Yamaha factory rider Mike Jones returned to his searing best with a double victory in the Alpinestars Superbike class at Queensland Raceway’s round three of the 2024 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) presented by Motul. Report: ASBK Media/Ed Stratham.
Meanwhile, in the support categories Stop & Seal’s Tom Toparis (Yamaha) came away with the win in the Supersport class and Josh Newman triumphed in the Race and Road Supersport 300 division.
Read our ASBK Round Two 2024 Reports here…
mi-bike insurance Australian Superbike
Once 30-year-old Jones gets into the groove, he’s extremely hard to contain, and so it was again at ASBK Round Three Qld Raceway as he waltzed to easy victories in both 16-lap Superbike races on his Yamaha Racing Team YZF-R1. His perfect scorecard – which also included a bonus point for pole position – saw him move up two spots in the seven-round championship race. He’s now third on 112.5pts, behind Josh Waters (McMartin Racing Ducati, 144.5) and his teammate Cru Halliday (115).
“It was a perfect weekend for me, and I can’t thank the Yamaha Racing Team enough.”
“We had a really good test leading up to this round, but with such stiff competition nothing is ever a given. I hope we provided great entertainment for the fans, and I’m now looking forward to continuing my strong form in the next round at Morgan Park.” Mike Jones.
Second overall in round three was Max Stauffer (Penrite Racing Yamaha), ahead of reigning Alpinestars Superbike champion Troy Herfoss (DesmoSport Ducati). Stauffer was a revelation, nailing the holeshot in both races on his way to 2-3 results, while Herfoss finished with a 4-2 scorecard just a week after returning from racing commitments in America.
Superbike Race One
Stauffer scored the holeshot from the front row and held the lead until lap eight before Jones took over the running after setting a new lap record of 1:07.434 during his reign-in mission – a whopping 0.4 seconds under Bryan Staring’s 2022 benchmark. And just to reinforce that he was in the zone, Jones then uncorked a near identical 1:07.437 on the very next lap.
After making short work of Stauffer and with clear air in front of him, it was then a matter of how far Jones could gap his competitors as he greeted the flag by nearly 2.5 seconds for his first win since the Morgan Park round of the 2023 championship.
“I was a little bit nervous at the start when I saw Stauffer take off, but I was able to find some extra speed to close the gap,” said Jones. “It was still a really tough race, but it’s great to get back on the winner’s list as it’s been a while since we’ve had some success.”
With Stauffer ensconced in second, the battle for third was tight for most of the 16-lap journey between ASBK legends Herfoss, Waters and Glenn Allerton (GT Racing BMW) – a total of nine Superbike titles between them. Allerton eventually fell into the clutches of Halliday with a few laps remaining, while the arm wrestle between Herfoss and Waters boiled down to the very last turn.
Herfoss then slowed after his bike began running out of fuel, and that was enough for Waters to slip past his long-time rival to extend his 2024 podium stretch to six races. Halliday, Allerton, Broc Pearson (DesmoSport Ducati), Anthony West (Addicted to Track Yamaha), Arthur Sissis (Stop & Seal Yamaha) and Staring (MotoGo Yamaha) completed the top 10.
Race One Results
- Mike Jones
- Max Stauffer (+2.443)
- Josh Waters (+3.057)
- Troy Herfoss (+3.789)
- Cru Halliday (+4.507)
Superbike Race Two
This time Jones hit the front with more haste, passing Stauffer on lap three. Even though Stauffer and then Herfoss kept Jones’ Yamaha in sight for most of the journey, the end result was always inevitable, with the #46 Yamaha holding all the aces.
Jones defeated Herfoss – who had swept past Stauffer on lap nine – by nearly three seconds, with Stauffer third from Waters, the very impressive Sissis, Halliday, Allerton and Staring. Pearson and 16-year-old rookie Cameron Dunker (Penrite Racing Yamaha) saw out the top 10, with the race ending badly for local star West after he crashed at turn four on the final lap.
Ahead of the next round at Morgan Park Raceway from July 12-14, the top three in the championship – Waters, Jones and Halliday – are followed in the standings by Stauffer (98pts), Pearson (97.5) and Herfoss (84). Jones was also seriously fast at Morgan Park in 2023, so could the Yamaha rider make it another double there? It could certainly be a season-defining round for a number of riders in what has already been a fascinating championship.
Race Two Results
- Mike Jones
- Troy Herfoss (+2.827)
- Max Stauffer (+3.484)
- Josh Waters (+4.162)
- Arthur Sissis (+6.828)
Championship Points
- Josh Waters – 144.5 Points
- Cru Halliday – 115 Points
- Mike Jones – 112.5 Points
- Max Stauffer – 98 Points
- Broc Pearson – 97.5 Points
Michelin Supersport 600
It was an eventful Michelin Supersport round – especially in the early stanzas of both races – but at the front it was emphatic with Stop & Seal Yamaha teammates Tom Toparis and Archie McDonald sharing the victories and second places.
The first race went the distance – 14 laps – but not so the second after a nasty Jack Mahaffy (Stop & Seal Yamaha) highside at turn six brought out the red flag. The race was then declared after 11 laps. Toparis, courtesy of his bonus point for pole position, was the overall winner, with Olly Simpson (YRD Yamaha Australia) third after 5-3 results.
It was a challenging round for championship leader Jonathan Nahlous (Complete AV Yamaha), who crashed out of the opener before a hard-fought fifth in race two. Miraculously, teenager Nahlous still commands a strong championship lead after his previous closest challengers, Jake Farnsworth (Wurth Racer Developments Yamaha) and Tom Bramich (Apex Group Yamaha), had their troubles in race two.
Farnsworth’s woes were more acute after clipping the back of McDonald’s machine into turn one on the opening lap, with bike and body both barrelling into the outfield. For Bramich, it was collateral damage as he was forced to run off the track to avoid the carnage.
As a result, Simpson is now second in the standings on 102pts after three of seven rounds, with Nahlous holding sway on 130pts. Farnsworth and Bramich are on 102pts, ahead of the charging McDonald (99) and Toparis (97).
Supersport 600 Race One
The start of race one had spectators scrambling to keep up with all that was going on, with Mahaffy and Marcus Hamod (Motocity Honda) crashing and Simpson running off at turn three as Bramich led from McDonald. After a brief flirtation at the front on lap five, McDonald finally made a Bramich pass stick on lap seven, a position he would hold until Toparis – who had also dispensed with Bramich on lap 11 – annexed top spot on the penultimate lap.
Toparis’ winning margin was just under one second from McDonald, with Bramich third from Farnsworth, Brandon Demmery (RaceDNA Motorsports Kawasaki) and Simpson.
Race One Results
- Tom Toparis
- Archie Mcdonald (+0.888)
- Tom Bramich (+1.319)
- Jake Farnsworth (+4.628)
- Brandon Demmery (+10.319)
Supersport 600 Race Two
In race two, the garrulous 17-year-old McDonald from Jindera, near Albury, scored his maiden Michelin Supersport win by 1.228 seconds over Toparis, followed by Simpson, Corey Turner (Stop & Seal Yamaha), Nahlous and Jacob Hatch (Race DNA Motorsports Kawasaki).
McDonald won’t have too long to enjoy the moment, though, as he’s back on a plane on Monday bound for Portugal and round two of the European Stock 600 Championship action next weekend.
Race Two Results
- Archie McDonald
- Tom Toparis (+1.228)
- Olly Simpson (+5.605)
- Corey Turner (+8.008)
- Jonathan Nahlous (+8.451)
Championship Points
- Jonathan Nahlous – 130 Points
- Olly Simpsonb- 103 Points
- Jake Farnsworth – 102 Points
- Tom Bramich – 102 Points
- Archie Mcdonald – 99 Points
Race and Road Supersport 300
Josh Newman (Wet4U Race Fairings Kawasaki) was the deserving overall winner of the Race and Road Supersport 300 class after his 1-2-2 results in a meeting where it was impossible to track rider movements – there were just too many of them – and the winning margins were wafer thin. Mind you, that’s the narrative every time the Supersport 300 category hits the track.
Newman now leads the championship by 4pts (171 to 167) over Harrison Watts (Champion’s Ride Days Kawasaki, 2-4-1), who was second overall in round three ahead of Valentino Knezovic (Motocity Yamaha, 3-1-5). Knezovic’s victory was his second in Supersport 300 after moving up from the bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup.
Knezovic is third in the standings on 157pts ahead of the Simpson brothers on the YRD Yamaha Australia machines: Mitch (123) and Jordy (118). And just for a change of scenery, next Sunday the Simpsons will be competing in Australia’s ProMX title at Gillman!
Casey Middleton was the other rider to finish on the podium at Queensland Raceway with his third in race three, while the exceptionally close racing also claimed its fair share of casualties, including New Zealander Jesse Stroud (Connect Homes Yamaha) who collided with Haych Short (Plexus PT Yamaha) in race one which brought out a red flag. The duo didn’t make the restart, but Stroud returned to finish fourth in races two and three.
Championship Points
- Joshua Newman – 171 Points
- Harrison Watts – Points
- Valentino Knezovic- 157 Points
- Mitch Simpson – 123 Points
- Jordan Simpson – 118 Points
Oceania Junior Cup
Hunter Corney’s rhythm, work rate and exquisite timing proved too much for his opposition in round two of the 2024 bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup at Queensland Raceway from April 26-28.
Corney’s perfect 1-1-1 scorecard began with a runaway three-second win – a margin that’s extremely rare in the category where victories are normally mentioned in microseconds – before normal service returned and he became one of the ‘peloton’ in the final two races.
However, Corney found a way to prevail in the tighter skirmishes as well, claiming the overall victory in Queensland ahead of Connor Lewis (3-2-2) and Rossi McAdam (5-3-3) as the pint-sized Yamaha YZF-R15s were ridden to the limit by the stars of tomorrow. The pace wasn’t quite as hot in race three after a shower crossed the 3.216km circuit near Ipswich, with Corney’s main championship rival Hunter Charlett getting caught out on the slick surface.
Charlett has now dropped to sixth in the standings on 94pts, behind Corney (143), McAdam (105), Ethan Johnson (100), Nikolas Lazos (98) and Lewis (97). Johnson was the other rider to finish top three at Queensland Raceway, with his second in race two also setting a new lap record of 1:34.428 in the process.
Round three will be held at Morgan Park Raceway from July 12-14, again in conjunction with the 2024 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul.
Championship Points
- Hunter Corney – 143 Points
- Rossi Mcadam – 105 Points
- Ethan Johnson – 100 Points
- Nikolas Lazos – 98 Points
- Connor Lewis – 97 Points
All detailed ASBK Championship class results are here.
The 2024 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul will continue at Round 4: Morgan Park Raceway, Qld
July 12-14, 2024
