Sam Lowes edges out Fabien Foret, Broc Parkes and Kenan Sofuoglu during the penultimate World Supersport test session at Phillip Island.
Sam Lowes rose to the top of the timesheets during the third of four official World Supersport Championship test sessions at Phillip Island as he crept closer to the lap record.
The Bogdanka PTR Honda rider battled it out for the top spot with Fabien Foret for much of the 90-minuute session, the pair swapping places several times as they nibbled at their best times before Lowes broke through with a 1min 34.989secs.
Just a few hundredths off Foret's lap record, the aforementioned Frenchman was just over a tenth further back on the Intermoto Step Kawasaki, while Ten Kate Honda's Broc Parkes and DeltaFin Kawasaki rider Kenan Sofuoglu maintained close company in third and fourth.
Vittorio Iannuzzo was an unexpected fifth fastest aboard one of just two Triumphs entered to race at Phillip Island this weekend, the Italian's impressive pace on the Power Team Suriano machine complemented by team-mate Alex Baldolini going ninth best.
Between them, PTR pairing Jules Cluzel and Ronan Quarmby made up sixth and seventh, while Balazs Nemeth was once again comfortably inside the top ten aboard the Toth Honda.
Russian newcomer Vladimir Leonov rounded out the leading positions on the best of the Yamahas ahead of Imre Toth, Massimo Roccoli and Roberto Tamburini, while British rider Martin Jessopp improved to 17th best on the Riders PTR Honda.
