CASTROL Honda gained the upper hand in the World Superbike season's opening psychological battle.

First Colin edwards set the fastest time on the opening day of the championship test session at the Phillip Island circuit in Australia on Sunday, when many of the riders were testing their new machines for the first time.

And then Japanese championship rider, Shinichi Itoh, also on a Honda, was quickest in today's second session after joining the World Superbike regulars for an early season shakedown.

World champion Carl Fogarty was seventh and sixth fastest respectively on the new Ducati Factory 2000, after suffering a bout of food poisoning.

He said: "It was not easy on Sunday afternoon when the gusts of wind were really strong.

"The power delivery was a bit aggressive in some parts of the circuit. "The food poisoning gave me a few problems during the afternoon long run." Edwards was giving the new twin-cylinder 1000cc VTR Honda its public debut and the 25-year-old Texan was happy with his opening show on the machine and was second quickest on day two, closely followed by fellow factory rider Aaron Slight. Sunday times: 1 Colin Edwards, USA (Castrol Honda) 1m 33.894s, 2 Shinichi Itoh, Japan (Honda) 1m 34.530s, 3 Hitoyasu Izutsu, Japan (Kawasaki) 1m 34.630s, 4 Aaron Slight, New Zealand (Castrol Honda) 1m 34.873s, 5 Pier-Francesco Chili, Italy (Suzuki) 1m 35.065s, 6 Wataru Yoshikawa, Japan (Yamaha) 1m 35.103s, 7 Carl Fogarty, GB (Ducati) 1m 35.109s, 8 Noriyuki Haga, Japan (Yamaha) 1m 35.327s, 9 Akira Yanagawa, Japan (Kawasaki) 1m 35.366s, 10 Gregorio Lavilla, Spain (Kawasaki) 1m 35.703s.

Monday times: 1 Shinichi Itoh, Japan (Honda) 1m 33.766s, 2 Colin Edwards, USA (Castrol Honda) 1m 33.919s, 3 Aaron Slight, New Zealand (Castrol Honda) 1m 34.022s, 4 Hitoyasu Izutsu, Japan (Kawasaki) 1m 34.088s, 5 Noriyuki Haga, Japan (Yamaha) 1m 34.159s, 6 Carl Fogarty, GB (Ducati) 1m 34.173s, 7 Gregorio Lavilla, Spain (Kawasaki) 1m 34.248s, 8 Pier-Francesco Chili, Italy (Suzuki) 1m 34.433s, 9 Wataru Yoshikawa, Japan (Yamaha) 1m 34.620s, 10 Akira Yanagawa, Japan (Kawasaki) 1m 34.881s.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.