Kawasaki’s Jonathan Rea has set the fastest time in opening practice for round one of the 2019 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, Yamaha Finance round, at Phillip Island this morning.
The reigning world champion stopped the clock at 1min30.341secs on his factory ZX-10RR, with the next 10 riders all within a second of the Northern Irishman – a positive sign that this weekend’s racing is going to be more cut-throat than ever.
Spaniard Alvaro Bautista (Ducati) was second overall, followed by Len Haslam (Kawasaki), Tom Sykes (BMW), Sandro Cortese (Yamaha), Markus Reiterberger (BMW), Leon Camier (Honda) and Michael van der Mark (Yamaha).
The top eight in FP1 provides a fascinating snapshot of how the WorldSBK title has changed since 2018: BMW and Ducati now have all-new machines, Haslam and Reiterberger are returning to the production series after sabbaticals, and Bautista and Cortese are rookies on a mission.
Aussie Troy Herfoss (Honda) was 19th in FP1. FP2 will be held at 3:00pm this afternoon.
Tickets and on-circuit camping for the Yamaha Finance-sponsored WorldSBK round are available at Ticketek or at the gate. Gates open 8am Saturday and Sunday. On-circuit camping open 24/7 for arrival and check in at any time via gate 2.
See you Trackside at the Island for a Triple-Treat
General Admission tickets and camping passes are now available at the gate. Gates open from 8am each day.
World superbikes is FREE* for kids 15 and under, and so is your bike.
As an extra bonus at WorldSBK, all three-day ticket holders are gifted FREE paddock access.
