Image: Supplied.

BMW Motorrad’s Tom Sykes captured the first Motul Superbike World Championship Superpole of the 2020 season with a record-breaking lap this afternoon at Phillip Island.

Sykes’ pole position means he becomes the first rider to get 50 pole positions in WorldSBK history as well as shattering the lap record at 1m29.230s.

Lining up alongside Sykes will be WorldSBK newcomer Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing Ducati) and world champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) on the front row.

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha) qualified in fourth place ahead of Leon Haslam (Team HRC Honda) in fifth. Haslam’s Honda teammate, Alvaro Bautista, finished the session in 15th place after he suffered from a crash at turn nine.

French rider Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) was the highest-placed independent rider in the session after qualifying in seventh place. Just behind Lowes in eighth was Sandro Cortese (Outdo Kawasaki TPR), who impressed despite little pre-season testing.

Kawasaki Puccetti Racing’s Xavi Fores in 10th place was the last rider within a second of pole-setter Sykes. Leon Camier (Barni Racing Team) did not compete in the session after he was declared unfit with a damaged left shoulder.

Image: Russell Colvin.

It was Bardahl Evans Bros. Yamaha rookie Andrea Locatelli who took the World Supersport pole position with a record-breaking 1m32.176s.

Locatelli led world champion Randy Krummenacher (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) by 0.147s, with Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) completing the front row. Fourth was Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha), with Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) fifth.

On debut and after winning race one of the domestic series earlier this morning, 16-year-old local wildcard Oli Bayliss (Cube Racing Yamaha) will make his world championship debut from 20th on the grid.

Detailed results

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Aruba.it Racing Ducati’s Scott Redding will lead the 2020 FIM Motul Superbike World Championship, Yamaha Finance round at Phillip Island into Superpole after remaining at the top on Saturday morning.

Redding posted a 1m29.896s lap-time – the line rider to break into the 29s bracket – in FP3 to lead Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha) by 0.129s.

Defending world champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) was third, followed by Loris Baz (Ten Kate Yamaha) and Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team), who completed the top five.

New Pata Yamaha signing Toprak Razgatlioglu was next in P6, followed by Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad), Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), Eugene Laverty (BMW Motorrad) and Sandro Cortese (Outdo Kawasaki TPR). The top nine were all beneath 1m31s.

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In World Supersport it was Andrea Locatelli (Bardahl Evans Bros. Yamaha) back on top at 1m32.580s.

Locatelli was joined in the top three by Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) and defending champion Randy Krummenacher (MV Agusta Reparto Corse).

Fourth was a strong showing from Corentin Perolari (GMT94 Yamaha), the top five rounded out by Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse). Australian wildcard Oli Bayliss (Cube Racing Yamaha) was 15th on the time-sheets.

Detailed results

Image: Russell Colvin.

Aruba.it Racing – Ducati’s Scott Redding once again set the pace in FP2 at Phillip Island’s Motul Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK), this time in dry conditions.

The WorldSBK rookie was a step above the competition after setting a 1m30.436s lap, which was 0.418s clear of Toprak Razgatlioglu’s (Pata Yamaha) 1m30.854s.

Micheal van der Mark (Pata Yamaha) was third fastest with a best time of 1m30.905s, while Leon Haslam (Team HRC) and Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing) were fourth and fifth respectively.

Sixth through to 10th was taken out by four-time defending champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team), Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK), Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC), Michael Rinaldi (Team GoEleven), and Xavier Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing).

Image: Russell Colvin.

In the WorldSSP category, reigning champion Randy Krummenacher (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) topped the timesheets with a 1m32.894s, edging out rookie Andrea Locatelli (Bardahl Evan Bros. Yamaha), who whose best time was 1m33.213s.

A 1m33.510s time granted Raffeale de Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) third, while the top five was rounded out by Can Oncu (Turkish Racing Team) and Isaac Vinales (Kallio Racing), Australian wildcard Oli Bayliss (Cube Racing) was 18th fastest.

Detailed results

Image: Russell Colvin.

Boost Mobile Ducati rider Wayne Maxwell soared to a new qualifying record at Phillip Island this afternoon to claim the first Mi-Bike Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) pole position of 2020.

After topping Q1, Maxwell posted a 1m31.942s in the final Kawasaki Superbike qualifying to secure P1 on the grid by over a full second from Cru Halliday (Yamaha Racing Team).

Joining Maxwell and Halliday on the front row when race one takes off tomorrow morning will be Josh Waters (JW Racing Suzuki), with the top five filled by Glenn Allerton (Maxima BMW) and Troy Herfoss (Penrite Honda Racing).

Positions six through 10 included defending champion Mike Jones (DesmoSport Ducati), Matt Walters (Kawasaki), Bryan Staring (Kawasaki BCperformance), Daniel Falzon (JD Racing Yamaha) and four-time American champion Josh Hayes (Yamaha).

Image: Russell Colvin.

In the Australian Supersport Championship qualifying session it was Oli Bayliss (Yamaha) who rode to pole position at 1m36.893s in the lone session this afternoon.

Bayliss led defending champion Tom Toparis (Yamaha), who is making a one-off appearance this weekend, and Jack Passfield (Yamaha), who will also start off of the front row. Nic Liminton (Yamaha) was next, with rookie Max Stauffer (Yamaha) impressing for P5.

Harry Khouri (Kawasaki) earned pole position in the Supersport 300 category, edging out Jacob Hatch (Yamaha) and Ben Baker (Yamaha), who will complete the front row this weekend.

Race one of the bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup season was won by Lucas Quinn by a narrow 0.007s over Marianos Nikolis and Angus Grenfell. Cameron Dunker and Tom Drane were fourth and fifth, also within half a second of victory.

Detailed results

Image: Russell Colvin.

Series newcomer Scott Redding has taken top spot in the opening practice session for round one of the 2020 FIM Motul Superbike World Championship, Yamaha Finance round at Phillip Island.

On a damp track, the WorldSBK rookie set the best lap of 1m41.658s on his factory Aruba.it Racing Ducati, as the 33rd season of competition in the production championship finally got underway.

With the 13 riders on track taking a cautious approach, Leon Haslam was second fastest in FP1 on the Team HRC Honda ahead of Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team), Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad) and world champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team).

Completing the top 10 this morning were American debutant Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha), Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC Honda), Max Schieb (Kawasaki) and World Supersport graduate Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha).

Six of this weekend’s field didn’t take to the circuit, including Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing Ducati) as well as Pata Yamaha pair Michael van der Mark and Toprak Razgatlioglu.

Image: Russell Colvin.

The FIM Supersport World Championship started with the first practice session from Phillip Island, starting off damp but drying throughout the session.

It was Andrea Locatelli (Bardahl Evan Bros. Yamaha) who was fastest during the session after completing just four laps.

Corentin Perolari (GMT94 Yamaha) was second quickest, almost 0.7s back from Locatelli, after being the first rider to switch to slick tyres during the session.

Teammate Jules Cluzel finished in third place with Estonian rider Hannes Soomer (Kallio Racing) in fourth place. South African rider Steven Odendaal (EAB Ten Kate Racing) rounded out the top five, with wildcard Oli Bayliss (Cube Racing Yamaha) 13th.

Detailed results

Image: Russell Colvin.

It was Cru Halliday who topped the opening practice session on Thursday at Phillip Island’s first round of the 2020 Mi-Bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK).

The Yamaha Racing Team rider set a 1m32.500s in the closing stages of the session, edging out Boost Mobile Racing’s Wayne Maxwell, who set a 1m32.610s aboard his Ducati Panigale V4 R.

Josh Waters, who’s making his debut under his own JW Racing team, was third fastest, recording a best-lap of 1m32.973s. The top five was rounded out by Aiden Wagner (Yamaha Racing Team) and Glenn Allerton (Maxima BMW), the pair setting 1m33.563s and 1m33.806s times respectively.

Yamaha-mounted privateer Daniel Falzon was sixth, followed by Matt Walters (Kawasaki Connection), Troy Herfoss (Penrite Honda Racing), reigning champion Mike Jones (DesmoSport Ducati) and Bryan Staring (Kawasaki BCperformance).

In the Supersport category, reigning champion Tom Toparis was fastest on Kawasaki machinery, lodging a 1m36.609s to top Cube Racing’s Oli Bayliss, who’s performing double duties this weekend by contesting WorldSSP. His best-lap was 1m36.967s.

Jack Passfield (Yamaha) was third with a lap of 1m37.775s, while the top five was concluded by Jack Hyde (Yamaha) and Nic Liminton (Yamaha). Harry Khouri (Yamaha) went fastest in Supersport 300 ahead of Luke Power (Kawasaki) and Luke Jhonston (Kawasaki).

The Oceania Junior Cup saw Angus Grenfell (Yamaha) emerge fastest in the combined times over Cameron Dunker (Yamaha) amd Marianos Nikolis.

Detailed results