On the first Friday of the 2023 WorldSBK season, Team Go Eleven and Philipp Oettl showed exceptional shape both in the cooler conditions, in the morning, and in the afternoon, when the asphalt warmed up to 47 degrees. Race simulation, fast lap, without using the soft qualifying tyre, everything worked out at its best.
In FP 1, the team worked constantly on race pace, using the same tyre for all the 45 minutes available. The German rider was able to maintain a good pace, completing over 20 laps, positioning himself close to the Top 8, just half a second from the leader. It should be underlined how in this session Philipp rode the Ducati Panigale for the first time in full 2023 version, immediately adapting to the different engine power delivery, which proved to be smoother.
FREE PRACTICE 1:
P 1 A. Bautista 1.31.032
P 2 A. Locatelli + 0.037
P 3 I. Lecuona + 0.097
…
P 9 P. Oettl + 0.581
FP 2 took place in hot conditions, over thirty degrees in the air and almost fifty on the asphalt, which slightly changed the performance of bikes and riders. With the high level present today in Superbike, a small detail is really enough to change the rankings. Once again the number 5 focused on race pace, taking advantage of a similar time to that of the Main Races. 18 consecutive laps at a really strong pace, in line with the category references. In the final stages, he used a new set of tyres, but without using the Super Soft yet, which will be used in qualifying. Third place in the session, in a Ducati quartet, led by Alvaro Bautista.
FREE PRACTICE 2:
P 1 A. Bautista 1.30.623
P 2 M. Rinaldi + 0.534
P 3 P. Oettl + 0.826
Tomorrow will be the time to focus on the fast lap, the all-or-nothing one, to gain a good position on the grid. There could be showers tomorrow afternoon, but the weather here in southwestern Australia changes very quickly, so much so that it is impossible to make long-term forecasts. The important thing is that since we’ve been here in Phillip Island, Philipp has always felt comfortable on the bike, constantly improving and showing himself excited, aware of his own potential. We can’t wait for the first Race of the season!
Saturday Schedule (local time):
h 10.50 – 11.20 Free Practice 3
h 13.10 – 13.25 Superpole
h 16.00 Race 1
Philipp Oettl (Rider): “Today it has been a really great day, we did a fantastic job, cause we couldn’t try the new engine till the FP 1, so I am so happy that everything worked well. It’s Team work and they did a super job. The 2023 engine is smoother, but it’s difficult to make a real comparison with the old one after two days of break. My Ducati is really enjoyable to ride, we based our focus on the race pace for the 99% of time, I think it will pay off also in the future. My time attack was not so perfect, I found a slower rider in the very first lap, but we managed a solid time for the afternoon. Let’s see what tomorrow will give us!“
 Nel primo Venerdì della stagione 2023 targata WorldSBK Il Team Go Eleven e Philipp Oettl hanno dimostrato una forma eccezionale sia in condizioni più fresca, in mattinata, che nel pomeriggio, quando l'asfalto ha toccato i 47 gradi. Simulazione gara, giro veloce, senza utilizzare la morbida da qualifica, tutto è funzionato al meglio. ){kind=link}