We are aiming for more but I can be happy. Especially because race two today was really difficult in regards of visibility and the lack of grip but we managed to stay up to finish in sixth place to score a bit of points. I must say that I feel really confident about the future because I‘m working really well with my team and my crew, so this makes me happy. I can‘t wait to ride the bike again at Portimao.”

Alex Lowes (Bimota)
“The Superpole Race was good. Our base setting we had in Europe, that we found from the second half of last winter, I had been really happy with. But it has not been working here. Between Saturday and Sunday we made probably the biggest change on the bike inside a race weekend. I was quite happy with the Superpole Race because I was on a bike setting that I had more or less never ridden before warm-up, for ten minutes. I think I can be quite positive going back to Europe. We started with a dry bike setting but wet tyres in Race Two, and I didn’t have any grip. I was up for it off the start, again I had a good start, and nearly led it on the first lap. Then I realised that I could not lean the bike like the other guys, so I started going backwards.”

Axel Bassani (Bimota)
“This is my most successful weekend in WorldSBK, 100%. I enjoyed Race One a lot yesterday as I was able to do a lot of overtakes, but today we were able to do what we wanted to do. We are second in the championship, but for me the most important thing is to have a good feeling with the bike and especially inside the team. At this moment, it is working, so we can continue like this. Today, before Race Two, I was not expecting a race like this in the wet conditions. In winter testing, I did a few laps in the wet, but my feeling was not really good. I could not make more days due to the test limitations, so in Portimao Xavi Fores made a very good job, and with the team they found a nice base for wet conditions. That was so useful today. So at the start of Race Two, I tried to be clean, consistent, and make no mistakes. In the end, this paid off. We finished with a double P2 today, so we are happy!”

Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team Goeleven) 
“Today, in some ways, motivated me even more than yesterday. The conditions were unusual, the weather changed frequently, and it rained heavily in Race 2. I had to manage everything directly in the race for the first time, without any practice. I made a few riding mistakes in the morning, but I didn’t know how much I could push with the slicks in the wet, but we did it. In Race 2, I had an incredible pace, catching up with my rivals quite easily. It’s a shame I threw away a result at the start. The positive thing, however, is that I didn’t give up, and we were very fast. Here at Phillip Island, I found a special feeling with this bike, which I hope to bring to Europe as well. I want to thank the team, Ducati, and all the people with me for the results achieved. I can’t wait to get back on the bike!”

Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing)
“Overall, it was a very positive weekend here at Phillip Island. It’s a shame about Race 2 in the wet, as we didn’t have the ideal setup, but we still gained valuable experience for the upcoming rounds. I feel very happy and satisfied and I’m already looking forward to the next round in Portimao, a track I know better. I’d like to thank the team — we worked well and brought home important points.”

Sam Lowes (Marc VDS Racing)
“It’s obviously disappointing to come away from the opening round with an injury and a missed chance to get on the podium in Race 2 but the conditions were really difficult. I felt good going into it though after a really good battle for the podium in the Superpole Race. I didn’t quite have enough at the end to make the difference and get into the top three, but it was another solid ride. The conditions changed a lot for Race 2 and in the early laps I was just figuring out how the bike was going to perform. This was the first time I’d ridden the new bike in the wet and it highlighted some areas we need to work on in the future. I felt good though and had got myself into a strong position when I had a big crash in turn three. It can happen in those conditions, but it was a very big crash. It was one of the biggest I’ve had for a long time, so I feel lucky to be relatively okay. I can still take a lot of positives from what has been an eventful weekend but now it’s all eyes on Portugal and getting myself in the best shape possible for the next round.”