The first of the two-day of World Superbikes private testing at Phillip Island on the newly re-surfaced track saw some interesting – even if unofficial lap times – and a bevy of crashes due to the damp and insidious surface following an earlier rain shower.
Present for the test are Aprilia Racing, Kawasaki KRT, Ducati Alstare, BMW Motorrad GoldBet, Pata Honda, Crescent Suzuki, MR Racing, Althea and Red Devils Roma teams and two Supersport squads, Pata Honda and Yakhnich Motorsport.
Unofficially the fastest rider of the day was Aprilia’s Eugene Laverty – who last year was forced to skip the Australian round due to a pre-season testing hand injury – and he posted a best lap of 1’31″7 which was more or less equal to now retired team mate Max Biaggi’s fastest race lap year.
Leon Camier ended up second despite suffering a big crash that left him with bruises on his elbow and ankle, and team mate Jules Cluzel also crashed on the damp surface at turn 11 and he too was able to return to track and complete the day in 7th, but leaving the Fixi Crescent team mechanics with a massive amount of repair work to do.
Pre-season title favourite Tom Sykes also suffered an enormous one-off at Siberia, and apparently he has a suspected wrist fracture, and had to spend the afternoon session in the local hospital to undergo a check-up.
Kawasaki team mate Loris Baz also tasted the gravel and he ended up 12th.
Going down the chart, Pata Honda’s Jonathan Rea was third and three tenths of second adrift with team mate Leon Haslam posting the same identical time, while Marco Melandri who is lamenting right shoulder pain again, and Aprilia’s Sylvain Guintoli were right behind the two Honda riders.
Althea Racing’s sole rider on track was Davide Giugliano as Carlo Checa was forced to sit out the day due to a stomach bug that was severe enough for him spend the day at Wonthaggi hospital under observation and hoping that he can ride tomorrow.
Michel Fabrizio, in his first test of the 2013 season was 13th behind Ayrton Badovini, Max Neukirchner on their Ducati Panigales.
WSBK Phillip Island test day 1 unofficial lap times:1.
Eugene Laverty (IRL) Aprilia Racing – 1′31.
7 2.
Leon Camier (GBR) Fixi Crescent Suzuki – 1′31.
9; 3.
Jonathan Rea (GBR) Pata Honda World Superbike – 1′32.
0 4.
Leon Haslam (GBR) Pata Honda World Superbike – 1′32.
0 5.
Melandri (ITA) BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK – 1′32.
2 6.
Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Aprilia Racing – 1′32.
3 7.
Jules Cluzel (FRA) Fixi Crescent Suzuki – 1′32.
5 8.
Davide Giugliano (ITA) Aprilia Althea Racing – 1′32.
7 9.
Ayrton Badovini (ITA) Team Ducati Alstare – 1′32.
8 10.
Max Neukirchner (GER) Ducati MR-Racing 1′32.
9 11.
Chaz Davies (GBR) BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK – 1′33.
0 12.
Loris Baz (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team – 1′33.
2 13.
Michel Fabrizio (ITA) Aprilia Red Devils Roma – 1′33.
7 14.
Tom Sykes (GBR) Kawasaki Racing Team – 1′34.
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