Honda's Leon Haslam took the new Fireblade to fourth on the combined WorldSBK timesheets at Phillip Island and looks in good shape after managing a race run when the track dried out.

Haslam was third on a wet surface this morning and, save for a red flag, was able to work on his race strategy but says there are still a lot of things to try on the 2020 bike.

It was difficult with the red flag but we did what we needed to do and put race distance on the tyre," said Haslam, speaking at the track.

"Honestly, we are still finding our way. We still have things to play with but the fact we are close is exciting.

"It is one of my favourite tracks. We still have some more sessions to try and understand a few more things.

"Qualifying is important here, you have to get away with the front guys and put yourself in a good place to conserve the tyre and fight at the end.

"We did what we needed to do though, putting race distance on the tyre, and we now have additional data to use in preparation for tomorrow and Sunday, so I’m pleased with that.

"Every session is a learning experience for us right now, we just need to focus on ourselves and everything we want to get through, step by step. We will continue to work during tomorrow’s sessions in order to find the best possible race setting."

Haslam's race run was mostly in the 1'31s which compares well to Scott Redding's.