Bautista dominates Phillip Island pre-season test
WorldSBK 2019 Phillip Island Test
Day 2 – PM Report
Alvaro Bautista has used the power and poise of the new Ducati Panigale V4 R, and a hefty dose of skill and bravery, to top every session of the two-day official World Superbike pre-season test at Phillip Island this week.
Come conclusion of the afternoon session on Day 2, there was five riders under the lap record in an impressive turn of events, while some problems with tyres had been noted, with blistering occurring.
The new Ducati was also fastest through the speed traps by a considerable margin. That might cause organisers to question their recently released RPM limits for season 2019. If a single brand of machine looks to have much of an advantage these limits will be reduced further during the season, as has happened to Kawasaki in recent seasons due to their domination of the class.
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 during this Phillip Island test, one would expect that the Ducati rev limit to be reduced in due course…
Somewhat curiously BMW’s Tom Sykes and Markus Reiterberger are amongst the slowest bikes in the field through the speed trap. One would imagine that lack of top end speed would stem from poor drive off turn 12, and thus a deficit of rear grip from their current set-up with the new bike, with Tom Sykes claiming he’s still got a standard engine in their current test machines, and has given him inspiration for when the bike’s fully spec’d.
It is early days yet with the new bike though and the lap-times are already quite encouraging, for Sykes in particular, who completed the final session of the day in second place, after putting in a 1’30.539 late in the session.
Many of the fastest times over the two days were set this morning, despite a few red flags because of Cape Barren Geese on circuit. This afternoon though there was wind, along with a few fine sprinkles of rain from time to time, with only a late push by Tom Sykes and Leon Haslam propelling them up the charts into second and third respectively, while Rea shaved his best time down to 1’30.722, a 0.038s improvement and retaining the number four position. Bautista also noted that he was going for race distance this afternoon, rather than outright fastest time.
Yamaha have looked strong across the two days with Pata Yamaha’s Alex Lowes quick out of the box on Monday, but it was Marco Melandri that ended up quickest overall for the tuning fork brand on a GRT Yamaha.
The weather this afternoon put dampers on any sort of time attack from Jonathan Rea to gain bragging rights but he has been right there across both days, and on race pace it would be a brave man to bet against him, especially after he shaved down his time in the afternoon session. Leon Haslam also looks to be adapting to the WorldSBK spec’ ZX-10RR well and is in the hunt, coming in just ahead of Rea on the sheets.
The new Althea Moriwaki Honda squad will, I think, be mainly satisfied with the pace of Leon Camier and Ryuichi Kiyonari at this early stage of the game. The pair have started behind the eight-ball as the new look team did not have bikes ready for the earlier test sessions this year, thus it was the first real hit-out for the team and their riders.
Troy Herfoss had a disastrous day one with teething problems on the freshly built Penrite Honda on Monday but did make some headway this morning and at least now has a direction to follow. Herfoss though is yet to match the times he did here a few weeks ago on his lesser spec’ ASBK Superbike. Their eager anticipation towards this wildcard appearance may have waned a little on the back of their problems this week.
World Supersport was also on track today, with Yamaha riders Randy Krummenacher and Federico Caricasulo continuing to dominate, while Aussie teenager Tom Toparis had a big off at the high-speed turn seven this morning – leaving him with a very second-hand Yamaha and a few friction burns.
WSBK Phillip Island Test February 2019
Final Combined Times
- BAUTISTA Alvaro – Ducati 1’30.303 – 314.9km/h
- SYKES Tom – BMW 1’30.539 – 305.1km/h
- HASLAM Leon – Kawasaki 1’30.668 – 309.5km/h
- REA Jonathan – Kawasaki 1’30.722 – 313km/h
- MELANDRI Marco – Yamaha 1’30.760 – 305.9km/h
- RAZGATLIOGLU Toprak – Kawasaki 1’30.840 – 306.8km/h
- VAN DER MARK Michael – Yamaha 1’30.911 –Â 306.8km/h
- CORTESE Sandro – Yamaha 1’31.077 –Â 302.5km/h
- LOWES Alex – Yamaha 1’31.168 –
- TORRES Jordi – Kawasaki 1’31.224 –Â 301.7km/h
- MERCADO Leandro – Kawasaki 1’31.328 –Â 300km/h
- REITERBERGER Markus – BMW 1’31.376 –Â 303.4km/h
- CAMIER Leon – Honda 1’31.443 –Â 305.9km/h
- DAVIES Chaz – Ducati 1’31.796 –Â 312.1km/h
- KIYONARI Ryuichi – Honda 1’31.860 –Â 303.4km/h
- LAVERTY Eugene – Ducati 1’31.986 –
- RINALDI Michael Ruben – Ducati 1’32.083 –Â 312.1km/h
- DELBIANCO Alessandro – Honda 1’32.979 –
- HERFOSS Troy – Honda 1’33.130 –Â 295.1km/h
WorldSBK – Tuesday AM – Times / Speeds
- Alvaro Bautista – Ducati 1m30.303 – 316.7 km/h
- Marco Melandri – Yamaha 1m30.760 – 306.8 km/h
- Jonathan Rea – Kawasaki 1m30.761 – 310.3 km/h
- Tom Sykes – BMW 1m30.777 – 302.5 km/h
- Michael Van der Mark – Yamaha 1m30.911 – 312.1 km/h
- Leon Haslam – Kawasaki 1m30.947 – 309.5 km/h
- Sandro Cortese – Yamaha 1m31.077 – 308.6 km/h
- Alex Lowes – Yamaha 1m31.272 – 310.3 km/h
- Markus Reiterberger – BMW 1m31.376 – 301.7 km/h
- Leon Camier – Honda 1m31.443 – 309.5 km/h
- Toprak Razgatlioglu – Kawasaki 1m31.445 – 306.8 km/h
- Chaz Davies- Ducati 1m31.796 – 314.0 km/h
- Jordi Torres – Kawasaki 1m31.808 – 300.0 km/h
- Ryuichi Kiyonari – Honda 1m31.860 – 306.8 km/h
- Leandro Mercado – Kawasaki 1m31.942 – 303.4 km/h
- Eugene Laverty – Ducati 1m31.986 – 303.4 km/h
- Michael Rinaldi – Ducati 1m32.428 – 314 km/h
- Alessandreo Delbianco – Honda 1m32.979 – 294.3 km/h
- Troy Herfoss – Honda 1m33.130 – 300.8 km/h
World Supersport – Tuesday AM – Times
- Krummenacher – Yamaha 1m33.111
- Caricasulo – Yamaha 1m33.417
- Cluzel – Yamaha 1m33.791
- Mahias – Kawasaki 1m33.872
- De Rosa – MV Agusta 1m33.935
- Gradinger – Yamaha 1m34.184
- Barbera – Yamaha 1m34.282
- Soomer – Honda 1m34.340
- Perolari – Yamaha 1m34.361
- Okubo – Kawasaki 1m34.374
- Vinales – Yamaha 1m34.491
- Sebestyen – Honda 1m34.784
- Fuligni – MV Agusta 1m34.864
- Van Sikkelerus – Honda 1m34.872
- Cresson – Yamaha 1m34.918
- Danilo – Honda 1m35.008
- Toparis – Yamaha 1m35.165
- Herrera – Yamaha 1m35.282
- Badovini – Kawasaki 1m35.437
- Ruiu – Honda 1m35.506
- Hartog – Kawasaki 1m35.783
- Calero – Kawasaki 1m35.855
- Coppola – Honda 1m35.909
- Van Straalen – Kawasaki 1m36.765
World Supersport Final Combined Times
- KRUMMENACHER Randy SUI Yamaha 1’33.111
- CARICASULO Federico ITA Yamaha 1’33.312 +0.201
- DE ROSA Raffaele ITA MV Agusta 1’33.507 +0.396
- CLUZEL Jules FRA Yamaha 1’33.635 0.524
- PEROLARI Corentin FRA Yamaha 1’33.833 0.+722
- MAHIAS Lucas FRA Kawasaki 1’33.872 +0.761
- OKUBO Hikari JPN Kawasaki 1’34.135 +1.024
- BARBERA Hector ESP Yamaha 1’34.170 +1.059
- GRADINGER Thomas AUT Yamaha 1’34.184 +1.073
- SOOMER Hannes EST Honda 1’34.340 +1.229
- FULIGNI Federico ITA MV Agusta 1’34.366 +1.255
- VINALES Isaac ESP Yamaha 1’34.491 +1.380
- SEBESTYEN Peter HUN Honda 1’34.784 +1.673
- VAN SIKKELERUS Jaimie NED Honda 1’34.872 +1.761
- CRESSON Loris BEL Yamaha 1’34.918 +1.807
- DANILO Jules FRA Honda 1’35.008 +1.897
- TOPARIS Tom AUS Landbridge Transport Yamaha 1’35.165 +2.054
- RUIU Gabriele ITA Honda 1’35.254 +2.143
- HERRERA Maria ESP Yamaha 1’35.282 +2.171
- BADOVINI Ayrton ITA Kawasaki1’35.437 +2.326
- VAN STRAALEN Glenn NED Kawasaki 1’35.497 +2.386
- COPPOLA Alfonso ITA Honda 1’35.630 +2.519
- HARTOG Rob NED Kawasaki 1’35.741 +2.630
- CALERO Nacho ESP Kawasaki 1’35.855 +2.744
WorldSBKÂ 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 | Issued: 28 November 2018 13:00h |