Recapping the WorldSBK and WorldSSP FP1 sessions from Phillip Island

WorldSBK 2024
Round One – Phillip Island
Friday Free Practice One

The track temperature was 23-degrees and the ambient 17-degrees when pit-lane opened for World Supersport FP1 at 1025 on Friday morning as the opening round of the 2024 World Superbike Championship officially got underway at Phillip Island.

Oli Bayliss didn’t exit the pits until almost ten-minutes into the session and then didn’t even complete a lap before pulling in at turn eight with technical problems on the D34G Ducati Panigale V2.  The young Australian never made it back on track and failed to complete a single lap during the 40-minute practice session.

15-minutes into the session John McPhee had problems with the WRP-RT Triumph and pulled off the circuit. The Scotsman got back out with 15-minutes remaining in the session.

Marcel Schroetter set the pace throughout the majority of the session on the MV Agusta F3 800 RR ahead of Adrian Huertas (DUC) and Yari Montella (DUC). The pace hotted up though with just over 10-minutes remaining in the session as Stefan Manzi became the first man into the 31s, a 1m31.939 on the Pata Yamaha to go top.

Niccolo Antonelli fell at turn six with three-minutes remaining in the session.

Shortly after, Yeray Ruiz pulled off the circuit with a dramatically smoking Yamaha that looked to have dropped its guts in a big way, putting liquid on the circuit, which brought out the red flag.  The session was then called.

Tom Toparis struggled to get comfortable in the windy conditions and circulated a second slower than he managed during the test on Monday.

World Supersport competitors will take to the track again at 1455 this afternoon for their 40-minute Superpole session. The category gets only one practice session here this weekend but, of course, had eight hours of practice earlier in the week during the test.

WorldSSP FP1 Times

1. Manzi 1m31.939
2. Schroetter 1m32.028
3. Huertas 1m32.259
4. Montella 1m32.278
5. Sofuoglu 1m32.321
6. Mahias 1m32.405
7. Navarro 1m32.798
8. Caricasulo 1m32.837
9. Van Straalen 1m32.895
10. Debise 1m32.896
11. Oncu 1m32.974
12. Baldassarri 1m32.984
13. Sarmoon 1m33.128
14. Booth-Amos 1m33.186
15. Tuuli 1m33.346
16. Antonelli 1m33.392
17. Ruiz 1m33.532
18. Brenner 1m33.629
19. McPhee 1m33.637
20. Toparis 1m34.241
21. Vostatek 1m34.250
22. Keankum 1m35.160
23. Toba 1m35.315
24. Bin Pawi 1m35.474
25. Okubo Nil Laps
26. Bayliss Nil laps

WorldSBK FP1

Just after pit-lane opened for the 45-minute FP1 session for World Superbike a light drizzle started falling on Phillip Island, which saw the riders that had gone out immediately return to the pits without recording a time.

Adam Norrodin was the first rider to go out again in the sketchy conditions, but that was more than halfway through the session. Joining him on circuit with less than 15-minutes remaining were Andrea Iannone and Phillip Oettl.

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It was Oettl who put in the first real lap time, a 1m31.992, showing the rest of the pit lane that perhaps they should get out for a roll. Next minute, everyone was heading out. Sam Lowes, Remy Gardner and Nicole Bulega were all immediately in the 31s before Michael Rinaldi became the first to dip into the 1m30.0s, quickly followed by Alvaro Bautista.

Remy Gardner was the first in the 29s, a 1m29.755.  Alex Lowes then knocked him out of top spot on his first lap, a 1m29.347 to the KRT man. With just over a minute remaining his brother, Sam, then made it a Lowes 1-2. Andrea Locatelli then went top with a 1m29.197 as the chequered flag came out to spoil the Lowes family party.

When the riders returned to the pits, almost all then practiced a tyre change due to the reduced race distance and mandatory pit stops that will be enforced during the races.

WorldSBK FP1 Times

Phillip Island ASBK/WSBK Schedule

2024 WorldSBK Dates