Jonathan Rea was the fastest WorldSPK driver on day one at Phillip Island on Friday, but the surprise of the day was undoubtedly Tetsuda Nagashima. The Japanese, who replaced the injured Iker Lecuona for Team HRC in Australia this weekend, immediately posted the sixth lap time of the day in his first appearance in WorldSBK.

First practice for the Grand Ridge Brewery Australian round, the penultimate round of the 2022 FIM Superbike World Championship season, began on Friday morning on a completely dry track at the Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit. For HRC test driver Tetsuta Nagashima – called up by the HRC team to replace the injured Iker Lecuona – it was a great opportunity for him to get to know the all-new Pirelli tyres.

That the former Moto2 rider and current HRC test rider is a fast learner was quickly evident when he set a fastest lap time of 1’32.964 in the first free practice session, which took him ninth in the standings. Late in the second free practice, the Japanese made progress once again and finally finished the first day at the Australian circuit with a fastest lap of 1’31.869, which put him sixth after one lap. After two free training sessions on the combined time list.

It was a great achievement that the Japanese made the necessary impression.

Tetsuda Nagashima: “I felt good today; P6 in FP2 isn’t bad. It was my first time in WorldSBK and I was expecting to struggle a bit more as I’ve been using the Pirelli tires a lot. Of course I raced in MotoGP a few weeks ago – the Japanese replacing injured compatriot Takaaki Nakagami – and this helped me a bit as I was able to pick up speed immediately on the CBR, a bike I already knew from my test work. Know better.
Tire alignment and configuration are critical to this package. We could have done a few more things because I only did one fast lap. I also need to improve my race pace because the race is over 22 laps so we need a good and consistent pace. I honestly don’t know what to expect over the weekend in terms of results, but you can be sure I’ll do my best. The crew has been working hard and so far everything is going very smoothly. I know some of the guys from my time in Moto2, so the team is like family and I felt good straight away. I really enjoy the weekends and this WorldSBK experience.

Nagashima’s team-mate and regular HRC team driver Xavi Vierge posted a fastest lap of 1’32.780 at Phillip Island on Friday, which saw the Spaniard finish 14th on the combined time table at the end of the day.

Useful links Grand Ridge Brewery Australian Tour:

Time Table and Full Results
Where to Follow on TV
Photo report

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