PICTORIAL: Round 1 World Superbike Championships

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Honda's PATA World Superbike team below, and Honda corporate hospitality above

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Information display on superbikes these days is a far cry from the old analog tachometer of not all that long agao

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The Hero EBR team

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Sylvain Barrier's BMW S1000RR

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First race winner of the year, Eugene Laverty

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The Smiths Triumph 675R

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The Smiths Triumph 675R

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A team shot for the San Carlo Puccetti Racing Team with rider Roberto Tamburini

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Althea Racing's Niccolo Canepa awaits qualifying

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Inside the Ducati factory team pits with riders Chaz Davies centre at back and Davide Giugliano back left

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The Hero EBR Superbike team

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Imre Toth, rider and principal of BMW Team Toth

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Inside the BMW Team Toth pits with the BMW S1000RR

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Local rider Glenn Allerton took the Silvain Barrier seat on the BMW Motorrad Italia team’s new EVO spec S1000RR

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Looking for ways to improve the pace - inside the Hero EBR Superbike team pits

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Marco Melandri deep in discussion in the Aprilia garage

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Voltcom Suzuki's reigning British Superbike champ Alex Lowes and old mate Leon Haslam joke in the pits. This year Haslam is riding for Team Pata Honda

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Inside the official Kawasaki Superbike Team garage, data was being shared and compared

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Press conferences are now part of every rider's schedule.

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Former riders Steve Martin and Chris Vermeulen have made the transition from riders to media commentators - here they discuss the finer points in the press room.

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Alex Lowes and Fabien Foret front a press conference

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Press conferences are now part of every rider's schedule.

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Kawasaki fielded an EVO spec bike in the hands of David Salom

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Inside the Ducati factory team pits with riders Davide Giugliano at left

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Inside the Pata Honda garage

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Every team has its own way of ensuring that nothing is left to chance

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Geoff May's seat on the EBR Team Hero 1190RX

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Peter Sebestyen watches on as his team readies his BMW S1000RR

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Imre Toth oversees the final preparation for a wet practice session

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Team Pedercini Kawasaki's Alessandro Andreozzi stepped up to the Superbike class with an EVO spec Kawasaki ZX10R

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Team Pedercini Kawasaki's Alessandro Andreozzi awaits the start of a practice session on a circuit he had not previously seen. After a priomising year in Superstock in 2013, Andreozzi rode an EVO spec ZX10R

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Checking the tire pressures on last time

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Geoff May before he broke his collarbone

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Leon Haslam in the PATA Honda pit

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Davide Giugliano stretching the musculature prior to practice

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Davide Giugliano getting the soft tissue controls up to working temperature

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After a season to forget in 2013, Ducati is aiming to redress the balance and defend its name in 2014

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Riding a full factory Aprilia RSV4 in Red Devils Roma Team, Toni Elias has a full hand of talent and machinery. Readers may not remember Elias as the inaugural Moto2 champion in 2010, or for his MotoGP victory in 2006. Six podiums in MotoGP stamps him as a class act. Do not discount him as a race winner later this season.

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There is no margin for error when you are a member of a race team. Everything has to be right.

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Leo Vince muffler with carbon cap - you can meditate on the combination of functionality and artistry on each of these machines.

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Marco Melandri's bike in the Aprilia garage

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Paul Denning's Voltcom Crescent Suzuki Team looks very well placed to give the title a shake this year.

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Paul Denning's Voltcom Crescent Suzuki Team looks very well placed to give the title a shake this year.

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Double World Supersport Champion AND World Superbike race winner Andrew Pitt, wanders pit lane.

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Giugliano's factory Panigale

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Chaz Davies factory Panigale

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Globalisation personified - the Mahi Racing Team India pits where a Frenchman and a Turk ride Japanese motorcycles.

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Billy McConnell warms his gloves on the tyre warmer prior to the next practice session on a cold Friday

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The BMW S1000RR of Team Toth with the rear-sub-frame removed, looks ALL business

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The DMC Panavto Yamaha supersport pits

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Luca Scassa's Kawasaki ZX-10R EVO spec bike in the Team Pedercini garage

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The EBR 1195RX

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Giugliano's Ducati Panigale showing some serious plumbing work to route the rear cylinder's exhaust

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Fabian Foret's ZX-10R in the Mahi garage

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Globalisation personified - the Mahi Racing Team India pits where a Frenchman and a Turk ride Japanese motorcycles.

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Getting the exam results for six months of off-season homework.

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Giugliano's factory Ducati Panigale R

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Firing up Guintoli's Aprilia works RSV4 - even the battery pack looks the business

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Guintoli's factory Aprilia RSV4 gets pampered

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Nico Canepa's EVO Panigale in the Althea garage

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The Phillip Island circuit sits atop cliffs adjoining one of the wildest stretches of ocean in the world - when it's wet and cold and blowing at the Island, the riders get an experience like no other.

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The Phillip Island circuit sits atop cliffs adjoining one of the wildest stretches of ocean in the world - when it's wet and cold and blowing at the Island, the riders get an experience like no other.

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In the press room

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David Salom's EVO ZX-10R

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Team Pedercini fielded two EVO spec ZX-10Rs

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Chaz Davies on the factory Panigale R

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Geoff May heads down pit lane on the Hero EBR

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Peter Sebestyen on the Team BMW Toth EVO S1000RR BMW

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Toni Elias arrives at the office

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Jonathon Rea's CBR1000RR Honda

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In the accompanying Australian Motorcycle News Expo, Confederate Motorcycles made quite an impression. This is the Confederate Hellcat X132

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In the accompanying Australian Motorcycle News Expo, the 2014 Zero SR was rarely without curious bystanders. 276 kilometers for $1.60's worth of electricity makes for economical commuting

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A closer look at the Confederate Hellcat X132

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EBR had its first outing at the Island in more ways than one.

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The Bimota TESI 3D - biker porn

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One of the best motorcycle racers in the world who has had a wretched run with just plain bad luck. Maybe 2014 will be his year. Marco Melandri.

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Bimota rolled out a full range at the expo with the Ducati-engined DB8 the focus of the stand

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Memorabilia is still a massive business, particularly when it's authenticated. This signed pic of King Kenny will set you back AUD$295

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Memorabilia is still a massive business, particularly when it's authenticated.

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Confederate's R131 Fighter had me thinking about the wellbeing of my family tree.

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Confederate's R132 Hellcat

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Confederate's R132 Hellcat

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Confederate's R132 Hellcat

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Erik Buell Racing's EBR 1190RX

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T-shirt stand in the expo - some very funny stuff

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T-shirt stand in the expo - some very funny stuff

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T-shirt stand in the expo - some very funny stuff

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Michel Fabrizio's Iron Brain EVO ZX-10R

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It wasn't really Silvain Barrier on the bike - local Glenn Allerton stepped in when the reigning STK1000 Champion suffered a fractured pelvis on the Monday prior to the event. Ouch!

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Calm before the storm - wets in place, and the clock is ticking down to another wet session

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Current world champ Tom Sykes prepares to launch the factory Kawasaki ZX-10R

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Current world champ Tom Sykes prepares to launch the factory Kawasaki ZX-10R

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David Salom and his EVO ZX-10R

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Alex Lowes on the Voltcom Crescent GSX-R1000

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Leon Haslam on the PATA Honda World Superbike Team CBR1000RR

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Jeremy Guarnoni on the EVO MRS Kawasaki ZX-10R

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Loris Baz on the KRT ZX-10R

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Loris Baz exits the pit-box

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The Voltcom suzuki garage

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Niccola Canepa sits in the back of the Althea garage while the crew ready his EVO Panigale 1199R Ducati

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Silvain Guintoli's Aprilia RSV4

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Robbie Phillis won the first race in the 1990 World Superbike Championship round at Phillip Island, one of four wins he took during his international career. Indeed, Robbie is still winning nearly every race he enters - the 57-year-old took the win in the historic events on the weekend.

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The Pata Honda pits.

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MV Agusta flew the flag off the track too

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BMW's R Nine T

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After battling through from the bottom half of the field in the first race, Eugene Laverty's Suzuki GSX-R1000 pulled out a clear margin for an encouraging win.

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Aaron Yates on the Hero EBR 1190RX demonstrates the camber of the Island circuit

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Niccolo Canepa on the Althea Ducati Panigale 1199R

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Many of the bikes outside the racetrack are works of art too - this Ducati being a prime example.

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EBR's 1190 caused a sensation at the expo - it seems that Aussie fans have been awaiting the resurrection of the Buell name.

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Sunday at the Island dawned clear and warm, no doubt to the delight of all the promotional girls who might have otherwise suffered hypothermia

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Waddayreckon - time to sell the kids? Kawasaki's Z1000 ABS

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Scenes from the parking lot

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Scenes from the parking lot

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Aprilia's RSV4 in the expo

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Aprilia's RSV4 in the expo

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Moto Guzzi had a significant stand at the expo, including a range of promotional activities

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More t-shirts

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More t-shirts

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Benelli, once the pride of Italian workmanship and speed, is now Chinese-owned and although the Italian factory and development has been maintained, the Chinese production facilities have increased the size of the range, and reduced the costs.

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Bimota's DB10 Motard werighs in at 168 kg and uses a 1078cc L-twin motor producing 98 hp

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One of the more interesting products on display at the World Superbike Expo was this range of headsets from Noiseguard. Each set is custom moulded to the riders' ears, then wrapped around the electronics of your choice. I forked out for the Logitech 200vi with remote & microphone and Pro Musicians’ balanced armature single audio driver. An evaluation will follow a few weeks from now when the final products arrive.