PHOTOGRAPHY GOLD & GOOSE
Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jonathan Rea got 2015 off to a good start by earning the first pole of the World Superbike season for his new team at Phillip Island. It was also a personal best for Rea at the Australian seaside circuit and was done on a race tire instead of a qualifier. That was because Rea didn’t get a chance to throw on a “Q” as the session was cut short with four minutes remaining due to a horrific crash from fellow Kawasaki rider, Team Pedercini’s David Salom.
“It was a really strange session with the end result being cut short, but for me we did a great job on the race tire,” Rea said. “I was really looking forward to using the qualifying tire because our bike uses it really well, but we’ve been strong today especially in the hot temperatures. So I’m really looking forward to tomorrow.”
Moments before Salom’s crash, Aruba.it Ducati’s Chaz Davies was on pace to set the fastest time and dethrone Rea, but didn’t cross the line before the red flag came out—so it was null and void. But Davies wasn’t cross.
“That’s a fair improvement isn’t it,” Davies said about this improvement from last year’s 11th qualifying effort. “I’m pretty happy. Kind of strange in the way that came about. I thought for sure that the opportunity to get on the front row had gone away from me after I used pretty much all the life out of my Q and then came across the line and I saw the red flag just as I was on the line… That got taken away, but then I got a little bit lucky with the session being cancelled.
“Obviously the main thing is hopefully David Salom is okay. I’m pretty happy, but the main job is tomorrow.”
Fellow Brit Leon Haslom on the Red Devils Roma Aprilia was in third ahead World Superbike rookie Michael van der Mark on the Pata Honda.
In fifth was former British Superbike Champion Alex Lowes on the Voltcom Crescent Suzuki. Lowes has been the fast man most of the week on the island and was .830 of a second behind Rea.
Althea Racing Ducati’s Nico Terol was sixth ahead of fellow Spaniard Jordi Torres on the other Red Devils Roma Aprilia.
Rea’s teammate (and normally Mr. Superpole) Tom Sykes qualified eighth. Sykes’ championship rival from last season—reigning World Superbike Champion Sylvain Guintoli—ended the session in ninth. Rounding out the top 10 was the third man on the Althea Racing squad Matteo Baiocco.
Three-time World Superbike Champion Troy Bayliss, filling in for injured Davide Giugliano on the Aruba.it Ducati, had a crash late in Free Practice four, but assured everyone on his Twitter feed that he was okay. Both he and former MotoGP racer Randy De Puniet on the Voltcom Crescent Suzuki missed out on making it into the Superpole 2 session late in Superpole 1. De Puniet in 13th ultimately gridded ahead of Bayliss.
Team Hero EBR’s Larry Pegram has been battling a nasty flu bug—like his American Supersport counter part PJ Jacobsen—and missed Superpole qualifying 22nd. His teammate Niccolo Canepa qualified 17th.
Immediately following the session Salom was reported to be conscious and sent to the medical center for evaluation.
2015 World Superbike
Phillip Island Qualifying Results
1. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki)
2. Chaz Davies (Ducati)
3. Leon Haslam (Aprilia)
4. Michael van der Mark (Honda)
5. Alex Lowes (Suzuki)
6. Nico Terol (Ducati)
7. Jordi Torres (Aprilia)
8. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki)
9. Sylvain Guintoli (Honda)
10. Matteo Baiocco (Ducati)
