Spain’s Carlos Checa has sent out an ominous warning to his 2011 World Superbike rivals by setting a scorching sub-lap record time at Phillip Island this afternoon, as final testing preparations continue for this weekend’s season-opening round.

Checa, the reigning world number three and Ducati’s main hope for championship success in 2011, blazed around the grand prix circuit in a best lap of 1:31.383, well under Australia Troy Corser’s existing lap record.

“We know the Ducati works well here and this track I really like,” Checa commented. “We never tested with this bike here in the winter but from the beginning I felt comfortable. We started with the settings of last year’s race and that was quite good.

“We changed some small things and understood some direction to take with set up. Then it was just working with the tyres and I used three different ones. Now we need to check which one will be the best for the races.

“We will try a long run tomorrow, but no matter the tyres we could do good lap times.”

Checa, who shared wins at Phillip Island in 2010 with Leon Haslam, was just under one second faster than this morning’s pacesetter Sylvain Guintoli, with the top five completed by Jakub Smrz, world champion Max Biaggi and Michel Fabrizio.

For the Australian contingent, now pruned back to four with the official withdrawal of Chris Vermeulen, Mildura’s Josh Waters was the fastest in 12th position, upstaging two-time world champion Corser in 14th, Bryan Staring in 19th and Mark Aitchison in 22nd.

Staring was also quicker than Pedercini Kawasaki Superbike regular Roberto Rolfo.

Waters and Staring, who won the Australian Superbike titles in 2009 and 2010 respectively, both have one-off wild card rides at Phillip Island this weekend.

Vermeulen has decided to maintain a cautious approach with his recovery from major knee surgery, and is eyeing a return to racing at the second round of the championship in late March.

Meanwhile, Kawasaki’s Broc Parkes was third overall in combined times after today’s two world Supersport sessions, behind new Ten Kate Honda signing Fabien Foret and his teammate David Salom. Countryman Mitch Pirotta was 18th overall.

The final pre-season test continues tomorrow with two sessions apiece for the World Superbike and Supersport riders.

Superbike World Championship
Infront Motor Sport Official Test – Phillip Island, VIC

World Superbike (Monday overall):
1 7 Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 1’31.383
2 50 Guintoli S. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 1’32.303
3 96 Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 1’32.316
4 3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1’32.383
5 84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1’32.453
6 66 Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1’32.466
7 33 Melandri M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R1 1’32.474
8 4 Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1’32.532
9 91 Haslam L. (GBR) BMW S1000 RR 1’32.578
10 58 Laverty E. (IRL) Yamaha YZF R1 1’32.600
11 17 Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1’32.940
12 12 Waters J. (AUS) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1’33.140
13 111 Xaus R. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1’33.165
14 11 Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1’33.255
15 2 Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1’33.560
16 41 Haga N. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1’33.786
17 52 Toseland J. (GBR) BMW S1000 RR 1’33.829
18 121 Berger M. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 1’33.909
19 67 Staring B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1’34.047
20 86 Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 1’34.686
21 44 Rolfo R. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1’34.821
22 8 Aitchison M. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1’35.306
23 6 Yanagawa A. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1’35.470

World Supersport (Monday overall):
1 99 Foret F. (FRA) Honda CBR600RR 1’34.117
2 44 Salom D. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’35.042
3 23 Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’35.195
4 11 Lowes S. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 1’36.110
5 9 Scassa L. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1’36.358
6 91 Dell’Omo D. (ITA) Triumph Daytona 675 1’36.497
7 28 Szkopek P. (POL) Honda CBR600RR 1’36.624
8 22 Tamburini R. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1’36.705
9 21 Marino F. (FRA) Honda CBR600RR 1’36.735
10 55 Roccoli M. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’36.884
11 7 Davies C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 1’36.972
12 60 Ivanov V. (UKR) Honda CBR600RR 1’36.996
13 4 Rea G. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 1’37.011
14 127 Harms R. (DEN) Honda CBR600RR 1’37.088
15 77 Ellison J. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 1’37.240
16 117 Praia M. (POR) Honda CBR600RR 1’37.391
17 34 Quarmby R. (RSA) Triumph Daytona 675 1’37.583
18 19 Pirotta M. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1’38.869
19 10 Toth I. (HUN) Honda CBR600RR 1’39.042
20 38 Nemeth B. (HUN) Honda CBR600RR 1’39.053
21 8 Chesaux B. (SUI) Honda CBR600RR 1’39.402
22 69 Jezek O. (CZE) Honda CBR600RR 1’39.902
23 25 Jerman M. (SLO) Triumph Daytona 675 1’40.384
24 87 Marconi L. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1’41.391
25 5 Lundh A. (SWE) Honda CBR600RR 1’42.541