A few incidents marred proceedings later in the day with a rider from all three squads having different dramas.  A couple of crashes along with a large oil down caused a few problems but most managed to get some useful track time under their belts.

Foggy Petronas chief engineer Steve Thompson said: “We have worked through a lot of tyre compounds and constructions and Chris has gone very well today, considering the fact that he was unable to complete as many laps as we would have liked.”

Petronas ride Chris Walker: "We have improved the feel of the rear, by changing the shock to make it more user- friendly. We have also made some progress in getting rid of the chatter that we experienced in the previous test at Valencia, through alterations to the rear shock and using different pivot points. I have also tried a couple of different front tyres and found a softer one with more grip. I went faster in the afternoon when the wind was up, which was encouraging, and tomorrow I’ll be working on the front end feeling.”

Corser only got limited track time but is hopeful of improving in readiness for the season: “We had a few mechanical problems today so it was difficult to make too many changes. But I think we will have to change the fork and shock set-up for the new tyres, in order to improve the way the bike steers. It’s difficult to make direct comparisons between the tyres as there is so much difference between here, where you carry more corner speed, and Valencia.”

Fila Ducati riders Regis Laconi and James Toseland recorded 75 and 71 laps respectively.  The machines they were aboard were still 2003 spec' 999 machines but engineers were experimenting with a new clutch along with the riders continuing their familiarisation with the Pirelli tyres which will be used by all teams for the 2004 World Superbike season.  Both riders circulated in the 1m35s bracket in the blustery conditions.

"That wasn't too bad for first time out" declared Laconi, "but it was very windy and hard to ride today. We're working on the bike and making changes all the time and the front feels really good. It's been a long time since I was last on the 999 and I'm sure we can get the times down more tomorrow".

"I felt a bit rusty out there this morning" added Toseland. "It's so fast round here compared to Valencia, which was the last time I rode a bike, and by the time I got going, it was blowing a Force 9 gale! My 999 felt a lot better than Valencia and although it's difficult to get it to turn in with the conditions, I'm pretty happy with the way things are going."

Lorenzo Lanzi crashed out today on the first day of testing at Phillip Island with the Ducati 749R Supersport. The Italian left the track after coming across the oil down left by Corser's Petronas machine but was unhurt in the incident.

By then Lanzi had completed a total of 17 laps, recording a time of 1m38.39s. The bike was repaired in the afternoon, but the Italian was only able to complete a few more laps due to windy conditions.

Team Suzuki Australia took the opportunity to join the international teams to help develop their machines for the 2004 season and for new team incumbent Damian Cudlin to get some more seat time on the GSX-R1000.  Both Giles and Cudlin were fairly happy with the days proceedings apart from an off track excursion by Cudlin late in the day.  But the young Taree rider managed to walk his way back to the pits and didn't suffer too much damage.

Late Braking News

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