Superpole for the Supersport World Championship delivered high drama at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, with late-session crashes, cancelled laps due to yellow flags, and a fierce fight for pole position setting the grid for Race 1 at the season-opening Australian Round.
In World Supersport, Superpole sets the grid for Race 1 only, with Race 2’s grid formed from the top nine finishers in Race 1, meaning Friday’s result is particularly crucial for riders outside the top positions looking to secure track position early.
Among the fresh faces this weekend is Mattia Casadei, last year’s MotoE runner-up, who embarks on his first full World Supersport campaign after previous wildcard appearances. Also making his championship debut in the class is Oliver Konig, whose session got off to a difficult start as he became the first crasher of Superpole, going down on the exit of Turn 11. With yellow flags deployed, multiple riders had laps cancelled in the early stages.
At the halfway mark, it was the PTR Triumph pairing of Oli Bayliss and Tom Booth-Amos lighting up the timesheets. The Triumph Street Triple 765 RS machines surged into a provisional 1-2 with 25 minutes remaining, separated by just 0.007 seconds, Booth-Amos narrowly edging his Australian teammate in what was shaping up to be a breakthrough session for the squad.
As the clock ticked down to 20 minutes remaining, pit lane burst into life with the majority of the field heading out for their second and decisive runs. Track temperature had climbed to 46 degrees, around 13 degrees hotter than the morning Free Practice session, creating a new challenge for tyre management.
On his first flying lap of his second stint, Oli Bayliss delivered an immediate response, jumping to provisional pole with 15 minutes remaining, leaving Australian’s on the edge of their seat.
Moments later, drama struck again as Booth-Amos suffered a heavy crash at Turn 11. Although the Brit was quickly on his feet, the red flag was deployed to allow for track clean-up, temporarily halting proceedings and resetting the tension for a final dash to the chequered flag.
In the closing stages, it was Jaume Masia who delivered the decisive blow. On his first flying lap after the restart, the Spaniard lowered the benchmark to a 1’32.115, demoting Bayliss to second and forcing the Australian to find three tenths of a second. Bayliss improved on his final attempt but ultimately fell short by 0.172 seconds, unable to reclaim the top spot.
No rider was able to challenge the front row in the final minutes, securing a front row start for Bayliss at his home round, a significant achievement for the 22-year-old as he prepares for Saturday’s Race 1. Valentin Debise completed the top three with a 1’32.439, rounding out an intense and unpredictable Superpole session at Phillip Island.
