With the first free practice sessions, the first round of the 2024 Superbike World Championship is now officially underway at the Phillip Island circuit in Australia.
The previous winter tests, and this week’s official test sessions at the same Australian track, have allowed the Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team and its rider Bradley Ray to prepare for this event, which began today in cool and cloudy conditions.
The first free practice ran this morning, but rain prevented the riders from heading straight out on track. Once the rain stopped and the track dried, Ray was able to complete a few laps, the best of which in 1’31”443.
Rain also made its presence felt during the afternoon, though this didn’t prevent Bradley from improving on his earlier time. With a best of 1’30”753, the English rider closed in seventeenth place.
The Superpole will take place tomorrow morning, while the first of the season’s races will get underway in the afternoon, reduced to a total of 20 laps (rather than the 22 originally planned) and with a mandatory tyre change to be completed between laps nine and eleven.
“Despite the day’s sessions having been conditioned by the weather, we were able to collate a lot of data that will help us to avoid any issues relating to premature tyre wear. Conditions will hopefully be better for tomorrow’s Superpole so that we can prepare well for the races.”
“Today’s two practice sessions were positive overall, and I found good feeling with the bike, especially in FP2. The bad weather prevented me from completing many laps and building confidence around this track, which is new to me, but I’m optimistic ahead of tomorrow’s Superpole, in which I hope to secure a good grid position for our first race of the season. A big thanks to the team who have all done a really great job as always.”
