News

Dominique Aegerter did not manage to finish higher than 23rd in the first Superpole of the year, but he is confident due to the small gap to pole position.
 
The opening day of the first race weekend for the 2026 FIM Supersport World Championship was accompanied by glorious late summer weather in southern Australia. Despite ideal conditions, Dominique Aegerter did not have an easy time in his first real encounter with the competition. Both in Free Practice Session this morning and in Superpole, which decided the starting grid for Saturday's race at the unique circuit at picturesque Phillip Island, the 35-year-old Swiss rider's lack of preparation, due to bad weather during winter testing, was evident.

Aegerter finished FP in 22nd place. In Superpole, the Kawasaki rider found a tenth of a second but had to settle for P23. The gap of just under 1.3 seconds offers a glimmer of hope for Aegerter and his Kawasaki WorldSSP Team.

#77 Dominique AEGERTER (Kawasaki WorldSSP Team, Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R 636)
Superpole: P23 - 1´33.408 +1.293, Grid position: P23

«Finally, the racing season has got underway today with the first free practice and the first Superpole of the year. Unfortunately, we fell short of what we wanted to achieve. On the positive side, however, we are getting closer to the top guys. 1.2 seconds is no big deal. But 23rd place is still hard to accept. I definitely need more time and mileage aboard the Kawasaki. We also need to work with the team on fine-tuning the setup, optimizing the electronics and engine braking, and improving throttle response. After a difficult winter with very limited track time during testing, we are working intensively on these points. But we are making small progress with each session. I have complete confidence in my team. Tomorrow is the first race of the season. Before that, we will try something in the warm-up, and in the afternoon I will do my best and try to rack up more miles to further prepare us for the season.»

#AustralienlWorldSBK - WorldSSP Free Practice:
1 Jaume MASIA / SPA / Orelac Racing Verdnatura / Ducati Panigale V2 / 1´32.120
2 Oliver BAYLISS / AUS / PTR Triumph Factory Racing / Triumph Street Triple 765 RS / 1´32.352 +0.232
3 Philipp ÖTTL / GER / Feel Racing WorldSSP Team / Ducati Panigale V2 / 1´32.370 +0.250
…
22 #77 Dominique AEGERTER / SWI / Kawasaki WorldSSP Team / Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R 636 / 1´33.556 +1.436

#AustralianWorldSBK - WorldSSP Superpole:
1 Jaume MASIA / SPA / Orelac Racing Verdnatura / Ducati Panigale V2 / 1´32.115
2 Oliver BAYLISS / AUS / PTR Triumph Factory Racing / Triumph Street Triple 765 RS / 1´32.287 +0.172
3 Valentin DEBISE / FRA / ZXMOTO Factory Evan Bros Racing / ZXMOTO 820RR / 1´32.439 +0.324
…
23 #77 Dominque AEGERTER / SWI / Kawasaki WorldSSP Team / Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R 636 / 1´33.408 +1.293

#AustralianWorldSBK - WorldSSP Zeitplan für Samstag, 21. Februar (MEZ):
00:30 - 00:40 Warm Up 
04:30 Rennen 1 (18 Runden – 80,010 km)