World champion Max Biaggi will lead WSBK into the Phillip Island season opener with Aprilia.

When the Superbike World Championship gets underway at Phillip Island on 25-27 February, the grid for the Superbike races will be vastly different to the one which concluded proceedings in 2010 as only Kawasaki and Aprilia field the same factory teams in 2011.

Aprilia has reigning world champion Max Biaggi in its line-up, while Kawasaki is the only marque to be introducing an all-new machine this year in the shape of the ZX-10R, which will be ridden by Aussie star Chris Vermeulen.

Two-time world champion Wollongong’s Troy Corser (BMW) is the second Australian in the 2011 championship, and he’s been a regular Phillip Island winner over his record 16 years at the island – the last time with an emphatic clean sweep in 2005.

The veteran returns at age 39, fit as a fiddle and full of fire, and ready to contest his 17th Phillip Island World Superbike event.

Gosford’s Mark Aitchison has also scored a permanent World Superbike ride and will race the Kawasaki ZX-10R for Team Pedercini Kawasaki in 2011.

Mildura rider Josh Waters, the 2009 Australian Superbike Champion, will also make a one-off appearance at Phillip Island for the famed Yoshimura Suzuki team. The former dirt track prodigy has logged hundreds of laps at Phillip Island over the last few years, and definitely has the form to embarrass some championship regulars.

Perth’s Bryan Staring, the 2010 Australian Superbike Champion and 2009 Australian Supersport Champion and our most successful local rider over the past two years, has scored Australia’s second wildcard and will compete on the Team Pedercini Kawasaki.

The World Superbike title also welcomes former 250GP World Champion and MotoGP winner Marco Melandri into the fold for 2011, where he will campaign a factory Yamaha alongside two-time World Supersport runner-up Eugene Laverty.

Other hard men on the grid at Phillip Island will include Tom Sykes (Kawasaki), popular Japanese rider Noriyuki Haga (Aprilia), Italy’s Michel Fabrizio (Suzuki), BMW’s new recruit Leon Haslam, Honda’s Jonathan Rea, reigning world No 3 Carlos Checa (Ducati), and mercurial Czech rider Jakub Smrz (Ducati).

In World Supersport, Newcastle’s Broc Parkes (Kawasaki) is a championship favourite, and he’d love nothing more than to start the season with a win in front of his army of friends and family, while Sydney’s Mitchell Pirotta wants to impress with his first race for KUJA Honda.

Current ASBK number two Wayne Maxwell will enter Phillip Island's first round as title favourite.

In the national support classes, Honda’s official return to local Superbike racing has already created an enormous amount of interest, with Wayne Maxwell and Jamie Stauffer set to spearhead the team’s assault, starting at Phillip Island.

Honda will saddle up against the ultra professional Suzuki outfit, set to be led by 2010 Australian Supersport champion Troy Herfoss, a new entry from BMW with 2008 Australian Superbike champion Glenn Allerton, and also a number of well-credentialled privateers.

One of those serving it up to the factory pilots will be former Australian Superbike Champion Craig Coxhell, who will now ride the extremely competitive Honda vacated by Maxwell.

All riders will be on the same Dunlop control rubber, much like the World Superbike partnership with Pirelli.

Maxwell won both of last year’s Superbike races at Phillip Island, and his winning form continued at the circuit just last month when he partnered great mate Josh Brookes to victory in the Australian Endurance Championship.

Meanwhile, Yamaha hasn’t let Honda steal all the limelight in early 2011, and has announced it will field veteran enforcer Kev Curtain and Rick Olson in this year’s QBE Australian Supersport Championship, which has added another level of intrigue to the Phillip Island support schedule.

The Yamaha duo will be pitted against factory machines from Triumph (Christian Casella) and Suzuki (Brodie Waters), in addition to a number of standout privateers.

Two races apiece have been set aside for the Superbike (including Prostock), Supersport and Superstock 600 riders during the World Superbike round, and three for Historics.

Fans can grab tickets now on www.worldsbk.com.au or on the circuit’s hotline 1 300 728 007.

Buy now and save on gate prices, with a Sunday race day general admission (GA) ticket for $70*, a three-day GA ticket for $130*, and ticket options for families and concessions from Friday through to Sunday.