The opening free practice for the 250cc Australian Grand Prix was affected by low track temperatures and strong winds, which made life difficult for the quarter-litre riders at Phillip Island. Héctor Barberá was comfortably ahead of the chasing pack on his Aprilia, supposedly more suited to the fast corners at this circuit than the Hondas, although the Japanese manufacturer had two of its bike amongst the frontrunners today. The biggest surprise was that series leader Hiroshi Aoyama wasn’t amongst them, the series leader in tenth place yet curiously still ahead of his two main championship pursuers.

Despite the difficulties and the demands of the Phillip Island circuit, Balatonring rider Balázs Németh adapted well today. Using a simple base setting the Budapest man put as many laps on the clock as he could, with the plan being to improve his speed tomorrow. The hugarian got gradually more comfortable with his Aprilia before clocking a 1’37.791, leaving him 18th overall – 3.5 seconds adrift of pacesetter Barberá.

18th Balázs Németh 1.37.791 (27 laps):
“I’ve really enjoyed riding at Phillip Island even though it is very different to anywhere we’ve been this season. The wind was strong throughout the day and I struggled to hold my line in the fast corners but I improved on every run and I’m happy with my performance today. We used a basic set-up and I just focused on getting as many laps under my belt as we could. My feeling with the track is good so I think we can make big improvements tomorrow. The main difficulty has been with the rear end of my Aprilia, but we’re looking at ways to improve it for tomorrow.”