It was a busy day for Alvaro Bautista [Aruba.It Racing – Ducati] on Day 1 of the Official Test at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, which he hailed as “a day of comparing different set-ups”.

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.