Phillip Island World Superbike Results: Razgatlioglu snatches pole, Aegerter P3
A dramatic final few minutes to the opening Superpole of the 2023 WorldSBK season saw Toprak Razgatlioglu rally to pole position.
After struggling throughout Friday practice, Razgatlioglu was back to his best as the threat of rain loomed large.
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Jonathan Rea became an instant threat for pole after setting the fastest lap of the weekend with just a few minutes remaining.
But as lap times continued to come in, so did the drama as rookie Dominique Aegerter went onto provisional pole.
The two-time WorldSSP champion was then beaten by Razgatlioglu, who like at the beginning of the session, was following teammate Andrea Locatelli.
| 2023 World Superbike Phillip Island, Australia - Superpole Results | ||||
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Team | Time |
| 1 | Toprak Razgatlioglu | TUR | PATA Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK | 1:29.400s |
| 2 | Alvaro Bautista | SPA | Aruba.It Racing Ducati | +0.184s |
| 3 | Dominique Aegerter | SWI | GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team | +0.235s |
| 4 | Jonathan Rea | GBR | Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK | +0.315s |
| 5 | Philipp Oettl | GER | GoEleven Ducati | +0.374s |
| 6 | Michael Rinaldi | ITA | Aruba.It Racing Ducati | +0.375s |
| 7 | Remy Gardner | AUS | GRT Yamaha | +0.441s |
| 8 | Alex Lowes | GBR | Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK | +0.464s |
| 9 | Andrea Locatelli | ITA | PATA Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK | +0.556 |
| 10 | Danilo Petrucci | ITA | Barni Spark Ducati Team | +0.675s |
| 11 | Iker Lecuona | SPA | Team HRC WorldSBK | +0.857s |
| 12 | Michael Van Der Mark | NED | BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team | +0.876s |
| 13 | Scott Redding | GBR | BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team | +0.988s |
| 14 | Axel Bassani | ITA | Motocorsa Ducati | +1.009s |
| 15 | Lorenzo Baldassarri | ITA | GMT94 Yamaha | +1.070s |
| 16 | Garrett Gerloff | USA | Bonovo Action BMW | +1.073s |
| 17 | Xavi Vierge | SPA | Team HRC WorldSBK | +1.187s |
| 18 | Loris Baz | FRA | Bonovo Action BMW | +1.204s |
| 19 | Tom Sykes | GBR | Puccetti Kawasaki | +1.514s |
| 20 | Eric Granado | BRA | MIE Honda Racing | +2.379s |
| 21 | Hafizh Syahrin | MAL | MIE Honda Racing | +2.698s |
| 22 | Oliver Konig | CZE | Orelac Racing Kawasaki | +2.882s |
Fastest and by some margin on Friday, World Superbike champion Alvaro Bautista snatched a crucial second place late on.
Like Aegerter, Phillip Oettl continued his stunning performance from day one as he finished fifth.
A career-best in qualifying for the German rider means he also got the better of Michael Ruben Rinaldi.
World Superbike weekend Schedule (UK time)
Saturday
Race 1 - 05:00
Sunday
Warm-up - 23:30-23:45
Superpole Race - 02:00
Race 2 - 05:00
