MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks

World Supersport was eighteen laps starting under 30ºC dry weather. 

Indonesia did what Indonesia does and the wind brought the rain fifteen minutes before the World Supersport race. Riders had to judge what the weather would do over the eighteen laps and pick their tyres accordingly. Riders chose to start with slick tyres.

World Supersport qualifying culminated in twenty minutes of Superpole qualifying on an improving surface and a new lap record.

With the track coming into its own, dust and rubber settled and lap times over three seconds quicker than the morning's session, Nicolo Bulega once again set the fastest pace but was joined by Can Oncu, Nikki Tuuli and Marcel Schroetter within a tenth of a second of his quicker time. 

Results:

Nicolo Bulega headed the session over quarter of a second quicker than Nicholas Spinelli and over half a second quicker than Stefano Manzi. 

Results:

Yari Montella and Adrian Huertas were ruled unfit after their crash and would not take part in World Supersport race two which should be eighteen laps of a windy Phillip Island with a slightly altered grid due to the missing riders. Geese would affect the race.

World Supersport opened the racing for 2023, with both of the 2022 contenders headed to World Superbike. The morning's rain stayed away until the race start. World Supersport is a flag-to-flag race, so when the lights went out, they would race eighteen laps with a possible pit stop. Or would they?

World Supersport Superpole gave us another first time pole position with mixed track conditions making things interesting.

Flipping the order of the top two from this morning's session and increasing the gap, Nicolo Bulega took control at the top, heading off Stefano Manzi by over half a second. Nicholas Spinelli was third quickest in this session, but he was only fifth quickest overall as Adrian Huertas and Federico Caricasulo's morning times were quicker.

Results:

Stefano Manzi, after switching from Triumph to Yamaha for 2023, opened the qualifying of 2023 under a tenth of a second quicker than Nicolo Bulega. Adrian Huertas made it three manufacturers in the top three.

Honda nearly didn't get to race, with a homologation issue caused by engines not clearing customs in time, but all the other manufacturers agreed to allow them to race for the first two rounds. 

Results: