Editorial Note: The current Circuit Best Lap Record in 1:29.573, set by Jonathan Rea in 2017, and the current Race Lap Record is 1:30.949, set by Chaz Davies in 2014.
Motul FIM Superbike World Championship
Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit
Victoria, Australia
February 19, 2018
Day One Test Times (all on Pirelli tires):
1. Marco Melandri, Italy (Duc Panigale R), 1:30.726
2. Tom Sykes, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), 1:31.067, crash
3. Jonathan Rea, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), 1:31.259, crash
4. Leon Camier, UK (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), 1:31.554
5. Michael Van Der Mark, Netherlands (Yam YZF-R1), 1:31.682, crash
6. Xavi Fores, Spain (Duc Panigale R), 1:31.706
7. Eugene Laverty, Ireland (Apr RSV4 RF), 1:31.873
8. Alex Lowes, UK (Yam YZF-R1), 1:31.914
9. Jordi Torres, Spain (MV Agusta F4 RC), 1:31.946, crash
10. Chaz Davies, UK (Duc Panigale R), 1:32.054
11. Loris Baz, France (BMW S1000RR), 1:32.157
12. Lorenzo Savadori, Italy (Apr RSV4 RF), 1:32.451
13. Toprak Razgatlioglu, Turkey (Kaw ZX-10RR), 1:32.750
14. Roman Ramos, Spain (Kaw ZX-10RR), 1:32.801
15. Leandro Mercado, Argentina (Kaw ZX-10RR), 1:33.058
16. Wayne Maxwell, Australia (Yam YZF-R1), 1:33.180
17. Jake Gagne, USA (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), 1:33.290
18. Ondrej Jezek, Czech Republic (Yam YZF-R1), 1:33.298, crash
19. Yonny Hernandez, Colombia (Kaw ZX-10RR), 1:33.535
20. Troy Herfoss, Australia (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), 1:33.652
21. Daniel Falzon, Australia (Yam YZF-R1), 1:34.069, crashed twice
22. PJ Jacobsen, USA (Honda CBR1000RR SP2), 1:34.410
More, from a press release issued by Dorna WSBK Press Office:
Melandri sets the marker on opening day in Australia
Official Phillip Island test full of thrills and spills
Windy conditions welcomed riders to the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit as the final pre-season test of 2018 was underway, but there were no surprises from the timing screens as Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) ended the day on top, followed by the Kawasaki Racing Team duo of Sykes and Rea with the top six split by a second.
Monday morning’s session saw riders start to bed in their new set-up ahead of the season opener, and the track temperatures clearly played a part. Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) ended the session on top with a lap time of 1.30.726, ahead of Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team). It was an eventful morning for what is set to be a stunning season, with wild card’s impressing and riders crashing. As teams began to get their bikes ready for the race, there were no main parts to test but they had two hours to prepare for the weekend ahead.
Reigning world champion Rea suffered his first crash of the year, as he went down at turn 11 but was up and ok, whilst Torres fell at turn two and was also up and ok. Despite the strong wind – especially through turn one, riders were already beginning to lap at times close to the fastest time set last year.
WorldSBK veteran Melandri had a very strong opening day Down Under, and finished the day on top overall as his team begin to work on the main race set-up. Emphasising the importance of keeping a cool head, they were working with the set-up from the previous testing. Mainly focusing on electronics, it was a different day for Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) as he finished in 10th position with a time of 1.32.054 and continues to work on his race set-up.
Despite both their riders crashing through turn 11, the Kawasaki Racing Team duo were able to finish in second and third – Sykes was 0.341s off the top whilst Rea was 0.533s behind. Both riders will be continuing with the new set up of their new bikes with the 2018 regulations.
With two new riders for 2018, the Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team were getting ready for the opening weekend with Leon Camier and Jake Gagne. British rider Camier continued to impress in the pre-season testing as he ended in a stunning fourth position, and has been working mainly on his position on the CBR1000RR SP2. Whilst on the other side of the garage, American Gagne was generally working on race pace ahead of the weekend, and finished in 17th.
Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team we’re utilising the extra track time they were offered, in order to prepare the YZF-R1’s for a round they are usually strong around. Gaining a basic feel of how the bikes feel with the track relating to the new rules, they were hoping to focus on the engine spec as well as enhancing their performance with some new parts on Tuesday. Dutch rider Michael van der Mark finished in sixth position whilst Alex Lowes was eighth following some strong laps at the end of the day.
Continuing to search for the all important rear end feeling with the RSV4 RF, Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) secured a top seven finish and 1.147s behind the front runners with some strong steps made throughout the winter test.
Influenced by the cooler weather conditions, Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Team) was making the most of using both bikes in order to compare set-up on their machines. Continuing to adapt to the 2018 regulations, they are hoping to develop on their exit of the corners. With a full day of testing under his belt, he ended the day in sixth.
Loris Baz (GULF Althea BMW Racing Team) had his first time out on track with the SS 1000RR bike, and was focusing on understanding the bike around the circuit. Using the same bike geometry as he did in the last test at Portimao, he used two bikes to try to adjust the settings. Aiming to put in as many laps as possible he finished in 11th position, with a time of 1.32.157.
Riders have one last day out on track ahead of the opening round of the WorldSBK 2018 season, and will be looking to find those all important final set-ups.
Phillip Island Official Test WorldSBK Day One
1. Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1.30.726
2. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) +0.341
3. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) +0.533
WorldSSP: Champion Mahias reigns on opening day
Nothing splits front runners in Australia
Starting under the sun on Monday morning, 24 FIM Supersport World Championship riders took to the track for the final pre-season test of the year. Strong winds were a force to be contended with, but riders were still able to impress out on track. It was Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) who took the first honours of the week, setting a lap time of 1.34.088.
Reigning world champion Mahias opened the year in strong form, and finished the mornings session at the top of the timing screens, over 0.329s ahead of his rivals. Team-mate Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) was the second fastest rider in the morning, whilst Luke Stapleford (Profile Racing) impressed by ending in the top three. However the main protagonist’s weren’t far behind and Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was fourth in the morning, with new addition to the paddock Sandro Cortese (Kallio Racing) in fifth.
With 2013 champion Sam Lowes still holding the lap record here with a lap of 1.32.545s, it would be a hard one for the riders to beat in such conditions as today threw up. But as riders prepared to head out in the afternoon, the wind continued to beat around the circuit. Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse by Vamag) was spending his time getting used to the Italian machine, the Italian suffered a crash at turn three however was up and ok.
The end of the first day beckoned, and riders were being cautious out on track, not wanting to push too hard and cause a crash on the opening day of the week. Despite a slight challenge at the top of the timing screens, Caricasulo finished the day in second overall. Stapleford was not shy out on track and was challenging for the top position with just under an hour remaining. Ending the day in third overall, he was just 0.322s behind the top two riders and a positive 2018 beckons. Whilst rookie rider Cortese ended his first official day in the top four, ahead of five time WorldSSP champion Sofuoglu in fifth. With a new team for this season and his first time out on track, Jules Cluzel (NRT) impressed on his first ever day with the team.
Home hero Antony West (EAB antwest Racing) had a strong day at his home circuit, and was only 0.8s off the top of the timing screens as he continues to work with his new team. Mike Di Meglio (GMT94 Yamaha) is another new face to welcome to the WorldSSP paddock, and is preparing to make his debut with the YZF-R6 around the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. Finishing the day in 12th overall, he put in a strong start to the campaign.
Riders will now check their data and prepare for day two of the WorldSBK Official Phillip Island Test, ready for the opening Yamaha Finance Australian Round.
Phillip Island Official Test Day One WorldSSP Results:
1. Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) 1.34.088
2. Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) +0.021
3. Luke Stapleford (Profile Racing) +0.322
More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:
The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team leads the way in day one of the pre-season tests at Phillip Island with Melandri, Davies is 10th
The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team officially kicked off its 2018 campaign at Phillip Island with the first day of pre-season tests ahead of Round 1 of the WorldSBK Championship. The team enjoyed a positive debut in what was the first of a two-day test, as shown by the provisional best time set by Marco Melandri. Davies, who finished in 10th position, preferred to adopt a progressive approach given the less than optimal track conditions caused by strong wind gusts, especially to avoid potential setbacks in his recovery from an injury sustained in late 2017.
Melandri clocked 63 laps in total, posting his personal best in the morning session with a 1:30.726 then focusing on the pace with used tires. The Italian, who was the only rider able to break the 1:31 wall so far, confirmed his penchant for the Australian track where he already took five podiums in his career. Davies got progressively in tune with his 2018-spec Panigale R, making several evaluations and finishing with a personal best of 1:32.054.
The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati will resume action tomorrow at 09:10 local time (CET +10) for the second and final day of pre-season tests ahead of the opening round, scheduled for February 23-25 on the same track.
Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #33) – 1:30.726 (1st)
“It’s been a really positive day overall, despite the less than ideal weather conditions. The wind was really strong and unpredictable in the afternoon, so it wasn’t possible to further improve the lap times, but we worked well with the team and we immediately found a good feeling with the bike. Having evaluated many components in the previous tests, we were finally able to focus more on performance. A year of experience with the Panigale R also represents an advantage, especially when it comes to the electronics. The races will be a different matter anyway, so we need to stay focused.”
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) – 1:32.054 (10th)
“We tried quite a lot of things today and we have a general idea for tomorrow to further refine what felt good and what didn’t. We still need to combine our package a little bit but, considering that the conditions weren’t ideal, I think we achieved quite a lot. Physically I feel better, so I’m really happy about that. You never want to do anything stupid and get caught out or make mistakes on the first day of testing here. We basically used only two sets of tires, it wasn’t about going out for a quick lap time in the end, but rather to understand the package. Our first priority is to have a bike that can consistently be a reference in every circuit.”