German Ducati WSBK rider Philipp Öttl storms into the top 3 in the second practice session of the Superbike World Championship in Australia and praises the 2023 Panigale V4R engine.
Philipp Öttl experienced a successful first day of training in the new Superbike World Championship season. After Öttl finished ninth in the first practice session, the German maintained his place in the top 3 for a long time in the second practice session. In the final phase, some drivers improved their lap times. And Öttl was able to top it up again with his Ducati.
With a lap of 1:31.449, Öttl moved up to third position in the FT2 and was thus the first pursuer of the two factory Ducatis at the top. In the combined ranking, Öttl found himself in seventh position and was the best non-works driver.
“It was a really good day,” said Öttl, who was able to drive the 2023 engine for the first time. A technical problem during the final test prevented the first laps with the latest version of the V4 engine.
Superbike pilot Öttl likes the 2023 Ducati engine
“We did a great job because we couldn’t try the new engine until the first free practice session. I’m happy that everything worked well. The team did a really great job,” he said, praising the commitment of the GoEleven Ducati crew.
“The 2023 engine responds more gently. But it’s difficult to make a direct comparison with the old engine because we had a two-day break. But my Ducati is really a lot of fun here,” says Öttl happily.
Öttl is well positioned for the upcoming races, because the GoEleven driver was able to set many consistently fast lap times in practice. “We concentrated 99 percent on the race pace. That will also pay off in the future,” he is convinced.
Strictly speaking, Öttl could have driven even faster in the FT2. But when he caught up with rookie Lorenzo Baldassarri on the GMT94-Yamaha, he had to slow down. “My hunt for times wasn’t perfect because I ran into a slow driver on the first lap. But in the afternoon we still managed a solid lap time,” sums up Öttl after the first day of training in the new season.