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Dominique Aergerter outdid himself in his first Superpole as a World Superbike rider and stormed to third place on the grid by putting in an outstanding lap at the iconic Phillip Island circuit.

On the first race day of the new season, of all days, last week's glorious summer weather took a break when clouds reached the small island located two hours in the south of Melbourne last night. It didn't take long for the first drops to fall either. Dominique Aegerter, however, was not deterred by this and shone with an impressive performance in the important qualifying session with third place.

The weather had deteriorated further in the afternoon as the 2023 FIM Superbike World Championship kicks off with a dramatic first main race of the weekend. Starting from third on the grid, Aegerter got off to a good start and was initially able to match the pace of the top riders in heavy rain until his tyres showed signs of dropping down. Finishing in P13, the Bernese rider opened his account with three points.

The second race of the season will also start on Sunday at 04:00pm local time (06:00 CET). It can be followed via live stream on the internet platform of the Austrian rights holder ServusTV.com. The stream starts at 05:10 (CET), including the recording of the Superpole race.

#77 Dominique AEGERTER (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK, Yamaha YZF R1)
Grid position: 3rd / Race 1: P13

"With third place on the grid in Superpole, we had a good start to the first race day of the new season. I was very happy with my lap time. Unfortunately, the rain then set in. So, my first Superbike race took place under unfavourable conditions. That was a bit of a shame, although we had already gained experience with the Yamaha superbike in the wet last December in Jerez. But for this track we had no data. Nevertheless, my start and the first laps were very good. But then the tyre started to drop a bit, which we need to take a closer look at what that was due to. In the end it was enough for a few points, which I am happy with, especially as it is nice to finish my first Superbike race in the top-15. Until Sunday, when hopefully the weather should be dry again, we will work hard to get better results for the team. I am looking forward to seeing how the bike behaves over a race distance in the dry. Plus, we have the Superpole race, which will be another completely new experience for me."

#AUSWorldSBK - Superpole:
1 Toprak RAZGATLIOGLU / TUR / Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1 / 1´29.400
2 Alvaro BAUTISTA / SPA / Aruba.it Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4R / 1´29.584 +0.184
3 #77 Dominique AEGERTER / SWI / GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1 / 1´29.635 +0.235 

#AUSWorldSBK - Race 1 (22 Laps):
1 Alvaro BAUTISTA / SPA / Aruba.it Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4R / 32´02.504
2 Jonathan REA / Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR / +3.471
3 Toprak RAZGATLIOGLU / TUR / Paty Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1 / +6.168
13 #77 Dominique AEGERTER / SWI / GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1 / +51.617

WorldSBK Standing:
1 Alvaro BAUTISTA / SPA / Ducati / 25
2 Jonathan REA / GBR / Kawasaki / 20
3 Toprak RAZGATLIOGLU / Yamaha / 16
13 #77 Dominique AEGERTER / SWI / Yamaha / 3

#AUSWorldSBK - Time Schedule for Sunday February 26th (CET):
00:30 - 00:45 Warm-Up
03:00 Superpole-Race (10 Laps - 44.45 km)
06:00 Race 2 (22 Laps - 80.01 km)