Rea completes Phillip Island test session on top

Kawasaki's Jonathan Rea has completed the final pre-season two-day world superbike test at Phillip Island as the pacesetter ahead of this weekend’s opening round, but it was a close call thanks to fast-finishing Ducati rider Marco Melandri.

Rea's benchmark lap was 1min30.545secs, which Melandri – returning to WorldSBK after a two-year hiatus – nearly eclipsed with his final flying lap of 1:30.575.

The majority of the top brass completed the test in great shape, which augers well for a mouth-watering Yamaha-Finance opening round back at Phillip Island this weekend.

Melandri's teammate Chaz Davies (1:30.893) was third on the timesheets, followed by world No. 2 and former WorldSBK champion Tom Sykes (Kawasaki, 1:31.044).

The current WorldSBK lap record is held by Davies with a 1:30.949, set in 2014.

Day one hero Xavi Fores (Ducati, 1:31.266) was fifth overall – still a brilliant result for the privateer – ahead of MV Agusta's Leon Camier (1:31.293) and the first of the factory Aprilias of Lorenzo Savadori (1:31.449).

Alex Lowes (Yamaha, 1:31.629) was next, with the top 10 completed by Jordi Torres (BMW, 1:31.673) – who completed the most laps across the final pre-season test – and former world supersport rider Randy Krummenacher (Kawasaki, 1:31.783).

Past Philip Island winner Eugene Laverty (Aprilia, 1:31.881) was 12th, while Honda factory pair Michael van der Mark (1:31.936) and Nicky Hayden (1:31.952) were 13th and 14th on their all-new machines.

Australia's Josh Brookes (Yamaha) was 16th, but only got in one session today after an engine blew this morning.

The WorldSBK paddock now takes a two-day break before practice and qualifying starts for the season opening round of the 2017 Superbike World Championship on Friday followed by Superpole and race one at 3:00pm on Saturday. The second 22-lap race will be held on Sunday, also at 3:00pm.

Jacobsen fastest in world supersport
American Patrick Jacobsen looks like the man to beat in Sunday's Supersport World Championship opener at Phillip Island after easily topping the timesheets in a two-day test session on Monday and Tuesday.

Jacobsen stopped the clock in a best lap of 1:33.688, exactly half a second ahead of fellow MV Agusta rider Roberto Rolfo (1:34.188), with the top five completed by 2016 Phillip Island WorldSSP winner Jules Cluzel (Honda, 1:34.272), Frenchman Lucas Mahias (Yamaha, 1:34.461) and Federico Caricasulo (Yamaha, 1:34.480).

There was some serious firepower in the second half of the top 10, with world champion Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki) completing the test in seventh and Finnish star Niki Tuuli (Yamaha) in ninth.

Aussie Aiden Wagner was 14th on his new Honda mount, one spot ahead of Anthony West (Yamaha). The local brigade was completed by Lachlan Epis (Kawasaki) in 21st and Matt Edwards (Triumph) in 26th.

Sunday's WorldSSP opener will be held over 18 laps, starting at 1:30pm.