In no doubt is the form of Josh Waters. In the back half of 2022, he changed from a BMW M1000RR to join Wayne Maxwell aboard a McMartin Racing Ducati Panigale and to say he came to terms with the Ducati immediately might be the early leader for understatement of the season.

At the ASBK test, he was again up front in all conditions- including the night sessions. Others fought for the second place honours, but Waters just put that Ducati Panigale V4R up front most every time.

The last time the championship graced the turns and straights of the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit was in November 2022 for the second-to-last round of the Championship and the riders’ form at that point was clear, so answering who was going to be where coming into that weekend was easier. Not only that, but it was also the second round for the year at The Island, so a casual glance at the results sheet from the earlier round also helped to tell – and predict – the tale.

Fast forward to season 2023 and at Round One and it is a different caper altogether. The past King of the Island Wayne Maxwell hung up his ASBK leathers at the conclusion of 2022. Further, Round One, 2022 PI winner Bryan Staring has only just secured a ride for 2023 and missed the Official Test , while 2022 overall champion Mike Jones has not always been the go-to guy at Phillip Island.

That does, however, bring us back to three-time ASBK title winner Josh Waters. What was supposed to be a cameo filling in for Maxwell at the not-an-ASBK round MotoGP event in 2022 saw him break the ASBK-spec lap record (1:31.705) in his second ever race aboard the Ducati and he pretty much forced team owner Craig McMartin’s hand to offer him a seat for the remainder of the year.

At the penultimate event, Round Six- also at Phillip Island, Waters was there to essentially run interference for Wayne Maxwell while also doing what he could to secure some points for himself. With Maxwell posting DNFs in two of the three races, Waters took his opportunities and finished the weekend as the round winner with one win and ultimately showed the Boost Mobile with K-Tech team that with Maxwell retiring, he would be the rider best suited to the spot in 2023.

And so it is. The Craig McMartin prepped Ducati is still the weapon of choice for the Phillip Island Circuit and Waters is now unencumbered with the responsibility of being a support rider and is free to go out and let slip the Dogs of War. Three wins from three races beckons. It’s worth noting that we said the same of Maxwell last year on the same bike and instead of 76 points (there is a single point for pole!), he took away just 25, so keep that in mind before placing any bets…

Of course, you cannot discount the 2022 ASBK Champion, Yamaha Racing’s Mike Jones who – while he hasn’t always had a loving relationship with The Island – is never far away from the front and absolutely knows how to limit his losses when he’s not at the top of his game.

Glenn Allerton aboard a Shane Kinderis prepped BMW is always thereabouts no matter where we are racing. We understand that Allerton will be on a different brand from Round Two onwards if the bike is ready in time…

Yamaha’s Cru Halliday has usually had the measure of teammate Mike Jones at Phillip Island and will definitely be eyeing off the top spot at this round. Halliday has an opportunity to set himself as the Yamaha man for the first two rounds and it will be interesting to see how he handles this opportunity.

Penrite Honda’s Troy Herfoss returned to the podium in 2022 and hits 2023 with the sort of form that has carried him to a championship previously. But with a love/hate relationship with the PI circuit and some issues getting his Honda into the groove, there’s a challenge ahead. That said, Herfoss has declared that he’s absolutely in it for the title, so give him some swinging room.

The enigmatic Arthur Sissis will once again amaze, inspire and occasionally frustrate when he launches his R1 like a drag bike after a lowly qualifying result. In 2023, the South Australian native once again has the weight of expectation upon him. He has the skill and equipment to win and regularly be on the podium. Jed Metcher will hope to put 2022 behind him after some variable and frustrating results.

Of the others, Broc Pearson on the factory-supported DesmoSport Ducati is a young man on the up-and-up and will be hungry to show the difficult decision the team made in choosing him over the championship and race winner Staring was the right one. Max Stauffer- like Pearson- has made his way into the SBK paddock as a hungry young man with places to go. A big off season and some terrific form at the ASBK Official test points to top five results on the regular in 2023.

The opening round of the season is always an incredibly tense and informative weekend. In 2023, the stakes remain high, and the possibilities are seemingly endless. Bring it on!

The post ASBK Round Preview: Waters Looks To Bank Maximum Points at Season Opener appeared first on Racing, Riding, Motorcycle Reviews, Race bikes, Tech Tips, Rider Training....

SATURDAY REPORT
Wayne Maxwell showed the Alpinestars Superbike field a clean set of heels by securing pole position for Round One of the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul (ASBK).

Maxwell (Ducati V4R) shattered the hopes of his opposition to record a time of 1:31.363; a full second and a half ahead of his nearest competitor in Cru Halliday (Yamaha YZF-R1). Halliday in-turn edged Josh Waters (BMW M RR) by a tenth of a second, who rounded out the top three with a 1:32.911.

While Maxwell didn’t quite manage to secure a quicker time than his all-time best lap of Phillip Island in Friday practice, and was circumspect given the conditions he was presented with in qualifying.

“I surprised myself yesterday, but the conditions we had yesterday were the best we’ve had all weekend,” said Maxwell.

“The wind was very changeable and gusty out there today through from Turn Two to Turn Three. I just put it all on the line for a lap and was happy to put it on pole for the guys.”

SUPERSPORT 600
Senna Agius (Honda CBR RR) took pole in Michelin Supersport Q2 with a time of 1:35.307 ahead of Tom Edwards (Yamaha YZF-R6) on a 1:35.658 and Tom Bramich (Yamaha YZF-R6). Agius will be looking to capitalise on his pace tomorrow before heading overseas to compete in Europe.

SUPERSPORT 300
The Dunlop Supersport 300 Race One honours went to Harry Snell (Yamaha YZF-R3), finishing just seven-hundredths of a second ahead pole-sitter Glenn Nelson (Yamaha YZF-R3) and Cameron Dunker (Yamaha YZF-R3).

R3 CUP
Nelson would take some consolation after seizing both pole and the Yamaha Finance R3 Cup race One victory by the barest of margins ahead of Varis Fleming (Yamaha YZF-R3) and Jonathan Nahlous (Yamaha YZF-R3). Fleming was incidentally first to cross the line, but was eventually demoted to second-place after exceeding track limits.

OJC
Despite Bodie Paige (Yamaha YZF-R15) dominating most of Friday practice Levi Russo (Yamaha YZF-R15) pulled out the stops to take pole for the BLU CRU Oceania Junior Cup ahead of Teerin Fleming (Yamaha YZF-R15) and Paige. However in Race One, it was Cameron Rende who executed a perfect race to take victory ahead of Hudson Thompson and Harrison Watts.

SUPERBIKE MASTERS
Murray Clark (Suzuki GSXR 1183) gave historic racing fans plenty of joy by putting on a serene display to take victory in Race One of Superbike Masters ahead of Scott Campbell (Honda RC30 750) and Scott Webster (Harris Suzuki 1200). It was a repeat showing in race Two, however this time it was John Allen (Yamaha OW31 750) snatched the final step on the podium.

SUNDAY REPORT
In Alpinestars Superbikes Race One at Phillip Island, Wayne Maxwell (Ducati V4R) was the only rider in the 1:31’s and was looking untouchable until a stumble on lap 5 saw last year’s ASBK champion crash out at turn eight. Maxwell walked away unscathed, but the error left Bryan Staring (Ducati V4R) a clean road ahead with a four-second margin over the rest of the field. 

An emotional Staring was almost lost for words on the podium, saying that he’d been “pretty patient for a pretty long time” waiting for this victory. We were chasing (Wayne) all weekend,” said Staring.  “I knew that we had good race pace, but I didn’t know how good it needed to be though. Once we set out I could see the areas where we were strong and in the end, I kept the pressure on.”

Despite nursing a sore ankle from his excursion at Hayshed in Race One, Maxwell kept it neat and clean in race Two and was able to slowly edge a two-second gap to the fellow Ducati rider to take victory ahead of Staring and Cru Halliday (Yamaha YZF-R1). 

Maxwell commended his team on preparing the number two bike to give him the win. “It was good to get a bit back,” said Maxwell. “I’ve got a few bruises so I’ll go and get the body healed up.” 

Australian Superbike (ASBK) Round One Results (Full Results Here)

1 Bryan Staring – Ducati V4R
2 Cru Halliday – Yamaha YZF-R1
3 Mike Jones – Yamaha YZF-R1

Supersport 600
Senna Agius (Honda CBR RR) took Race One victory in Michelin Supersport ahead of Tom Bramich (Yamaha YZF-R6) and Jack Hyde (Yamaha YZF-R6). It was Senna’s weekend, however with the international-bound youngster taking the double in Race Two ahead of Tom Edwards, with Bramich this time occupying the final step of the podium. 

In Race Three, it was Varis Fleming’s turn to steal the win, two-tenths ahead Jacobs and a superb ride from Joseph Marinello (Kawasaki Ninja) to grab the final podium position after finishing just outside the top ten in race Two.

Supersport 600 Round One Results (Full Results Here)

1 Senna Agius – Honda CBR 600 RR
2 Tom Bramich – Yamaha YZF-R6
3 Olly Simpson – Yamaha YZF-R6

Supersport 300
In Dunlop Supersport, Harry Snell (Yamaha YZF-R3) took off where he left on Saturday by executing a perfect ride to take Race Two victory, one-tenth ahead of James Jacobs (Kawasaki Ninja) and Taiyo Aksu (Yamaha YZF-R3) rounding out the top three.  

Supersport 300 Round One Results (Full Results Here)

1 Harry Snell – Yamaha YZF-R3
2 James Jacobs – Kawasaki Ninja 300
3 Taiyo Aksu – Yamaha YZF-R3

R3 Cup
In the Yamaha Finance R3 Cup, Varis Fleming (Yamaha YZF-R3) was able to better Harry Snell (Yamaha YZF-R3) by a mere one-hundredth of a second in Race Two, with Taiyo Aksu (Yamaha YZF-R3) recording a strong weekend to score another podium.  Race Three saw round winner Fleming take another victory ahead of Jai Russo (Yamaha YZF-R3) and Aksu once again.

R3 Cup Round One Results (Full Results Here)

1 Glenn Nelson – Yamaha YZF-R3
2 Taiyo Aksu – Yamaha YZF-R3
3 Harry Snell – Yamaha YZF-R3

OJC
Marcos Hamod took Saturday’s fancied runners by surprise by seizing victory in Race Two of the bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup ahead of Sam Drane and Teerin Fleming. Hamod took advantage of a race in two parts after a restart, while in Race Three, Harrison Watts took final honours ahead of Hamod and Fleming.

OJC Round One Results (Full Results Here)

1 Harrison Watts – Yamaha YZF-R15
2 Cameron Rende – Yamaha YZF-R15
3 Teerin Fleming – Yamaha YZF-R15

Superbike Masters
In Superbike Masters, Scott Campbell (Honda RC30 750) got the better of Murray Clark (Suzuki GSXR 1183) to take the win in Race 3, with Scott Webster (Harris Suzuki 1200) rounding out the top three.

Superbike Masters Round One Results (Full Results Here)

1 Scott Campbell – Honda RC30 750
2 Murray Clark – Suzuki GSXR 1183
3 Scott Webster – Harris Suzuki 1200

The post Race Reports: 2022 ASBK Round One, Phillip Island appeared first on Racing, Riding, Motorcycle Reviews, Race bikes, Tech Tips, Rider Training....