Valentin Debise gave ZXMOTO the best possible showcase for his WorldSSP debut with Evan Bros Racing. At Phillip Island, the Frenchman secured his first win by finishing third in Superpole, establishing himself as one of the strongest riders of the weekend before heading into Race 1.
The brand-new Chinese 820RR-R shone brightly this Friday morning in Australia thanks to a lap time of 1:32.439 set by Valentin Debise. This secured the Frenchman third position on the starting grid for the opening round of the 2026 Supersport World Championship. Just over three-tenths of a second off the pole position time of 1:32.115 set by Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing VerdNatura), after a week of testing he has already dominated, he has already turned ZXMOTO's bold gamble into a tangible result.
For his part, the Spaniard finished ahead of Oli Bayliss (PTR Triumph Factory Racing), who qualified second, by 0.172 seconds, while Can Öncü (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) missed the front row by 11 thousandths of a second. Starting from second place, he confirmed a better pace than in practice. He will be joined on the second row by Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) and Philipp Öttli (Feel Racing WorldSSP Team), who qualified 5th and 6th respectively.
Matteo Ferrari (WRP Racing) was the best of the former MotoE riders on the grid, securing 8th place with a time of 1:32.710. It was a difficult day for Oliver Konig (Compos Racing Team). Already hampered by a technical issue that brought out a red flag during free practice, his troubles continued.
During Superpole, he crashed spectacularly at turn 11, which led to him being taken to the medical center, where he was later cleared to continue. Roberto Garcia (GMT94 Yamaha) also crashed at turn 5 with 17 minutes remaining in the session, but he escaped uninjured.
WorldSSP Phillip Island – Superpole standings:
Ranking : World SBK
