Supersport: Jaume Masia snatches Superpole, but the Chinese already look like a threat!

A new wind is starting to blow in World Supersport: Chinese manufacturers are beginning to scare the field. Jaume Masia delivered the first Superspole to Ducati, but the headlines are all for ZXMoto, which kicks off its world adventure with a sensational front row from Valentin Debise.

Even in the junior class, the Phillip Island weekend fully confirms the outcome of the two days of preseason testing earlier this week. Jaume Masia, fastest on both Monday and Tuesday, has snatched the top spot on the grid for Race 1. For the Valencian, it’s the second time in his career, after Misano ’25. He already boasts a World title in Moto3: the season hasn’t even started yet, but it’s a given he’ll be among this year’s contenders. The Orelac team has made a decisive step forward.

Also on the season’s front row will be Oli Bayliss, who in his fifth year in Supersport seems to have seriously raised the bar. Under the eyes of his father Troy—who was a demon at Phillip Island in Superbike—the heir put the Triumph up front, a bike historically very effective here. Last year it was Tom Booth-Amos who exploited its potential, winning Race 1. This time the Brit suffered a heavy crash that complicates the plan a bit: he’ll start fifth.

The ZXMoto 820RR was supposed to debut next year, but moving up the timeline isn’t a gamble—if anything, it looks like a great opportunity. The first on-track test was just a few months ago, and now the Chinese race bike is already on the front row. We’re talking about yet another miracle pulled off by the small Ravenna-based Evan Bros outfit, for years the primary spearhead of Yamaha’s Supersport project. The team’s experience has given a huge boost to a racing department that appears to have the technology and budget to take ZXMoto a very long way.

Supersport was stopped twice due to crashes: the first involved Oliver Konig, the second Tom Booth-Amos himself; both were taken to the medical center, but nothing serious. In the final moments, Mattia Casadei also slid off; no physical damage, but repercussions for the standings: the rider from Romagna, with the Ducati of Davide Giugliano’s team, will start from the fourth row (tenth time). The best Italian on the grid is former MotoE World Champion Matteo Ferrari, eighth, also on the Ducati V2 (WRP team). After this lightning-fast prelude, it’s already time to race: who can stop Masia?