In an endlessly dramatic build up to race day it was not enough that tyre issues, rider smack-ups, flag-to-flag race reschedules and several new or returning riders ploughed their way deep into the established order. Another late development on Saturday night made for even more theatre.

MV rider Rafaelle De Rosa, plus Yamaha men Sandro Cortese, Jules Cluzel and Federico Caricasulo all got pinged for infringements under article 1.21.2 – which all translate to riders having to ride in a responsible manner, which does not cause danger to others.

Hence they all dropped three grid positions each.

That put Kenan Sofuoglu up to second place, local Aussie icon Ant West to third, and British battler Luke Stapleford up from sixth to fourth. Cortese, an instant hit since he joined WorldSSP just a few days ago, was one of the riders who was not bothered by worries over tyre life over the originally proposed 18 laps, but starting from row three and not row four was an unwelcome early WorldSSP gift from Race Direction. He said all he was doing was slowing a very little bit stop other riders using him as a tow.

Stefan Hill (Profile Racing Triumph) was declared unfit after FP3 today, after another Briton Andrew Irwin (CIA Landlords Insurance) had fallen earlier in the week and fractured his left hand.