The sun has set on what was a dramatic opening day of pre-season testing for the Grand Ridge Brewery Australian Round. With multiple red flag stoppages, and a crash from all top three contenders of 2022, in the end only nine-tenths separated the top 8 riders on the conclusion of Day 1.

The conclusion of the first Official Test day for the FIM World Supersport Championship saw an Italian 1-2, but the young Australian rider Oli Bayliss found himself hot in the mix in third.

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.It – Racing Ducati) looked seemingly untouchable in the first Free Practice session of the Official Test, but a late charge and untouchable lap from Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK) with just two-minutes to go saw the Italian land on top with a 1:31.008.

A strong 2023 season awaits for Australia’s Oli Bayliss, as he takes on his second World Supersport season campaign – his first, however, with the D34G Racing team.

Team HRC aim to bridge the gap as Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge dive into their second WorldSBK season.

Ahead of another season of drama and excitement, there have been some updates regarding sporting regulations, whilst one hot topic has been clarified ahead of 2023 commencing.