Randy Krummenacher (Bardahl Yamaha) enjoyed the first race win of the 2019 WorldSSP season after an exciting two-part 16-lap contest at Phillip Island.
He was in close competition with his team-mate Federico Caricasulo (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha) right up until the mandatory mid-race tyre change.
Krummenacher left his pitlane position in good order, but Caricasulo, revving his engine after his rear wheel was changed, was delayed after his spinning rear tyre landed on the ground and took rider, bike and rear paddock-stand down pitlane for a time. His mechanics has=d to run to get it disentangled, and his hopes of winning the race stayed back in pitlane.
He would be eventually third, with the experienced Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) second overall, despite being penalised for coming out marginally too early from his mandatory pit intervention time.
In the final analysis Krummenacher won the race with some ease in the end, from Cluzel and the exasperated Caricasulo.
Hector Barbera (Team Toth by Willirace Yamaha) took an impressive fourth place, but it still saw him almost ten seconds back on Krummenacher.
Thomas Gradinger (Kallio Racing Yamaha) was fifth, 15 seconds back, with the top Kawasaki rider being Hikari Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) in sixth.
Corentin Perolari (GMT94 Yamaha) was seventh, Peter Sebestyen (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) eighth (and first Honda), with Jules Danilo (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) and Loris Cresson (Kallio Racing Yamaha) completing the top ten.
Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was one of three riders punished for exceeding the mandatory pit intervention time, by a huge margin of over 20 seconds. He was this finally relegated to 12th, one place behind the potent wildcard rider Tom Toparis (Landbridge Transport Yamaha) in 11th place.
Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) crashed out while in a strong position behind the leaders.
