#AUSWorldSBK– Day 1
Savadori can’t be stopped on Day 1 Down Under
Aprilia and Honda fastest on Friday to lead the charge towards the first qualifying sessions of the year
Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) stole the headlines and the timesheets on Day 1 of the Yamaha Finance Australian Round, leading the charge to Tissot-Superpole 2 with a 1:30.407 set in FP2 to go fastest overall. Behind the Noale factory machine at the top, Leon Camier (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) took P2 for Honda as he debuts with the Japanese marque, just clear of the second Aprilia machine of Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia).
Lorenzo Savadori (32).
With early morning drizzle, a dry FP2 and then rain once again in the afternoon ahead of the final session of the day, track conditions changed throughout Day 1 but did end dry. Regardless, the best laptime set by Savadori in FP2 remained at the top of the timesheets, unthreatened.
Behind the Aprilia-Honda-Aprilia lockout at the top, Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) took fourth and was the fastest Kawasaki machine, just under a tenth faster than teammate and reigning champion Jonathan Rea. Rea was the first on the timesheets to set his quickest effort of the day in FP3, moving up a couple of places towards the end of play. Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) finished up the first track action of the race weekend in P6 after topping a damp FP1, just ahead of 2014 WorldSSP Champion Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team), who was the fastest Yamaha.
Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Team) led a trio of riders who improved in FP3 as he ended the day in P8, just ahead of fellow Panigale rider Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati). Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) completed the top ten, with the Brit having crashed in FP2 on his first flying lap but able to get back out in FP3 and secure his place in Tissot-Superpole 2.
Jake Gagne (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) was the man to just get pushed out, but the American made a solid debut at the track despite a crash late on Friday from which he escaped unscathed. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was P12 and will be another rider pushing hard to move through from Tissot-Superpole 1 on Saturday – with Jordi Torres (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) and Friday crasher Loris Baz (GULF ALTHEA BMW Racing Team) waiting in the wings to try and make it every manufacturer in the top 12 on the grid.
After FP4 bright and early on Saturday, only Tissot-Superpole will remain between the grid and lights out for Race 1. Qualifying begins from 12:30 local time (GMT `+11), and the first race of the 2018 season gets in gear at 15:00.
Mahias leads the march to Tissot-Superpole 2
The reigning Champion ends Day 1 on top, with Krummenacher and Cortese on the chase
Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) leads the World Supersport ranks into the first Tissot-Superpole sessions of the year, with the Frenchman – and reigning champion – ending Friday action exactly four tenths clear of nearest rival Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team). Swiss rider Krummenacher returns to the class in 2018 after proving a race winner two years ago and was immediately up to speed to impress, as was the fastest rookie on Day 1, 2012 Moto3™ World Champion Sandro Cortese (Kallio Racing).
Friday at Phillip Island was a damp one, with early morning drizzle then drying out – before rain over the break in the middle of the day affected track conditions once more. The only two men to improve in the second session were five-time champion Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) and newcomer to the class Mike di Meglio (GMT94 Yamaha) as the track just about dried out by the end of the session. Sofuoglu, with his 1:33.576 in FP2, ended the day in fourth behind Cortese, leapfrogging Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) to put Kawasaki into a top five dominated by Yamaha and completed by Caricasulo.
Raffaele de Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse by Vamag) was the quickest Italian machine in sixth – just ahead of Aussie home hero and second Kawasaki representative Anthony West (EAB antwest Racing), who took seventh and goes straight through to Superpole 2 on his return to the class. Championship stalwart Jules Cluzel (NRT) was eighth fastest on Friday, ahead of British rider Luke Stapleford’s (Profile Racing) Triumph Daytona 675. Kyle Smith (GEMAR Team Lorini) completed the top ten as the final direct graduate to Tissot-Superpole 2 – with his Honda making it five manufacturers heading through to fight for the top ten on the grid.
Niki Tuuli (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) just missed the cut and will be pushing to move through on Saturday in Suerpole 1, as will Ayrton Badovini (MV Agusta Reparto Corse by Vamag), who was within a tenth of the Finnish rider ahead of him.
After FP3 on Saturday morning, the first Tissot-Superpole session of the 2018 WorldSSP season gets underway in the afternoon – with lights out to decide the grid at 13:30 local time (GMT + 11).
More, from a press release issued by Gulf Althea BMW:
Gulf Althea BMW hindered by a crash in Australia
Phillip Island (Australia), Friday 23 February 2018
The 2018 Superbike World Championship is officially open for business. Today, the Gulf Althea BMW Racing team was out on the Phillip Island track for the first timed practice sessions of the traditional Australian season-opener.
In a change to the programme for 2018, Friday now comprises three timed practices, of 40 minutes each (compared to two sessions last season). Loris Baz, excited to begin his first race weekend on the Althea BMW, had hoped to start off on the right foot, but unfortunately an unexpected crash conditioned his performance during day one.
Rain overnight made for a wet track for the morning’s opening session. With times therefore reflecting the conditions, Baz closed in fourteenth place (1’45.461). Durante the subsequent session, and on a dry track, the Frenchman set a good time, a 1’32.340, in the early stages but unfortunately this was followed by a crash on the very next lap, which has left him with a painful shoulder and knee. Unable to improve on that time in the third and final session, Baz finished in sixteenth position overall and will therefore face tomorrow’s Superpole 1.
Loris Baz:
“Not how I wanted to start the year. The first session was wet and it’s the first time I was using the Pirellis in those conditions for four years. But performance was good, I was top five early on and then worked to understand some things. Session two started out OK and I set a 32.3 but unfortunately lap three brought a nasty crash after I suffered a technical problem as I was braking into turn 4. I’ve hurt my shoulder and knee. This afternoon to be honest I tried but was in pain and in the end I couldn’t improve on my lap time. I will try my best tomorrow but unfortunately the goalposts have now shifted a little. I’m disappointed because we’d worked hard all winter and we didn’t need the crash, but we’ll see what we can do…”
More, from a press release issued by Motorcycling Australia:
Aussie Wildcards and Regulars Begin Push at World Stage
It was an important day for Australia’s wildcards and regular contenders in their WorldSBK and WorldSSP Championship Round 1 ambitions. Friday being their last chance to get comfortable with their machinery ahead of a big weekend.
Australia’s Wayne Maxwell (Yamaha Racing Team, YZF-R1M), Daniel Falzon (Yamaha Racing Team, YZF-R1M), Troy Herfoss (Penrite Honda, Honda CBR1000RR SP) and Tom Toparis (Cube Racing, Kawasaki ZX-6R) all took to the track for their practice sessions. All four wildcards noted that it was a fantastic opportunity to fly the flag for Australia and show off their talents to the world.
Herfoss lead the charge for Australian wildcard riders, finishing the three WorldSBK Free Practice sessions in 19th position, with a combined time of 1:32.683, Maxwell was hot his heels with a time of 1:32.723 and Falzon finished the day in 21st position with a time of 1:32.991.
Maxwell commenting after the first practice session; “The first session took place on a drying track. We rode around, kept the bike in one piece. Its looking like conditions may be wet this weekend at times. It’s a fantastic opportunity to be racing as a wildcard in the WorldSBK championship and to do it with our Australian Yamaha Racing Team makes it even better. I think with how strong ASBK competition is at the moment, it’s good enough to ride at the world level.”
Herfoss shared his joy with competing on the world stage; “It’s hard to explain, I grew up watching WorldSBK and it’s been my life long goal to ride at this level. The two-day test early this week was an amazing feeling to be out on the track and riding with these guys, it was great to get that out of the way and settle the nerves and now I’m ready to go racing over the weekend and do the best job I can for my team.”
Toparis finished the day in 17th position in the World Supersport class with a combined time of 1:35.879, to put himself in a solid position after the two Free Practice sessions on Friday.
Toparis Shared; ”It’s pretty cool to be a wildcard in the WorldSSP Class, it reminds me a lot of last season when I rode in Moto3 as you are riding around with guys you watch on TV everyday. I’m really excited for this opportunity and I’m hoping the rain stays away as it makes the track a lot more fun and makes for better racing. We are liking the set up we have right now, as we aren’t far off the pace and if it stays dry over the weekend, we can really improve our times.
For the Australian regular on the WorldSSP stage, Anthony West (EAB antwest Racing, Kawasaki ZX-6R) has set himself for a real assault on the weekends racing, finishing in seventh position after Friday’s two Free Practice sessions. Fellow Australian Lachlan Epis (Team GoEleven, Kawasaki ZX-6R) finished in 19th position after both of Fridays Free Practice sessions.
Stay tuned throughout the WorldSBK Yamaha Finance Australian Round to keep up with all the wildcards and regular Australian contenders.
More, from a press release issued by Red Bull Honda WSBK Team:
Camier off to a flying start on opening day at Phillip Island
The Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team got off to a flying start at the 2018 WorldSBK season opener as Leon Camier set the second fastest time and Jake Gagne finished in eleventh place overall in today’s Free Practice sessions at Phillip Island Circuit in Australia.
On a day of unsettled weather, both Camier and Gagne showed strong pace in wet and dry conditions and it was in the early afternoon Free Practice 2 session that both riders set their best time, Camier’s scorching 1’30.722 made him the second fastest today, while Gagne’s 1’31.689 saw him finish just outside the top 10.
The first session of the race weekend, Free Practice 1, took place in damp conditions offering both riders valuable track time with the CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2 on wet tyres and Camier and Gagne took to the task quickly finishing in P7 and P14 respectively.
The dry Free Practice 2 session allowed the riders to launch a time attack on slick tyres for the first time and although neither rider was able to improve their lap time in the day’s final session, the focus for Free Practice 3 was evaluating slick tyre performance during longer runs and fine-tuning bike settings for the race.
The next WorldSBK session is tomorrow’s Free Practice 4 at 0940 local time (GMT +11) before the Superpole 1 (1230-1245) and Superpole 2 (1255-1310) sessions with the first race of the season set to get underway at 1500 local time.
Leon Camier 2
Today went well, after trying many things in testing for today we went back to our base setting and the bike felt great and I was able to set a good lap time in FP2. I’m happy with my pace today and we just need to keep working and make things a fraction better for the race which I expect to be a tactical battle with many riders on similar race pace. Riding the Fireblade in the wet today for the first time was also a good experience and I felt very comfortable on the bike straight away which is important. Overall, it was a good start and I feel like I’m ready for the race regardless if its in wet or dry conditions.
Jake Gagne (45).
Jake Gagne 45
We started off in the rain in FP1 today and it was really good to get some wet track time around Phillip Island and I felt comfortable on the bike straight away. For the dry session in FP2 we tried something different setting wise compared to what we ran in the test and it made a big difference for me, I could push a lot more and it was good to end that session in the top ten. In FP3 I felt even better with the bike and tried to stay in the top ten but pushed a bit hard and had a small crash but it was nothing too serious, now I want to try and qualify for Superpole 2 and have a good first race.
Kervin Bos
Team Manager
It was a great opening day at Phillip Island, we had mixed conditions today but both riders were able to get up to speed quickly on both wet and slick tyres. Leon did a fantastic lap in FP2, he and his team have been working hard and today you could see just what a good package the Fireblade is at the moment. Jake was unlucky to miss direct qualification for Superpole 2 and he had a small crash but I’m very happy with how he went today as he made a big step from testing. So it was a really good opening day, it is now up to us to see how much we can push towards the front in qualifying and the race tomorrow.
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:
New Look First Day For KRT In Australia
KRT riders Tom Sykes and Jonathan Rea took part in a new-look Friday on the opening day of the 2018 season, with three 40 minute practice sessions now replacing the two one hour long practices of 2017. Sykes finished fourth fastest overall and Rea fifth today, with both Ninja ZX-10RR riders earning automatic Superpole 2 places in the process.
Overnight rains affected FP1 today, with most riders posting their fastest laps in the dry FP2 session knowing there was another 40 minutes available in which to make a final push.
Jonathan was one of the few riders to go faster in the third session, after trying some different machine settings from those he used in the recent official tests earlier today.
Sykes almost joined Rea in setting an even better lap time in FP3 than his previous 1’30.882 but was still well inside the leading group, one place up on Rea. After good set-up work on used tyres, Sykes is fully prepared for race one on Saturday – if the conditions turn out to be dry.
With both official Ninja ZX-10RR machines clearly inside the top free practice places, preparations now begin inside the KRT garages to qualify well in Superpole 2 and ensure that each rider takes a leading grid position for race one.
The first race of the new season will take place on Saturday 24th February and race two on Sunday 25th, with both events scheduled for 15.00, local time.
Tom Sykes (66).
Tom Sykes, stated: “I am very happy with today’s results. We have just done a long run on the tyres. In that last FP3 session we used the tyre from the previous session, so it has 28 laps on it now. My fastest lap today was on lap 16 on that same tyre, so I am happy. We were going to use a new set of tyres later today but we tried a couple of new things on the bike and it is working flawlessly at the moment. I am really enjoying riding it and I’m looking forward to the race. If it is dry then we are very well prepared.”
Jonathan Rea (1).
Jonathan Rea, stated: “We put everything together and tried something we were thinking about from the test, to put together for the weekend. Unfortunately we missed the first session due to rain and in the second session the change we tried was not exactly right. We tried something a little bit different for the last session to try and give me a bit of front end confidence, and I got it. Not many people improved their lap time in the last session but I was constantly on a really good pace in those conditions and I feel good for tomorrow. I was on course to be fastest but I had a huge moment in T11. I just got a little bit too excited because I knew it was a good lap time!”
More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:
Melandri 6th and Davies 9th in Friday’s practice sessions at Phillip Island: the first race of 2018 awaits the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team
The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team resumed action on track today at Phillip Island (Australia) for the first free-practice sessions of the 2018 WorldSBK Championship. With a new format, which translates into three 40-minute sessions, the riders practiced in the wet early on, but then took advantage of improving weather conditions. Marco Melandri and Chaz Davies finished respectively in 6th and 9th position in the combined rankings, both gaining direct access to Superpole 2.
In particular, Melandri worked with positive feedback on the weight distribution on his Panigale R to improve stability on the main straight, posting a 1:30.973 in FP2 and then focusing on tire wear. Davies, on the other hand, was one of the few riders capable to improve his lap times in FP3, in conditions theoretically more similar to those of the race, posting a 1:31.515.
The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team will resume action Saturday at 09:40 local time (CET +10) for the fourth and last free-practice session ahead of Superpole and Race 1, scheduled to start at 15:00.
Rider Name (TK). Photo by TK.
Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #33) – 1:30.973 (6th)
“Today was positive, despite the erratic weather. I like this track a lot, and it suits our bike. I feel in great shape and, together with the team, we worked with more ease, given the year of experience under our belts. The Panigale R has improved since the tests. Tomorrow, it’ll be crucial to ride a fast lap in Superpole and then find a pace that allows us to manage the tires better than the others. Many riders can be fast, but only a few will be competitive towards the end, once the tires drop.”
Chaz Davies (7).
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) – 1:31.505 (9th)
“Overall, it’s been a positive day. The final lap times probably don’t show the full picture here, and even though ninth position isn’t exciting on paper, I feel happier than after the tests. We stepped forward a little bit despite the fact that we still have room for improvement. FP3 wasn’t too smooth, we had a couple of issues that kept us in the garage for a while, but we’re going in the right direction. Also, physically we seemed to have turned a corner. We’re probably better off in a race situation than what we are on the time sheets.”
More, from a press release issued by Pata Yamaha:
Pata Yamaha Progress in Tricky Conditions on Friday at Phillip Island
Free practice
Mixed weather greeted the Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team on Friday at the opening round of the 2018 FIM Superbike World Championship and the team were forced to deal with mixed fortunes throughout the day. Michael van der Mark impressed during the official test earlier in the week at Phillip Island and kept up this form to finish Friday in seventh on the combined timesheets with a 1:31.114, 0.707s off the quickest rider. His teammate Alex Lowes showed superb fortitude to bounce back after a crash in FP2, which forced him to miss the entire session, making up for lost time in FP3 to set a 1:31.516 and end the day in tenth overall, with both riders making it through to SP2 on Saturday.
A key change to Friday’s for the 2018 WorldSBK Championship is the inclusion of a third forty-minute practice session, with the top ten riders on the combined timesheets at the end of the day automatically making it through to SP2 on Saturday. This would prove to be vital as the weather played a crucial role on the opening day of the season, with rain in the morning meaning FP1 saw the riders out on wet tyres before conditions improved for a dry FP2, allowing riders to head out on slicks. Rain once more fell at the island before FP3, with a drying track meaning riders had to push to the absolute limit to try and improve their times.
Van der Mark showed great pace during the official test earlier in the week and was determined to get his 2018 campaign off to the best start possible. Despite the wet conditions in FP1, he immediately settled into a good rhythm on his Pata Yamaha R1, ending the session in ninth after setting a 1:41.939 and gaining some valuable wet track time, which could be essential with a mixed forecast for the rest of the race weekend. The 25-year-old Dutch rider then improved to a 1:31.114 in a dry FP2, before using FP3 to focus on his setup and race pace. While van der Mark did not improve during the final session of the day he managed to display excellent consistency once again and his time from FP2 meant he ended the day seventh overall on the timesheets, 0.707s off the top, which was good enough to cement his place in Superpole 2.
His teammate Lowes got off to a great start in the morning’s FP1, making the most of the wet conditions to finish the session in fifth with a 1:43.472. Unfortunately for the 27-year-old British rider, he then made a small mistake and crashed at Lukey Heights on his first flying lap in FP2 and, while he walked away unhurt, his bike suffered considerable damage. Forced to miss the rest of the session as the team repaired his Pata Yamaha R1 and, having not been able to set a time in the dry, Lowes watched on nervously as rain fell before FP3. Luckily, the rain went away before the start of the session and while conditions were not perfect, the 2013 British Superbike Champion immediately went out and made up for lost time, setting a 1:31.596 to move into the top ten within minutes of the session being green flagged. He improved again towards the end of FP3 to a 1:31.516 to secure tenth overall on the combined timesheets and ensure that he joined his teammate in making it through automatically to SP2 on Saturday.
The Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team return to action on Saturday at 9.40 am local time for FP4, with SP2 at 12:55 pm and Race 1 scheduled to start at 15:00 pm. Check out the full results.
Michael van der Mark (60).
Michael van der Mark
Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team – 7th – 1:31.114
“We had a pretty good first day overall! The first session was a bit cold and the conditions were mixed, but we did okay. In the second session, we had a dry track and I went out and was fast from the start, just like in the test, so I was really happy. I wanted to improve the turning with the bike, so in FP3 we tried a few things but they didn’t really improve the feeling, so we went back. The grip wasn’t really there in FP3 like we expected, because of the rain between sessions, so we struggled a bit but at the end of the day our pace was quite good and consistent, so I am happy and I can’t wait to get racing!”
Alex Lowes (22).
Alex Lowes
Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team – 10th – 1:31.516
“It was a difficult day! I felt okay in the wet session this morning but in the second session I crashed on my first lap, which was an unfortunate mistake, so I missed the whole of FP2. Then in the final session, we tried piecing together all of our best settings from the test but I didn’t quite have the feeling I was expecting, so we have a bit of work to do in the dry. It wasn’t too bad, although my feeling with the R1 is not really as good as I want, but the team are working as hard as they can to improve this. I just need to find a bit more confidence from the front of the bike, especially on corner entry, to help me maintain a good lap time. That is what we will work on for tomorrow. We will have to wait and see what the weather brings but I am looking forward to the first race of the season!”
Paul Denning
Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team Principal
“It’s been a challenging day for all the teams at Phillip Island with very changeable weather. On this particular circuit, which seems to attract four seasons in one hour, let alone one day, it can make preparations for the race quite tough. Both Alex & Michael were quite comfortable in the wet conditions during FP1, which was positive, and they had a good feeling with their R1s in the slippery conditions. For FP2, we were faced with much cooler conditions but a dry circuit and Michael did a very solid job, again showing excellent consistency and working on race pace. Alex, unfortunately, made a small mistake on his first timed lap and the accident damaged his R1 beyond repair during the forty-minute session. FP3 looked like it was going to be wet again but high temperatures and a good breeze saw the track in better condition than expected and Alex did a great job – considering he hadn’t done any laps in the dry – to get straight into the top ten and only 0.5s of the best time in the session. Michael again, having evaluated a couple of different front suspension options, was fast at the end and also consistent. Alex is missing a little bit of track time and we will have to make some very careful decisions tomorrow to make sure we have got the best-balanced bike we can give him. Michael’s preparation has been fairly seamless and there are just one or two adjustments to make before we go into the first race of the season tomorrow.”
More, from a press release issued by MV Agusta:
THE WORDLSBK 2018 SEASON OFFICIALLY COMMENCES AT PHILLIP ISLAND
The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship 2018 has officially kicked off in Phillip Island (Australia), with Jordi Torres getting the 13th position in combined results; Team MV Agusta Reparto Corse by Vamag’s Raffaele De Rosa and Ayrton Badovini closed 6th and 12th after the WorldSSP Free Practice sessions.
WorldSBK – Team MV Agusta Reparto Corse
Jordi Torres tried to make the most of the three 40-minute rounds this Friday required by the new WorldSBK format. Unfortunately, the drizzle that fell during the FP1 has partly slowed down the work of the team, focused on finding the best bike’s setting on the fast-flowing Australian track. At the end of the day, Torres was able to close 13th, which bring him directly into the Tisso-Superpole1 Saturday’s session.
Jordi and his technical team will use the last free practice session tomorrow morning to make the latest changes to the MV Agusta F4 RC, before getting back on track for the Tissot-Superpole1 and the first race of the season.
WorldSSP – Team MV Agusta Reparto Corse by Vamag
Raffaele De Rosa recorded his fastest lap during the WorldSSP FP1, with a 1’34.020 lap time. The Italian rider has qualified 6th, in a provisional second row, making into the Saturday’s Tissot-Superpole2.
After struggling with the aftereffect of the crash suffered during the test, the teammate Ayrton Badovini closed in 12th position and tomorrow will face the Tissot-Superpole1 trying to enter into the Top10 grid fight.
Jordi Torres – Of course, the track conditions have affected this day of testing a lot, but I’m happy because we have collected a lot of data, both in dry and wet conditions. We were able to try several changes to the bike and now we have to work on the data to figure out which is the best direction to take for the race. I am absolutely confident in my team and tomorrow I will get on track ready to fight for the SP2.
Raffaele De Rosa – We have started with FP1 in dry condition but during the FP2 the track was still a bit wet. In any case, we were able to try different solutions to the bike’s setting and I am quite happy with my pace. We are still missing something on the fast lap but I am sure tomorrow we will be able to improve this side as well.
Ayrton Badovini – It was a difficult day for us and I’m not completely satisfied. Unfortunately, I tried various tire solutions and when it was time to push in order to enter the SP2 I had a less performing tire. Phillip Island is not the track in which I usually manage to ride at my best but we will work hard to make a further step forward tomorrow.