The recent mi-bike Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul (ASBK) Official Test at Sydney Motorsport Park gave us both some idea and some confusion of about who’s where ahead of season 2023.
In no doubt is the form of Josh Waters. In the back half of 2022, he changed from a BMW M1000RR to join Wayne Maxwell aboard a McMartin Racing Ducati Panigale and to say he came to terms with the Ducati immediately might be the early leader for understatement of the season.
At the ASBK test, he was again up front in all conditions- including the night sessions. Others fought for the second place honours, but Waters just put that Ducati Panigale V4R up front most every time.
The last time the championship graced the turns and straights of the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit was in November 2022 for the second-to-last round of the Championship and the riders’ form at that point was clear, so answering who was going to be where coming into that weekend was easier. Not only that, but it was also the second round for the year at The Island, so a casual glance at the results sheet from the earlier round also helped to tell – and predict – the tale.
Fast forward to season 2023 and at Round One and it is a different caper altogether. The past King of the Island Wayne Maxwell hung up his ASBK leathers at the conclusion of 2022. Further, Round One, 2022 PI winner Bryan Staring has only just secured a ride for 2023 and missed the Official Test , while 2022 overall champion Mike Jones has not always been the go-to guy at Phillip Island.
That does, however, bring us back to three-time ASBK title winner Josh Waters. What was supposed to be a cameo filling in for Maxwell at the not-an-ASBK round MotoGP event in 2022 saw him break the ASBK-spec lap record (1:31.705) in his second ever race aboard the Ducati and he pretty much forced team owner Craig McMartin’s hand to offer him a seat for the remainder of the year.
At the penultimate event, Round Six- also at Phillip Island, Waters was there to essentially run interference for Wayne Maxwell while also doing what he could to secure some points for himself. With Maxwell posting DNFs in two of the three races, Waters took his opportunities and finished the weekend as the round winner with one win and ultimately showed the Boost Mobile with K-Tech team that with Maxwell retiring, he would be the rider best suited to the spot in 2023.
And so it is. The Craig McMartin prepped Ducati is still the weapon of choice for the Phillip Island Circuit and Waters is now unencumbered with the responsibility of being a support rider and is free to go out and let slip the Dogs of War. Three wins from three races beckons. It’s worth noting that we said the same of Maxwell last year on the same bike and instead of 76 points (there is a single point for pole!), he took away just 25, so keep that in mind before placing any bets…
Of course, you cannot discount the 2022 ASBK Champion, Yamaha Racing’s Mike Jones who – while he hasn’t always had a loving relationship with The Island – is never far away from the front and absolutely knows how to limit his losses when he’s not at the top of his game.
Glenn Allerton aboard a Shane Kinderis prepped BMW is always thereabouts no matter where we are racing. We understand that Allerton will be on a different brand from Round Two onwards if the bike is ready in time…
Yamaha’s Cru Halliday has usually had the measure of teammate Mike Jones at Phillip Island and will definitely be eyeing off the top spot at this round. Halliday has an opportunity to set himself as the Yamaha man for the first two rounds and it will be interesting to see how he handles this opportunity.
Penrite Honda’s Troy Herfoss returned to the podium in 2022 and hits 2023 with the sort of form that has carried him to a championship previously. But with a love/hate relationship with the PI circuit and some issues getting his Honda into the groove, there’s a challenge ahead. That said, Herfoss has declared that he’s absolutely in it for the title, so give him some swinging room.
The enigmatic Arthur Sissis will once again amaze, inspire and occasionally frustrate when he launches his R1 like a drag bike after a lowly qualifying result. In 2023, the South Australian native once again has the weight of expectation upon him. He has the skill and equipment to win and regularly be on the podium. Jed Metcher will hope to put 2022 behind him after some variable and frustrating results.
Of the others, Broc Pearson on the factory-supported DesmoSport Ducati is a young man on the up-and-up and will be hungry to show the difficult decision the team made in choosing him over the championship and race winner Staring was the right one. Max Stauffer- like Pearson- has made his way into the SBK paddock as a hungry young man with places to go. A big off season and some terrific form at the ASBK Official test points to top five results on the regular in 2023.
The opening round of the season is always an incredibly tense and informative weekend. In 2023, the stakes remain high, and the possibilities are seemingly endless. Bring it on!
