Australian fans had reason to celebrate at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit as Oli Bayliss fought his way to a hard-earned podium in Race 1 of the Supersport World Championship season opener.
Starting from P2 on the grid, Bayliss initially launched well and drew alongside pole sitter Jaume Masia, but was swallowed up into Turn 1 and shuffled all the way back to eighth. What could have unravelled quickly instead became one of the standout recovery rides of the afternoon.
The early laps saw Can Oncu leading the way, with Bayliss immediately going on the attack. Strong on the brakes into Turn 4, the Australian picked off positions to climb back to sixth and settle into the front battle. By Lap 3, three distinct groups had formed, but drama struck when Tom Booth-Amos crashed at Turn 2 while running second and chasing down Masia.
As the race unfolded, Bayliss continued to chip away. On Lap 6, he capitalised on a double slipstream to move forward again, keeping calm as he recovered from his poor start. He soon made his way past Valentin Debise, though still faced a one-second buffer to bridge to Oncu in the fight for third.
By Lap 8, the leading trio had stretched clear. Masia held a commanding 2.7-second advantage over Philipp Oettl, with Oncu a further 1.7 seconds back and Bayliss another 1.2 seconds adrift in fourth. The complexion of the race shifted when Debise suffered a low-speed crash at Turn 4, ending his podium hopes and easing the pressure for Bayliss.
The breakthrough moment came on Lap 10. A mistake from Oncu in the final sector allowed Bayliss to unleash a blistering run onto the straight, gaining six tenths and slipstreaming past to take third. It was redemption for the pair’s fierce scrap at Balaton Park in 2025, where Bayliss narrowly missed the podium in a similar battle.
Once into clean air, Bayliss immediately pulled a 0.3-second gap, showing the pace that had been evident all weekend. However, the drama was far from over. Running wide at Siberia, Bayliss spectacularly saved a near fall and dropped back to fifth, losing minimal time but forcing himself into another recovery mission. Unfazed, he responded with his fastest final sector on that same lap.
Further chaos unfolded as Lucas Mahias became another high-profile faller at Turn 4 on Lap 13. Both Mahias and Debise were able to remount and return to pit lane, fixing both bikes in hopes to get back out on track to set a more competitive lap time, crucial with Race 2’s grid determined by the top nine fastest laps from Race 1.
Bayliss once again hunted down Oncu, executing the same slipstream move down the straight to reclaim third position and secure his place on the podium. At the front, it was a lonely race for Masia, who claimed his first win at Phillip Island, while Oettl rode a safe race to second.
The result marks a significant milestone for Australian motorcycle racing. The last Australian to stand on a World Supersport podium was Anthony West at Jerez in 2017. On home soil, Bayliss brought that drought to an end.
After the race, an elated Bayliss saying, “I think we have definitely improved with the team which shows how we started the first test.We had good confidence straight away and I could ride the bike how I wanted. I think if it was just a Phillip Island effect [home round], I think this would have happened some years ago now. I think being able to go with the PTR team again for the 2nd year gives you some confidence going back with the same team. I mean we need to see how it goes tomorrow and how it goes in Portimao in a couple of weeks. Something has just clicked. We have a really good bike behind us and a good team to work on the bikes. They have been studying all winter trying to make the package better. “
From eighth at Turn 1 to third at the chequered flag, it was a ride defined by resilience, racecraft and home support, and one that puts Bayliss firmly in the mix heading into Race 2. Bayliss will be starting Race 2 from 6th position, after setting the 6th fastest lap in Race 1.
