Alpine Superbike

Race One
The first 16-lap race exploded into action with Herfoss grabbing the holeshot from Jones, Waters, Allerton, Halliday, and Sissis who had a blinding start while Broc Pearson went backward from the first row to be back in eighth position after the first lap with the top five separated by just 0.766 seconds.

Halliday was the first to be dropped off the extremely fast pace with Allerton valiantly hanging on to the leading trio of Herfoss, Jones and Waters. The leading pair were locked together as Waters was on the rear wheel of Jones as Herfoss tried to break away. Herfoss led for the opening five laps from Jones and Waters as Jones tried everything in the book but on the sixth lap, he found the page with the move to take the lead in a great braking move, but Herfoss was back in front two laps later.

The pace started to tell on Waters as he was noticeably dropping off the pair to be over a second off the lead after 10-laps as millimetres separated the two riders who have dominated the previous two rounds. On the start of the twelfth lap as Waters tried valiantly to keep in touch, in a déjà vu moment from Darwin ran off the track at Turn Two but managed to re-join way back in eleventh place nearly 20 seconds adrift while Allerton inherited third place. The mistake ensured that Herfoss would take the lead in the championship. It all is depending on how many places Waters could make up to salvage as many points as possible.

The dynamic duo was all over each other with no rider able to make a break as Jones retook the lead on the fourteenth lap setting the scene for a lightning bolt finish. For nine of the sixteen laps the pair were separated by less than a tenth of a second bringing back memories of the golden years of Australian road racing with the legendary battles of Robbie Phillis and Mal Campbell. The engrossed spectators all knew that there was one shot left for Herfoss in the closing two laps and it happened at the sixth corner on the last lap as Herfoss jammed his Honda on the inside of Jones and in a perfect brake check forced Jones wide with the pair side by side on the exit, but Herfoss had the slight advantage to get on the gas that millisecond earlier.

Jones tried a way through in the final few corners, but Herfoss was not to be denied and took the win by 0.097 of a second from Jones to move into the championship lead. Allerton was third a little over a second in front of Halliday with Pearson recovering from his bad start to claim another sixth place from Bryan Staring, Anthony West, and Arthur Sissis. The end results saw Waters eight-point lead turn around to be a five-point deficient. As Jones continued to clamber up the points table in his sterling efforts to retain his Number One plate.

Race Two
Lights out and it was Herfoss again who stormed into the lead with Allerton in hot pursuit with Pearson third from Jones, but Jones was into third by the end of the opening lap while Waters had a shocker of a start in his view to end lap one in sixth place.

Jones muscled his way into second place on the fifth lap with a gap of about eight bike lengths to make up as Herfoss set the pace at the front although Jones bettered Herfoss’ 2018 lap record on the second lap and on the fifth lowered it again to take almost half a second off the old record. An amazing feat considering the tight nature of Morgan Park where it is so very difficult to make up time.

Allerton held third for the entire race while Pearson managed to maintain fourth spot for the entire race as some battles raged behind with Halliday, Waters, Staring, West and Sissis having some great battles just out of the top four spots.

Back at the front, the Jones and Herfoss street fight continued unabated as Herfoss attempted to keep the ever-closing Jones at bay. Jones had his wish answered at the halfway point to take the lead and held it for five laps before Herfoss found a way through, but it was far from over. With just over a lap remaining Jones hit the front again and it appeared that he had enough of a gap to finally grab his first victory since the final round at The Bend Motorsport Park last year.

But with just three corners remaining Jones tried to cover his line but entered turn ten a little too hot and a little too tight as he attempted to prevent Herfoss from a final attack but the rear tyre of his bike slid out which was enough for Herfoss to slip underneath the Yamaha and take the lead with enough momentum to hang onto take the win by nearly eight-tenths of a second, the biggest gap between the pair the entire weekend.

ASBK Morgan Park Round Results (Full Results Here)

1 Troy HERFOSS / Penrite Honda – Honda CBR RR
2 Mike JONES / Yamaha Racing Team – Yamaha YZF-R1M
3 Glenn ALLERTON / GT Racing / Macarthur Motorrad – BMW M RR

Michelin Supersport
The two Michelin Supersport races were confirmation as to why this year’s championship is one of the closest-fought titles for some years. There have been many shining lights exposed this season as riders graduate from the lower classes to join their more experienced Supersport rivals. The most prominent is 15-year-old, Cameron Dunker who now sits second in the championship just a few points shy of leader Olly Simpson.

The surprise of the weekend is another 300cc graduate, Hayden Nelson from Taree, New South Wales. He is a typical racer; in the pits he is quiet and almost withdrawn but once the helmet goes on and he dons his suit of armor he transforms into a tenacious, talented, and extremely determined character. Nelson surprised many except himself when he claimed his first pole position of his fledgling Supersport career to be in the box seat.

Race One
Off the line, it was Olly Simpson who powered his way from the third row to lead the opening meters before Ty Lynch, Dunker, Tom Bramich and Nelson muscled their way through. Lynch took up the running but on the fifth lap tossed it away at turn six to hand the lead to Dunker but Ty remounted in the last spot in an attempt to salvage points as he knew his second place in the championship was done. He was the third rider to crash after Glenn Nelson and Scott Nicholson’s confronting weekend continued as the race became one of attrition.

As the battle at the front raged between Dunker, H Nelson, Bramich, defending champion John Lytras and Simpson, Nelson was shuffled back to sixth before his charge to the front began, as Bramich crashed out in his efforts to make an impact. He took the lead on the 10th lap with the leading five less than a second apart but with a lap and a half to run Nelson crashed on oil at turn ten. The bike was demolished as it slammed into the wall as Nelson cartwheeled into the kitty litter, the crash bringing out the red flag.

Race Two
As expected, the second race produced more of the same but unfortunately for young Hayden, his bike could not be repaired in time, and had to sit out the race. As for Lynch, he dislocated his shoulder but in typical rider form had it popped back in. Not even a flesh wound! It must’ve fired him up as he grinned through the pain to lead Dunker and Simpson off the line as Bramich, Lytras and ever-improving JJ Nahlous joined the party.

The places were changing constantly in a thoroughly entertaining spectacle as any one of the five were in with a chance of victory. It was polarising as they quintet swapped positions but with a few laps to go it had come down to a battle between, Dunker, Simpson, Lynch and Lytras.

As they crossed the line after the 14 laps it was Simpson who claimed another win by 0.024 of a second from Lytras with a battered Lynch in third and Dunker off the podium for the first time since Sydney, the four less than a second apart.

ASBK Supersport 600 Morgan Park Round Results (Full Results Here)

1 Olly SIMPSON  – Yamaha YZF-R6
2 Cameron DUNKER – Yamaha YZF-R6
3 John LYTRAS – Yamaha YZF-R6

Supersport 300
The two Sunday Supersport 300 races continued the fine tradition of no-holds-barred racing but there was no denying the rapidly rising star that is Cameron Swain. He won the three races (and pole position) in great style demonstrating an innate knack of race craft and riding maturity far beyond his 14 years, but for that matter, that applies to most of the field.

Race Two
The first race on Sunday morning was a bit of an anomaly as it quickly turned into a duel of two between Swain and the extremely rapid Brodie Gawith as after just one lap, they had opened a gap of over a second on the field. In that bunch was Marcus Hamod, Henry Snell, and series leader Brandon Demmery, who as usual were all over each other.

Swain led Gawith across the line at the end of every lap but that gives no indication of what was happening in between as the pair swapped positions any number of times on any lap. Gawith broke the lap record in the opening heat on Saturday afternoon and repeated the feat on the fifth lap, halfway through the race but no sooner had he accomplished that task than he crashed out in a repeat performance of the exact same feat the day before! There’s no doubt that he does not want to do that again anytime soon!

Swain went on to have a comfortable win of over five seconds (the largest wining gap of all races all weekend) but behind him, the battle raged for the minor podium spots between Hamod, Snell, Demmery and another improving teenager, Jai Russo. Hamod claimed second from Snell in another photo finish with Demmery fourth a similar margin ahead of Russo.

Race Three
Race three and normal transmission was resumed with the top five as there were nanoseconds apart for the entire 10 laps. Teammates Gawith and Snell hammered Swain at every opportunity, but Swain was always leading as they crossed the line. On the final lap, Snell refrained from his usual dive bomb tactic at turn 10 so as not to lead coming onto the straight aiming to take advantage of the slipstream but Swain sensed what was happening and entered the final chicane slightly faster than usual and managed to hold f Snell by just 0.030 of a second with Hamod third and Gawith managing to stay upright to cross the line in fourth all less than a second apart.

For championship leader Demmery, it was not the weekend he was hoping for as he failed to finish on the podium in any race his best results a pair of fourth places and to add a bit of salt to the wound, he very uncharacteristically crashed out of the race on the second lap while battling with the leading bunch to put a huge ding in his points lead to see his lead shrink by over 20 points to be now just two points from Swain.

Hamod now sits in third, nine points adrift, while for Gawith the lap record was cold comfort for the number of points, he jettisoned with the two crashes to slide to sixth overall. Highest placed Kawasaki over the three races was another rapid learner in Josh Newman, who happens to be Glenn Allerton’s nephew with a sixth and two seventh places.

ASBK Supersport 300 Morgan Park Round Results (Full Results Here)

1 Cameron SWAIN – Yamaha YZF-R3
2 Henry SNELL – Yamaha YZF-R3
3 Marcus HAMOD – Yamaha YZF-R3

Yamaha Finance R3 Cup
The three races featured three different winners and two lap records with the three chapters of the weekend having a total winning margin of an astonishing 0.033 of a second!

The first leg saw Hamod smash Brodie Gawith’s 11-month-old record by 0.642 of a second as at the finish he crossed the line with Swain locked together, the gap on the timing screen listed as 0.000! It took timekeepers some minutes to decide the winner as they trawled through the finish line camera footage with Hamod finally getting the nod by 0.010 seconds.

Sunday’s two races were just as entertaining as the leading quintet continued to swap paint, positions, and bang elbows for every one of the 16 laps, over the two races. With the nature of the racing, it is extremely difficult to give an adequate lap-by-lap description, without becoming confusing as the places at the front changed constantly from corner to corner, let alone lap by lap.

Race Two
For Hamod, the race was in stark contrast to the day before as he crashed at the daunting turn three on the opening lap to tumble into the dirt, while the rest of the pack carried on. Swain led across the line at every lap with the quartet of Swain, Gawith, Snell and Demmery never more than half a second apart that involved so many breathtaking passes throughout the eight laps.

Into the final couple of laps and the battle gained intensity as Demmery claimed a new lap record eclipsing Hamod’s time from the day before by a tiny 0.043 of a second. Gawith and his teammate Snell were not working together but were trying to hassle Swain into a mistake. That was asking a lot as Swain is one cool cookie under pressure, however in the final mad dash to the line Gawith claimed the win from Swain by 0.011 with Snell third and Demmery fourth as they gapped the rest of the field by nearly eight seconds.

Race Three
As in the previous race, Swain aimed to lead across the line at the end of every lap but scanning the result sheet disguises the intensity of what these lads were throwing at each other in between. Words don’t do justice to the talent and tenacity of these riders who except for Demmery are all teenagers.

As the sun set on the day and the laps counted down, it again all came down to the final mad scramble to the line out of the final chicane. Snell took a page out of his teammate’s notebook and was right on the rear heel of Swain as they exited the final corner, gaining millimetres as the slipstream effect came to the fore. With just metres to go, Snell pulled out of the draft and nudged ahead of Swain to take the win with the biggest margin of the three races – 0.012 seconds – as Hamod made up for the disappointment of the earlier race to be 0.052 seconds away in third with Gawith on his rear wheel.

As for Demmery, he was feeling the effects of his earlier get-off and was someway off the pace battling with Russo for fifth and sixth with Russo gaining the ascendency over him in the final run to the line. When speaking to Demmery post-race, it was uncovered that he was riding his spare bike in the final race, and as it was not tuned to the same setup as his number one machine, he struggled to match his pace from earlier in the day. Snell’s win and his two third places gave him the round win from Swain who finished second in all three heats with Gawith third overall and just two points separating them over the weekend.

The R3 Cup has seen Swain move into the points lead after Demmery’s 48-point haul from his 5-4-6 placing over the weekend to be now 10 points adrift of Swain with Gawith third in the chase seven points away and Snell fourth just four points shy of his teammate. Hamod paid the price for his indiscretion to slip to fifth overall.

As for young Swain, his future is looking brighter as before the series reconvenes at Phillip Island in late October, he has been invited to contest the world final of the Yamaha R3 Cup and will be heading to Europe to contest the races at Magny-Cours and Portimão alongside the WorldSBK Championship.

ASBK R3 Cup Morgan Park Round Results (Full Results Here)

1 Henry SNELL – Yamaha YZF-R3
2 Cameron SWAIN – Yamaha YZF-R3
3 Brodie GAWITH – Yamaha YZF-R3

bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup
The bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup exceeded its normal expectations by providing three different race winners, riders to the podium for the first time and lap records broken with the usual on-track entertainment in the three races.

It started from the first qualifying session when cup leader and dirt bike champion, Bodie Page smashed the qualifying record set by Levi Russo last year by 0.923 seconds to be over a second in front of his rivals!

Not to be outdone another whizz of the dirt and fellow Queenslander, Riley Nauta bettered that newly set record in the second qualifier by a further 0.286 seconds to now stand at 1:35.457. These kids are guns, and many of them have very promising futures in the game. Every race is a slipstream battle that lasts the entire duration as they jockey for positions on their pint-sized machines. Some passing manoeuvres over the weekend took one’s breath away as they demonstrated their exceptional racecraft skills and commitment.

Race One
Bodie grabbed the lead off the line and at the end of the first lap he led a group of seven, including his younger brother, Jake with Archie Schmidt, Nauta, another dirt track gun in Jed Fyffe, line astern with little over a second splitting them. On the second lap, Paige broke the race lap record by two-tenths set by Hudson Thompson last year. Not to be outdone, two laps later in the duels, Fyffe took over half a second off that time as he crossed the line in third and a split-second later Nauta, in fifth spot, bettered his time by 0.009 of a second, to now hold two lap records in the same class – Extraordinary!

Places were constantly changing but as the leading five crossed the finish line it was Bodie Paige the victor, from Schmidt second, for his fourth podium finish of the year with Fyffe claiming his first podium in the series in third place, a fraction of a second in front of Jake Paige with Nauta proving how critical track position is in the final run to the line pushed back to fifth with 0.636 seconds covering them.

Race Two
The second race had drama on the start line. As one of the rising stars, ‘Stella’ Ella McCausland, who qualified eleventh, bogged down on the line, and was hit by two other riders from behind. The red flag was displayed immediately to attend to the riders but thankfully there were no serious injuries, and all riders were able to start the last race.

On the restart, it was all back to normal as the field sliced and diced each other for the five-lap duration with seven riders line astern. Well momentarily, as positions changed constantly as usual. Schmidt was the early leader from the two Paige brothers with Jake leading his older sibling with Nauta beside them with first-round victor Haydn Fordyce from across the ditch and the ever-improving John Pelgrave joining the party.

At the finish, there was one second covering the top seven riders as Jake turned the tables on his brother to record his first win and first podium in the series to bring Bodie’s winning streak to an end. Who better to do it for the bench racing bragging rights than your younger brother? Schmidt was third with Bodie fourth, Fordyce fifth and Pelgrave sixth.

It is the first time in Oceania Junior Cup that two brothers have been first and second at any time in a race as well as the more memorable moments of brothers recording wins on the same weekend. In a bit of irony, when Bodie won the first race, Jake was fourth, and when Jake won the second race, Bodie was fourth! 

Race Three
This time there were seven bikes in the six-lap freight train with McCausland from eleventh on the grid putting the morning’s drama behind her to join in the fun and be in sixth place after two laps. John Pelgrave was another who climbed the leaderboard to be up to third on the second lap behind Jake and Bodie Paige, with Nauta and Schmidt chasing the trio. As usual, the intensity lifted on the last lap as they all knew it would be the last race lap of the class for the next three months.

Schmidt prevailed to take his first win after five previous podium finishes with McCausland in a stunning performance to finish second from Pelgrave third, Bodie and Jake in fourth and fifth, Fordyce in sixth with lap record holder Nauta in seventh.

Schmidt won by the ‘massive’ margin of 0.763 seconds from McCausland who claimed second by just 0.006 from Pelgrave, second to sixth covered by 0.336 of second. With his 2-3-1 results, it was Schmidt who won the day by four points from Bodie Paige with his brother, Jake one point adrift for third overall.

OJC Morgan Park Round Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Archie SCHMIDT – Yamaha YZF-R15
2 Bodie PAIGE – Yamaha YZF-R15
3 Jake PAIGE – Yamaha YZF-R15

The post ASBK RD5: All The Action From Morgan Park appeared first on Racing, Riding, Motorcycle Reviews, Race bikes, Tech Tips, Rider Training....

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. The regional Queensland raceway location sees fans from across Australia flood into the town of Warwick and the Southern Downs region, to capture Australia’s fastest two-wheeled Superbike racers on the tight and twisty 2.967 km circuit.

The return to Morgan Park Raceway for ASBK in 2023 has been made possible thanks to the dedication and support of the Southern Downs Regional Council and track operators – Warwick District Sporting Car Club (WDSCC).

Peter Doyle, CEO, Motorcycling Australia (MA): “We are very pleased to be heading back to Morgan Park Raceway in 2023. It’s a circuit that has supported the ASBK Championship for many years and always creates a great event for riders, teams and the ASBK fans. Our thanks go to Warwick District Sporting Car Club and Southern Downs Regional Council for getting behind the ASBK Championship, with committing to perform the important upgrades and repairs to the circuit. This will ensure a great ASBK Championship round and a good experience on-track for riders. This will translate into amazing racing seen by the fans who are trackside and also at home watching from across the country and around the world.”

The commitment of WDSCC will see upgrades to the racing surface and circuit facilities prior to the ASBK visit in July. These upgrades include resurfacing of the circuit from Turn 7.5 – 10, new track kerbs, track repairs and updated line marking to improve the rider experience. Whilst further works around the pit and paddock will improve the facilities of the riders & teams. 

Steve Gander, President, Warwick District Sporting Car Club (WDSCC): “The Warwick District Sporting Car Club is excited to welcome back the ASBK Championship to Morgan Park Raceway in 2023. The ASBK event is one of the biggest attractions for the Southern Downs region and we wish to continue that relationship for many years to come.  The Car Club is committed to delivering further improvements to the track and facilities over the next several years which will benefit all of our competitors, crews and spectators alike. We are currently performing the necessary works prior to the ASBK event in July and are also in the final stages of developing a Master Plan for our facility. As a club that is full of motorsport enthusiasts, we understand the importance of providing a venue that is challenging for competitors and exciting for spectators without compromising safety. We want everyone to be aware of what Morgan Park Raceway has to offer and the hosting of the ASBK Championship is a perfect opportunity to do so.”

Cr Vic Pennisi, Mayor, Southern Downs Regional Council (SRDC): ‘’We are thrilled to again welcome back the Australian Superbike Championship to the Southern Downs Region. Our region is a great location for major events, and we look forward to welcoming the teams, riders and fans in July for what is sure to be an excellent event at Morgan Park Raceway. We hope visitors will enjoy the best the region has to offer, and to also spend some extra time exploring the large range of activities, attractions, and hospitality throughout the region. Major events in the Southern Downs Regional Council area are important to the economy of the region and the SDRC are pleased to support the ASBK Championship and the Warwick District Sporting Car Club.’’

Today’s announcement creates the final piece of the 2023 ASBK Championship calendar which is shaping up to be the biggest season of ASBK in many years. Each and every round will be a standout event, starting with the Official ASBK Test on 1 -2 February.

2023 ASBK Calendar 

• Official ASBK Test Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW February 1-2
• Round – 1 Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC February 24-26
• Round – 2 Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW, March 24-25
• Round – 3 Queensland Raceway, QLD April 28-30
• Round – 4 Hidden Valley Raceway, NT June 16-18
• Round – 5 Morgan Park, QLD July 14-16
• Round – 6 Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC October 27-29
• Round – 7 The Bend Motorsport Park, SA December 1 – 3

The post 2023 ASBK Calendar Completed As Morgan Park Is Confirmed appeared first on Racing, Riding, Motorcycle Reviews, Race bikes, Tech Tips, Rider Training....

Read the race reports from Sunday at Morgan Park here…

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 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 Wakefield Park Round Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Taiyo Aksu – Yamaha YZF-R3
2 Cameron Swain – Yamaha YZF-R3
3 Liam Waters – Yamaha YZF-R3

Dunlop Supersport 300 Standings After Wakefield Park (Full Standings Here)

1 Cameron Dunker – Yamaha YZF-R3 230
2 Glenn Nelson – Yamaha YZF-R3 201
3 Taiyo Aksu – Yamaha YZF-R3 197

Yamaha Finance R3 Cup Wakefield Park Round Podium (Full Results Here) 

1 Liam Waters – Yamaha YZF-R3
2 Taiyo Aksu – Yamaha YZF-R3
3 Cameron Dunker – Yamaha YZF-R3

Yamaha Finance R3 Cup Standings After Wakefield Park (Full Standings Here)

1 Glenn Nelson – Yamaha YZF-R3 234
2 Cameron Dunker – Yamaha YZF-R3 230
3 Liam Waters – Yamaha YZF-R3 190

bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup Morgan Park Round Podium (Full Results Here) 

1 Harrison Watts – Yamaha YZF-R15
2 Cameron Rende – Yamaha YZF-R15
3 Bodie Paige – Yamaha YZF-R15

bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup Standings After Morgan Park (Full Standings Here)

1 Harrison Watts – Yamaha YZF-R15 239
2 Cameron Rende – Yamaha YZF-R15 213
3 Hudson Thompson – Yamaha YZF-R15 199

The post ASBK Gallery: All The Best Shots From Rd5 At Morgan Park appeared first on Racing, Riding, Motorcycle Reviews, Race bikes, Tech Tips, Rider Training....

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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)

1 Taiyo Aksu – Yamaha YZF-R3
2 Cameron Swain – Yamaha YZF-R3
3 Liam Waters – Yamaha YZF-R3

Dunlop Supersport 300 Standings After Wakefield Park (Full Standings Here)

1 Cameron Dunker – Yamaha YZF-R3 230
2 Glenn Nelson – Yamaha YZF-R3 201
3 Taiyo Aksu – Yamaha YZF-R3 197

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) 

1 Liam Waters – Yamaha YZF-R3
2 Taiyo Aksu – Yamaha YZF-R3
3 Cameron Dunker – Yamaha YZF-R3

Yamaha Finance R3 Cup Standings After Wakefield Park (Full Standings Here)

1 Glenn Nelson – Yamaha YZF-R3 234
2 Cameron Dunker – Yamaha YZF-R3 230
3 Liam Waters – Yamaha YZF-R3 190

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) 

1 Harrison Watts – Yamaha YZF-R15
2 Cameron Rende – Yamaha YZF-R15
3 Bodie Paige – Yamaha YZF-R15

bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup Standings After Morgan Park (Full Standings Here)

1 Harrison Watts – Yamaha YZF-R15 239
2 Cameron Rende – Yamaha YZF-R15 213
3 Hudson Thompson – Yamaha YZF-R15 199

The post ASBK RD5: Sunday Reports From Morgan Park, QLD appeared first on Racing, Riding, Motorcycle Reviews, Race bikes, Tech Tips, Rider Training....

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.

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.”

“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 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.

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.

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, and it was evident that only Lynch was on-pace to have a shot.

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.

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)

1 Taiyo Aksu – Yamaha YZF-R3
2 Liam Waters – Yamaha YZF-R3
3 Jonathan Nahlous – Kawasaki Ninja

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.

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)

1 Taiyo Aksu – Yamaha YZF-R3
2 Liam Waters – Yamaha YZF-R3
3 Cameron Dunker – Yamaha YZF-R3

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.

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) 

1 Harrison Watts – Yamaha YZF-R15
2 Hudson Thompson – Yamaha YZF-R15
3 Bodie Paige – Yamaha YZF-R15

The post ASBK RD5: Saturday Reports From Morgan Park, QLD appeared first on Racing, Riding, Motorcycle Reviews, Race bikes, Tech Tips, Rider Training....

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.

Grab your tickets for this weekend here…

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. 

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.

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.

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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.  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. 

Live Broadcast Information:

• SBS: Sunday 7 August 1pm-4pm
• ASBK Livestream: Sunday 7 August 9:55AM – 12:40PM & 4PM – 4:30PM

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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.”

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.”

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“Our ASBK competitors and fans love coming to Morgan Park, thanks to the support of Southern Downs Council, we’re raring to put on a show!” Mr Doyle said. “The build up to this event has been long, but we will be there in 2022 to do our part to boost and showcase the entire region. We will have three days of jam-packed ASBK Championship racing at Morgan Park Raceway with our elite classes in action, guaranteeing fans a spectacular racing festival in a beautiful region that offers wonderful hospitality and tourism.”

Southern Downs Mayor Vic Pennisi said the return of the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance ASBK Championship presented by Motul would be a major highlight to the region’s exciting events calendar.

“Warwick is known in the racing circles as the Horsepower Capital of Australia and after the unfortunate cancellation of last year’s mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul, we are particularly excited to welcome the iconic event back to the region in 2022,” Mayor Pennisi said. “By hosting this event in our backyard, our region will clock-up additional kudos to attract other major events to the Southern Downs.”

“The economic benefits of hosting a round of the Championship to our region can’t be under-valued, and as motorsport enthusiasts flock to the region to watch world-class riders roar around Morgan Park Raceway, we relish the opportunity to showcase the Southern Downs as the ideal destination to live, work, play and stay.”

The mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul will be at Morgan Park Raceway from 5-7 August, 2022.

Keep up to date with the latest news on the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship, presented by Motul, via their website and following ASBK on Facebook and Instagram.

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