Phillip Island 2025 World Supersport Wrap

England versus Italy at the the front of a revamped middleweight class

The next-gen WorldSSP rules (and the increasing number of new/heavily changed road bikes that have arrived in their wake) are the gift that just keeps on giving to Supersport 600 racing.

This class was recently well-subscribed but samey, slowly losing public and manufacturer interest until the whole idea of what a middleweight trackphillic bike could be was broadened and deepened in 2022. This year’s all-new bike is the Yamaha R9 triple, and this year’s – evidently – most improved bike is the Triumph Street Triple RS 765.

There were concerns that the new Yamaha was a bit too ‘roadbikey’ and not as track focused as the MV Agustas and Ducatis. Or the old R6 four cylinder 600 it replaces. But the gangly frame of Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) soon popped that idea off to bed with a Race One win on Saturday, in what was also a contest with a mandatory mid-life tyre stop. Manzi is so good he even won a race on a Triumph in the first ‘Next Gen’ season, and funnily enough the latest Triumph (now with a more linear rear suspension link and Öhlins suspension) allowed Tom Booth-Amos to take a hard but assured win in the second 18-lap race.

Tom was a model of concentration and pace as he won from Manzi and Bo Bendsneyder (MV Agusta Reparto Corse).

Booth-Amos was no second race flash in the oil pan as he had been second in Race One on an overheated Saturday, behind Manzi and ahead of WRP Racing Ducati’s new signing, Marcel Schrotter.

There were crashes aplenty in pre-season official testing, leaving riders like Philipp Oettl and Federico Caricasulo out on their ears (or more accurately, left knee and right wrist, respectively).

There were some huge race crashes too, as Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Ducati) accidentally ran into the back of Valentin Debise (Renzi Corse Ducati) at the scary braking zone of T1.

Jeremy Alcoba (Kawasaki WSSP Team) had a grim Race One but somehow finished fourth in the second 18-lapper, until he was demoted to fifth for coming out of pit lane before the allotted pit intervention time. He is on a first-time WSSP legal 636cc Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R. More newness abounds.

Harrison Voight, a last-minute stand-in at Ducati D34G Racing for injured Glenn van Straalen, scored points in Race Two.

Oli Bayliss (7th/7th) – Bayliss was a decent eighth in qualifying then seventh in each race. “Up to Saturday it was quite a good weekend. We had a test earlier in the week and it is all the riding Tom and I have done. For the first race we were fast, but we didn’t have that last final bit of push to stay with the leading group. Not a bad first weekend. The feeling and data we get on the bike improves each session.”

Luke  Power (12th/11th) – Power qualified 16th and finished his home races in 12th and then 11th places. He even overcame a pit time infringement in Race Two to take his top 11 placing. “Overall not my finest day on Friday as I had a pretty big crash and the team had to work hard to get the bike fixed. I spent a bit of time in medical to be able to get out in Superpole qualifying. Massive thanks to all for that.”

RESULTS

World Supersport Race 1

World Supersport Race 2

World Supersport Championship Standings