Kawasaki Puccetti #racing has taken part in the first day of practice making up round one of the Supersport world championship, at the Phillip Island circuit in #australia. With the lengthy preparations made over winter now complete, Manuel Puccetti's team and riders, Frenchman #lucasmahias and German Phillip Oettl, are now ready to begin the championship following an official two-day test earlier in the week.
The morning's first free practice session was affected by rain, the track only drying towards the end of the session, meaning that the riders completed only a few laps. Oettl finished seventh with a time of 1'35"531, Mahias ninth with a 1'35"604.
Conditions were very different come the afternoon, the track dry and skies sunny. The two Kawasaki Puccetti #racing riders were able to work with their technicians on their Kawasaki ZX-6R bikes and by the end of the session, Mahias was lying eighth with a time of 1'33"929, while a fastest time of 1'34"139 saw Oettl place tenth.
This year, the Supersport riders are using slick tyres for the first time rather than the notched solutions of previous years. In addition, Sunday's race will now consist of 16 rather than 18 laps, with an obligatory pitstop for a tyre change before lap ten.
Tomorrow will see the two Kawasaki Puccetti #racing riders taking part in the third and final practice and the first Superpole of the season.
Phillip Island – #australia – Supersport world championship
Combined free practice results: 1) Krummenacher (MV Agusta) – 2) Locatelli (Yamaha) – 3) De Rosa (MV Agusta) - 4) Oncu (Kawasaki) – 5) Vinales (Yamaha) ....... 8) Mahias (Kawasaki) ....... 10) Oettl (Kawasaki)
Lucas Mahias: "This first day hasn't exactly gone as I'd hoped. I'm struggling to use the new slick tyres and am unable to find the right grip to ride as I want to. We're working hard to fix this problem and already saw some improvement this afternoon. We'll continue on this path again tomorrow and with the help of my team, I think we'll be competitive for the race"
Phillip Oettl: "A complicated day, with rain this morning and sun this afternoon. We worked on the suspension, with good results, and improved our race pace. Tomorrow I'll try to give it my all in Superpole to be able to start up front in the race. A race that won't be easy though, as we also have the mandatory tyre change to deal with."
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