2014 Phillip Island World SBK Testing
With the 2014 World Superbike Championship set to begin next weekend at Phillip Island, the 25-rider grid was at the Australian circuit for the final preseason test of the year.
The two-day test opened up Monday under cloudy skies for the morning session, though the sun was out later for the second session.
Leading both was Voltom Crescent Suzuki’s Eugene Laverty, the Irishman posting a best of 1:30.513. To put this time into perspective, the lap record (Pirelli race tires, not qualifying tires) is a 1:31.168, which was also set by Laverty last season aboard the Aprilia RSV4.
Laverty’s GSX-R 1000 was almost 0.7 of a second quicker in the morning session, but during the afternoon many riders closed in. Laverty still led, but was unable to improve upon his morning time, which was the same scenario for Kawasaki Racing Team’s Loris Baz.
Making a huge leap forward over the morning session was Ducati Superbike Team’s Davide Giugliano; he finished second overall, 0.205 bend Laverty. The reigning World Superbike Champion Tom Sykes wasn’t far behind, the Kawasaki Racing Team ZX-10R Ninja pilot only 0.019 of a second behind Giugliano.
The remaining of the top-10 riders were all within a second of Laverty; Sykes’s teammate Baz finished fourth, Suzuki’s Alex Lowes fifth, Aprilia Racing Team’s Marco Melandri sixth, Pata Honda’s Leon Haslam seventh; Aprilia Racing’s Sylvain Guintoli eighth; Pata Honda’s Jonathan Rea ninth; and Ducati Racing Team’s Chaz Davies 10th.
The fastest of the new EVO class was Althea Racing Ducati’s Niccolo Canepa, who finished 11th, 1.384 seconds off the top time. Two other EVO riders crashed during Monday’s World Superbike testing – Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad Italia Superbike Team) and Michel Fabrizio (Iron Brain Kawasaki SBK) both crashed.
Both were transported to the medical center for further evaluations, and reports say both are undergoing x-rays for suspected pelvis injuries.
The test concludes Tuesday.
2014 Phillip Island World Superbike Combined Test Times (Monday): 1. Laverty (Suzuki) 1’30.513 average 176.912 kph; 2. Giugliano (Ducati) 1’30.718; 3. Sykes (Kawasaki) 1’30.737; 4. Baz (Kawasaki) 1’30.757; 5. Lowes (Suzuki) 1’31.000; 6. Melandri (Aprilia) 1’31.146; 7. Haslam (Honda) 1’31.172; 8. Guintoli (Aprilia) 1’31.321; 9. Rea (Honda) 1’31.404; 10. Davies (Ducati) 1’31.419; 11. Canepa (Ducati) 1’31.897; 12. Elias (Aprilia) 1’32.301; 13. Salom (Kawasaki) 1’32.636; 14. Corti (MV Agusta) 1’32.858; 15. Barrier (BMW) 1’32.997; 16. Guarnoni (Kawasaki) 1’33.509; 17. Foret (Kawasaki) 1’33.676; 18. Morais (Kawasaki) 1’33.954; 19. Scassa (Kawasaki) 1’33.960; 20. Andreozzi (Kawasaki) 1’34.140; 21. Fabrizio (Kawasaki) 1’34.314; 22. Toth (BMW) 1’36.258; NC. May (EBR) 1’38.152; NC. Yates (EBR) 1’39.656; NC. Sebestyen (BMW) 1’42.242.
