Alex Lowes finished the first day of the World Superbike round at the Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit with the fastest time. The Kawasaki rider wrote a new lap record ahead of Nicolo Bulega and Danilo Petrucci, with Michael van der Mark scoring for the fourth time.
Free practice 1
Shortly after the green flag was waved and all the drivers took to the track, it started to rain heavily. This brought everyone back inside and the Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit was quiet for over twenty minutes. It eventually dried up too quickly, so the race resumed in the final stage. Andrea Locatelli broke Tom Sykes' record in 2020 with a 1'29.197 and finished fastest ahead of brothers Alex Lowes and Sam Lowes. Michael van der Mark recorded a lap time of fourteenth in this session.
hasty:
- Andrea Locatelli – Yamaha | 1'29,197
- Alex Lowes – Kawasaki | +0.106
- Sam Lowes – Ducati | +0.520
- Remy Gardner – Yamaha | +0.558
- Andrea Iannone – Ducati | +0.688
14. Michael van der Mark – BMW | +1,611
Click here for full results
Free training 2
At the end of World Supersport qualifying, it rained heavily, so the track was still wet at the start of this session. Jonathan Rea made the attempt, because he said he was short of driving time after his crash during testing on Tuesday, but quickly decided to return to the pits. The geese then drove onto the track, causing the red flag to wave briefly.
In a session where lap times continued to tighten, Alex Lowes was eventually able to set the fastest lap of the day with a time of 1'29.042. This means the Briton currently holds the official lap record, although last Tuesday's testing times were still half a second faster.
Behind Lowes, WorldSBK rookie Nicolo Bulega posted a second lap time ahead of compatriot Danilo Petrucci, while Michael van der Mark finished fourth.
hasty:
- Alex Lowes – Kawasaki | 1'29,042
- Nicolo Bulega – Ducati | +0.059
- Danilo Petrucci – Ducati | +0.195
- Michael van der Mark – BMW | +0.222
- Sam Lowes – Ducati | +0.250
Click here for full results
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