World superbikes recruit Scott Redding has dominated both practice sessions for this weekend’s opening round of the 2020 Superbike World Championship at Phillip Island.
After showing his competitors a clean pair of heels on a wet track in Friday’s morning session, the 27-year-old Ducati Panigale V4 R rider did the same in the afternoon’s dry 45-minute run.
Redding, the reigning British Superbike champion and former MotoGP rider, set his hot lap – a one minute 30.436sec flyer – in the final minutes of the session, which was when Yamaha men Toprak Razgatlioglu (1:30.854) and Michael van der Mark (1:30.905) also laid down markers.
Long-time session leader Leon Haslam (Honda, 1:30.936) ended fourth ahead of Loris Baz (Yamaha, 1:30.973), defending champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki, 1:30.978), Tom Sykes (BMW, 1:31.161) and Alvaro Bautista (Honda, 1:31.201).
Redding of Britain has replaced Bautista in Ducati’s factory team this year, while the Spaniard is taking on the challenge of the all-new Honda alongside Haslam.
The Italian marque has enjoyed much success in recent years at Phillip Island, winning the past five island races – three in 2019 with Bautista at the helm, and two in 2018 with Marco Melandri on board.
In World Supersport, reigning champion Randy Krummenacher (MV Agusta) produced some late magic to move to the top ahead of morning pacesetter Andrea Locatelli (Yamaha), Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta), Turkish 16-year-old Can Oncu (Kawasaki) and Isaac Vinales (Yamaha).
There was another solid outing for local wildcard Oli Bayliss (Yamaha) in 18th.
Sixteen-year-old Bayliss, the son of Troy Bayliss, will make his international debut in Sunday’s World Supersport race.