A few races ago, Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) was starting to become the runaway favourite for the 2022 crown, but since his error at Assen and then a tougher race at Silverstone, both of which were won by Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), the momentum has turned.
The Italian armada arrives on successful turf as KTM race at home, Aprilia aim to keep the roll going and Quartararo faces some pressure in Austria.
Now the paddock heads to the Red Bull Ring and serious winning turf for Ducati, it could be another pivotal chance for Bagnaia to continue cutting that gap – especially as it’s often been tougher Sunday turf for Yamaha.
There is a new chicane to contend with, however, and that leaves lap records behind and adds an extra challenge to the weekend ahead. Still, the venue has seen many a Ducati win and for a handful of different riders, so the factory remains the favourite. With Bagnaia on form, teammate Jack Miller fresh from the podium, Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) already a winner at the track and Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) back up into the battle at Silverstone, there is a long list of hopefuls and it doesn’t even stop there, with the likes of Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) and Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) likewise quick and eager to make their mark.
Austria has seen many a Ducati win and for a handful of different riders, so the factory remains the favourite.
Another factory eager to keep the pressure on Quartararo is Aprilia. Aleix Espargaro didn’t manage to capitalise on the number 20’s P8 at Silverstone as he took ninth, but after a huge highside on Saturday left him racing with a broken heel, that became a job well done in difficult circumstances as he only lost one point to the Frenchman. And there was still an Aprilia on the podium…
After speed before bad luck in Germany and then third at Assen, which marked his first rostrum finish with Aprilia Racing, second at Silverstone and only four tenths off Bagnaia was quite a statement from Maverick Viñales. The trend says the next step should be the top one, but it’s far from a simple task in MotoGP™. Can Top Gun do it, in his 200th Grand Prix and at a poetic place to get back on top? The Aprilia remains as serious a threat as ever, and at the very least it may be a good weekend to chip away more points from Yamaha for both Noale machines.
Aleix Espargaro didn’t manage to capitalise on the number 20’s P8 at Silverstone as he took ninth, but after a huge highside on Saturday left him racing with a broken heel, that became a job well done.
Meanwhile, KTM are racing at home and will have big aims for the weekend. The tougher season continues but there have been solid moves forward, and both Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and teammate Miguel Oliveira have won at the venue, in two very different styles. With the grandstands full of orange and a new chicane for everyone, will the hills be alive with a podium challenge from the Mattighofen factory? They’ll certainly be pushing to the limit to try and get in that battle for the first time since the first couple of races of the season.
Suzuki will also want more from the Red Bull Ring. The Hamamatsu factory have form there and Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) even more so, with the circuit having been the scene of his first win in the World Championship and the number 36 seeming to have figured out a few secrets to being fast in Styria. For teammate Alex Rins the same could be said of Silverstone and the number 42 spent much of the race at the front, but after fading in the latter stages he’ll be looking to bounce back. Qualifying remains a challenge for both Suzuki and KTM, with the riders often charging forward on Sunday, so that will likely be a focus too as the new chicane creates a new lap record.
Suzuki will also want more from Austria. The Hamamatsu factory have form there and Joan Mir even more so, with the circuit having been the scene of his first win in the World Championship
For Honda there is some big news: Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) will be back in the paddock. The number 93 isn’t riding or racing again just yet, but he’ll be on hand as the Japanese factory continue to focus on developing the new RC213V. Already in contact from home, now the eight-time World Champion will be on site as Stefan Bradl and Pol Espargaro aim to take the Repsol Honda further into the points, as do Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) and Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol).
Is the Red Bull Ring still Borgo Panigale turf? Can Maverick Viñales put in a poetic weekend? Are KTM up to push forward on home turf? What will the standings look like as we head for San Marino? We’ll find out this weekend, with MotoGP™ going racing at 14:00 (GMT +2) on Sunday for the CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich.
MotoGP Championship Top 5 Before Austria (Full Standings Here)
At Morgan Park, the Yamaha R1 was expected to enjoy the tight and bumpy running at the 1.5km circuit of Morgan Park.
Wayne Maxwell has taken the maximum 51 points – two race victories plus the extra point for pole position- as he undertakes a desperate push to take his fourth championship in the back half of the 2022 ASBK Championship season. Photos: Bitesizepics…
Wayne Maxwell has taken the maximum 51 points – two race victories plus the extra point for pole position- as he undertakes a desperate push to take his fourth championship.
Superbike Morgan Park Round Podium (Full Results Here)
1 Wayne Maxwell – Ducati V4R
2 Mike Jones – Yamaha YZF-R1
3 Bryan Staring – Ducati V4R
Alpinestars Superbike Standings After Morgan Park (Full Standings Here)
1 Mike Jones – Yamaha YZF-R1 242
2 Wayne Maxwell – Ducati V4R 213
3 Bryan Staring -Ducati V4R 189
ASBK Morgan Park Superbikes.
ASBK Morgan Park Superbikes.
ASBK Morgan Park Superbikes.
ASBK Morgan Park Superbikes.
ASBK Morgan Park Superbikes.
ASBK Morgan Park Superbikes.
ASBK Morgan Park Superbikes.
ASBK Morgan Park Superbikes.
Wayne Maxwell has taken the maximum 51 points – two race victories plus the extra point for pole position- as he undertakes a desperate push to take his fourth championship.
The 2023 mi-bike Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul (ASBK) calendar is now finalised with today’s announcement of Round 5 of the ASBK Championship at the always popular Morgan Park Raceway.
At Morgan Park, the Yamaha R1 was expected to enjoy the tight and bumpy running at the 1.5km circuit of Morgan Park.
ASBK Morgan Park Superbikes.
ASBK Morgan Park Superbikes.
ASBK Morgan Park Superbikes.
The ASBK round at Morgan Park Raceway is always a fan favourite, with great racing witnessed by large crowds of passionate superbike fans year after year.
ASBK Morgan Park Superbikes.
There had been some controversy towards the end of Friday when a number of Superbike teams pushed for the Saturday morning session to be split into a 20 minute free practice and a 20 minute qualifying session.
Michelin Supersport 600 Morgan Park Round Podium (Full Results Here)
1 Ty Lynch – Yamaha YZF-R6
2 Tom Bramich – Yamaha YZF-R6
3 John Lytras – Yamaha YZF-R6
Michelin Supersport Standings After Morgan Park (Full Standings Here)
1 John Lytras – Yamaha YZF-R6 151
2 Ty Lynch – Yamaha YZF-R6 145
3 Scott Nicholson – Yamaha YZF-R6 115
ASBK Morgan Park Sunday Supersport 600.
ASBK Morgan Park Sunday Supersport 600.
ASBK Morgan Park Sunday Supersport 600.
ASBK Morgan Park Sunday Supersport 600.
Each and every round of the 2023 ASBK season will be a standout event, starting with the Official ASBK Test on the 1st to the 2nd of February.
ASBK Morgan Park Saurday. Supersport 600.
ASBK Morgan Park Saurday. Supersport 600.
ASBK Morgan Park Saurday. Supersport 600.
ASBK Morgan Park Saurday. Supersport 600.
After eight minutes in the pits, Lytras took to the track, and after a couple of cool as-you-like warm-up 1:16s, he took control of the session. 1:15.981 became the time to beat…
Dunlop Supersport 300 Wakefield Park Round Podium (Full Results Here)
Wayne Maxwell has taken the maximum 51 points – two race victories plus the extra point for pole position- as he undertakes a desperate push to take his fourth championship in the back half of season 2022 of the Australian Superbike Championships. Words: MA. Photos: BiteSizedPics
Starting as underdog to championship leader Mike Jones who has turned many laps at the 3.0km Morgan Park venue – one he counts as his “home circuit”- Maxwell used every ounce of his talent, cunning and race craft to practically will himself to the top the podium, thereby reducing his pre round 40 point deficit to Jones by 11. With two rounds and five races remaining in season 2022, we are set for a thrilling run to the championship finish.
Alpinestars Superbike Race One Lachlan Epis jumped away from downtown to take the lead off the line and he and Wayne Maxwell headed away. Late in the lap, Maxwell put in a pretty brutal pass and Epis went off track, rejoining in 13th and taking away any opportunity the BMW Alliance squad had for a much-needed podium finish.
Classic Maxwell. Head down, bum up and setting sail for the finish line- on lap two. With Cru Halliday now in second place and Mike Jones in third, it was the stuff of nightmares for the Yamaha Factory squad. Halliday had made it clear at the Friday presser that he wasn’t just going to give up a spot for Jones as “I need to get wins.”
But on lap six, Jones finally got past his teammate and set off for the now 2.4 seconds-ahead Wayne Maxwell. At this point it was Maxwell, Jones, Halliday, Herfoss and Staring rounding out the top five. Herfoss saw the opportunity when Halliday had a rear wheel step out and overtook the R1 to move up to third. He too was now off in pursuit of Maxwell.
ASBK Morgan Park Superbikes.
ASBK Morgan Park Superbikes.
At half distance, the pressure valve blew with Cru Halliday sliding off at turn six. Jones was a lonely second, while Maxwell was a lonely but-happy first, but the gap was down to 1.7 from 2.4 seconds. Maxwell’s cunning plan to create pressure on Jones by getting out to a good lead was being brought undone as Jones played the reverse card and put the pressure back on the 2021 champion.
Lap 10- the lead was down to 1.6 seconds. Pearson had overtaken teammate Staring for fourth in his first outing aboard the DesmoSport Ducati. And while we were busy typing that, Maxwell’s lead fell to 1.4 seconds.
By lucky lap 13, it was under a second. Jones was now able to start lining-up the K-Tech Ducati Panigale and think about where he wanted to pass. “the number one machine is in trouble” said Steve Martin and while he is the expert, it was now obvious to all. As if we didn’t need anything else to add to the tension; the back markers came into play.
A 0.6 second gap on lap 14. Jones could now surely feel the heat from the Ducati exhausts and the blue R1 was now in contact with the gap now just two tenths. The time doesn’t matter. They are together as we headed into the final lap.
Tension? Yeah… all of it. Maxwell had to use everything he had in his skill bag and 20 years of top-level racing experience to just get a tiny, but vital gap. At the bottom of the circuit, he’s too good, and as they go through the last chicane, the Ducati can pretty much take it from there and he crossed the line first. Jones was home for second with Herfoss third to round out a podium of past winners at Morgan Park.
Broc Pearson brought home his Ducati in a startling and better-than-expected fourth place, ahead of teammate Staring in fifth, Glenn Allerton in sixth, a valiant ride from Epis, working his way into seventh, Arthur Sissis in eighth, in ninth Jed Metcher and Max Stauffer rounded out the top ten.
ASBK Morgan Park Superbikes.
ASBK Morgan Park Superbikes.
ASBK Morgan Park Superbikes.
ASBK Morgan Park Superbikes.
Alpinestars Superbike Race Two It was Mike Jones with the holeshot in race two with Maxwell tucking in behind. Bryan Staring was into third, with Lachlan Epis (4th) and Cru Halliday (5th). It was apparent even after lap one that Jones was looking to pop off the front to avoid any shenanigans with second placed on track and second in the championship Wayne Maxwell.
But Maxwell was having none of that, pushing back into the slipstream and immediately looking to pounce. While the Ducati has the horses, as the late Ken Wootton said of a younger Jones “he has the biggest brake rotors in the paddock” and there was no out braking the R1 into turn one.
After three laps, there was plenty of tension but little passing as the riders seemingly settled in. Troy Herfoss moved up into fourth, while Staring made contact with the leading duo and the two Ducatis started to stalk the lone blue Yamaha.
Herfoss set off after the leaders and thanks to relentless fast laps, by lap five it was a four-man race with Jones, Maxwell, Staring and Herfoss within a second of each other. Further down, Broc Pearson was leading Epis, Halliday, Arthur Sissis and Glenn Allerton as they tried to work their way to the leading quartet.
ASBK Morgan Park Superbikes.
ASBK Morgan Park Superbikes.
In the space of three corners, Herfoss worked his way from fourth into second place “like carving up backmarkers” according to commentator Steve Martin. While we were collectively distracted by Herfoss, Maxwell had taken the lead into turn one after a solid draft and late braking move.
Staring fell away slightly, while teammate Pearson began to catch the leaders. Gary Crilly from Pirelli was interviewed and noted that Herfoss was the only rider in the leading group who had gone with the softer tyre option. As that was happening, Herfoss took the lead.
But by lap 11, Jones had taken the lead from Herfoss while Maxwell was shuffled back to third. Pearson was now the fastest man on circuit and Jones was trying to pull away from the hungry Herfoss and Maxwell.
Pundits began to speculate on Herfoss’ tyre life while Jones just pushed out to a near one second lead on lap 12. Pearson was now on the back of Staring and the decision by DesmoSport to offer the rookie Superbike rider a seat mid-season began to look like a very clever move.
ASBK Morgan Park Superbikes.
ASBK Morgan Park Superbikes.
ASBK Morgan Park Superbikes.
ASBK Morgan Park Superbikes.
Into the last laps and it was Jones, but now he had Maxwell back with him at just 0.3 behind. Pearson passed Herfoss as Staring did the same- confusing many and the two Ducati teammates began sizing each other up for the final podium spot. The soft tyre option for Herfoss was now starting to go away from him and he dropped seconds a lap to the leaders.
Into the final lap, with Maxwell, just 0.1 behind at various points. Further back, the Ducatis diced and then in an incredible turn around, Maxwell found a way through the #46 Yamaha and Jones immediately had a huge moment that nearly ended off track. It was an unbelievable finish.
Maxwell takes the maximum 51 points, Jones continues to lead, Pearson has arrived and there’s just two rounds to go…
Superbike Morgan Park Round Podium (Full Results Here)
1 Wayne Maxwell – Ducati V4R
2 Mike Jones – Yamaha YZF-R1
3 Bryan Staring – Ducati V4R
Alpinestars Superbike Standings After Morgan Park (Full Standings Here)
1 Mike Jones – Yamaha YZF-R1 242
2 Wayne Maxwell – Ducati V4R 213
3 Bryan Staring -Ducati V4R 189
Michelin Supersport Race One Pole sitter John Lytras gave up one spot after the start to Ty Lynch who was able to jump away. The alliteration friendly pair of Lynch and Lytras were away to a small, but important lead. Lap three, Lytras found his way past Lynch and within a few corners, the white R6 was a few bike lengths off the front. Meanwhile Tom Bramich has worked his way to the back of Jake Farnsworth who was in third place.
Suddenly, Lytras was seen stopped trackside frantically trying to restart his bike and… reboot it. “It looks like the bike turned itself off” noted commentator Steve Martin. It was a painful sight as the championship leader worked frantically to get his machine going again, as his rivals zipped past.
Just like that, Ty Lynch found himself in the lead and – at that point – very close to Lytras in the championship points. With Lytras down in 13th- but with his ears pinned back, every rider he passed meant a few points ahead in the championship. Finishing thirteenth meant that Lynch was just one point behind. An extraordinary situation.
And then it happened again. Lytras again stationary trackside with the bike showing a blue screen of nightmares. Any hope of some extra consolation points went away and suddenly Lynch found himself a few seconds up the road. The machine eventually restarted, but he was 13th and three laps down on 12th. Meanwhile Bromich and Farnsworth were locked in a riveting arm wrestle for second. Bromich finally worked his way past and was able to get a small but decisive gap.
The last laps were by comparison quiet at that front, but Mitch Kuhne, Tom Drane and Luca Durning were fighting it out for fifth place and traded places several times before finishing in that order.
ASBK Morgan Park Sunday Supersport 600.
ASBK Morgan Park Sunday Supersport 600.
Lytras on the race one dramas: “I actually lost all throttle, when it first stuffed up, I went into turn one and the bike went straight to idle so I had no throttle which is fly-by-wire, it just kept doing it throughout the race.”
Michelin Supersport Race Two The mood on the grid of race two of today’s supersport race was tense. After his 13th placed, three-laps-down race one, John Lytras and his team were understandably nervous after his nightmare race one where his bike cut out twice, costing him any chance of victory.
ASBK Morgan Park Sunday Supersport 600.
ASBK Morgan Park Sunday Supersport 600.
It was Ty Lynch who jumped away and led the field into turn one, with a rejuvenated and focused Lytras in pursuit. The leading pair would do exactly that, and after a few laps they would get out to a multi-second lead, with Tom Bramich in third, but losing contact.
Jake Farnsworth crashed out in turn one, while fourth through seventh diced for position. This group of Rhys Belling, Tom Drane, Luca Durning and Scott Nicholson would stay in contact with each other until the race-end.
Lytras meanwhile had moved past Lynch and by lap eight, he was out to a 1.7 second lead, with a 14 second gap back to third placed Bramich. At lap 12, Lytras just needed to stay upright, and for the bike to stay happy. There were no signs of the electrical gremlins that had plagued him in race one. With a near-five-second lap, he was inevitable.
Lynch had served up everything he had, but Lytras sought and received some redemption for his issues in race one and crossed the line some 6.2 seconds back to Lynch with Bramich third and then the Drane (4th) led bunch finished together with Nicholson (5th), Belling (6th), Durning (7th) and Troy Guenther (8th).
Michelin Supersport 600 Morgan Park Round Podium (Full Results Here)
1 Ty Lynch – Yamaha YZF-R6
2 Tom Bramich – Yamaha YZF-R6
3 John Lytras – Yamaha YZF-R6
Michelin Supersport Standings After Morgan Park (Full Standings Here)
1 John Lytras – Yamaha YZF-R6 151
2 Ty Lynch – Yamaha YZF-R6 145
3 Scott Nicholson – Yamaha YZF-R6 115
Dunlop Supersport 300 Race Two There are no gentleman’s agreements in Supersport 300. It’s all “I’m gonna get mine” and listing the lead changes is a fruitless exercise. But we can say that it was Taiyo Aksu who led them away, but variously Jonathan Nahlous, Glenn Nelson and others appeared to lead, but the important fact was that nine riders got away to a five second lead from another group comprising seven more riders.
The leading group of Aksu, Nahlous, Liam Waters, Cameron Swain, Jonathan Nikolis, Cameron Dunker, Glenn Nelson and Hayden Nelson raced hard and fair and the slightest gap was an open invite to be passed. That’s fine, you just have to wait a few corners and repay the favour.
With two to go Aksu was late on the brakes into turn one to take the lead. It really felt like he meant business and was clearly prepping for the run to the line. Championship leader Dunker was down in fifth and while a part of the lead group, he did not appear able to press a claim for race leadership.
ASBK Morgan Park 300 Supersport.
ASBK Morgan Park 300 Supersport.
Last lap and Aksu led them over the line. Nahlous was inside and into the lead at turn one, Swain lurked and showed the leaders a wheel here and there, but Aksu held second place and had eyes only for leader Nahlous.
Bunching up through the final turns, it was impossible to work out who would take the minor placings- Aksu had just enough to hang on for first place, but it was Waters in second, Swain up for third, Nahlous would be disappointed to be shuffled from first down to fourth and Dunker in fifth.
At the start of the weekend, Aksu was the only rider seemingly capable of genuinely chasing Dunker for the title, and yet another Aksu win with Dunker in fifth started to make the complicated maths to take the championship lead a reality.
Dunlop Supersport 300 Race Three The final race of the weekend for the Supersport 300 crew was always going to be tense. Championship leader Cameron Dunker was blessed because despite his results not being quite where he needed them to be, his main rivals were either absent or not at the front.
Taiyo Aksu was the standout rider of the weekend, but starting the weekend fifth in the championship meant that the challenge to get to the top of the standings was rather large So at the jump it was Aksu again leading from Liam Waters and Glenn Nelson. On this occasion the leading group consisted of ten riders, and they would stay close for the duration of the 10-lap journey.
Variously, Marianos Nikolis and Waters lead the race, with Aksu unhappily in third, trying everything to stay in contact and work his way back to the lead. Cameron Swain sat happily in fourth, content to let the leading trio trade the lead- and fairing paint- while he waited to pounce.
Aksu found himself back in the lead by lap six and managed the impossible- a small gap to the pursuing pack. The pack called for a brief ceasefire, realising that their common enemy was off the front. Jonathan Nahlous was able to catch and pass Aksu for 2-3 corners, before Aksu would once again take the lead. Nahlous and Aksu swapped the lead several times before Swain tired of the Nahlous/Aksu show back in fourth and took the race lead on lap nine.
The final lap board came out, and Nahlous took the lead into turn one. Swain passed him back, while Aksu worked back up to second. With the corners running out, Swain led from Aksu and Nahlous.
Aksu took the lead with a few corners to go and tried to sneak to the line. Swain had the perfect sit and like a pro cycling sprinter, pulled out of the slipstream to take his first win in Supersport 300 by 3/100th of a second.
Dunlop Supersport 300 Wakefield Park Round Podium (Full Results Here)
Yamaha Finance R3 Cup Race Two Cameron Dunker was swallowed off the line down to fourth by turn one while Liam Waters had a great start into first. Aksu down one spot to sixth was the one to watch on the back of three wins this weekend already. The field was tight as they settled into the race, after one lap there was barely a gap of half a second.
Glenn Nelson took advantage of the slipstream onto the main straight to take second place with sights set on Waters ahead. The next lap, Glenn Nelson made the move on Waters at the back end of the lap, but lost the spot again on the straight – Waters and Cameron Swain both coming through.
On lap three, Aksu made his way through, up to third and looking strong. By the final chicane, Aksu was right on the back of Swain and cruised by on the main straight to take the lead – setting back of back-to-back fastest laps in the process.
Swain wasn’t done, taking the position back from Aksu but it didn’t last – only a few corners later Swain crashed out of the lead while trying to battle with Aksu. Swain was okay but that was his race done. Into lap five and Aksu looked to build on the lead, now out to 0.35 and holding out now comfortably from Waters on the straight.
As the leading pack settled in for a few laps, there was a great little scrap happening from ninth down to 13th with Henry Snell holding out the pack, separated by less than a second. Waters, not to be outdone, got the head down and reeled Aksu in, taking the lead on lap seven, holding off a charge from Aksu at turn one on the start of the final lap.
Marianos Nikolis has worked his way up into a potential podium, fighting with Dunker with the Nelson duo in fifth and sixth. Heading into the final chicane Waters set himself up with a clean exit to hold on and win by 0.143, while Aksu had to defend a fiery Nikolis, who very nearly pipped second on the line.
In the midfield, a trio of Jack Favelle, Snell and Jonathan Nahlous hit the line three-wide separated by just 0.051 with Favelle taking a hard fought ninth.
Yamaha Finance R3 Cup Race Three A lightning start from Liam Waters could only be bettered by the one and only Taiyo Aksu who continued to show his weekend form, moving from fifth to second and right on the tail of Waters. At the start of lap three, Aksu made the move on Waters to take the lead, but nothing is a given here and there were seven bikes behind all in the mix.
The final race of the weekend had given these riders countless laps to figure out the right race plan and setting up the chicane exit onto the main straight looked a crucial element of any good race. By lap five, Cameron Swain was looking to pull the trigger, taking the lead well before the main straight, only to hand it straight back to Aksu and Waters.
The movement within the leading pack of eight was constant and countless while seven seconds up the road was essentially the other half of the field with Cooper Rowntree at the head of ninth to 15th split by less than a second.
Into lap seven it was Hayden Nelson looking to make the big moves, up into second as they headed to the line, with Swain falling to seventh. Waters lead the final lap with Aksu and Marianos Nikolis close behind. Aksu went for a move on Waters but couldn’t hold on to it, and it looked like that could be a good thing heading into the chicane- the tow awaited.
But Waters managed a clean-as-you-like exit out of the final corner and somehow managed to hold off the attack from Aksu, staying just ahead by 0.047 to take the race and overall weekend win. Nikolis held on for a well fought third place ahead of Cameron Dunker with less than a second back to eighth.
Yamaha Finance R3 Cup Wakefield Park Round Podium (Full Results Here)
bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup Race Two Levi Russo was missing from the grid following a crash in the warmup, giving the leaders an easier task, and it was Hudson Thompson who made the most of the opportunity from the start. It wasn’t long before a leading pack broke away, establishing a little over a second between Marcus Hamod in fifth and Ryan Larkin in sixth by the end of lap one.
As they crossed the line for the first of six laps, it was already evident that this race would be hard fought, as Harrison Watts made the move on Thompson to lead by 0.047, with less than half a second separating first from fifth.
Larkin and Alexander Codey did their best in sixth and seventh to catch the leading group, but without the tow it was very difficult work. Cameron Rende found a way past Watts through Dunlop corner with Hamod now up to third, but it was short lived as Watts had a game plan and took the lead once more just after the line.
Three laps down the leading pack of five was three seconds ahead of the next riders, with plenty of jostling for position throughout each lap. Crossing the line to start lap four – the gap to fifth was under a third of a second.
Watts was still looking strong, taking the bulk of the time in the lead, even if it’s never more than a few corners at a time as this group was not afraid to put the moves on each other on a near-constant basis… Starting lap five, Bodie Paige with the bright red helmet decided the time was right and took the lead down the straight, continuing to hold on for the entire lap and even over the line – holding off Watts in the tow.
Rende managed to claw his way back in to take the lead once more from Paige, setting up the move on the exit of Michelin corner to hold on through Suzuki corner and into the Yamaha chicane. But right on the back of Rende coming out of the last corner was Paige, who tucked in with a perfectly timed tow to take the win by just 0.011, barely the width of a tyre. Rende held on to second place with Watts right behind rounding out the podium.
bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup Race Three Levi Russo made the grid this time out and with a solid start held the lead into turn one. In the usual OJC fashion the lead group exchange the lead numerous times throughout the first lap and by the end of lap one it was Harrison Watts leading Bodie Paige with Thompson and Russo in third and fourth.
From second place on lap two, Thompson made a mistake at the entry to Suzuki corner ending his race early, losing the front under brakes into the right hander. A bit of a gap emerged as the leading group reacted to the collapse of Thompson, but by the start of lap four it was all back to the usual tight racing with Paige leading the way.
Marcus Hamod and Paige battled throughout lap four exchanging the lead, with Cameron Rende, Watts and Russo keeping them honest. In the midfield, a second group was tucked closely together led by Hunter Corner with another five bikes, all within half a second of each other.
Into the final lap, Rende takes the lead, but we’ve seen time and time again that it means almost nothing if you can’t find a good half-second gap before the tow kicks in onto the main straight. A mistake by Hamod, drifting out onto the grass, gave Watts a great little gap coming into the Yamaha chicane. The gap was about 0.25 but it wasn’t enough and Watts was completely swamped heading across the line.
The timing board showed Rende the winner by 0.73 over Watts and Paige in third 0.05 behind Watts, and it took a video review to confirm the result. Hamod did well to hold onto fourth after his excursion on the grass, holding out Russo in fifth.
The second pack came across the line eight seconds adrift of the leaders, with Ryan Larkin taking sixth from Sam Drane, and only 0.577 splitting sixth from tenth.
bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup Morgan Park Round Podium (Full Results Here)
In the middle of the night on Friday, multiple ASBK teams and riders were awoken by loud and persistent rainfall falling on Morgan Park circuit. Like a bloke opening a Father’s Day present only to find socks yet again, the reaction was the same “this is NOT what I wanted”. Words: MA. Photos: BiteSizedPics.
Panic set in as riders heard rain coming down on Friday night. Luckily, it held off for a dry qualifying!
The Bureau of Meteorology hadn’t exactly promised it would not rain Friday but there was a feeling early on Friday morning that it would be brief and not heavy. When it was the exact opposite, plans went out the window. When Lachlan Epis suited up for the final practice session of the day – one of just four riders ventured out into – he noted that Morgan Park was a track that was slow to dry out, so some damp practice might come in handy for Sat.
The early session for Dunlop Supersport 300 and Michelin Supersport were “wet but drying out” but the times were notably slower. The riders in the Superport 600 category were out in low numbers early, but as a drier line appeared, so too did the riders appear.
ASBK Morgan Park Saturday.
ASBK Morgan Park Saturday.
There had been some controversy towards the end of Friday when a number of Superbike teams pushed for the Saturday morning session to be split into a 20 minute free practice and a 20 minute qualifying session. Needing a unanimous agreement to present to ASBK Management, they fell short and as a result the originally scheduled timed practice session started on time for the full 40 minutes.
Wayne Maxwell on That Split Session:“Obviously, it’s for our benefit that we run a split session. It’s for everyone that’s invested in the championship. There’s a small minority that live local that have been able to test and they’re in a good position. It’s always self-interest that motivates our side- and their side. So it’s just a matter of “that’s the way it goes.”
There had been some controversy towards the end of Friday when a number of Superbike teams pushed for the Saturday morning session to be split into a 20 minute free practice and a 20 minute qualifying session.
“But overall, ASBK as a Championship should have everyone’s best interests at heart, and the majority were. We’d like to have as the session split, because we need to get more track time, we’re spending and investing in the championship. And they didn’t allow it to happen, which is disappointing.”
Once the sessions started – and by started we mean “no one went out when the session started” – the sun worked its magic on the track, the riders finally and near-reluctantly made their way out on the 3.0km circuit, with Herfoss and Epis out first.
Late in the session, Broc Pearson showed that he will be well involved on the DesmoSport Ducati, placing it into P2 behind Wayne Maxwell.
Late in the session, Broc Pearson showed that he will be well involved on the DesmoSport Ducati, placing it into P2 behind Maxwell- and with a 1:14.2, pretty much lapping at his fastest ever Supersport pace. This morning’s damp-but-also-dry-but-also-green conditions did not favour anything faster. But the minutes wound down and the cream- as it is want to do- rose to the top.
Alpinestars Qualifying One Ordinarily, heading out in Q1 isn’t ideal. It means you missed the top nine in timed practice. This time, things were different – and weirder. Matt Walters, Broc Pearson and Lachlan Epis all had their TP times disallowed after tyre violations. And while it may have felt like a penalty, the opportunity to complete additional laps in the dry might have been a bit of a benefit.
Matt Walters, Broc Pearson and Lachlan Epis all had their TP times disallowed after tyre violations.
At the end of the session, it was Pearson, Epis and Stauffer going through to the main qualifying session with additional dry running laps under their belts.
Alpinestars Qualifying One Top Three (Full Results Here)
1 Broc Pearson – Ducati V4R
2 Lachlan Epis – BMW S RR +0.550
3 Max Stauffer – Yamaha YZF-R1 +2.182
Alpinestars Qualifying Two The early running saw the top two from Q1 – Pearson and Epis, straight to the top. Wayne Maxwell – as is his usual want- went out and posted a time early to encourage people to throw caution to the wind and there he would stay for much of the session.
Herfoss was all green in two sectors for pole but fell away in qualifying two…
As always, the excitement came late in the session as the Yamaha team duo of Jones and Halliday pressed their claims for pole- but coming up slightly short in second and third respectively. Herfoss was all green in two sectors for pole but fell away. Epis from nowhere jumped up to fourth and the Ducati teammates Staring and Pearson were 6th and 7th. With seconds to go, the riders set out for their final flying lap, but it was all done. Maxwell took pole by a healthy 0.414 and broke the qualifying record for good measure.
He was followed by the blue two of Jones and Halliday then Epis, Herfoss, Staring, Pearson, Sissis, Metcher and Allerton rounding out the top ten. Maxwell takes the extra point and gives himself every opportunity to take the full points on offer. At this point of the championship, that’s all he can do.
Alpinestars Qualifying Two Top Three (Full Results Here)
1 Wayne Maxwell – Ducati V4R
2 Mike Jones – Yamaha YZF-R1 +0.414
3 Cru Halliday – Yamaha YZF-R1 +0.576
Michelin Supersport Qualifying Two for Michelin Supersport got underway with Ty Lynch setting the pace early. A 1:17.187 on his second lap was a statement, with not many riders even in the 1:18s that early in the session. With his head down and the early momentum on his side, Lynch went about improving lap-by-lap, getting down to the low 1:16s after a few laps. But while Lynch was improving on-track, John Lytras was waiting…
After eight minutes in the pits, Lytras took to the track, and after a couple of cool as-you-like warm-up 1:16s, he took control of the session. 1:15.981 became the time to beat…
After eight minutes in the pits, Lytras took to the track, and after a couple of cool as-you-like warm-up 1:16s, he took control of the session. 1:15.981 became the time to beat, and it was evident that only Lynch was on-pace to have a shot.
ASBK Morgan Park Saurday. Supersport 600.
ASBK Morgan Park Saurday. Supersport 600.
ASBK Morgan Park Saurday. Supersport 600.
ASBK Morgan Park Saurday. Supersport 600.
In the end, John Lytras proved too strong on the day, taking pole with a 1:15.534, with Lynch sitting close behind with a 1:15.840. Tom Bramich rounds out the front row for tomorrow’s two races in third with a 1:17.094.
Michelin Supersport 600 Morgan Park Qualifying Top 3 (Full Results Here)
1 John Lytras – Yamaha YZF-R6
2 Ty Lynch – Yamaha YZF-R6
3 Tom Bramich – Yamaha YZF-R6
Dunlop Supersport 300 Race One A sizeable group of nine riders managed to get out to a ten second gap and there they diced for the remainder. Pole sitter Taiyo Aksu set off with Nahlous, Waters and Nelson Glenn and Hayden the protagonists in the ten-lap show and they took turns to lead a close, but clean group.
Morgan Park lends itself to close racing, but also doesn’t really offer anyone in this class the opportunity to creep away. Late in the race, despite every effort, there was just no rider able to stamp themselves on the race, but it was Taiyo Aksu who- having taken the lead multiple times, was able to be in front when it counted.
While Championship leader Cameron Dunker was down in sixth, his points situation was not overly damaged with second in the Championship James Jacobs not racing, third in the Championship Glenn Nelson fifth and fourth in the Championship Henry Snell crashing out.
ASBK Morgan Park Saturday Dunlop Supersport 300.
ASBK Morgan Park Saturday Dunlop Supersport 300.
Fifth in the championship Taiyo Akso took the 25 points for the win plus the single point bonus for pole, but starting the weekend with a 61 point deficit to Dunker… it’s going to be quite a task.
Dunlop Supersport 300 Race One Morgan Park Podium (Full Results Here)
Yamaha Finance R3 Cup Race One An eventful first lap saw Jonathan Nahlous and Jack Favelle both end their races at turn-10, while Glenn Nelson took an early lead from pole sitter Cameron Dunker. Cameron Swain was the biggest loser off the start, dropping from fourth to eighth and with a lot of work to do after lap one.
The leading pack of eight, led by Glenn Nelson, found their collective rhythm, and while the front three and the back three of the leading pack would jostle for position repeatedly throughout the race, Dunker and Hayden Nelson remained calm and consistent in their fourth and fifth places throughout.
By lap four, it was apparent that we had a battle on our hands, as Taiyo Aksu made a move on Glenn Nelson for the lead. Not to be outdone, Liam Waters took the spot back from Glenn Nelson after losing it on the start.
ASBK Morgan Park Saturday R3 Cup.
ASBK Morgan Park Saturday R3 Cup.
ASBK Morgan Park Saturday R3 Cup.
ASBK Morgan Park Saturday R3 Cup.
Coming to the finish, a tight battle between Waters and Aksu made for a great spectacle. The two exchanged positions on lap six, and then again on seven, before the final push for the finish line on lap eight – and the result could not have been closer, Aksu coming out on top by 0.005, requiring a video review to confirm the result. Dunker managed some redemption after the poor start, taking the final podium position from Glenn Nelson on the last lap.
R3 Cup Race One Morgan Park Podium (Full Results Here)
bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup Race One Not something fans of any racing like to see- especially when it comes to junior racing. But the reality is when one rider jumps, others tend to go with them and for the OJC, it’s a learning process and even when their coach Gary McCoy has drummed it into them, there’s no teacher quite like experience.
Three jump starts aside, the riders settled into a race rhythm that saw six riders slowly work their way up the road. Watts, Thompson, Paige, Russo, Rende and Hamod worked together and – as befits OJC- against each other.
ASBK Morgan Park Saturday OJC.
ASBK Morgan Park Saturday OJC.
Hamod and Rende would face ten second penalties for their jumped start, so while they were seemingly fighting for the lead, the end of the race would see them relegated outside the top four.
bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup Morgan Park Race One Podium (Full Results Here)
For two Championship titans at the Monster Energy British Grand Prix, eight was the key number. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) held off Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) by just under half a second to become the eighth different winner at Silverstone in eight events on Sunday…
FP1 Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) came back from a crash to top FP1, just pipping fellow Ducati rider Bagnaia, who also suffered a crash and also made quick amends.
Championship leader Quartararo, meanwhile, suffered a technical problem briefly, and the Frenchman tested out the Long Lap penalty loop that awaits him in the race no less than four times in FP1. He finished the session in fourth, half a second off the top, with former Silverstone winner Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) slotting in between the number 20 and the Ducati duo at the top.
Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) was fifth quickest ahead of Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) and teammate Viñales, the two Aprilias split by only a tenth and a half, with Mir, Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) completing the top ten in FP1.
FP2 The afternoon saw fortunes change. First, after a pair of Ducatis occupied P1 and P2 in FP1, it was soon a couple of Aprilias that were sitting top of the tree in FP2 as Aleix Espargaro and Viñales got down to a 1:59.681 and 1:59.737 respectively. Quartararo and Rins ventured into the 1:59 bracket too in the early stages.
Rins was then the first rider to slot in the soft, soft Michelin tyre combination. The 2019 British GP race winner’s opening lap saw him climb to P1 by 0.330s, and his second lap was a 1:59.246 – the gap to Aleix Espargaro extend to 0.435s. But with five minutes to go, things got busy.
Mir shot up to P2 before Aleix Espargaro reduced Rins’ gap to 0.180s. Mir, on his second soft tyre flying lap, then leapt to P1 to make it a Suzuki 1-2 with two minutes left on the clock. But soon after, Quartararo took over as the pacesetter after setting the first 1:58 lap time of the weekend.
That’s how it stayed in terms of the top two, with Quartararo leading Mir. Viñales then pocketed P3 on his last flying lap, and another improver on their final push was FP1 pacesetter Zarco. The Frenchman – who crashed at Turn 7 in the morning – finished fourth, 0.188s away from his compatriot Quartararo, while Aleix Espargaro had to settle for a solid P5 on Friday.
MotoGP Silverstone Friday Top 3 (Full Results Here)
1 Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) – Yamaha – 1’58.946 2 Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) – Suzuki – +0.154 3 Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) – Aprilia – +0.177
Saturday
Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) came out on top after a serious assault on the lap record in Q2 at the Monster Energy British Grand Prix at Silverstone, with the Frenchman putting in a 1:57.767 to just beat Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) by 0.098. Zarco extends his record as the rider with most premier class poles without a win and Viñales takes his first front row with Aprilia, with Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) completing that front row just another 0.066 back. The front two rows all went under the 1:57 barrier and eight riders beat the 2019 lap record.
Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) will start from Row 2 after a 1:57 and a stunning salvage job. The Aprilia rider suffered a huge highside in FP4 at Turn 12 and was sent skywards, given the all clear to continue by the Medical Centre with no fractures but definitely left with a pain barrier to ride through in qualifying and on Sunday.
Q1 Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) headed through on top, the Italian not really threatened by the rest in Q1 but the battle behind proving close. It was Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) holding onto second until later in the session, but a late lunge from Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) saw him usurp the South African to move through. Some early drama unfolded for Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) in the session as the Spaniard crashed down at the Vale chicane, rider ok but still lead Honda down in P17.
Q2 After his huge highside at Turn 12 in FP4, a bruised Aleix Espargaro was back out on track, meanwhile Martin laid down a quality early banker to edge teammate Zarco by less than a tenth after the first flying laps – meaning a 1:58.377 was the time to beat. Quartararo did then better that by 0.118s as Miller rose to P2, 0.001s off the Frenchman. Espargaro’s first effort was 1.6s away from Quartararo’s pace, but that was just an exploratory run to see how he was feeling. New tyres were fitted and the number 41 was back out to see how far up the grid he could get.
It was Espargaro’s teammate Viñales who occupied provisional P3 heading into the final five minutes of the session though, with Martin and Zarco shuffled down to P4 and P5, with Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) P6 ahead of seventh placed Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team).
Attention then turned to Aleix Espargaro. Three red sectors resulted in a 1:57.966 – amazingly, a new all-time lap record and a phenomenal attempt. It wasn’t going to be enough for pole position, however, as a flurry of rapid times were about to come in. Quartararo briefly returned to P1 before Miller then bettered the Yamaha rider, but then came Zarco. He took over and the lap held firm as it wasn’t beaten by Bagnaia, who slotted into P4.
The last rider to cross the line on a flying lap was Viñales and it was a belter. Top Gun’s 1:57.865 was enough to shoot him up to second, earning the Spaniard his best qualifying result with Aprilia and his first front row since claiming pole at the 2021 Dutch TT.
1 Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) – Ducati – 1’57.767 2 Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) – Aprilia – +0.098 3 Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) – Ducati – +0.164
Sunday
For two Championship titans at the Monster Energy British Grand Prix, eight was the key number. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) held off Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) by just under half a second to become the eighth different winner at Silverstone in eight events, and Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) was only able to take P8 despite emerging from his Long Lap penalty within the fight for the podium.
For Bagnaia that’s a 17 point gain in the standings, and with Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo) completing the podium it was a good day for the Borgo Panigale factory all round – with a Ducati now having been on the podium 18 races in a row too, the longest streak ever.
Off the line, polesitter Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) got the holeshot as he headed Quartararo early on, with the factory Ducati duo of Miller and Bagnaia taking up third and fourth respectively. Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins was fifth on his Suzuki before he overtook Bagnaia on Lap 3 at The Loop, but both moved up on Lap 4 when Quartararo – who was sanctioned for his run-in with Aleix Espargaro at Assen – took his Long Lap Penalty at the last possible opportunity.
‘El Diablo’ was still second as he entered the penalty loop and resumed in fifth, behind Zarco, Miller, Rins, and Bagnaia. By then, Maverick Viñales was sixth and Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) seventh, as a bruised Aleix Espargaro struggled to keep pace after his huge FP4 highside.
Zarco seemingly had a great shot at finally clinching a maiden MotoGP™ race win, but disaster struck when he folded the front and crashed at Vale on Lap 5. Miller then inherited the lead and while Rins went underneath the Australian at The Loop later that same lap, the Spaniard could not get the move done. He tried another pass at Vale on Lap 6 and was successful that time, putting the #42 GSX-RR at the head of the field.
Miller ceded second position to teammate Bagnaia exactly a lap later again at Vale, by which time Martin had charged up to fourth after blazing past Quartararo as they ran up the Hangar Straight moments earlier. The Spaniard went down the inside of Miller at Copse at the start of Lap 8 but ran wide on exit and had to get back into file behind the Ducati Lenovo Team rider. Viñales, though, was now well on the move, into the top five asmhe overtook Quartararo on the Hangar Straight on Lap 9.
Up ahead, Rins continued to lead but looked increasingly like the cork in the bottle. Bagnaia then struck to get past on Lap 12 at Stowe and Miller made it a factory Ducati one-two when he got underneath Rins at Village on Lap 14. Meanwhile, Viñales and Martin had been chopping and changing in the battle for fourth position until the former completed a decisive move on Lap 16 at Village. He wasted no time dealing with Rins, however, overtaking the Suzuki for third place exactly a lap later.
Village was proving a popular location for ‘Top Gun’, who passed Miller for second there on Lap 18, at which point he faced a 0.6-second deficit to Bagnaia. On Lap 19, he made yet another attempt at an overtake at Village, but this time could not make the move stick. Still, just 0.3 seconds separated first and second at the start of the 20th and final lap. Could Viñales win on a third different bike?
Not quite. The number 12 was wide through Stowe and Vale, ensuring Bagnaia just had the breathing space he needed to clinch the win – 0.426 clear over the line. Miller completed the podium, homing in on Viñales but not quite able to make it either.
The battle for fourth position raged all the way until the end. Martin was back into fourth when he overtook Rins on Lap 17, but then another threat emerged in the form of Enea Bastianini. The Gresini Racing rider qualified eighth and, despite losing a winglet in first-corner contact with Martin, was tucked in just behind him on Lap 19 after leapfrogging Rins. And the ‘Beast’ got it done, stealing the position from ‘The Martinator’ – his rival for the factory team seat in 2023 – on the final lap at Brooklands. Martin therefore finished fifth and Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) came from Row 5 on the grid to claim sixth at the chequered flag, while Rins faded to seventh in the end.
Behind them came the top two in the World Championship, Quartararo and Espargaro, who found themselves in direct combat for eighth on the final lap. Espargaro outbraked Quartararo at Brooklands and while he could not pull up in time to complete the pass, ninth was still a heroic effort for the Aprilia rider who feared he might not even be able to race after his practice highside. Losing just a point to Quartararo was probably his wildest dream on Saturday evening.
The Italian armada arrives on successful turf as KTM race at home, Aprilia aim to keep the roll going and Quartararo faces some pressure in Austria.
Remy has been struggling all year with the KTM. Hopefully he will see some more success on a WorldSBK machine…
Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) rounded out the top 10 in another impressive ride, with the rest of the points finishers being Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team), Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu), Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) and Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™). Joining Zarco as a retirement was Suzuki’s Joan Mir, who crashed out of eighth on Lap 15 at Stowe.
In the Championship standings, Quartararo is now 22 points up on Aleix Espargaro, but Bagnaia has closed to 49 points off top spot, and he’s third overall and top Ducati… guess where we head to next Ducati turf: the Styrian hills and the Red Bull Ring in Austria. Catch the CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich from August 19-21!
Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo):“It wasn’t easy, because for the whole weekend, we were in trouble with the rear grip. The biggest step was this morning, using the hard rear. I tried the hard rear and I found a better feeling, but I was still missing something that we found for the race. I have to say thanks to my team, who have done an incredible job today. I put this win as my best one; I think this is the best win I have ever had because it wasn’t easy. It’s never easy, but today we were suffering more. I want to say thanks also to my trainer Carlo, to Vale, and to Casey, because we are writing messages these days. Vale is the one that has helped me the most in terms of support, so thank you all. It’s incredible, I’m very happy.”
1 Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) – Ducati – 40’10.260 2 Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) – Aprilia – +0.426 3 Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) – Ducati – +0.614
Moto2
Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) vs Alonso Lopez (CAG Speed Up) proved a Moto2™ battle for the ages at the Monster Energy British Grand Prix. It came down to the final lap as Fernandez snatched victory from Lopez’s grasp in a spectacular encounter, while home hero Jake Dixon (GASGAS Aspar Team) claimed a dream podium at Silverstone.
Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) grabbed the holeshot from the middle of the front row but Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) was the rider to lead over the line at the end of Lap 1. However, Lopez took the lead at the beginning of Lap 2 after making fantastic progress from 8th.
World Championship leader Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) didn’t get the start he would have wanted from the second row and was outside the top six. Taking his Long Lap penalty, Vietti had to produce a front-end save on the exit as the Italian came out in P11, over four seconds down on the race lead.
A top four of Lopez, Aron Canet (Flexbox HP40), Ogura and Fernandez then broke clear, with Dixon chasing them in fifth a second away. After a couple of laps, Dixon bridged the gap to Fernandez’s rear wheel and the lead group became a quintet, with sixth place Albert Arenas (GASGAS Aspar Team) under a second away from his teammate.
With nine to go, Lopez’s lead was up to 0.8s. That was up to a second by the end of the lap as Fernandez moved up to P2 ahead of Canet, as Arenas then crashed at Turn 4. Thankfully, Arenas and his stricken bike were avoided by the oncoming traffic. With seven to go, both Canet and Ogura had a scare heading into Turn 13 and half a lap later, Dixon was past the pair of them.
Fernandez set the fastest lap of the race on Lap 13 and was hunting down Lopez. With four to go, the gap was nothing as Dixon, Ogura and Canet battled away for the final podium spot behind them. It was as you were with two laps to go, but it was getting feisty. Canet and Dixon exchanged P3, Ogura made slight contact with Canet’s rear wheel and it was as close as it gets between Lopez and Fernandez at the front, too.
Lopez was defending like a lion and it was all coming down to Brooklands – the final part of the lap. And it was right there, Turn 16, where Fernandez pounced. Late on the brakes, up the inside, Lopez tried to protect his lead but his compatriot forced his way through. Lopez tried to bite back but the last-ditch move handed Fernandez a second straight win, and one that sees him take a 13-point lead in the Championship after winning by just 0.070. Lopez’s debut Moto2 World Championship podium was sensational and coming out on top in the battle for the final podium spot was home hero Dixon, who finished just 0.6s away from victory in the end.
Ogura’s P4 ahead of Canet could be two vital points come the end of the season, as Vietti rescues a P6 after his Long Lap penalty. Roberts slipped to P7 after showing great pace in Free Practice and qualifying, the American finishing ahead of Jorge Navarro (Flexbox HP40), Filip Salač (Gresini Racing) and Bo Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG).
Moto3
After a dramatic few laps of Silverstone there has been a serious shift in the lightweight class standings, with Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) emerging victorious from the drama as both Championship leader Sergio Garcia (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) and closest challenger and teammate Izan Guevara crashed, separately, through no fault of their own. Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) likewise capitalised and stormed through from outside the top 20 on the grid to take second, with Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) completing the podium for his first rostrum finish of 2022 – extending his streak as the only rider to score in every race so far.
The opening lap was fast and frantic as several riders took turns in leading. Guevara, Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI), polesitter Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI) and Öncü started strong and briefly led, but it was Guevara who pounced at Turn 1 on Lap 2 to reclaim P1.
Home hero John McPhee (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max) made great early progress to get up to P4 from 10th on the grid, with 8th on the grid Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing) also powering up to the front of the freight train. Meanwhile, World Championship leader Garcia was battling away in the lower ends of the top 10.
It was a proper barnstormer. You could throw a blanket over the top 20 riders and the lead was changing lap after lap. Foggia, with eight to go, boasted the biggest lead we’d seen all race – 0.6s over the line, with teammate Suzuki acting as the stopping block in second place. David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) was back up into the top five after taking his Long Lap penalty too, as Guevara and McPhee found themselves down in 10th and 11th, and Garcia 8th.
With four laps to go, it was still anyone’s race to win. Garcia was P6, crucially ahead of teammate and title rival Guevara who had lost out down to P9, but less than two seconds still split the top 16. With three laps to go, Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA) led for the first time and tried ti pull clear, but he was immediately swallowed up down the Hangar Straight.
Then came the drama. Ayumu Sasaki (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max) tagged the rear of Garcia at Turn 13 and both riders crashed out, with Sasaki stretchered away and taken to the medical centre, the Japanese rider conscious, and Garcia back on his bike but he was unable to continue.
Heading onto the final lap, Öncü was the leader followed by Muñoz and Ortola, with Guevara 7th. Masia took the lead, and then lost it to Foggia, more drama unravelled as Guevara was taken out by Ortola at Stowe. After the latter clipped Öncü, Suzuki highsided on the exit to crash out too. Foggia, the man third in the title race, emerged leading from Masia, Muñoz and Öncü, and round the final section Foggia was able to keep his head down and stay out of trouble, with Muñoz crashing on his own and losing out.
On the run to the line, Foggia was able to hold on for a crucial victory and gain 25 points as Masia beat Öncü by 0.045s to finish in P2, with the Turkish rider claiming third and that first podium of the season.
After that drama, the huge group fight for the podium saw Kaito Toba (CIP – Green Power) made amazing late progress to move up and take fourth, ahead of Stefano Nepa (Angeluss MTA Team) completing the top five in his best result yet. Moreira made his way back through to sixth, with McPhee getting shuffled back late on to finish seventh. Front row starter Yamanaka finished eighth ahead of Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team), with Carlos Tatay (CFMoto Racing PrüstelGP) just beating teammate Xavier Artigas to the final place in the top ten.
There was a justified and extended build up to the Alpinestars Superbike-only round of the mi-bike Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) in Darwin. Now attention turns to the Morgan Park round as riders begin to pull into the circuit today to start their jam packed weekend in Queensland. Press Release: MA.
It’s been a few years since ASBK has been to Morgan Park. Tune in this weekend to see all the exciting racing…
Every round that Mike Jones pulls further ahead, it’s one less round to catch him, and as the available points pool starts to run out, we’re at this specific point of the season: the title is now his to lose. Thanks to a handy 40-point lead over main rival Wayne Maxwell and coming into a round at a circuit he likes- Morgan Park – the overwhelming feeling is that this is where he will really seal the deal.
While Maxwell will be fast and up the front at the Island for round six and a likely repeat winner at The Bend in November, it might be for now and just end up a nice way to actually-for-real finish his career. But we never stop saying “it’s a funny old game” and acknowledge that pressure can do weird things to a racer, so we’ll come into Morgan Park with open hearts and minds.
Every round that Mike Jones pulls further ahead, it’s one less round to catch him, and as the available points pool starts to run out, we’re at this specific point of the season: the title is now his to lose.
Leadership of the Championship aside, there’s plenty happening elsewhere and while Jones might have a 40-point lead, there’s just 31 points from second to sixth. There are also three riders in equal fourth on 136 points and two riders in equal 5th for the stats mad amongst us.
While it’s not full silly season for rides in 2023 just yet, a number of riders will really want to improve their position in the championship and with everything rather close, a solid weekend could see a particularly crazy game of snakes and ladders taking place.
While Maxwell will be fast and up the front at the Island for round six and a likely repeat winner at The Bend in November, it might be for now and just end up a nice way to actually-for-real finish his career.
Alpinestars Superbikes – The Numbers
Jones banked 70 from a possible 76 points and extended his lead by 17.
With six races left in the three remaining rounds, Jones doesn’t need to win a single race to be crowned 2022 Champion. Three seconds and three thirds are enough, no matter what else happens.
For Maxwell to win: Would need to win every race and take every pole with Jones needing to place third or worse at least four times.
For Staring to claim the Championship: If Staring could manage pole plus the double win every round, Jones would need to finish fourth three times and third three times – Staring would win by 1 point.
The 136 club of Herfoss, Halliday and Waters…. Okay so it’s theoretically possible. But a lot needs to go right for any one of the 136 club to win the championship.
It’s been a few months between races for the Supersport 600 fraternity and some might need a quick look at the points before they roll out of pit lane this Friday to remind themselves; this is close!
Michelin Supersport It’s been a few months between races for the Supersport 600 fraternity and some might need a quick look at the points before they roll out of pit lane this Friday to remind themselves; this is close!
Early season form from Tom Bramich, Tom Drane, Olly Simpson and Tarbon Walker was somewhat collectively brought undone with DNS/DNFs at Wakefield, and *looks at remaining rounds* lads, there’s no time for that sort of thing.
Early season form from Tom Bramich, Tom Drane, Olly Simpson and Tarbon Walker was somewhat collectively brought undone with DNS/DNFs at Wakefield.
Championship leader John Lytras has slowly but surely risen to the top after an ordinary round one (21 points). From there, his points hauls have risen to 46 at round two and a near-perfect 50 points at round three. He now leads the Championship by 17 points.
Always mindful that in 2022, we’ve had a number of leaders fall off or fall away in Supersport, so Morgan Park will be a very good test of whether Lytras is ready to run away with things or offer up some sort of hope to the likes of second placed Ty Lynch who is perhaps the only rider within genuine striking distance.
Championship leader John Lytras has slowly but surely risen to the top after an ordinary round one (21 points).
Like those outside the top few spots in Superbike, there is a log jam in Supersport as well with just 11 points separating third placed Scott Nicholson (82) and eight placed Tom Bramich (71). So while the battle at the top is warm, the battle for the remaining spots is white-hot.
Dunlop Supersport 300 Cameron Dunker arrived at Wakefield thereabouts in the overall points situation (third), 12 points adrift of then leader Henry Snell, but left the Goulburn region a seemingly impossible 25 points in the lead in a perfect display of 300 racing, bagging the maximum 76 points on offer.
Cameron Dunker saw a massive improvement in his championship standings after scoring 76 points at Wakefield Park!
With Snell unable to put his Yamaha anywhere near the front, he slipped to fourth overall, Jacobs stayed put in second and Glenn Nelson stepped up one spot into third overall. Taiyo Akso showed plenty of newfound pace at Wakefield and was second overall for the weekend, but from fifth in the championship race, it’s a big task to bridge the 58-point deficit to Dunker.
And so on to Morgan Park. Like their Supersport 600 brethren, it’s been a while between bouts for the always entertaining 300 class and Morgan Park is a perfect arena for their particular brand of hand-to-hand combat racing.
Taiyo Akso showed plenty of newfound pace at Wakefield and was second overall for the weekend.
Until Dunker really stepped up at Wakefield, there’s been no rider able to impress themselves upon the Championship. He now finds himself in the unenviable position of not only Championship leader, but no doubt “the-guy-to-follow” in every practice and qualifying session this weekend.
Yamaha Finance R3 Cup While there’s a lot of form carry over from the Supersport 300 Championship, Glenn Nelson and Liam Waters were able to take wins at Wakefield Park on a weekend when Cameron Dunker won three races and snagged the extra point for pole in Dunlop Supersport 300.
Glenn Nelson and Liam Waters were able to take wins at Wakefield Park on a weekend when Dunker won three races.
That said, Dunker took the overall R3 Cup honours at Wakefield and cut series leader Glenn Nelson’s overall lead to just 10 points. With a sizeable gap back to third placed Hayden Nelson, the series looks likely to come down to a Glenn Nelson/Dunker battle.
bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup After the most exciting announcement of the year- that the OJC crew will be a support category at the MotoGP event- it would be easy to gloss over the importance of the overall situation and this event.
Harrison Watts and Hudson Thompson have been in an arm wrestle all season and after receiving equal points at Wakefield after three races, they are looking more like Siamese twins than fierce rivals.
Harrison Watts and Hudson Thompson have been in an arm wrestle all season and after receiving equal points at Wakefield after three races, they are looking more like Siamese twins than fierce rivals. Round one winner Cameron Rende is still well in the hunt, and this round will again be very close as the OJC riders shape up for the back half of season 2022.
The WorldSSP features some of the most exciting racing in the world, all of the future champions battling to impress their way into WorldSBK makes for an entertaining watch. With the Autodrom Most round just wrapped up, here is where we are up to in 2022…
Aegerter has smashed out nine out of 12 race wins for the 2022 WorldSSP and is on track to snatch the crown on-board his Ten Kate Racing Yamaha R6.
Where to begin with 2022? How about at the top of the points table? Dominique Aegerter is one of the most experienced riders on the grid, he exited Moto2 at the end of 2020 and went electric with the MotoE World Cup and added World Supersport to his roster in 2021.
Aegerter has smashed out nine out of 12 race wins for the 2022 WorldSSP and is on track to snatch the crown on-board his Ten Kate Racing Yamaha R6. It was all going well for the Swiss rider until Race one at Autodrom Most where he came off. In a bizarre turn of events, Aegerter simulated a medical emergency in order to cause a red flag. He was later found fit to ride but was banned from racing in Race two of the weekend due to unsportsman-like behaviour. Truly strange…
WorldSSP Autodrom Most.
WorldSSP Autodrom Most.
WorldSSP Autodrom Most.
WorldSSP Autodrom Most.
WorldSBK officials said: “On Saturday afternoon, Aegerter was rescued on the track and checked by the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) at the Medical Centre and was declared unfit due to the presence of possible concussion symptoms. On Saturday evening, Aegerter went to the Hospital for further assessments and on Sunday morning he admitted the simulation of symptoms to the CMO, and after a deep re-check was declared able to ride.”
Thanks to Aegerter’s strange behaviour, his title rival, Lorenzo Baldassarri, managed to close the 64 point gap down to just 14, Baldassarri has hardly put a foot wrong this season. Apart from winning race one at Aragon, finishing third in Race two at Estoril and a DNF in Race one at Assen, Baldassarri has only just missed out on matching Aegerter’s pace. It’s clear he has the drive to win the 2022 season as without Aegerter in the picture, he stormed through to score both race wins last weekend. I’d be keeping an eye on him if Dominique’s strange tactic’s keep up.
Thanks to Aegerter’s strange behaviour, his title rival, Baldassarri, managed to close the 64 point gap down to just 14.
While the two Yamaha’s run away win the championship lead, third spot on the championship is really anyone’s for the taking. Nicolo Bulega current sits in third spot, 84 points behind Baldassarri and just four points ahead of Stefano Manzi.
How are the Aussies looking? Well, Oli Bayliss is the only full-time rider in the series for 2022 and he seems to be settling down into the Barni Racing team well. Despite breaking his ankle in the pre-season testing which would shaken up his confidence, Oli has been proving that he deserves to be there with plenty of point finishes and currently sits 17th in the standings with 32 points.
Oli Bayliss.
“Overall, it has been a tough year, but at the same time it has been a big learning year.” said Bayliss.
Two other Aussie’s have shown their face in WorldSSP this year too, Tom Edwards and Benjamin Currie. Tom Edwards has been blistering fast in the Supersport 600 ASBK category this year, this helped gain him a wildcard ride at the Estoril round where he put the borrowed R6 in the points!
Benjamin Currie had a spin on the Kawasaki ZX-6R where he picked up a point at Estoril too. We hope to see both him and Edwards out on WorldSSP for a full season next year. Check out all the best shots from 2022 so far below…
WorldSSP 2022 Season So Far Gallery
WorldSSP Autodrom Most.
WorldSSP Autodrom Most.
WorldSSP Autodrom Most.
WorldSSP Autodrom Most.
Thanks to Aegerter’s strange behaviour, his title rival, Baldassarri, managed to close the 64 point gap down to just 14.
The whole weekend in the Czech Republic saw the championship leaders with their elbows out at every chance they got. The weekend ended with the final MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship race of the Prosecco DOC Czech Round being another incredible affair at the Autodrom Most.
Tissot Superpole Qualifying With spots of rain in the air after an overnight shower, riders were forced to exit onto the circuit straight away. With no SCQ tyres available and the SCX tyre only available for Superpole and the Sunday morning Superpole Race, the session gave extra challenges compared to others. Getting the most out of the 15-minute shootout, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) stormed to a 1’30.947 for a new lap record and a second consecutive pole position at Most.
Riders flocked to the circuit instantly and it was clear that everyone wanted to bank a time in case of rain, whilst the likes of Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK), Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and his teammate Alex Lowes all waited a little longer, the latter two on their own with Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing). Championship leader Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was at the head of the field on track and the first rider to set a lap time of a 1’32.608, whilst Razgatlioglu stormed to a 1’31.578, just outside his Free Practice lap record from FP2.
Further times came in behind with Rea going second ahead of Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), whilst Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was fourth. Bautista was down to ninth but soon went up to fourth, with Lowes and Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) getting ahead of Mahias who was left in seventh with just under ten minutes to go. Having been a top five rider in FP2 on Friday, Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) was ninth ahead of Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) at the end of the first stint. Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) waited until the end of the first stint before getting a time registered, slotting him in third.
With the threat of rain abating for the time being, the second runs and the pole position attacks came in, with Rea one of the first riders to leave the pits. Out-laps completed, red sectors and personal best times were coming, although Rea had a big moment at Turn 13, and his advantage of two tenths of a second through the first half of the lap had been squandered. However, at the head of the field, by 0.011s, Alvaro Bautista had taken provisional pole, although Razgatlioglu was responding already on his own flying lap. Turk went top momentarily, but it was Rea who smashed in a lap time in, the first ever 1’30 lap time, with a 1’30.947.
WorldSBK Autodrom Most Front Row (Full Results Here)
1 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 1’30.947s 2 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) +0.330s
3 Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.559s
Race One
History was made in Race 1 at the Prosecco DOC Czech Round as Ducati claimed their 1000th MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship podium placement after Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) battled his way to victory at the Autodrom Most. The Championship leader started from the second row but was able to fight his way into the lead battle in a race held in mixed conditions.
Championship leader Bautista started from the second row but soon was able to take advantage of Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) battling to close the gap. Bautista moved into second place on Lap 11 with a move into Turn 20 on the reigning Champion, before he followed that up with a move on Rea into Turn 1 at the start of Lap 12. He was able to clear his charging rivals to win by more than two seconds, going on to take his seventh win of 2022 and 23rd victory of his career, while it was also a historic milestone for Ducati as they claimed their 1000th podium placement.
The battle for the podium went on to the last lap between Razgatlioglu, Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Rea. Razgatlioglu made a hard move on Redding at Turn 13, with Redding running a little bit wide and allowing Rea to close in on the BMW rider. At Turn 15, Rea looked to make a move on Redding to move into the podium places but Redding was able to hold on, with Razgatlioglu and Redding completing the podium. Razgatlioglu now has 67 podiums in his WorldSBK career while Redding is on 39, with the British rider going level with Scott Russell at 25th in the all-time list.
Places fifth to seventh in Race 1 were taken up by Italian riders. Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) claimed fifth place and finishes as the best Independent rider. In the early stages, Bassani had been running in fourth but was eventually passed by Redding and dropped back from the lead group. He also lost time to Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) in the closing stages but was able to finish a second clear of Locatelli, who in turn had a three second margin over Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in seventh. Rinaldi had started from third place but lost ground through the opening corners before coming home in seventh place.
On his first visit to the Autodrom Most, Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) continued his run of top-ten finishes that has lasted his entire WorldSBK career, with the Spanish rookie finishing in eighth place. It is the best points-scoring streak in WorldSBK since Michael van der Mark scored 19 consecutive points-scoring positions in 2016. He was just over half a second clear of Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) in ninth place with Garrett Gerloff (GYTR GRY Yamaha WorldSBK Team) rounding out the top ten; Gerloff had started from the second row but dropped back at the start of the race. The top ten at the end of the race were separated by just 13.1 seconds, the smallest gap covering the top ten riders in a full-length race since Race 1 at Phillip Island in 2020; 11.922s covered the top ten.
Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) finished in 11th place, four seconds back from a top ten spot, while he was almost ten seconds clear of French compatriot Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) in 12th place. Philipp Oettl (Team Goeleven) finished in 13th place, less than a second behind Mahias, with Luca Bernardi (BARNI Spark Racing Team) in 14th and Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) completing the points-scoring places with 15th.
Home hero Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) finished in 16th place in Race 1 for his home round, his best result in his short WorldSBK career, with Leandro Mercado (MIE Racing Honda Team) in 17th place. Kohta Nozane (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) claimed 18th place ahead of Eugene Laverty (Bonovo Action BMW), whose future was made known shortly before Race 1, and Christophe Ponsson (Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha) with the Frenchman rounding out the top 20. Roberto Tamburini (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team), Peter Hickman (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Ryan Vickers (TPR Team Pedercini Racing) were the last classified runners in Race 1.
Wildcard and home rider Michal Prasek (Rohac & Fejta Motoracing) retired shortly after being lapped by the leaders, while Malaysian rider Hafizh Shyarin (MIE Racing Honda Team) suffered from technical issues in the closing stages of the race.
WorldSBK Autodrom Most Race One Podium (Full Results Here)
1 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 2 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) +2.109s
3 Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +2.603s
Tissot Superpole Race It was another battle that went right down to the final lap in the Tissot Superpole Race, with Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) claiming victory at the Autodrom Most during the Prosecco DOC Czech Round after a last-lap battle with Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK). Victory for Razgatlioglu gave Yamaha their 100th victory in WorldSBK.
Razgatlioglu got the jump into Turn 1 ahead of Rea and took the lead of the race and was able to open up a gap to the six-time Champion. Rea looked to make his move for the lead in the second half of the race, with Razgatlioglu able to respond immediately. On the final lap, Rea tried to make a move at Turn 1 but Razgatlioglu was able to get the cutback through Turns 2 and 3, before Rea tried again later on in the lap but ran into the gravel, allowing Razgatlioglu to claim victory while Rea finished in second place. They will be joined on the front row for Race 2 by Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), after the Championship leader gained places from fifth on the grid.
The second row of the grid will be made up of Italian riders. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) will start Race 2 from fourth, after starting the Superpole Race from third, with Rinaldi pressuring his teammate all race. Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) will line up from fifth ahead of Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) in sixth place. Bassani gained positions in the Superpole Race to secure a second row start for Race 2.
Spanish rookie Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) claimed seventh spot and therefore a third row start for Race 2 as he looks to continue his run of top-ten finishes, with Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Garrett Gerloff (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) in ninth and taking the final third row grid spot for Race 2. Redding and Gerloff were the highest-placed riders using Pirelli’s harder SC0 tyre, with both dropping back from their second row starting position in the Superpole Race.
Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), who has been suffering from an intestinal infection, crashed out of the race from inside the top nine on Lap 4 of 10 at Turn 10 after he lost the front of his bike. Ryan Vickers (TPR Team Pedercini Racing) crashed at the end of Lap 3 at Turn 21, putting the British rider out of the race. Roberto Tamburini (Yamaha Motoxracing Yamaha WorldSBK) was given a double Long Lap Penalty for a jump start and finished in 20th place. Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) had a crash at Turn 17 in the closing stages of the race, with the Czech rider taken to the medical centre.
1 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) 2 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +2.327s
3 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +3.406s
Race Two
The final Superbike World Championship race of the Prosecco DOC Czech Round was another incredible affair at the Autodrom Most, with reigning Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) claiming victory after a titanic battle with his title rivals. The battle raged on from the start until the final few laps of the race as Razgatlioglu claimed his fifth win in the last six races.
Razgatlioglu was able to get the jump into Turn 1 at the start of the race but was always under pressure from both Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK). On Lap 7, Rea made a move at Turn 1 on Razgatlioglu to move into the lead of the race but Toprak at the same corner a lap later. On Lap 11, Bautista attempted to pass both Razgatlioglu and Rea into Turn 1, with Rea coming out ahead of Bautista in second and Razgatlioglu in third.
Two laps later and Bautista utilised his straight-line speed to pass Rea into Turn 1, while Razgatlioglu made his move on Rea on Lap 15 at Turn 1 for second place. Soon after, he was on the back of Bautista and, on Lap 16, made his move for the lead at Turn 20 for first place. From there, Razgatlioglu had to defend into Turn 1 on a couple of occasions but he was able to pull out a gap over Bautista and Rea to take his 24th win in WorldSBK and the sixth of the season. Bautista came home in second place to take his 16th podium of the season and the 43rd of his career; while it was also Spain’s 160th in WorldSBK. Rea now has 230 podiums to his name, which is exactly 100 more than Troy Corser who lies second in the all-time list.
Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) made it five top-six finishes in the last six races as he finished in fourth place after a thrilling battle with Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) in the opening two-thirds of the race. Bassani made a stunning start to immediately fight for the podium places but dropped back to fourth place, before running wide on Lap 5 which allowed Redding through. Bassani was able to respond quite soon after that move but Redding re-passed him at Turn 1 on Lap 10 to demote the Italian into fifth; Bassani claimed three five place finishes at the Autodrom Most.
Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) claimed sixth place after taking advantage of Garrett Gerloff’s (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) late technical issue, after the American had passed him earlier on in the race. Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) claimed seven place, his best result since he finished fourth in the Tissot Superpole Race at Misano, while Philipp Oettl (Team Goeleven) finished eighth. That is the German’s best result since he took seventh place in the Superpole Race at Assen.
It was Lucas Mahias’ (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) best finish of the 2022 season with his second appearance in the top ten, while Sammarinese rider Luca Bernardi (BARNI Spark Racing Team) rounded out the top ten. It is Bernardi’s first top ten result since he moved into WorldSBK at the start of the 2022 season.
Italian rider Roberto Tamburni (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) equalled his best result of the season with 11th place, ahead of Malaysia’s Hafizh Syahrin (MIE Racing Honda Team). Syahrin claimed the best result of his WorldSBK career with 12th place and it was a double points-scoring race for the MIE Racing Honda Team with Leandro Mercado in 15th; Kohta Nozane (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Peter Hickman (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) separating the two MIE Honda teammates in 13th and 14th.
Czech rider Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) bounced back from a Superpole Race crash to finish in 16th place in front of his home fans, equalling his best result in WorldSBK, with Ryan Vickers (TPR Team Pedercini Racing) in 17th and Gerloff in 18th after his late technical issue.
Ahead of Race 2, Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Eugene Laverty (Bonovo Action BMW) were both declared unfit through illness and injury respectively. Wildcard Michal Prasel (Rohac & Fejta Motoracing) did not start the race. At the start of Lap 4, Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) crashed out trying to pass Rea for third place at Turn 1. Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) retired from the race following a Lap 5 crash at Turn 20. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) had a technical issue with two laps to go with the Spanish rookie retiring from the race, ending his streak of top-ten finishes at 17 races.
WorldSBK Autodrom Most Race Two Podium (Full Results Here)
1 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) 2 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.756s
3 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +2.833s
Championship Standing After Autodrom Most Round (Full Standings Here)
1 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 298 2 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 267
3 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) 260
Up next for Bayliss was the season ending race at Phillip Island, where he was desperate to put on a show for the home fans in attendance to close his year on a high.
With many Aussies racing abroad in a range of disciplines both on-track and off-road, our monthly column focuses on how they’re faring battling it out with the best in their chosen classes against the best riders in the world. Edward Sratmann has our July update…
Oli has been showing promise in the WorldSSP class as he gets comfortable on his Barni Spark Racing Ducati.
Oli Bayliss – World Supersport Despite a tough start to his weekend at Donington Park that meant he started from 20th on the grid, Oli Bayliss admirably worked through the field in race one to claim a solid 11th. Wanting to better his result for race two, unfortunately it wasn’t to be for the Barni Racing star, with the pressure in his front tyre dropping steadily as the race wore on, forcing him to settle for 13th.
“The Barni Racing Team and I had a fair weekend all in all. In race two we struggled with an issue with the front tyre dropping pressure throughout the race, and that kept me from pushing, especially from the front half,” Bayliss recalled. “It was a big learning weekend but we can take a lot of positives from here to Autodrom Most in two weeks’ time.”
Currently sitting 16th in the championship and gaining vital experience with every passing race, the talented Bayliss will now quickly shift his attention to round six in the Czech Republic.
Currently sitting 16th in the championship and gaining vital experience with every passing race, the talented Bayliss will now shift his attention to round six in the Czech Republic.
Jason O’Halloran – British Superbike Jason O’Halloran impressively moved to the top of the British Superbike standings after another wonderful weekend of action. Going 1-2-2 at Brands Hatch, the “O Show” stamped his authority early by winning the qualification race .Riding exceptionally and consistently to take home two second place finishes on Sunday, this rounded out an outstanding weekend for the Yamaha maestro.
Jason O’Halloran impressively moved to the top of the British Superbike standings after another wonderful weekend.
The second race was particularly exciting, as O’Halloran went head-to-head with McAMS Yamaha teammate Tarran Mackenzie in a race-long battle. In the end, though, following some entertaining back and forth, Mackenzie edged O’Halloran at the line to secure victory by a measly 0.0037 seconds.
“A really good weekend for us, I was really happy to win yesterday,” he explained. “I’ve finished no worse than second in nine races now and won five of them. We needed to make a step forward at Brands from last year and I think we’ve done that.”
Competing in the Red Bull Rookies and the Moto3 Junior World Championship, just like Roulstone, Harrison Voight has achieved some exceptional results this month.
Harrison Voight – Moto3 Junior World Championship Continuing his fine progress in 2022, Harrison Voight keeps producing the goods in the Moto3 Junior World Championship. Beginning the month with an impressive sixth in race one and ninth in race two at Jerez, the youngster battled hard in this fiercely competitive class to earn two deserved top 10s.
Although he couldn’t replicate these results at the Algarve due to him being taken out on the last lap, the fact he qualified on the front row and was in the group battling for second and holding his own offered plenty of reason for encouragement.
“What a pity to end a great weekend! I was strong being up in the front of the group battling for second. Unfortunately starting the last lap, a rider made a stupid move making contact with another rider to then hitting me,” the man in 13th in the championship insisted. Taking the positives about this race, it was well and truly the best race I’ve had until this situation. I’ll keep chipping at it, soon we will arrive back on the podium.”
Jacob Roulstone – Moto3 Junior World Championship While the results haven’t matched his speed in the Moto3 Junior World Championship, Jacob Roulstone’s still on the right path as he gains valuable experience. Securing a decent 18th in the opening race at Jerez, things then took a turn for the worse in race two, for he endured a nasty crash while attempting to avoid a rider who’d highsided. As a result, Roulstone, who was travelling at 180kph had nowhere to go, with him ultimately colliding with a wall.
Gaining vital experience with every passing race in both the Red Bull Rookies Cup and the Junior Moto3 Championship, young Aussie, Jacob Roulstone, is relishing his time in Europe.
Heading into the Algarve round, a battered and bruised Roulstone left feeling happy with his output from the weekend, where he escaped unscathed and put in some consistent lap times on his way to finishing 21st in this stacked class.
“We are taking more steps each time and I feel good results are coming. I’ve worked out a few things I need to work on and I just need to sort out the qualifying and first lap aggression. Thank you to all my team for the ongoing hard work,” said the upbeat hotshot.
After missing the entire 2021 MXGP season with a troublesome wrist injury, it’s been terrific to see Team Honda HRC’s Mitch Evans back at the races. Disaster struck at Lommel unfortunately.
Mitch Evans – MXGP Almost back to a level resembling his best, Mitch Evans’ recent form has been extremely positive, for he’s shown he can take it to the frontrunners and hold his own. Having gone 6-7 for seventh overall at the Czech GP, Evans backed that up by running third in the qualifying race in the sand of Lommel.
Disaster then struck near the end, with the likeable Aussie enduring a horror crash over the triple. Although he bravely attempted to race on Sunday, Evans was forced to retire 15 minutes into the moto, with the ramifications of his incident seeing him withdraw. The HRC rider then wisely sat out the second moto, as he now turns his attention to the Swedish GP in two weeks.
F&H Kawasaki mounted Jed Beaton is steadily getting better with every round, in his quest to get back to race fitness.
Jed Beaton – MXGP F&H Kawasaki mounted Jed Beaton is steadily getting better with every round, in his quest to get back to full race fitness. Running in seventh for a large part of the second moto at the Czech GP was a massive boost for him, in a race where he spent some crucial time battling with some of the elite riders in MXGP.
While last weekend at Lommel was a tough one at the office for Beaton, the bike time and experience he gained will serve him nicely moving ahead. Hoping to land some more top 10 finishes in the remaining four rounds is now the goal for Beaton to close out his injury interrupted debut MXGP campaign in style.
Jett Lawrence continues his dominance of the AMA 250 Pro Motocross series, hoping to score another championship…
Jett Lawrence – AMA Pro Motocross Jett Lawrence continues his dominance of the AMA 250 Pro Motocross series, as the inordinately talented youngster appears destined to claim another outdoor crown. Although his July started cruelly with a DNF in moto one at RedBud when his bike let go, he remained focused to salvage the day by winning the second moto.
Having lost his red plate at RedBud, Lawrence emphatically reclaimed it at Southwick by going 1-1 in the sand to earn a dominant overall win. He then flexed his muscles to round out the taxing four race stretch by bagging overall wins at Millville and Washougal to extend his championship lead to 28 points heading into the three week break.
Hunter has also been riding flawlessly, finishing rounds just behind his brother. The Lawrence family is a name that will go down in motocross history.
Hunter Lawrence – AMA Pro Motocross Still in the championship mix and proving he can match Jett for speed frequently, Hunter Lawrence isn’t giving up on the title yet. Sitting 28 points behind his younger brother and clearly feeling confident with four rounds to go, the older brother will be doing everything in his power to close the gap.
With his last eight moto scores reading 2-2-6-8-2-5-1-4, it’s obvious he’s got the quality, he just needs to avoid the small mistakes and keep pushing for better starts if he’s to truly be in the hunt.
Wil had an awesome start to the 2022 FIM EnduroGP world championship but had a shocking weekend in Portugal.
Wil Ruprecht – Enduro GP Heading into the EnduroGP in Portugal at the beginning of the month leading the championship and stamping his mark as the man to beat, things frustratingly took a turn for the worse for the Aussie.
Starting the round with a disappointing crash, this put Ruprecht on the back foot from the off, with him only able to muster five points from the weekend. Consequently, he also dropped back to second in the standings behind Andrea Verona.
“Bonehead mistake on my part in the supertest set the tone for the weekend really,” Ruprecht lamented. Was going to work in the first enduro test of day one, just hitting my marks but ended up laying it down. Tried to gather every point I could following that but I couldn’t bring home anything worth talking about. So that hurt the championship a bit but with plenty still to play for it’s all hands on deck for the upcoming GPs.”
Getting on the podium in just his fourth EnduroGP, Daniel Milner deserves immense credit for his exceptional performance in Portugal. Photo: Daniel Milner Racing.
Daniel Milner – Enduro GP Getting on the podium in just his fourth EnduroGP, Daniel Milner deserves immense credit for his exceptional performance in Portugal. Looking comfortable and fast aboard his Fantic, the consistent Australian proved he’s adjusted smoothly to the class and can match it with the best of them.
“To get on the overall podium in my fourth EnduroGP was a good feeling. Feel like I’m adapting and feeling more and more comfortable every race,” he explained.
Gold Coast based racer and reigning SuperSport Champion Broc Pearson will climb aboard a DesmoSport Ducati Panigale V4 R alongside Bryan Staring for the upcoming two-day test at Morgan Park on July 21/22. Check out what Broc and the team co-owners, Troy Bayliss and Ben Henry, had to say!
Broc had an unfortunate start to his season in the Superbike class of ASBK, crashing out and sitting out some of the weekend. Now it’s full steam ahead to secure a team like DesmoSport Ducati.
Team co-owner, Ben Henry: “Troy and I have known Broc through a lot of his career. He’s local to the Gold Coast, he’s mates with Oli and he’s pushed through a lot of adversity to achieve what he has in his racing career so far, so although it’s just a two-day test, I’m glad we could find a way to get him on one of our bikes alongside Bryan. The additional data will help us better prepare for the upcoming Morgan Park round next month and I’m looking forward to seeing how he adapts to our Panigale V4 R. As for racing the bike he tests on, the reality is that Broc would have to be really fast at the test, and we’d need to secure some additional financial support, so I’d say it’s unlikely at this point.”
Broc Pearson: “I just want to thank Benny and TB for the opportunity to ride one of Bryan’s bikes. I’ve been into them a bit on some group chats and when I go past the workshop to let me have a ride, but I’ve pretty much done that for the last 2 years, sort of half-jokingly really, knowing that DesmoSport wasn’t going to have any rides readily available. When Troy called last week and said that he and Ben had an opportunity to ride the Panigale V4 R if I was interested, I jumped at the chance. It’s only for the two-day test at Morgan Park, but I’m pretty excited to get on one of the fastest bikes in the country.”
“As for racing the bike he tests on, the reality is that Broc would have to be really fast at the test, and we’d need to secure some additional financial support, so I’d say it’s unlikely at this point.” said Ben Henry.
Team co-owner, Troy Bayliss: “Broc’s found himself in an unfortunate position this season, but I’m glad we found a way at least get him on track at the test. He’s a good kid, full of confidence and a fast rider. He knows his way around Morgan Park too, so it’s a good opportunity for him to have some fun and show everyone what he can do on a superbike.”
