WORLD SUPERSPORT – Friday, 21st February
The first Superpole session of the 2025 FIM World Supersport Championship took place at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, setting the grid positions for the opening round.
In the FIM World Supersport Championship, Superpole determines the starting positions for Race 1 only, while the grid for Race 2 is based on the top nine fastest lap times recorded throughout Race 1.
Bo Bendsneyder (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) dominated the two-day official test earlier this week, but it was Valentin Debise (Renzi Corse) who set the early pace this morning during Free Practice. The French rider posted a best lap of 1’32.364—0.8 seconds slower than Bendsneyder’s best lap from the test.
Heading into Superpole this afternoon, Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) and Bendsneyder were among the first to set their flying laps. However, it wasn’t long before the remaining 27 riders found their rhythm.
Bendsneyder set his fastest lap with 10 minutes remaining in the session, clocking a 1’32.310—eight-tenths slower than his best time during testing.
The poleman suffered a massive highside at the exit of Turn 2 and was taken to the medical center for check-ups, preventing him from completing the final five minutes of the session. Fortunately, his time was quick enough to secure pole position for Race 1.
Despite several riders setting red sectors in Sector 1, indicating faster times than Bendsneyder in that section, none could match the rookie’s pace across the remaining three sectors, leaving him firmly in the top spot.
The front row of the grid in Race 1 for the FIM World Supersport will be made up of 3 different manufacturers and countries; with Bo Bendsneyder lining up next to Great Britain’s Tom Booth-Amos and Lucas Mahias [GMT94 Yamaha] rounding out the top 3.
AUSSIES ON THE GRID
The World Supersport grid provides an exciting opportunity for Australian fans to cheer on homegrown talent, with Queenslander Harrison Voight [D34G WorldSSP Racing Team] joining the previously confirmed duo of Oli Bayliss [PTR Triumph Factory Racing] and Luke Power [Motozoo ME air Racing] at the last minute.
Bayliss displayed strong form throughout the official test and again this morning, consistently running inside the top 10. He finished the Free Practice session in 9th place with a fastest lap of 1’32.824.
On lap 13 of Superpole, Bayliss posted a 1’32.814 while benefiting from a slipstream behind Free Practice pacesetter Valentin Debise, briefly moving up to 5th on the timesheets. However, after Debise and Jaume Masia improved their times, Bayliss was pushed back to 7th, where he remained when the chequered flag fell. This result places the Australian on the start of the 3rd row of the grid for Race 1.
Luke Power entered Superpole with limited track time after a significant crash on his fourth lap in Free Practice this morning. Battered and bruised, he managed to remount his MV Agusta F3 800 RR for Superpole, but his lap times reflected signs of lingering pain. Unable to improve on his morning pace, he finished the 25-minute session in 17th.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t smooth sailing for the third Aussie on the grid, as Harrison Voight encountered some form of technical issues with his Ducati Panigale V2 and was unable to set a lap time in Superpole.
