Davies edges Rea to top first practice of the year

Aruba.it Ducati’s Chaz Davies topped the opening free practice session of the new World Superbike season from reigning world champion Jonathan Rea.

The 4.4km Phillip Island circuit was abuzz with activity when FP1 was given the green flag, with times already dipping underneath last year’s fastest race lap. However, with seven minutes gone, the first red flag of the year was flown after Leon Camier’s MV Agusta dumped oil on track.

The delay was thankfully short, and Kawasaki’s Rea wasted no time, going top of the pile with a 1m30.5s straight away. The Northern Irishman proceeded to lower his time to a 1m30.2s, and as the clock ticked into the final 10 minutes that lap was set to stand.

Davies had other ideas, and took over top spot with a 1m30.1s, putting him just a tenth away from last year’s pole position time. Rea remained second, six hundredths adrift, whilst Barni Racing Ducati’s Xavi Fores rounded out the top three.

Rea’s team-mate Tom Sykes ended this week’s test at Phillip Island some way off of the Northern Irishman’s pace, but seemed to find something in FP1. Sykes ended the session fourth fastest and just over three tenths down.

Marco Melandri on the sister Aruba.it bike completed the top five as he makes his WorldSBK comeback this weekend after a two-year absence. He headed Yamaha’s Alex Lowes and Honda’s Nicky Hayden, who made good progress on the new Fireblade after a difficult test.

The two BMWs of Markus Reiterberger and Jordi Torres slotted in ahead of the second Yamaha or Michael van der Mark, who made an impressive jump of half a second at the chequered flag to go 10^th.

Camier was unable to get back out on track and was left down in 11^th, with Puccetti’s Randy Krummenacher, both Milwaukee Aprilia’s and Stefan Bradl filling out the remainder of the top 15.

Bradl, making his WorldSBK debut this weekend, suffered a small fall at the Turn 4 hairpin in the middle of the session but was unharmed in the incident. The German will be looking to close the seven-tenth gap to team-mate Hayden in this afternoon’s FP2.