The World Superbike season kicked off with newcomers making an impression in the first race at Phillip Island. Rookie Nicolò Bulega clinched victory after starting from pole position, while fellow debutant Andrea Iannone secured third place – after a four-year suspension.
Former MotoGP rider, now representing Team GoEleven, Iannone took the holeshot. However, it was Alex Lowes (Kawasaki) who led at the end of the first lap… where Iannone took the lead at turn one of the second lap and maintained it until the sixth lap.
Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Ducati) climbed from ninth to fourth, but his recovery was compromised by a crash on the fourth lap. The lead changed hands in the leading group until the mandatory pit stops, which took place between the ninth and 11th laps. Iannone, Bulega, and Lowes were among the first to change tyres.
Before the pit stops, Bulega had been leading since the seventh lap, and he returned to the top spot on the 12th of the 20 laps, never relinquishing it. The Aruba.it Ducati rider ultimately won with a 2.280s gap over Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) – who was one of the protagonists in the latter part of the race and even led after adopting a different strategy, only pitting on lap 11.
In an all-Italian podium, Iannone marked his return to racing with an impressive third place after four years away due to suspension. Lowes finished fourth, and in his first race for ROKiT BMW, Toprak Razgatlioglu crossed the line in fifth. Bautista managed to recover from the crash to finish 15th and earn a point. Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) could only manage 17th, making it a tough weekend for the British rider so far.
Results: