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!