In a day that was all about the FIM Supersport World Championship, 27-riders took to the freshly resurfaced Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit and have set the bar high for what is to be expected ahead of Motul FIM Superbike World Championship, Grand Ridge Brewery Australian Round.
It was Italian domination for Day 1, with Yari Montella [Barni Spark Racing Team] the one to beat on the opening day. Montella, who also topped FP1, charged his Ducati Panigale V2 around the 4.445km circuit to a new unofficial all time lap record, dipping into the 1:31’s to set the fastest time of the day, a 1:31.881.
The Italian rider wasn’t the only one to lap under the all time record, with Frederico Caricasulo [Motozoo ME AIR Racing] the first of the pair to find themselves in the 1:31s time bracket. While the #64 lead the way for around 45 minutes of the session, he eventually pipped by the hard charge of Montella with roughly one-hour remaining.
Rounding out the top 3 was Stefano Manzi [Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing], stopping the clock at a 1:32.183, 3-tenths behind Montella and Caricasulo.
Adrian Huertas [Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team] was the first of the non-Italians, with the Spanish rider finishing just short of Manzi with his fastest time set of a 1:32.290. However, despite his quick time, completing the least amount of laps across the field and also suffering from a crash at Turn 9 towards the later half of the session.
For our Australian riders, Oli Bayliss [D34G Racing WorldSSP Team] found himself as high as fifth position approximately halfway through the session as he stopped the clock at a 1:32.884, but was quickly pipped by the ensuing pack of Valentin Debise [Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team], and Can Oncu [Kawasaki Puccetti Racing]. At the conclusion of the session, Oli finished out the day in P12, while Tom Toparis [Stop & Seal Racing] finished in 17th position for his fastest time being 1:33.248 which he completed in the first session.
The top six from the Official Test for WorldSSP, full results here:
1. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) 1’31.881s
2. Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) +0.062s
3. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) +0.302s
4. Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) +0.409s
5. Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) +0.444s
6. Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) +0.453s
