The fresh announce🍌ment that the season-opening World Superbike race will feature a mandatory pit stop has caused a variety of reaction from the riders.

The season 🐻begins at Phillip Island, Australia, this weekend.

On Thursday it was confirmed that the race will be held under flag-t🥂o-flag rules with a compulsory pit stop to change tyres.

Race 1 and Race 2𓄧 have also been reduced to 20 la𝐆ps.

Earlier this week, WSBK riders were busily working at a one-day test on different strategies b♔efore this change was announce♉d.

“It’s the same for everybody,” Jonathan Rea reacted.

“Unfortunately it puts theಞ test on Tuౠesday to scrap.

“Th𒁃e way we worked at Yamaha was on long distance.

“Everybody knows a🤪t Phillip Island that tyre consumption is the big key.

“It’s now⛄ two sprint races which requires a different set-ꦉup for the bike.”

Alvaro Bautista added: “If we race 20 la⭕ps, I work to do 20 laps as fast as possible.

“It’s not the same to do five lap𝓡s. You can go fast, you don’t care about tyres.

“My team work to keep ty🦹re durability, wit♋h electronics, with power for 20 laps.

“If you can’t do 20 laps, just sloꦉw down. Everybody can do 20 laps, it depends ꩲon pace.

“If you want to do 20 laps at time attack pace, you cannot. You🌠 must 🦩work.

“This dec💎ision was taken for safety reasons. I can’t do anything, I must adapt.

“All the work we did to do 20 laps? N♒ow we mus🦩t do only 10.

“The tyre quantity? The problem is in practice. If you can’t do more than 10 laps in the race, then you do 10 laps in practice. We need more tyres. Or we’ll stop in the box and🐽 stay there.

“They have to provide moreᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ quantity of tyres. We don’t have enough.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu said: “This is not just for me. I♐t’s for all riders. The same problem is that rear tyres are destroyed.

“We need to make a plan. 10 or 11 laps? If you 🐎push at the beginning, the same pro﷽blem, the rear tyre is immediately destroyed.

“Everyone is thinking to make a plan.

“We🌸’ll see in the race. It looks like fun! I hope we don’t make a mistake in the box or the pitla𒊎ne.”

Andrea Iannone added: “A bike race is without stops. 18 laps is better, always. I prefer it😼, for sure.

“It’s important that safety is safety. From my si🦋de, we don’t have a problemꦚ.

“I�ﷺ� understand that other manufacturers and riders have a problem with their tyres.”

Nicolo Bulega said🅰: “We have to change a littleꦍ bit. I don’t know…

๊“I was good with used tyres in 🍒the test. So, for me, maybe this choice wasn’t the best one.

“But it’s the same for everyone so I have t🥂o be ready for t🅺his.”

Alex Lowes: “It’s all about the last 5, 6, 7 laps.

“The guys that look after the tyres the best get the best results. We spent 9💞0% of the test fꩵocusing on used tyres and trying to make the tyres last on the new surface.”

Why have WSBK made these changes?

WorldSBK Executive Director Gregorio Lavilla explained: "The circuit has performed ad🌌mirably wi🦋th the new asphalt.

“While rubber👍 is gradually laid down track conditions evolve, which present some challenges. Since the tyres were shipped out in late November to arrive for this opening round, there wasn't enough time to develop specific tyres tailored to the current asphalt♓ conditions.

“We have carefully assessed the situation, 💝considering the early track activity following the asphalt's being laid out and the two days of testing we conducted earlier this week.

“While conditions have certainly improved, they may not have improved enough, especially considering th🦹e challenging, fast-paced nature of this circuit layout.

“In such circumstances, we, in collaboration with Ra♑ce Directi🧸on, the FIM and the Phillip Island GP Circuit, must opt for the safest option, which is of paramount importance."

Pirelli's Giorgio Barbier explained that the company had been caught out due to tyres for the event bei𓆏ng shipped before the resurfacing was undertaken.

"I remind everyone that the tyres for this race were shipped from Europe at the end o🔜f November while the res♛urfacing of the circuit was completed only a few weeks ago," he said.

"Therefore, in the absence of data on which to base ourselves, we thought it appropriate to relyౠ on the racing solutions used successfully in ဣthe last two seasons.

"We have seen in the tests that the asphalt offers a lot of grip, to the advantage of the flying lap time, but 🦂on the other hand it is very aggressive with the tyres, especially at high temperatures, causing unusual peaks in tread compound temperature on the left side with consequent tyre degradation: we detected up to 160 degrees Celsius in pit lane which we estimate could reach operative peaks of more than 200 degrees.

"Considering this evidence, in agreement with Dorna, FIM and Race Direction, we have decided that for the races of both classes it will🤡 be mandatory to make a pit stop to change tyres.

"It was a difficult decision to take, also because, as always happens in these cases,🤪 some teams would have wanted to try racing over the full distance. However, Pirelli believes that the safety of the riders must be the absolute priority in such circumstances.”