Motul FIM Superbike World Championship Test

Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, Australia

February 18, 2019

Day One Combined Results (all on Pirelli tires):

1. Alvaro Bautista, Spain (Duc Panigale V4 R), 1:30.743

2. Alex Lowes, UK (Yam YZF-R1), 1:31.146

3. Jonathan Rea, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), 1:31.189

4. Tom Sykes, UK (BMW S1000RR), 1:31.300

5. Leon Haslam, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), 1:31.399

6. Marco Melandri, Italy (Yam YZF-R1), 1:31.445

7. Michael Van Der Mark, Netherlands (Yam YZF-R1), 1:31.458

8. Sandro Cortese, Germany (Yam YZF-R1), 1:31.639

9. Markus Reiterberger, Germany (BMW S1000RR), 1:31.992

10. Toprak Razgatlioglu, Turkey (Kaw ZX-10RR), 1:32.050

11. Leon Camier, UK (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), 1:32.459

12. Jordi Torres, Spain (Kaw ZX-10RR), 1:32.670

13. Chaz Davies, UK (Duc Panigale V4 R), 1:32.706

14. Leandro Mercado, Argentina (Kaw ZX-10RR), 1:32.789

15. Eugene Laverty, Ireland (Duc Panigale V4 R), 1:32.797

16. Ryuichi Kiyonari, Japan (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), 1:32.962

17. Michael Rinaldi, Italy (Duc Panigale V4 R), 1:33.402

18. Alessandro Delbianco, Italy (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), 1:33.949

19. Troy Herfoss, Australia (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), 1:34.961

More, from a press release issued by Dorna WorldSBK Press Office:

Bautista dominates day one in Australia

Four different bikes take four top spots in thrilling opener at Phillip Island

(Above) Alex Lowes (22). Photo courtesy of Dorna WorldSBK Press Office.

After three weeks of rest the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship riders were back in action on Monday at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit for the final pre-season test before the season premiere. Amidst chilly temperatures and winds, Ducati’s debutant Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) clocked in the fastest time of the day, over four tenths of a second faster than Alex Lowes Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK).

(Above) Jonathan Rea (1). Photo courtesy of Dorna WorldSBK Press Office.

The Spaniard’s best lap of 1’30.743 could be interpreted as an early warning shot to the 17 other men on the grid. Race performance remains an unknown, but over one lap the 34-year-old is as fast as they come – and this was just his seventh day onboard the Superbike, with much of the focus for Bautista and his crew still centred around adapting to the softer WorldSBK tyres.

(Above) Tom Sykes (66). Photo courtesy of Dorna WorldSBK Press Office.

It was far from a flawless opener for the Aruba.it garage however, as Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) lingered at the bottom end of the timesheets for both sessions. Still searching for an ideal base setup, the Welshman found some technical issues early on and was unable to match his teammate’s pace. Much work left to be done on day two for Davies who nonetheless, it’s worth noting, usually excels in race conditions.

(Above) Leon Haslam (91). Photo courtesy of Dorna WorldSBK Press Office.

The other two Panigale V4 Rs on the 2019 grid also continued developing and discovering the new red beast. Eugene Laverty (Team Goeleven) focused on base setup as well as improving the feeling on the rear of the bike, while Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team), making his Phillip Island debut, fixed his attention on their new Showa suspensions.

Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) were the two first men out on track in the morning and showed similar pace, finishing the day in third and fifth respectively. The Englishman, fully adapted now to the WorldSBK-spec ZX-10RR, chose to test his tyre selection for Australia, while the four-time world champion overcame a crash at turn 10 to be the best Kawasaki on the day, while also trying out the new Pirellis.

Turkish Puccetti’s Toprak Razgatlioglu also appeared to be making ground with the 2019 ZX-10RR, as he set the tenth fastest lap on his first day with the new engine, rising above his fellow Kawasaki privateers.

A clear frontrunner for the title of ‘Mr Consistency’ during winter testing, Alex Lowes again finished inside the top two here at Phillip Island, 0.403s behind Bautista. Both the Englishman and Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) – seventh on Monday – set out to confirm the good results from both January tests, the YZF R1 looking already like an incredibly competitive package.

The other two Yamahas on the grid also excelled on day one, as the Japanese manufacturer managed to place all four bikes inside the top eight. Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK), sixth, tried out some new solutions before entering the finetuning stage tomorrow, while Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) – eighth – rode his first laps on a Superbike at Phillip Island.

This was also a fruitful day for the two BMW bikes, fitted with a new chassis and swingarm link for the first time. Both riders continued to build confidence onboard the S1000 RR, with a stunning Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) in fourth position having the edge over Markus Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), ninth fastest. The Yorkshireman was in fact second fastest in the second session – a sign that the BMW might be ready to fight for podiums right from the get-go.

After several months of swirling rumours and working outside the spotlight, Monday was also the day we finally got to see the Moriwaki Althea Honda Team in action. The first signs would seem promising, as Leon Camier (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team) edged close to the top ten with a bike still in an early development stage.

Will Bautista again outpace Rea and the rest tomorrow?

More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:

The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team heads the timesheets on the first day of official tests at Phillip Island: Bautista on top, while Davies lies in thirteenth

The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team was out on track today at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in Australia for the first day of official tests that mark the start of the 2019 Superbike World Championship season.

Today was characterized by a convincing performance by the team’s new signing, Álvaro Bautista from Spain, who powered his Panigale V4 R to an impressive fastest morning lap of 1’30.743, a time that was even quicker than Marco Melandri’s race record. Bautista, who completed a total of 61 laps in the four hours of track time available today, showed that he is rapidly getting to grips with his new bike, and he remained at the top of the timesheets almost all day.

Team-mate Chaz Davies had to overcome a few more difficulties and he could only end the day in thirteenth place. Faced with a technical problem in the first session, he was only able to notch up 21 laps. In the afternoon, the track conditions worsened due to the strong winds and Chaz, who added another 35 laps to his total, focussed on building up his confidence with the V4 R, the Welshman recording his best lap of the day in 1’32.783.

The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team will be back on track tomorrow at 09.10 local time (CET +10) for the second and final day of testing before the opening round of the championship itself, which will be held from Friday 22 to Sunday 24 February at the same circuit.

(Above) Alvaro Bautista (19).

Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #19) – 1’30.743 – 1st

“Today was a very positive day and I felt good on the bike right away. We mainly focussed on chassis set-up work by testing various solutions that I hadn’t tried out until now. I’m pleased because we were able to improve the turning of the bike, which gave me a lot more confidence going into the corner. In addition, we tried the different tyre solutions that Pirelli brought along for the weekend. Now we have to have a good look at the data and try and make another step forward, but all in all I’m very happy.”

(Above) Chaz Davies (7).

Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) – 1’32.706 – 13th

“Today was quite a tough day for me, because for the moment the priority is to improve my confidence with the bike by making small steps forward with the set-up. Lap times aside, my confidence grew throughout the day however. We’re making changes, but there’s still a lot of work to do to improve the feeling on the bike. I’ve not done a lot on the new bike this winter because of my back twinge, and I haven’t been in a condition to really get to know the bike, but as long as I can get more comfortable for the race, I’ll be happy.”