Results From Day 2 Of World Superbike Testing At Phillip Island
World Superbike testing at Phillip Island came to a close today, and when the dust settled, reigning champion Tom Sykes stamped his authority, setting the fastest time of the test at 1:30.239, just five thousandths shy of the outright lap record held by Carlos Checa.
The time was set during the morning session of testing, though nobody was able to best Sykes for the remainder of the day. Eugene Laverty, who was fastest on day one, showed his pace was no fluke as he stayed near the top of the time sheets, ultimately finishing second behind Sykes, with a best time of 1:30.513. Laverty’s teammate, Alex Lowes, is continuing his impressive form by setting the third fastest time of the test. His 1:30.528 lap time comes after only seeing the track for the first time yesterday.
Elsewhere in the field, Niccolò Canepa riding his EVO-spec Ducati 1199 Panigale was fastest in that category, coming in 11th overall (1:31.373). As for the all-American Erik Buell Racing squad, the entire team is still working out issues all first-year teams experience, complicated further by having a brand new motorcycle in the 1190RX. Meanwhile, riders Geoff May and Aaron Yates are steadily improving their personal times, though May and Yates are classified in 23rd (1:34.807) and 24th (1:36.662), respectively.
Combined test times below:
1. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) 1:30.239
2. Eugene Laverty (Suzuki) 1:30.513
3. Alex Lowes (Suzuki) 1:30.528
4. Marco Melandri (Aprilia) 1:30.579
5. Davide Giugliano (Ducati) 1:30.644
6. Loris Baz (Kawasaki) 1:30.757
7. Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia) 1:30.766
8. Leon Haslam (Honda) 1:30.798
9. Jonathan Rea (Honda) 1:30.813
10. Chaz Davies (Ducati) 1:31.087
23. Geoff May (EBR) 1:34.807
24. Aaron Yates (EBR) 1:36.662
Troy's been riding motorcycles and writing about them since 2006, getting his start at Rider Magazine. From there, he moved to Sport Rider Magazine before finally landing at Motorcycle.com in 2011. A lifelong gearhead who didn't fully immerse himself in motorcycles until his teenage years, Troy's interests have always been in technology, performance, and going fast. Naturally, racing was the perfect avenue to combine all three. Troy has been racing nearly as long as he's been riding and has competed at the AMA national level. He's also won multiple club races throughout the country, culminating in a Utah Sport Bike Association championship in 2011. He has been invited as a guest instructor for the Yamaha Champions Riding School, and when he's not out riding, he's either wrenching on bikes or watching MotoGP.
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