Reigning World Superbike Champion Tom Sykes finished the final World Superbike test before the season starts officially on Thursday atop the timesheets with his time from this morning’s session proving to be uncatchable in the heat of the Phillip Island afternoon.
Sykes’ lap of 1’30.239 was only 0.005s slower than the circuit outright held by Carlos Checa and set at the end of the morning session on sticky tyres ater Sykes had previously been circulating in the low 1’31s on a bike that, on paper at least, is slower on top end than it was last year with top speed down three miles an hour on average.
A late charge from Voltcom Suzuki’s Eugene Laverty, who has described the GSX-R1000 as the easiest bike he has ever ridden around the Australian circuit, wasn’t enough to topple his fellow Brit and Laverty’s time from Monday’s opening session sufficed to keep him in second place on the overall sheets but only just ahead of his team-mate and series rookie Alex Lowes.
The reigning British Superbike Champion has kept up the form promised at Portimao’s test, where he was fastest. He ended in third place with his time from the first session today but, crucially, stuck in six laps in the 1’30s bracket on both hard and soft tyres. Two small crashes in two days did nothing to deter the Derby-based 23-year-old and he has set himself up well for the weekend.
Former MotoGP star Marco Melandri could do nothing about Lowes’ outright pace and ended in third on the overall sheet. He was also some way behind in terms of race pace with three intermittent laps in the 1’30s while fourth-placed man Davide Guigliano was far more consistent, managing six in the cooler morning session.
Davide Guigliano has gone back to manufacturer with which he won the Superstock 1000 Trophy and, at Phillip Island at least, the Panigale is suiting him. Fifth fastest overall and with consistent laps in the high 1’30, he looks set for a serious challenge on Sunday.
Kawasaki’s young charger Loris Baz had to sit out most of this morning’s period after a crash at the Southern Loop damaged his works ZX-10R but his time from Monday morning was enough for sixth place and he stayed ahead of fellow Frenchman Sylvain Guintoli.
The factory Aprilia man was very fast straight out of the box this morning, setting his quickest lap on his third flyer but was only back into the 1’30s laps twice more, finding himself more comfortable in the high 1’31s.
Leon Haslam and Jonathan Rea both suffered crashes in the afternoon session with the Englishman going down at turn 11 while Rea on the exit of MG, one corner earlier than his Pata Honda team-mate. Although they are eighth and ninth respectively, both have consistent pace in the low 1’31s, which is a second faster than they were in both races last year.
Chaz Davies is the last of the Brits but only eight-tenths slower than Sykes overall. He won’t be pleased that works Ducati team-mate Guigliano is ahead but Davies is level-headed and will find speed over free practice and qualifying.
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