The Superbike World Championship field hit the ground running under near-perfect conditions on the opening day of pre-season testing at the iconic Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit Monday, with blue skies and a light breeze providing a welcome contrast to the cold winter tests endured across Europe.
Pre-season title favourite Nicolo Bulega wasted no time stamping his authority, topping both sessions for the Aruba.It Racing – Ducati squad. The Italian completed 72 laps and logged more than 30 tours under the 1m30s mark, underlining his strong pace aboard the new Ducati package. Only three other riders managed to dip beneath the 90-second barrier, with Axel Bassani emerging as Bulega’s closest challenger. The bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team rider ended the day just 0.291s adrift.
It was a dramatic opening for Sam Lowes, who endured a technical issue in the morning followed by an afternoon crash. Despite the setbacks, the ELF Marc VDS Racing Team rider rallied strongly, setting his fastest lap late in the day during a six-lap stint to secure third overall.
After limited dry running over the European winter, Xavi Vierge impressed as the fastest Yamaha rider, placing ninth aboard the Pata Maxus Yamaha machine. A morning crash failed to derail reigning Supersport World Champion Stefano Manzi, who finished just two-tenths behind Vierge as he continues adapting to life in the Superbike class with the GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team.
Rookie honours went to Jake Dixon, the former Moto2 rider ending the day tenth for Honda HRC, ahead of Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Manzi.
The session wasn’t without incident, with eight crashes recorded during Superbike running. Among them was an early-afternoon fall for Alvaro Bautista at Turn 5. The double world champion and eight-time Phillip Island race winner still managed eighth fastest, almost a second off Bulega’s benchmark, and is expected to close the gap as testing continues.
Speaking after topping Day One, Bulega said the focus was on mileage and understanding the new bike following disrupted winter testing. Despite the hot conditions costing a few tenths, he was encouraged by the base setup and remains confident of making further gains ahead of race weekend.
Day One Results (Top Six)
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.It Racing – Ducati) – 1’29.345
Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +0.291
Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +0.562
Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.576
Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) +0.670
Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +0.914
