MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks

Jonathan Rea leads the field after an incident-packed second day of testing for the World Superbike class at Phillip Island. Warmer weather and intense testing saw several riders take some serious tumbles, with a couple of riders suffering significant injury. Fabio Menghi fell and fractured a hip in the morning, while Josh Hook crashed in the afternoon and dislocated his shoulder, and fracturing his greater tubercle (top of the bone in the upper arm). The crashes and subsequent clean up meant that much of the afternoon session was lost, as marshals tried to clear the track.

The second day of testing did throw up the intriguing prospect of a nicely mixed field. Rea topped the morning session on the Kawasaki, while Sylvain Guintoli was quickest in the afternoon, on the Pata Yamaha. The top four overall times were set on four different bikes, less than a quarter of a second separating them. 

Rea led the roost, ending ahead of Davide Giugliano on the Aruba.it Ducati, while Michael van der Mark put in another strong showing on the Ten Kate Honda to take third spot, two tenths behind Rea. Sylvain Guintoli was fourth fastest on the Yamaha YZF R1, a tenth quicker than Nicky Hayden on the second Ten Kate Honda. Tom Sykes, who had been fastest on Monday, grabbed sixth spot, though was three tenths slower than Hayden ahead of him, and nearly two thirds of a second slower than his teammate. Chaz Davies put the second factory Ducati into seventh, ahead Alex Lowes on the second Pata Yamaha. Two Spaniards round out the top ten, Xavi Fores taking ninth, and Jordi Torres the fastest BMW in tenth.

Overall times are below, with the fastest times of the morning and afternoon sessions underneath that.

Overall times:

Tuesday FP3 times:

Tuesday FP4 times: