2024 Phillip Island WorldSSP Test Times – Quick afternoon wrap

Phillip Island WorldSSP Test

The breeze got up this afternoon at Phillip Island for the second of the two four-hour practice sessions that World Supersport competitors used to prepare for this weekend’s opening round of season 2024.

That didn’t stop the Cape Barren Geese from being a problem once again. The birds caused a lengthy red-flag delay at one point, as marshals then used CFMOTO 700 CL-X Adventure motorcycles to try and chase them off the circuit.

Oli Bayliss also lost a fair slice of time this afternoon with gear selection issues on the D34G Ducati Panigale V2.  The 20-year-old finished the test in 12th position, showing good pace despite having to put up with a niggling wrist injury.

Tom Toparis continued to get laps in for his wildcard appearance, now fairly satisfied with the engine braking strategies, but the change in the wind this afternoon saw them experiment with gearing. Unfortunately, no further progress was made regarding improving his lap time this afternoon.

As I mentioned in the morning report, that included an interview with Toparis, tyres are going to be a hot topic this weekend. Few people expect the WorldSSP or WorldSBK races to be run over full race distance without pit-stops, due to the abrasive nature of the new surface.

Today’s practice session ended a little ahead of schedule to allow for a helicopter transfer to the hospital.   Polish rider Piotr Biesiekirski was conscious but had suffered a head injury and concussion, so he was being flown to hospital for further investigation.

The risk of having to undertake pit-stops during the races this weekend saw Jonathan Rea and his Pata Yamaha crew perform a practice wheel change in the pit-lane this afternoon. WorldSBK competitors were not on track today but crews were busy making preparations ahead of tomorrow.

Originally, half of Monday was to be WorldSSP, and the other half was WorldSBK, and the same schedule would be repeated on Tuesday. However, the schedule has been changed due to delays in the arrival of the tyres. As a result, Monday was dedicated to World Supersport all day, while World Superbike will test tomorrow, Tuesday, as their tyres are still on their way to Phillip Island.  It will be a busy night tonight for Pirelli personnel as they unload and sort the tyres from the containers. Then also for team personnel as they line up to get tyres mounted on rims ahead of proceedings getting underway at 0910 on Tuesday morning for the first of two four-hour sessions for World Superbike competitors.

Yari Montella topped the day, improving this afternoon to a best of 1m31.881.  Well under the all-time Supersport lap record set by Andrea Locatelli here during the Superpole session in 2020.

Yari Montella – P1

“It was great! We enjoyed the new tarmac a lot. We worked a lot on race pace and tried to do a time attack. I’m happy because it was unexpected; I found a good feeling and good pace with the bike. There was a lot of grip; from last year’s race pace, I think I went 2s quicker than last year and it’s good tarmac for sure. Now, we need to rest because today we did a lot of laps. I saw a lot of riders faster in this test: Caricasulo, Huertas, Manzi, Schroetter, Oncu, a lot! Let’s see but I hope to stay where I am and enjoy the weekend and the start of the season. I like this circuit; we were fast last year but in Race 1, I broke my collarbone. I hope this year is better than 2023 and we’ll try to do our best!”

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Federico Caricasulo was second quickest on the Motozoo MV Agusta F3 800 at 1m31.943, ahead of Stefano Manzi on the Pata Ten Kate Yamaha at 1m32.183.

Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) demonstrated his speed despite a crash during the session, securing fourth place, while Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) and Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) claimed fifth and sixth positions respectively, showcasing their competitive edge in the field.

Meanwhile, former WorldSSP Champion Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) returned with a strong performance, securing seventh place, and Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) maintained his momentum from the previous season, finishing eighth.

Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph) impressed with his transition to the Street Triple RS 765, securing ninth place, while Jorge Navarro rounded up the top ten, marking a promising start for the WRP-RT Motorsport team in WorldSSP.

Phillip Island WorldSSP Test Times
Monday – Combined

1. Montella – Ducati 1m31.881
2. Caricasulo – MV Agusta 1m31.943
3. Manzi – Yamaha 1m32.183
4. Huertas – Ducati 1m32.290
5. Debise – Yamaha 1m32.325
6. Oncu – Kawasaki 1m32.334
7. Mahias – Yamaha 1m32.398
8. Schroetter – MV Agusta 1m32.407
9. Booth Amos – Triumph 1m32.443
10. Navarro – Triumph 1m32.647
11. Sofuoglu – MV Agusta 1m32.674
12. Bayliss – Ducati 1m32.884
13. Antonelli – Ducati 1m32.901
14. Baldassarri – Ducati 1m33.005
15. Tuuli – Ducati 1m33.133
16. Van Straalen – Yamaha 1m33.244
17. Toparis – Yamaha 1m33.248 (FP1)
18. Biesiekirski – Ducati 1m33.299
19. Brenner – Kawasaki 1m33.44 (FP1)
20. Vostatek – Triumph 1m33.531
21. McPhee – Triumph 1m33.546
22. Sarmoon – Yamaha 1m33.652
23. Ruiz – Yamaha 1m33.689
24. Bin Pawi – Honda 1m33.710
25. Okubo – Kawasaki 1m34.356
26. Toba – Honda 1m35.056 (FP1)
27. Keankum – Yamaha 1m35.069

WorldSBK 2024

The Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit will again raise the curtain for the new WorldSBK and WorldSSP season with the Australian Round on the weekend of February 25.

Tickets for the 2024 season opener are on sale now; check out your options at www.worldsbk.com.au

Phillip Island ASBK/WSBK Schedule

2024 WorldSBK Dates