With the opening round of the 2022 Mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) set to roar into life this weekend at the iconic Phillip Island circuit, Yamaha will be out in full force throwing its support behind Australian racing both on and off the track.
On track, Yamaha is by far the dominant brand in the ASBK with riders stretching from the entry level and innovative Oceania Junior Cup contested on the Yamaha R15, where 20 of the countries newest racers get to wet their feet in the ASBK environment, through to the Superbike class with Yamaha supporting over 10 riders at the opening round.
ASBK
The Superbike division is loaded with talent in 2022 with plenty choosing the Yamaha R1 as their weapon of choice. The YRT duo of Cru Halliday and Mike Jones have enjoyed a buoyant pre-season and are both primed and ready for a serious assault on this years’ championship. The team is motivated, the riders are happy, and it all gets under way this weekend at Phillip Island.
Joining them in the Superbike class will be the newly formed 727 team consisting of the talented Jed Metcher riding alongside 2021 600cc Supersport champ, Broc Pearson. The team assembled a who’s who of talent behind the scenes and are out to make waves in the premier category.
Aiden Wagner returns to Yamaha and with the help of Addicted to Track and Northstar Yamaha, is looking to return to the podium. Phillip Island has been a happy hunting ground for Wagner, and he would like nothing more to get on the box at the series opener.
Throw in the fast starting and ever improving Arthur Sissis, the experienced Anthony West, the talented Max Stauffer and the blazing fast Daniel Falzon and the grid will turn blue on Sunday as they thunder down the front straight at speeds nearing 300 kilometres per hour.
600cc Supersport
2021 saw Yamaha clean sweep the podium in the Supersport category with Broc Pearson, Tom Edwards and Max Stauffer out classing their rivals. With Pearson and Stauffer moving up to the premier class, Tom Edwards becomes the man to beat on his Yamaha R6. But he won’t have it all his own way as a range of up and comers are ready to make their mark.
Ben Baker steps up from winning both the 300cc and R3 Cup in 2021 and will hit the ground running, Tom Bramich, Reece Oughtred, Scott Nicholson and Olly Simpson, all racing with YRD support will be out to make improvements in 2022.
300cc Supersport / R3 Cup
Yamaha is still the weapon of choice in the 300cc Supersport with the bonus being able to contest the R3 Cup on the very same machine, giving riders excellent value for money. Ben Baker was able to take the double last year and has now moved to the 600cc class, so a new winner will be crowned in 2022 and will take the next step up the racing ladder.
OJC- R15 Cup
The popular R15 Cup returns for 2022 with 25 teenage adrenaline junkies ready to take to the ASBK tracks of Australia. Since its inception, the class has proven a winner, both in terms of introducing new riders to the sport as well as help retain them as a large percentage of riders have gone on from the R15 Cup and are now contesting the larger capacity classes.
YMA’s sister company has also joined forces with Yamaha and Motorcycling Australia to support the stars of tomorrow. Using premium brands like Dunlop, Ohlins, Shark and DID, it’s a collaborative effort from all parties to take the class to the next level.
Off Track
Yamaha don’t just target the on track, there is plenty of work that goes on behind the scenes in supporting the riders and the event. YRD is a huge player in supporting Yamaha riders at and between every ASBK round. John Redding and his YRD team of Janice and Stewart Winton offer race supported pricing on parts, technical advice and are happy to answer all your questions to give Yamaha an asset no other manufacturer can offer.
Yamaha Finance is also the class sponsor of the R3 Cup. The R3 Cup offers affordable national level racing and Yamaha Finance offer great products to keep your racing dreams alive.
“Yamaha Motor Australia continue to invest in domestic racing and are looking forward to the 2022 ASBK season getting under way. With two seasons that have been impacted by Covid, we hope that 2022 sees things back to normal with a full season ahead of us and some great racing at each and every round.”
“We encourage all riders and race enthusiasts to get back to the track in 2022 as the racing will be first class. Yamaha is proud to again be a major backer of road racing in Australia and the opening round can’t come soon enough for us. Let’s get it underway,” says YRT’s John Redding.
