Source: Supplied.

Former Australian Superbike Championship winner Mike Jones made an immediate impression in his home MotoGP today at Phillip Island, sitting 13th at the end of an incredibly wet opening day.

Jones bettered both Avintia Racing teammate Loris Baz and the rider he’s replacing, Hector Barbera, on Friday after swiftly adapting to the GP14.2 and Michelin rain tyres in tough conditions.

The 22-year-old took a reasonable amount of confidence from his early form in the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, ending the shortened second session in second after just six riders completed laps.

“It was incredible to go out on a MotoGP bike in front of the Australian fans at Phillip Island and even more so since I know this circuit very well and I already had some experience with the bike when this opportunity came,” Jones commented.

“The morning session was good for me because I got to know how the bike feels in wet conditions. It was a real surprise because it was much easier to ride in the rain than I expected.

“After only a few laps I had a good feeling for what the tyres were doing and I felt comfortable immediately. I’m a bit disappointed that the conditions were much worse in the afternoon and we weren’t able to improve.

“It’s important for me to do many laps in order to understand the bike better, but we can’t control the weather. It is what it is and I can only hope that it will improve for the rest of the weekend so that we can improve as well.”