Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

Australia
Testing report

Melandri fastest, Rea crashes on first Phillip Island test day

Ducati's Marco Melandri topped the opening World Superbike test at Phillip Island ahead of the new season, as reigning champion Jonathan Rea crashed heavily in the morning.

Marco Melandri, Ducati Team

Marco Melandri, Ducati Team

Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Marco Melandri, Ducati Team
Jonathan Rea, Kawasaki Racing
Marco Melandri, Ducati Team
Chaz Davies, Ducati Team
Tom Sykes, Kawasaki Racing
Leon Camier, Honda WSBK Team
Leon Camier, Honda WSBK Team
Jake Gagne, Honda WSBK Team
Toprak Razgatlioglu

Monday's running at the Australian circuit, which will be the scene of the opening round of the 2018 season this weekend, was split into a brace of two-hour sessions.

Kawasaki' Rea was the initial pacesetter on Monday, the Northern Irishman shooting to the top of the standings with a 1m31.940s early in the first session, which he gradually improved to a 1m31.067s as the morning progressed.

Disaster struck Rea towards the end of the first session, however, as a highside at Turn 11 left his ZX-10RR with heavy damage.

Just moments before, Melandri guided his Panigale R to a 1m30.726s to go three tenths clear of the field, with the first session coming to an early halt not too long after following a crash for MV Agusta's Jordi Torres at the Southern Loop.

Rea was unharmed in his crash, but the damage to his Kawasaki proved extensive, and he was forced to sit out the afternoon session.

Teammate Tom Sykes, who ended the day second quickest by virtue of his 1m31.067s from the morning session, added to KRT's woes when a crash in the afternoon ruled him out of any more running for the day.

Melandri's time from the morning remained unchallenged in the second session, with Sykes, Rea and Red Bull Honda's Leon Camier completing the top four.

Yamaha's Michael van der Mark was one of only two improvers inside the top 10 in the afternoon, the Dutch rider brushing off an early fall in the morning to end the day fifth fastest ahead of Barni Ducati's Xavi Fores.

Eugene Laverty was top Aprilia runner on the Shaun Muir-run Milwaukee bike in seventh, with fellow Briton Alex Lowes on the sister Yamaha moving up to eighth with a 1m31.914s in the closing stages of the second session.

Torres' crash from the morning also proved extensive, and the Spaniard was forced to miss the afternoon's running. 2017 championship runner-up Chaz Davies completed the top 10, 1.3s down on Ducati teammate Melandri.

WSBK returnee Loris Baz improved to 11th in the afternoon on the sole BMW in the series this year, the ex-MotoGP rider three tenths clear Lorenzo Savadori on the second Aprilia.

Puccetti's Toprak Razgatlioglu was top rookie in 13th on his customer ZX-10RR, while Honda's Jake Gagne made a late improvement to 17th.

Problems for PJ Jacobsen – who is carrying out much of the development work for Honda on the Magneti Marelli ECU - in the afternoon meant running was limited on his Triple M machine, and he ended the day last of the 22 runners, 3.6s off the pace.

Be part of Motorsport community

Join the conversation
Previous article Will World Superbike's bold new rules stop Rea?
Next article Rea ends Philllip Island test on top despite crash

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

Australia