Tayla Relph

The grid was set from Superpole and it was nothing but sunshine and blue skies reigning down on the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, setting the scene for what was going to be a glorious final race for the Grand Ridge Brewery Australian Round. A glorious race it was, with Alvaro Bautista [Aruba.it Racing – Ducati] making it a hat-trick in Australia.

In what was a delightful change in weather conditions for our World Supersport riders, the sun was once again shining on the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit for the World Supersport Race 2 of the Grand Ridge Brewery Australian Round. With track temperatures reaching 38 degrees when the lights went out, it was going to be a hard-charging 18-laps.

The sun was shining down on the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit as the first 10-lap Tissot Superpole Race, and the first dry race, got underway at the Grand Ridge Brewery Australian Round. While it was a celebration for the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team, it was heartbreak for the GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team.

When the lights went out, it was Alvaro Bautista who led the way into Turn 1, although his clear vision didn’t last long. From fourth on the grid, hard-charging Jonathan Rea [Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK] made quick work to take the lead from Bautista and eventually led the opening lap of 2023 as they blitzed down Gardner Straight for the first time.

Three different manufacturers made their way down Gardner Straight to line up on the front row of the grid for the opening race of the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship season. Before it was lights out for the first time, clouds were heavily looming and rain was starting to drop.

The very first World Superbike Tissot Superpole did not disappoint with many talking points to take away from the 15-minute dash to the line. While it was red sector times everywhere you looked, it was Toprak Razgatlioglu [Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldBSK] who came out victorious. 

The first Superpole session has been run and it was Stefano Manzi [Ten Kate Racing Yamaha] who took out the first Pole Position for the 2023 FIM Supersport World Championship.

A cloudy day is upon us and weather conditions are certainly looming for Day 2 of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, Grand Ridge Brewery Australian Round. Track conditions were around 20 degrees cooler than what we saw in Free Practice 2 yesterday, and with that times were dropping radically! 

The first day of the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, Grand Ridge Brewery Australian Round has come to a close and it was the reigning World Champion who leads the way on Day 1, but it was the Independent riders who were truly on the charge.

A clear championship fight is forming between Italian rivals Stefano Manzi [Ten Kate Racing Yamaha] and Nicolo Bulega [Aruba.it Racing – Ducati], and while Manzi was on top in Free Practice 1, it was Bulega who took the final honours in Free Practice 2 and the combined.