Day 1 of testing in Australia had a little bit of everything to keep fans on their toes as the grid prepares for the season opener this weekend
Day 1 of the final round of testing at Australia’s Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit gave the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship grid a much-needed dry-running opportunity after a preseason which has been hampered by wet weather so far. Day 1 featured a strong showing from the Ducati riders, occupying four of the top 5 spots with Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) claiming P1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) had a nasty highside crash in FP1, however returned to claim P3 on the day, while Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha) was declared unfit after his own FP1 fall.
Bulega put on another commanding display this preseason, claiming P1 by a margin of over three tenths of a second. His fastest lap of the day, a 1’28.765s trip around the circuit, was only two tenths of a second slower than the track’s all-time fastest race lap, a record he himself set last year in Race 1. Behind him, Andrea Iannone (Team Pata GoEleven) claimed P2, having set a 1’29.263s lap with 47 laps under his belt, 24 fewer than Bulega. In P4 was Iannone’s rival, Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team), who finished with a1’29.721s fastest lap, .361s behind Razgatlioglu. Alvaro Bautista claimed P5 with a 1’29.828s lap, competitive as ever and seemingly growing more comfortable on the bike. Ryan Vickers (Motocorsa Racing) impressed in his first-ever WorldSBK test day in Australia, the rookie landing a competitive P8 with a fastest lap of 1’29.982s. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) was the next up of the Ducati riders, finishing 12th on a 1’30.150s fastest lap. Scott Redding (MGM BONOVO Racing) landed a P15 finish, the English rider in his first season back atop a Ducati with a 1’30.412s personal best lap on the day although he did have a technical issue towards the end of FP2. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) rounded out the last of the Ducati bikes with a P18 finish, 1’30.989s as his fastest lap in FP1.
Razgatlioglu saw his FP1 ended after just two laps due to highside crash, sending him to the garage for the rest of the first session while they tended to his damaged bike. He was able to hit the track in FP2 later on, culminating in a P3 finish after a 1’29.334s personal fastest lap. Teammate Michael van der Mark finished in the middle of the pack on the day, landing a P11 finish on the back of a 1’30.009s lap.
Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) was the fastest of the Bimota riders in Day 1, earning a P6 finish with a best time of 1’29.883s. Lowes excelled here at Phillip Island last year with his ZX-10RR Ninja back when he was racing with the Kawasaki Racing Team, he’s commented before how already this off-season he feels like he’s picking up on the momentum he ended last year with. Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) looked slightly slower but still competitive, finishing P14 on the back of a 1’30.287s personal fastest lap.
Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha) crashed in FP1 on his 21st lap of the session, prompting a red flag and a visit to the medical centre before he was diagnosed with multiple fractures on his left foot. The injury will see him miss this weekend’s season-opening action. Prior to the injury, in FP1 Rea was in P15, having recorded a fastest lap for the session of 1’30.885s. Teammate Andrea Locatelli was up to his typical Phillip Island activities looking fast and highly competitive, ending the day with a fastest lap of 1’30.256s, only one thousandth of a second slower than Garrett Gerloff in FP1. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha Racing Team) continued what has looked like a positive preseason so far at Australia’s test Day 1, he laid down a fastest lap of 1’30.223s to earn him P13. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha Racing Team) looks to be continuing his work with Yamaha’s new adjustments to their bike, placing P19 from a 1’31.185s lap recorded in FP1. Tito Rabat (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) finished in P16, running uncharacteristically few laps for his standards with 59, his fastest lap clocking in at 1’30.951s. Among the Yamaha riders, WorldSBK Rookie Bahattin Sofuoglu (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) finished the lowest, placing P23, the #99 placing as such after a session-best lap for the Turkish rider of 1’31.674s as he rode the bike for the first time since undergoing surgery on his collarbone that he injured at Portimao.
Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) continues his Jerez and Portimao momentum down under as he lands a P9 finish on the back of a 1’30.023s fastest lap. His teammate, Iker Lecuona is still not medically 100% after an off-season on injuries ranging from his foot to his shoulder, and with a lap of 1’31.573s from FP1 placed in P22 on the day. Tarran Mackenzie was his team’s sole rider at Australia’s Day 1, finishing P21 thanks to a fastest lap of 1’31.371s.
The Texan rider continues to try to find his groove in green as he landed a P10 finish thanks to a 1’30.048s lap in FP2, the fastest of his 71 laps on the day. His time today was slightly slower than the times he recorded in Race 1 and Race 2 at Phillip Island last year, 1’29.113s and 1’29.221s respectively. As the year goes on, the American rider will look to improve his pace compared to last year as he settles in with a new manufacturer, a new bike, and a new team.
The top six from Day 1’s testing action!
1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’28.765s, 71 laps
2. Andrea Iannone (Team Pata GoEleven) +0.498s, 53 laps
3. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.569s, 34 laps
4. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.947s, 54 laps
5. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +1.063s, 80 laps
6. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +1.118s, 59 laps
