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BAYLISS
FASTEST ON DAY ONE OF TESTING - FIRST DAY DOWN FOR LEADING SBK
CONTENDERS
Hometown hero Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) led the times on the first day of SBK
testing at Phillip Island, securing a best time of 1'32.5; impressively close to
the existing lap record of 1'31.826 at this early stage. Bayliss set a total of
66 laps on the new 1200cc Ducati 1098R, riding to find improvements in his new
machine's rear set-up. Second best time came from another perennial SBK
challenger, Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) on a 1'32.8. Haga's compatriot
Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki) scored third fastest time, putting three
different machines in the top three places.
NIETO IN THE TOP ECHELON Fonsi Nieto
(Alstare Suzuki) set a best of 1'33.2 on his way to putting himself into the top
four on the opening day at PI, running just a tenth ahead of current lap record
holder Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia) and Bayliss' new team-mate Michel
Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox). Fabrizio fell at the top of Lukey Heights, hurting on his right foot in the
aftermath of his slide.
BIAGGI MAKES A
QUICK TRANSITION Max Biaggi (Ducati Sterilgarda Go-Eleven) enjoyed
his first real experience of competing against his peers on a customer Ducati
1098R, securing a time of 1'33.5 late in the day, after the sun's power had
lessened and the afternoon winds had died down. His team-mate Ruben Xaus (Ducati
Sterilgarda Go-Eleven) set the same time.
NEW KAWASAKI MAKING
PROGRESS ON DAY ONE With just a short amount
of testing on their new model ZX-10R machines completed so far, PSG-1 Kawasaki
Corse riders Regis Laconi and Makoto Tamada sandwiched new Alstare Suzuki riders
after only one day of action, with Laconi setting a 1'34
flat.
SUPERSPORT
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Broc
Parkes (Yamaha WSSP Team) secured the fastest lap of day one after waiting for
conditions to improve near the end, setting a 1'32.5 to keep Hannspree Ten Kate
Honda rider Andrew Pitt from the top spot with his 1'35.5. Pitt's team mate and
WSS class rookie Jonathan Rea scored third best time after a long lay off
recovering from surgery, the former BSB rider proving to be a big hit first time
out in his new role in racing life.
Josh Brookes (Stiggy Honda) secured an
impressive fourth at a track he has won on in WSS wild card guise, while the
progress of the Triumph Caracchi squad was such that it wrote its name large in
the consciousness of the Supersport world once more. The 675ccc three-cylinder
machine, in the hands of the vastly experienced Garry McCoy, went fifth fastest,
ahead of names such as Fabien Foret, Chris Walker, Katsuaki Fujiwara and Robbin
Harms. Walker and Fujiwara were having their first test against their 2008
opposition at PI. Fujiwara is new to the team, but Walker is new to Supersport
racing in any form, making his 1'36.6 lap time a respectable start to his latest
racing adventure.
SUPERBIKE
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP: 1.
Bayliss (Aus-Ducati) 1’32”5 (66 laps); 2. Haga (Jap-Yamaha)
1’32”8 (95); 3. Kagayama (Jap-Suzuki) 1’32”9 (70); 4. Nieto (Spa-Suzuki) 1’33”2
(65); 5. Corser (Aus-Yamaha) 1’33”4 (72); 6. Fabrizio (Ita-Ducati) 1’33”4 (77);
7. Biaggi (Ita-Ducati) 1’33”5 (69); 8. Xaus (Spa-Ducati) 1’33”5 (62); 9. Laconi
(Fra-Kawasaki) 1’34”0 (70); 10. Neukirchner (Ger-Suzuki) 1’35”5 (85); 11. Tamada
(Jap-Kawasaki) 1’35”8 (61).
SUPERSPORT
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP: 1. Parkes
(Aus-Yamaha) 1’35”2; 2. Pitt (Aus-Honda)
1’35”5; 3. Rea (GB-Honda) 1’35”8; 4. Brookes (Aus-Honda) 1’36”3; 5. McCoy
(Aus-Triumph) 1’36”4; 6. Foret (Fra-Yamaha) 1’36”6; 7. Fujiwara (Jap-Kawasaki)
1’36”9; 8. Harms (Dan-Honda) 1’37”7.
From WSBK press
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