Bold headline: Australia’s early pace-setter Bulega stays ahead, as Oliveira climbs into the top six.
The #11 Ducati remains the rider to beat at Phillip Island, becoming the first rider in the Official Test to break into the 1’28s milestone. The Day 2 action wrapped up the third two-hour session of the two-day test, with a familiar structure at the top of the timesheets. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was the sole rider to dip into the 1’28s bracket, securing P1 for the session once again. He led ahead of independent Ducati rider Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team), who continues to impress at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.
Bulega already topped the times in Monday’s two sessions and extended that form on Tuesday morning, becoming the first rider in the test to clock a 1’28s lap with a 1’28.880s, almost half a second quicker than Montella in P2. The #5 Ducati then moved up to second in the session’s second half with a 1’29.351s, leapfrogging Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team). Montella improved from Day 1 by roughly three-tenths, recording a 1’29.681s as he fought to stay in the top ranks, while Bassani remained just ahead of him and continued to show strong pace.
Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) recovered quickly from Day 1’s technical issue and crash to place fourth with a 1’29.412s, four hundredths slower than Bassani and just 0.001s faster than Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven), who again demonstrated potential with a top-five result in testing. Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) moved up the order compared with Day 1, posting a 1’29.676s, nearly a full second faster than his previous day’s time.
Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) also made a substantial leap, recording a 1’29.769s to finish seventh, gaining around eight tenths from Monday. He sat just ahead of former Honda teammate Xavi Vierge (Pata Yamaha Maxus), with only a few hundredths separating them as the two often traded places in testing. Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) finished ninth, while Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) completed the top ten.
Jake Dixon (Honda HRC) was the first rider to crash on Tuesday, going down at Turn 11 in the early FP1 moments and requiring a medical check. He was declared unfit with a left wrist fracture and an elbow contusion, ruling him out of the season-opening round. Stefano Manzi (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) also crashed at Turn 2 but was cleared to ride after a medical check. Both incidents triggered red flags during the session.
Top six from WorldSBK’s opening Tuesday session (full results link below):
1) Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’28.880s
2) Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.471s
3) Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +0.493s
4) Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +0.532s
5) Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) +0.533s
6) Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.796s
If you’re following the season’s start, stay tuned for more action from Australia and the ongoing development across the field.
Question to engage readers: Do you think Oliveira’s climb into the top six signals a shift in momentum, or will Bulega’s early pace dominate going into the season opener? Share your thoughts in the comments.”}
