Alvaro Bautista was fast in Friday morning’s first free practice session for the World Superbike class at the Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit in Australia. It was an eventful session with one crash for Michael van der Mark, but he eventually drove for sixth time.
Event: Grand Ridge Brewery Australian Tour
Circuit: Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit
Category: WorldSBK
Time: 10:30 AM – 11:15 AM local time, 12:30 AM – 1:15 AM Dutch time
Session: FP1
conditions: Sunny and dry, 26°C
Rash:
- Alvaro Bautista – 1’31.032
- Andrea Locatelli
- Igor Lecuona
- Jonathan Rea
- Michael Rinaldi
World Superbike drivers kicked off the new season on Friday morning with the first free practice session at the Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit. After two days of testing on Monday and Tuesday, the Ducatis seemed to have already perfected their set-up as it took them a while to hit the track.
Home rider and WorldSPK rookie Remy Gardner traveled through the gravel trap at Turn 2 (Southern Loop) while Michael van der Mark made a mistake in 6th (Siberia). The Dutchman dropped his updated BMW M 1000 RR but managed to drive it back to the pit box with relatively minor damage. Van der Mark then further improved his lap time to finish the session with the sixth lap time.
Things also went wrong for Iker Lecuona in the closing stages, with the young Spaniard crashing his Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade in 10th (MG corner). The damage was minimal and he was able to return the machine to the pits himself.
Next Session: FP2
Time: 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM local time, 6:00 AM – 6:45 AM Dutch time
Useful links Grand Ridge Brewery Australian Tour:
Time Table and Full Results
Where to Follow on TV
Photo report
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