Alvaro Bautista tops opening session at Phillip Island

Ducati Panigale V4 R makes strong debut

WorldSBK 2019 Phillip Island Test
Day 1 – AM Report


Alvaro Bautista and Jonathan Rea traded places at the top of the timesheets many times during this morning’s two-hour practice session at Phillip Island but Alex Lowes eventually split the pair late in the session.

When the session wound up shortly after 1300 this afternoon, it was the Ducati man topping the charts ahead of Lowes while Rea made it three different manufacturers occupying those top three spots on the timesheets.

WSBK TBG WSBKPI PI Alvaro Bautista TBG
Alvaro Bautista – TBG Image

Tom Sykes was the leading BMW rider in seventh place just ahead of the man that replaced him at Kawasaki, Leon Haslam.

Overnight Dorna released updated RPM limits for the 2019 WorldSBK season that will be in place for the start of the season. If a single type of machine looks to have much of an advantage these limits will be reduced further during the season.  The new BMW will start season 2019 with a 14,900 rpm limit while the Kawasaki will be pegged to 14,600 rpm.

The new Ducati Panigale V4 R will start with a 16,350 rpm limit, but with both Bautista and Davies clocking by far the fastest speeds in today’s morning session, one would expect that the Ducati rev limit to be reduced in due course…

Leon Camier was 11th quickest on the Moriwaki Althea Honda.

Chaz Davies suffered some mechanical gremlins this morning with the Panigale V4 R rolling to a stop at Siberia. Limiting the number of laps the Welshman could do at pace this morning.

WSBK TBG WSBKPI PI Chaz Davies TBG
Chaz Davies – TBG Image

Wildcard entrant Troy Herfoss spent the majority of the session in the pits and will be looking to move forward in this afternoon’s second two-hour bout which finishes shortly before 6pm AEDT.

Earlier in the morning World Supersport riders had also hit the track and it was a Yamaha 1-2 for the 600cc machines headed by Caricasulo.  Wildcard entrant Tom Toparis was a highly creditable ninth in that opening session.

WSBK Phillip Island Official Test Mon FP WSSP Toparis GB F
Tom Toparis – GeeBee Image

WorldSBK – Free Practice 1 Times

  1. Alvaro Bautista – Ducati 1m30.743 – 314.9 km/h
  2. Alex Lowes – Yamaha 1m31.146 – 308.6 km/h
  3. Jonathan Rea – Kawasaki 1m31.189 – 308.6 km/h
  4. Marco Melandri – Yamaha 1m31.445 – 314 km/h
  5. Michael Van der Mark – Yamaha 1m31.458 – 304.2 km/h
  6. Sandro Cortese – Yamaha 1m31.639 – 304.2 km/h
  7. Tom Sykes – BMW 1m31.740 – 303.4 km/h
  8. Leon Haslam – Kawasaki 1m31.886 – 308.6 km/h
  9. Markus Reiterberger – BMW 1m31.992 – 300.0 km/h
  10. Toprak Razgatlioglu – Kawasaki 1m32.425 – 302.5 km/h
  11. Leon Camier – Honda 1m32.459 – 307.7 km/h
  12. Jordi Torres – Kawasaki 1m32.679 – 300.0 km/h
  13. Leandro Mercado – Kawasaki 1m32.789 – 300.8 km/h
  14. Ryuichi Kiyonari – Honda 1m33.171 – 306.8 km/h
  15. Chaz Davies – Ducati 1m33.204 – 313 km/h
  16. Eugene Laverty – Ducati 1m33.353 – 305.1 km/h
  17. Michael Rinaldi – Ducati 1m33.843 – 307.7 km/h
  18. Alessandrio Delbianco – Honda 1m33.965 – 292.7 km/h
  19. Troy Herfoss – Penrite Honda 1m34.961 – 295.1 km/h

WorldSSP – Free Practice 1 Times

  1. F Caricasulo (ITA) Yamaha 1’33.882
  2. R Krummenacher (SUI) Yamaha 1’34.226 +0.346
  3. R De Rosa (ITA) MV Agusta 1’34.293 +0.411
  4. J Cluzel (FRA) Yamaha 1’34.539 +0.657
  5. H Okubo (JPN) Kawasaki 1’34.584 +0.702
  6. L Mahias (FRA) Kawasaki 1’34.807 +0.925
  7. L Vinales (ESP) Yamaha 1’35.369 +1.457
  8. C Perolari (FRA) Yamaha 1’35.695 +1.814
  9. T Toparis (AUS) Yamaha 1’35.725 +1.843
  10. A Badovini (ITA) Kawasaki 1’35.974 +2.002
  11. H Soomer (EST) Honda 1’36.305 +2.423
  12. F Fuligni (ITA) MV Agusta 1’36.313 +2.431
  13. L Cresson (BEL) Yamaha 1’36.313 +2.431
  14. P Sebestyen (HUN) Honda 1’36.331 +2.449
  15. H Barbera (ESP) Yamaha 1’36.636 +2.754

WorldSBK  Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit

Event Schedule, 22 – 24 February 2019
Thursday 21 February 2019
Time Duration Category Schedule
9:00 10:00 1:00 World SSP Riders Briefing
10:00 FIM Track Safety Inspection
10:00 11:30 1:30 All Riders Riders Track Familiarization
12:00 13:00 1:00 Safety Car Test Track closed
13:50 14:20 0:30 Aus SS 300 Free Practice 1
14:25 14:55 0:30 Aus SS Free Practice 1
15:00 15:30 0:30 Australian Sup Free Practice 1
15:40 15:50 0:10 Parade Laps Black Dog Ride
14:30 15:30 1:00 WorldSBK Riders Briefing
16:00 17:00 1:00 WorldSBK Official Photo Start/Finish Straight
16:00 17:00 1:00 WorldSSP Technical/Sporting Checks Pit Garages
17:00 18:00 1:00 WorldSSP Official Photo Start/Finish Straight
17:00 18:00 1:00 WorldSBK Technical/Sporting Checks Pit Garages
18:00 All 1st Time Riders Riders Briefing
TBC All Classes Tyre Stickers Distribution Technical Bay
Friday 22 February 2019
Time Duration Category Schedule
8:30 8:40 0:10 Timekeeping Racing Track System Test
9:10 9:25 0:15 Aus SS Free Practice 2
9:30 9:45 0:15 Aus SBK Free Practice 2
9:50 FIM Medical Inspection
10:00 FIM Track Inspection
10:30 11:20 0:50 WorldSBK Free Practice 1
11:30 12:15 0:45 WorldSSP Free Practice 1
12:25 12:55 0:30 Pit Walk 1
13:15 13:30 0:15 Aus SS 300 Free Practice 2
13:35 13:50 0:15 Aus SBK Qualifying
13:55 14:10 0:15 Aus SS Qualifying
14:15 14:30 0:15 Aus SS300 Qualifying
15:00 15:50 0:50 WorldSBK Free Practice 2
16:00 16:45 0:45 WorldSSP Free Practice 2
Saturday 23 February 2019
Time Duration Category Schedule
8:15 8:25 0:10 Timekeeping Racing Track System Test
8:45 9:15 0:30 Australian SSP Race 1 10 Laps 
9:20 FIM Medical Inspection
9:30 FIM Track Inspection
10:00 10:20 0:20 WorldSBK Free Practice 3
10:35 10:55 0:20 WorldSSP Free Practice 3
11:05 11:25 0:20 Aus SS 300 Race 1 8 Laps –
11:30 12:00 0:30 Aus SBK Race 1 12 Laps 
12:15 12:40 0:25 WorldSBK Tissot Superpole
12:55 13:20 0:25 WorldSSP Tissot Superpole
13:40 14:10 0:30 Pit Walk 2 & Safety Car Laps
15:00 WorldSBK RACE 1 22 Laps Pit Opens: 14:40
16:15 16:45 0:30 Aus SBK Race 2 12 Laps 
16:50 17:10 0:20 Aus SS 300 Race 2 8 Laps 
17:15 17:45 0:30 Aus SSP Race 2 10 Laps 
Sunday 24 February 2019
Time Duration Category Schedule
7:45 7:55 0:10 Timekeeping Racing Track System Test
8:15 8:45 0:30 Aus SSP Race 3 10 Laps
8:50 FIM Medical Inspection
9:00 FIM Track Inspection
09:30 09:45 0:15 WorldSBK Warm Up
09:55 10:10 0:15 WorldSSP Warm Up
10:30 11:00 0:30 Aus SBK Race 3 12 Laps
11:05 11:35 0:30 Pit Walk 3 & Safety Car Laps
12:00 WorldSBK S-pole Race 10 Laps Pit Opens: 11:45
13:15 WorldSSP Race 18 Laps Pit Opens: 13:00
15:00 WorldSBK Race 2 22 Laps Pit Opens: 14:40
16:15 16:35 0:20 Aus SS 300 Race 3 8 laps
1 Lap 4,445 km

Source: MCNews.com.au

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *