Saturday

Alpinestars Superbikes
After the challenges of the past two years, it’s a welcome return to the number one grid slot for Herfoss – Today’s pole position is his twelfth in his ASBK career and his first since round two 2021. Herfoss is back, proving that his win at the 2022 season finale was no fluke. His rivals should be worried. Herfoss has been the pace-setter in three of the four practice sessions as well as the major qualifying session, and been the most consistent of any rider on the grid as he has gone about the task of getting back to the top. His qualifying performance was a huge warning shot that he his back to his most determined mood – a scary thought for his opponents.

“It’s been an extremely long road back for me with many challenges along the way”, explained Herfoss. “I feel that I am back to 100% as the team has really been working hard for me to get back to this point. We are all working very well together. I am hoping that this weekend is not a one-off, but I am feeling extremely fit and confident about the rest of the season ahead. I know it’s a long shot but this weekend, I have the opportunity to shrink the points gap to Josh [Waters]. It’s been a long road back to get to this point, but I am confident that I am back to where I have been working towards.”

Defending champion, Mike Jones found a little extra to be second on the grid just 0.104 secs adrift of the Penrite Honda man. The corresponding round at the same venue, last year, was where Jones set the foundations for his title challenge. Come race day there is another mindset to the three-time Aussie champion and he will be a major threat as he is a major “race day” rider.

Fellow Yamaha Racing Team rider, Cru Halliday even with two off-track excursions at the final turn in his efforts to grab the top spot and the all-important championship point – claimed the last spot on the front row. 2023 has been a turnaround for Halliday. Apart from a crash in the opening race of the year at Phillip Island where he had to take evasive action to avoid a major incident, his worst result in the other four races has been third place. Halliday is a true title threat in 2023.

Three-time ASBK champion Josh Waters has had a challenging weekend that was compounded with a crash in Q1 but he bounced back to be fourth overall. The important equation for Waters and the McMartin Racing Team is to leave the round with as many points as possible in preparation for the next round at Darwin in mid-June.

Besides Herfoss’ impressive performance, the stand-out of the session was Max Stauffer who scored his best qualifying result in the fifth spot in the Alpinestars Superbike class as he will be in the middle of the second row for Sunday’s two races.

The remainder of the Top Ten are Glenn Allerton (GT Racing BMW) in sixth from fellow BMW rider, Ted Collins (Livson Racing), Broc Pearson (DesmoSport Ducati) in eighth spot, Bryan Staring (MotoGo Yamaha) in ninth and Anthony West (Addicted To Track Yamaha) in tenth.

Alpine Superbikes Queensland Raceway Front Row (Full Results Here)

1 Troy HERFOSS / Penrite Honda – Honda CBR RR (1:07.655)
2 Mike JONES / Yamaha Racing Team – Yamaha YZF-R1M (+.104)
3 Cru HALLIDAY / Yamaha Racing Team – Yamaha YZF-R1M (+ .142)

Michelin Supersport
Cameron Dunker – at the ripe old age of 15 – continues to re-write the history books in his first year in the class.  There’s no denying the kid’s talent. Since he has turned his talent to road racing after winning five Australian dirt track titles, he has won the Oceania Junior Cup and in 2022 took out the double winning the Supersport 300 Championship as well as the Yamaha Finance R3 Cup.

At the previous round at Sydney Motorsport – in just his fifth race in the class – Cam won the second Michelin Supersport race in wet and challenging conditions, to become the youngest winner of a race in the class and backed it up today by becoming the youngest rider to claim a Michelin Supersport pole position. The diminutive teenager is a class act with an extremely promising future. It would be no surprise if he takes another win Sunday but there are plenty willing to upset his applecart.

One of those riders is Tom Bramich who qualified second fastest on his Yamaha YZF-R6. Tom has been in the class for a couple of years after tasting international competition but with his best qualifying result in the class has shown that he is not too far from knocking on the door of a race win. Third fastest was championship leader, Ty Lynch who went about his task without any fanfare but continued to chip away in his usual way. While Ty is not one to make any excuses, he is still recovering from injuries he suffered last year. As is the case with all of the gladiators of ASBK, once he is on the bike and on track all the discomfort is erased from his mind as he goes about the job at hand.

Leading the way on the second row of the grid is Olly Simpson from South Australia. Simpson is one of Australia’s most underrated riders as he has entered his local round at the Bend in recent years but for 2023 he – and his two brothers, Mitch and Jordie – are contesting every round. The Simpson trio have regularly featured in the podium positions throughout the opening rounds, look for this trend to continue on Sunday. Fifth fastest is Jack Passfield from NSW with Jake Farnsworth rounding out the second row of the grid for the two 14-lap races ahead of the field tomorrow.

Michelin Supersport Queensland Raceway Front Row (Full Results Here)

1 Jake FARNSWORTH – Yamaha YZF-R6 (1:11.982)
2 Scott NICHOLSON – Yamaha YZF-R6 (+ .040)
3 John LYTRAS – Yamaha YZF-R6 (+.226)

Supersport 300 & R3 Cup
The Supersport 300 and R3 Cup provide another piece of history in Australian road racing when teenager, Marcus Hamod from Wollongong (NSW) doubled up and broke through for his first victories. The first win in the R3 Cup of eight laps was extremely emotional for the youngster as he held off the attention of his opposition in a typical drag to the line to deny Henry Snell with series leader Brandon Demmery coming home in third. It was a typical, frantic last lap for the class with six riders crossing the line within half a second!

The Supersport 300 class was the last race of the day and it was more of the same – Action aplenty. With the massive boost of confidence from the earlier race win, Hamod again managed to win the slipstream duel to the finish line. Demonstrating his level of cunning aboard a motorcycle, he rode a unique line through the final corner to carry the momentum and negate any threats from his rivals as he set a new lap record on the way to victory. Brandon Demmery and Brodie Gawith rounded out the podium as pole sitter Cameron Swain was an agonising 0.044 of a second away from some silverware.

Supersport 300 Queensland Raceway Race One Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Marcus HAMOD – Yamaha YZF-R3
2 Brandon DEMMERY – Yamaha YZF-R3 (+0.045)
3 25 Brodie GAWITH – Yamaha YZF-R3 (+0.270)

Yamaha R3 Cup Queensland Raceway Race One Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Marcus HAMOD – Yamaha YZF-R3
2 Henry SNELL – Yamaha YZF-R3 (+0.024)
3 Brandon DEMMERY – Yamaha YZF-R3 (+0.174)

BLU CRU OCEANIA JUNIOR CUP
A no-holds-barred race to open the account for our juniors. Leading one moment, being shuffled back to outside the top five the next – Welcome to OJC. Fans around Queensland Raceway were treated to an enthralling race, proving the class is a real winner for unearthing talent.

The short, sharp six-lap dash concluded with Bodie Paige taking the opening race of the weekend. Archie Schmidt climbed from the second row to finish second while it was a solid points-scoring day for Riley Nauta, as he looks to build on his current third place in the championship standings.

OJC Queensland Raceway Race One Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Bodie PAIGE – Yamaha YZF-R15
2 Archie SCHMIDT – Yamaha YZF-R15 (+.026)
3 Riley NAUTA – Yamaha YZF-R15 (+0.247)

Sunday

Alpinestars Superbikes
The two, sixteen lap Alpinestars Superbike races were absolute showstoppers as the best of Australia went head-to-head at the third round of the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship Presented by Motul (ASBK) at Queensland raceway.

As the smell of burning rubber subsided around the circuit it was two-time ASBK Champion, Troy Herfoss and his Penrite Honda team who rose above the rest scoring a perfect weekend of pole position and two intensely fought race wins to walk away with a perfect score of 51 points. The stellar weekend has consolidated his second place in the title chase in emphatic fashion as Herfoss took a huge chunk of points out of the series pacesetter, Josh Waters (McMartin Racing Ducati).

Waters who had won the previous five races in dominant fashion and set lap records at Phillip Island and Sydney Motorsport Park, could only manage a run of two fourth place finishes behind defending champion Mike Jones’ two-second places, while his Yamaha Racing team-mate Cru Halliday continued his impressive run of six podiums after his two third place results.

While the top four places may have been the same for the two races the action was at another level, particularly at the front in the contests between Herfoss and Jones. After claiming his first pole position in over two years on Saturday afternoon, to say it was a welcome return to the winner’s dais for Herfoss is a massive understatement.

 Race One
When the lights went out to start the first race Jones won the drag race to turn one to lead the field from Herfoss as Halliday again blew the start for Waters to move into third. Jones and Herfoss broke away from the rest as they became embroiled in a titanic struggle that saw the lead change between the pair at least a dozen times.  Herfoss stalked his blue prey relentlessly looking for that opening. Jones looked like he had enough up his sleeve, Herfoss wasn’t playing the game of the defending champion.

Behind them, Waters was in third for the opening lap before Glenn Allerton, (GT Racing BMW) grabbed third on the second lap to hold onto a possible podium until the seventh lap as Halliday steadily made up for his poor start to relegate Allerton to fourth as Waters cleared Allerton for fourth.

But most eyes were firmly focused on the leading pair. Herfoss launched his initial assault at about half-race distance with an aggressive move into the turn three hairpin. He ran wide, allowing Jones up the inside to retake the lead. Herfoss tried again at the first of two left-handers on the track and again at the final turn. Herfoss appeared to be trying too hard as his late braking moves were upsetting his mid-corner attack and he ran wide which allowed Jones back in front.

With little more than millimetres separating the pair it was anyone’s guess with two laps to go. Herfoss made his move on the fifteenth lap to finally take the lead and fended off the #1 Yamaha to take the chequered flag. It was an enthralling duel as the passing maneuvers were astonishing as both riders threw everything at each other – reminiscent of their last round duel at Sydney Motorsport Park in December 2019 when Jones won his second title.

As they battled, Halliday was encroaching closer to the leading duo but once again rued his getaway off the line. The gap between the leading pair was just 0.115 of a second with Halliday chasing the pair of them down to be just 0.047 behind at the flag.

Race Two
Jones launched into the lead off the line to make the rest give chase in what Jones has become renowned for as he settles into a rhythm out in front. The McMartin Racing Team and Josh Waters had made a setup change between races, allowing the #21 to run with the leaders in the early stages as the group clicked off the laps. Waters tried valiantly to run with the leading duo but as the wind changed and the track became more greasy with an increased temperature, the Ducati man struggled to hold on and started to drift into a distant third.

The action was hotter than the track as Herfoss took the lead on the fifth lap. Jones was more willing to give up the lead this time as he elected to stay behind the Fireblade and study its weaknesses. A calm and methodical Jones played the patient game, drifting back to allow his front tyre to cool ahead of a renewed attack with three laps to go. Jones pounced on lap thirteen with a move that Herfoss had tried on him in race one, but the lead immediately changed back as Herfoss had his elbows out and muscled his way back into the lead the very next lap.

The pair traded the lead as the last lap board was shown and the fight was on. Side-by-side into turn three as Jones defended the inside line and held Herfoss at bay for now. Fans around Queensland Raceway were on the edge of their seat as Herfoss dived up the inside into turn four to surprise an unsuspecting Jones who had left the door open. The Yamaha rider running wide in avoidance, gathered himself up and adjusted his line for turn five to line up Herfoss into the final corner for one final attack. The pair grabbed the brakes alongside one another, with Jones running up the inside and in turn opening a gap for Herfoss to squeeze the power on and cut back underneath the R1 M. It still wasn’t over as Jones was able to get the Yamaha onto the fat part of the tyre and blast up the inside of Herfoss in a drag race to the line – The Penrite Honda man winning by just 0.056 of a second in his one hundredth start for the manufacturer in ASBK competition.

Jones’ Yamaha Racing Team teammate Halliday rides across the line to score a podium and continue his impressive 2023 form, while third is not the result he is after, it is only a matter of time before the #65 wins a race this season.

Superbike Queensland Raceway Round Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Troy HERFOSS / Penrite Honda – Honda CBR RR
2 Mike JONES / Yamaha Racing Team – Yamaha YZF-R1M
3 Cru HALLIDAY / Yamaha Racing Team – Yamaha YZF-R1M

Michelin Supersport

Race One
The Michelin Supersport championship in 2023 is quite possibly the most intense and competitive title chase it has been in many years. This year there are so many competitors that are capable of winning a race – and the championship – but there is one rider that is gaining a massive amount of attention as he battles in his rookie year in the class. Fifteen-year-old Cameron Dunker is a revelation.

The way he has adapted so quickly is simply astonishing. In only his fifth race in the class (at Sydney Motorsport Park in March) Cam’ broke through to become the youngest-ever winner of a race in the class. In that race, he conquered the changing wet conditions to put on a master class of controlled yet rapid riding to streak the field. To prove it was no fluke, at QR this weekend he claimed another piece of history to be the youngest rider to grab Pole Position in the class. He certainly sets some challenges for himself, but he converts them into reality as he did on the weekend. Equally impressive is his race craft and riding maturity for one so young but with a successful career in dirt track that saw him win five national titles it is understandable that he is a rising star and has an innate talent for racing either on the black, or the brown, stuff.

While Dunker has set tongues waxing lyrical since his arrival in the class, there are a number of more experienced rivals like series leader, Ty Lynch, dual Australian Champion Tom Bramich, South Australian Ollie Simpson, and others who are aiming to deny the youngster any further glory.

Simpson was like an exocet missile off the line as he charged into the lead, endeavoring to break the spirit of the opposition early. Easier said than done with this year’s pack of hard chargers as they gave chase like a bunch of greyhounds stalking a rabbit on a Friday evening but Simpson had a lead of over two seconds after five laps as Dunker and Lynch duked it out until Dunker grabbed second and set about closing downs Simpson’s lead with Lynch riding shotgun. Dunker hunted down the leader and the pair had some dramatic passing moves as the lead changed numerous over the remaining laps but it was Dunker who held on to win his second win on the trot by just 0.011 sec from Simpson with Lynch right on their tails.

Race Two
In the second race, Simpson again scythed his way from the second row, and Bramich tagged onto his rear wheel as Dunker was off to an uncustomary slow start to be fourth after the first lap. Simpson looked like he was going to disappear into the distance but Bramich sure had the race face on as he pulled back the gap with some impressively fierce late braking to keep Simpson just in front as he searched for a way past.

It appeared to be a two-bike race as the pair had a lead of over 2.5 seconds over third-place Dunker after eight of the 14 laps but Dunker had other ideas. He hunted down the pair overtaking Bramich on the twelft lap and was 1.55 seconds behind Simspon with two laps to go. It didn’t seem possible but Dunker went within 0.232 of a second of pulling off a remarkable win with Bramich scoring his best result in a long time to finish third.

Michelin Supersport Queensland Raceway Front Row (Full Results Here)

1 Cameron DUNKER – Yamaha YZF-R6
2 Olly SIMPSON – Yamaha YZF-R6
3 Scott NICHOLSON – Yamaha YZF-R6

Supersport 300 & R3 Cup
For Sunday’s races, Hamod continued his stellar performance from the day before as he added another victory to his resume taking out the third and final Production 300cc race. Each of the four races featured conga lines of up to fourteen bikes battling for the lead and the relegation and promotion of positions was astounding as a rider could be in the lead in one corner and in eighth – or worse – at the very next.

The four races were decided by a total of 0.074 seconds. The closest gap between first and second was 0.003 sec between Hamod and Henry Snell in the final 300cc race with Brandon Demmery a “massive” 0.179 sec away on third. The largest gap was 0.034 in the final R3 Cup race between Cameron Swain and Brandon Demmery with the top six covered by half a second.

Swain finally managed to claim another victory after going so close during the weekend but after leading races many times he was in the wrong spot at the wrong time, being shuffled back rias he was swamped and relegated at critical times of the races.

Supersport 300 Queensland Raceway Round Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Marcus HAMOD – Yamaha YZF-R3
2 Brodie GAWITH – Yamaha YZF-R3 (+0.045)
3 Brandon DEMMERY – Yamaha YZF-R3 (+0.270)

Yamaha R3 Cup Queensland Raceway Round Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Cameron SWAIN – Yamaha YZF-R3
2 Marcus HAMOD – Yamaha YZF-R3 (+0.024)
3 Brandon DEMMERY – Yamaha YZF-R3 (+0.174)

The post ASBK RD3: All The Action From Queensland Raceway appeared first on Racing, Riding, Motorcycle Reviews, Race bikes, Tech Tips, Rider Training....

Read all the race reports from Sunday here…

Superbike Wakefield Park Round Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Mike Jones – Yamaha YZF-R1
2 Wayne Maxwell – Ducati V4R
3 Cru Halliday – Yamaha YZF-R1

Alpinestars Superbike Standings After Round 3 (Full Standings Here)

1 Mike Jones – Yamaha YZF-R1 132
2 Wayne Maxwell – Ducati V4R 109
3 Bryan Staring -Ducati V4R 102

Michelin Supersport 600 Wakefield Round Podium (Full Results Here)

1 John Lytras – Yamaha YZF-R6
2 Sean Condon – Yamaha YZF-R6
3 Ty Lynch – Yamaha YZF-R6

Michelin Supersport Standings After Round 3 (Full Standings Here)

1 John Lytras – Yamaha YZF-R6 117
2 Ty Lynch – Yamaha YZF-R6 100
3 Scott Nicholson – Yamaha YZF-R6 82

Dunlop Supersport 300 Wakefield Round Podium (Full Results Here)

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

Dunlop Supersport 300 Standings After Round 3 (Full Standings Here)

1 Cameron Dunker – Yamaha YZF-R3 184
2 James Jacobs – Kawasaki Ninja 159
3 Glenn Nelson – Yamaha YZF-R3 158

Yamaha Finance R3 Cup Round Podium (Full Results Here) 

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

Yamaha Finance R3 Cup Standings After Round 3 (Full Standings Here)

1 Glenn Nelson – Yamaha YZF-R3 188
2 Cameron Dunker – Yamaha YZF-R3 178
3 Hayden Nelson – Yamaha YZF-R3 158

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

1 Hudson Thompson – Yamaha YZF-R15
2 Harrison Watts – Yamaha YZF-R15
3 Levi Russo – Yamaha YZF-R15

bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup Standings After Round 3 (Full Standings Here)

1 Harrison Watts – Yamaha YZF-R15 176
2 Hudson Thompson – Yamaha YZF-R15 163
3 Cameron Rende – Yamaha YZF-R15 152

The post ASBK Gallery: All The Best Shots From Rd3 At Wakefield Park appeared first on Racing, Riding, Motorcycle Reviews, Race bikes, Tech Tips, Rider Training....

Alpinestars Superbike
Ordinarily, the morning warm-up would pass with barely a mention. But Wayne Maxwell had noted at the Saturday evening press conference that the Boost Mobile with K tech team would be returning to previous settings, so interest was piqued. The #1 plate was up by a lot on the Friday and just conceded ground in every session from then on. In the warmup it was that Mike Jones (Yamaha Racing Team) from Maxwell with Cru Halliday third.

Check out all the reports from the weekend here…

Notable news from the warmup were crashes from both Lachlan Epis and Broc Pearson- in Pearson’s case, the Racesafe Medical team were dispatched to attend to him. Shortly after the session concluded, Race Direction sent out a bulletin indicating that Pearson was to be transferred to the hospital for further investigation and would play no further part in the day’s proceedings.

As they say, once the flag drops, the BS stops and it was Wayne Maxwell who took the lead into turn one, showing the Yamaha Racing Team pair of Jones and Halliday the way around the 2.2km Wakefield Park Raceway. It remained thus: Maxwell, Jones and Halliday. Local lad, the much-improved Troy Herfoss, worked his way up to fourth and when Halliday had a small glitch early in the race, Herfoss found himself in contention for a podium spot.

At the front, Jones was probing and poking the bear that is Wayne Maxwell. While Maxwell was not only in P1 and had nailed the fastest lap of the race, he was somehow not riding away. Smooth, yes, alone; no. A .3 of a second lead was the most he could manage and as ASBK Commentator Phil Harlum would note “that’s a Wakefield zero”.

Behind the leading quartet, Bryan Staring found himself in no man’s land while Sissis, Waters, Allerton, Falzon and Epis all fought for position. Marcus Chiodo was having a solid dice with this second group until a crash at turn one ended his race and turned his bike into a collection of spare parts. He walked away, seemingly uninjured, but an ankle injury would see him out for the day.

At the front, it remained tense. At half distance, Maxwell and Jones remained locked in an immoveable arm wrestle. Every fast Maxwell lap saw Jones follow suit. The gap between the two sat at less than .2 of a second and the pundits wondered aloud if Jones was just content to stay where he was and wait for the final act.

While Halliday had fallen into Herfoss’ clutches for a time, he just put his head down and worked his way back into contention, but with six laps to go, he sat just a tantalising .8 off the back of the leading pair. Herfoss had been unable to stay with Halliday and a four-second gap opened. Jones stopped biding his time with three to go and showed Maxwell a wheel at every opportunity and finally put a pass on the 2021 champion to take the lead into turn three, much to the surprise of onlookers and riders.

It was as unexpected as it was brilliant, and Maxwell seemed to have no answer. Immediately, Jones pushed his Yamaha R1 ahead and opened a seemingly unbeatable .6 gap to Maxwell’s familiar Boost Mobile Ducati.

Jones would hit the finish line by 1.118 seconds to take a tactically perfect victory and increase his lead in the Alpinestars Superbike Championship. Halliday would finish third with the top ten made up of Herfoss, Staring, Sissis, Allerton, Waters, Falzon and West.

Superbike Race Two
In race two, Jones got the good start he needed, and a motivated and aggressive Cru Halliday held on for second with Wayne Maxwell similarly aggressive. These two came together as they came onto the straight and set the tone for the rest of the 20 lap journey.

Halliday would get shuffled back to fourth by Bryan Staring as Jones again tried to get away from the pursuing pack. Maxwell- who lead the first race- now found himself as the hunter and settled happily into second place. Meanwhile, fifth-placed Troy Herfoss stayed in contention behind Halliday. Up front, Maxwell was all over Jones but these two had now opened a one-second gap to the riders behind. Arthur Sissis showed he’s realising his huge potential by sitting in sixth with a German triumvirate of BMWs behind him in the form of Waters, Allerton and Epis.

Out front, Maxwell seemed to be playing the numbers and saving his tyres. While Jones happily – in Maxwell’s words “did the donkey work”, the 2021 champion did the same thing Jones did in race one; observed, poked and prodded. Halliday got past Staring in an important championship-points situation. Staring’s tyre woes appeared to have struck as Herfoss also put a pass on the Western Australian’s DesmoSport Panigale.

At the halfway point it was Jones and Maxwell out front with Maxwell “shadowing Jones perfectly” according to ASBK commentator Steve Martin. The tactic also seemed to suit Maxwell physically who had complained of arm pump in race one. Herfoss and Halliday were trading lap times in third and fourth, but neither was able to set off after the leaders, while Staring was clearly struggling with his Ducati.’s rear grip.

On lap 14, Maxwell ran out of patience- or saw an opportunity- and took the race lead into the last turn. Immediately he did the expected thing and banged out a fast lap. But he might as well have been actually towing Jones around as the blue R1 stayed glued to his tailpipe. Meanwhile, Herfoss was as brave as he was confident, and tried to get around Halliday, only to run wide and let Halliday get away.

At the pointy end, the tables were turned, with Jones now in hot pursuit. Maxwell was riding 10/10ths and while there were only a few laps left, it was far from over. Maxwell got out to a .3 second lap, but for all that effort, Jones reeled him in again with a lap to go to get back on terms. For all his efforts, Jones seemed to be losing some drive and Maxwell was clearly hungry for the win.

Maxwell played the last lap to perfection and drove the Ducati to the line to take the win to put himself well into the championship contention in terms of points and perhaps even more importantly, put himself psychologically back in the game. Superbike Full Results.

Superbike Wakefield Park Round Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Mike Jones – Yamaha YZF-R1
2 Wayne Maxwell – Ducati V4R
3 Cru Halliday – Yamaha YZF-R1

Alpinestars Superbike Standings After Round 3 (Full Standings Here)

1 Mike Jones – Yamaha YZF-R1 132
2 Wayne Maxwell – Ducati V4R 109
3 Bryan Staring -Ducati V4R 102

Michelin Supersport
Sean Condon stepped in for the absent Tom Edwards and there were murmurs in the paddock about how a retired rider with a seven-year absence from racing could turn up and take pole. The talk was not suspicion about Condon’s pace, but rather the lack of it from the rest of the field who, once the flag dropped for Race One, needed to show that season-long racers would beat a one-off guest rider.

Almost immediately after the race started, Tom Drane had an excursion at turn two and that brought out the red flag. Drane remounted and returned to the track. Sean Condon was one of the few riders pleased to see the red flag after he literally missed the start. While being interviewed by Kate Peck for ASBK TV, he admitted that he not only missed the start, but he also wasn’t even sure about how the light sequence worked.

At the restart, Condon repeated his poor start and immediately dropped to fourth, with Lytras, Lynch and Nicholson ahead. On lap two, all hell broke loose with Bramich, Nicholson and Mahon all crashing in the space of 30 seconds. Nicholson would remount but finish a lap down.

Out front, Lytras and Lynch diced for the lead, trading places while Condon looked on. The leading trio would push out to a 6+ second lead. Lytras tried to push hard in the middle part of the race to get a gap, but Lynch and Condon gave him nothing. Condon seemed to be checking out potential passing points while biding his time.

With two laps to go, the lap times dropped under one minute and Condon tried to push past Lynch, but could not find a gap. Lytras lead them into the final lap and ground out a small, but handy lead. Meanwhile, Condon finally took second place from Lynch, while Lytras saluted for the win.

Mitch Kuhne and Jake Farnsworth were fourth and fifth while Scott Nicholson salvaged some championship points by finishing 10th. For the post-lunch break race two, the light rain that had threatened to derail everyone’s best-laid plans did the honourable thing and disappeared with some cloud and sun setting up a tantalising battle.

Race Two
Polesitter Sean Condon had- courtesy of a restart in race one- two race starts and both were ugly. Race two was no different as the bike reared up briefly and he gifted the lead to John Lytras with Ty Lynch and Scott Nicholson filling the top three. Lytras took the lead and immediately got down to business, pressing home the advantage out to 7/10th of a second while the following trio of Lynch, Nicholson and Condon tried to stay in touch.

Things would remain that way for much of the early and middle part of the race and while Lytras was keen to get away, the pursuers still had him in sight and were not letting go. In the final third of the race, the leading foursome split into two pairs of Lytras and Lynch and then Nicholson and Condon. Mitch Kuhne ran out of luck after several heart in mouth moments and crashed, remounting in 12th place.

With two to go, Condon got past Nicholson and set off after the leading pair. Lytras and Lynch started the last lap nose to tail, and it became clear that only they could take the top spot on the podium. Lytras again showed his determination and stamped not only his authority on the race, but showed he is capable of taking the 2022 title, winning by .520 from Ty Lynch, with Sean Condon on the podium some 1.7 behind. Scott Nicholson and Tom Bramich were fourth and fifth. Supersport 600 Full Results.

Michelin Supersport 600 Wakefield Round Podium (Full Results Here)

1 John Lytras – Yamaha YZF-R6
2 Sean Condon – Yamaha YZF-R6
3 Ty Lynch – Yamaha YZF-R6

Michelin Supersport Standings After Round 3 (Full Standings Here)

1 John Lytras – Yamaha YZF-R6 117
2 Ty Lynch – Yamaha YZF-R6 100
3 Scott Nicholson – Yamaha YZF-R6 82

Dunlop Supersport 300
At the start of race one, the question was whether Dunker could sneak off and not tow anyone around for the 10 lap journey. But it was not to be, as Dunker fluffed the start, dropped back to fourth and gifted Jonathan Nahlous, Hayden Nelson and Taiyo Aksu the top three spots.

But Dunker had been the fastest 300 rider all weekend and would not be denied. With less than three laps completed, he was back in the lead. The pressure that Dunker created took its toll immediately, with Nahlous trail braking too far into the final turn and folding the front end to crash out of the race.

Dunker now put his head down and tried to eke out a lead. While he would stretch the rubber band between him and the chasing pack, the main straight would see them re-attach to the Dunker freight train. It was now a race of packs. The lead group of Dunker, Hayden Nelson, Akso and Glenn Nelson had a 6 second lead over pack two of Jacobs, Waters, Nikolis, Swain, Gawith and Championship leader Snell.

With just a few laps to go the leading quartet swapped turns and leadership with Dunker as far down at fourth – but also often leading, Of course, it would come down to the final corner. Dunker desperately strove for the line with Aksu breaking out from the slipstream to also dive for the finish. It would be Dunker by 9/1000th of a second to Aksu, Hayden Nelson and Glenn Nelson.

Race Three
The final race of the weekend for the Dunlop Supersport 300s again saw a hotly contested start with Dunker taking the holeshot, in the absence of an apparently injured Jonathan Nahlous who was due to start from P2.

Dunker again tried a magic trick in an attempt to disappear from view and got out to a .4 lead early in the race. Glenn Nelson sensed danger and pushed hard on lap two to get back on terms with Dunker and dragged Taiyo Aksu and Hayden Nelson with him.

The leading four gapped the field with a lonely James Jacobs on the lone Kawasaki caught between two groups. Thanks to his diminutive stature, Dunker was able to maintain a highly aerodynamic profile that prevented- for a time- any riders from being able to get a solid draft behind him for the overtake.

At half race distance, Glenn Nelson slipped by and lit up the back half of the race. Dunker realised he was not going to be able to sneak off the front and began to dice for lead, taking it back from Glenn Nelson and then giving it back in what can only be described as a “classic Supersport 300 situation”. The lead changed too many times to mention, but the riders were just marking time to position themselves for the finale.

Taiyo Akso showed he wanted to get involved and took the lead while Dunker was shuffled down to fourth and was lucky just to stay on the bike. There were just two laps to go and while the literal gloves were on, the metaphorical ones were off. Dunker pushed hard to get back into second place on the last lap with Aksu in the lead. Dunker had a look at Aksu here and there, but the assembled crowd were watching for the last turn where Dunker finally took the lead again.

Dunker did all he could to prevent the pursuing riders from making use of the slipstream and he did exactly that, taking the win by .051 from Taiyo Aksu in second and Hayden Nelson in third. Glenn Nelson – who was in the lead for a time- finished fourth with a four-second gap to James Jacobs in fifth, Liam Waters (6th), Cameron Swain (7th),  former championship leader Henry Snell (8th), Brodie Gawith (9th) and Marianos Nikolis (10th). Supersport 300 Full Results.

Dunlop Supersport 300 Wakefield Round Podium (Full Results Here)

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

Dunlop Supersport 300 Standings After Round 3 (Full Standings Here)

1 Cameron Dunker – Yamaha YZF-R3 184
2 James Jacobs – Kawasaki Ninja 159
3 Glenn Nelson – Yamaha YZF-R3 158

Yamaha Finance R3 Cup
The baby-faced assassin that is Cameron Dunker took his familiar pole position for the opening Sunday race for the Yamaha Finance R3 Cup and while the pack tried to swamp him into turn one, Dunker’s flouro yellow Yamaha still exited the opening turn in first position.

As the race settled in, Dunker naturally tried to check out of the race, the track and his hotel, but second-placed Hayden Nelson stayed in touch with Glenn Nelson on the move, lapping one second faster than the leading pair as he reeled them in.

Soon it was a train of six: Dunker, Hayden Nelson, Glenn Nelson, Cameron Swain and Taiyo Aksu. And, as is almost always the case, once you have that many R3’s in close proximity, the lead started to change hands regularly. Dunker found himself down as low as third with the (unrelated) Nelsons at the front. Into the last lap, Dunker played all of his aces, taking the lead and absolutely riding on the limit “A pretty impressive move” noted former ASBK champion and official commentator Steve Martin.

As always, it was the last corner and the drag to the line and it was Glenn Nelson who played it to perfection, slipstreaming and pulling alongside Dunker to record a cosy 7/1000th of a second win at the line from polesitter Cameron Dunker with Hayden Nelson rounding out the podium.

Race Three
In the final race, Dunker would again take the holeshot, but this time 2021 OJC champion Cameron Swain would find himself second with Glenn Nelson in third. After a day of separated pack racing, this final race settled into classic R3 conditions- a long, long train of ten riders all in contention.

Dunker and Glenn Nelson traded places several times and between them created a small gap to Liam Waters in third. With two laps to go, there was still nothing between them. Liam Waters lead for a time while Dunker and others tried to position themselves for the final salvo. Into the last lap and the inevitable R3 shenanigans really kicked off. Dunker found himself down in fourth, but as always, not out of the running. He moved into the lead by the last corner, but was now the hunted.

The ol’ run to the line saw a deserving Liam Waters take the slipstream win by the biggest margin of the day – .050! Second was Cameron Dunker followed by Glenn Nelson to round out the podium. The top ten was made up of Hayden Nelson, Brodie Gawith, Cameron Swain, Taiyo Aksu, Marcus Hamod, Henry Snell and Sam Pezzeta. R3 Cup Full Results.

Yamaha Finance R3 Cup Round Podium (Full Results Here) 

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

Yamaha Finance R3 Cup Standings After Round 3 (Full Standings Here)

1 Glenn Nelson – Yamaha YZF-R3 188
2 Cameron Dunker – Yamaha YZF-R3 178
3 Hayden Nelson – Yamaha YZF-R3 158

bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup
It was an unusually subdued and cautious bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup field that made its way to the start line for their first race of the Sunday. A mist/light rain had descended upon the Wakefield circuit and as the riders gridded up on slick tyres the field, families, fans and officials all looked skyward for answers. Mercifully the track was warm enough to dry the rain before it had a chance to cause carnage. From the get-go, most of the riders rode with care, maturity and the sort of mindfulness that Garry McCoy has been teaching all season.

The race itself saw Hudson Thompson and Harrison Watts aggressively break away from the rest of the riders who – for a change- were not hunting in packs but were rather in a single file with oddly sensible gaps between them. As the laps wound down, Hudson Thompson seemed to have all he needed in terms of pace to take the win. Watts was close and of course, this being the OJC, being close means you’re still well in the hunt.

The riders chasing Thompson and Watts started to form into a chase group but they did not have enough laps remaining to mount a serious challenge. The stage was set: Thompson v Watts for the win. Then Hudson Thompson made a mistake he will probably never make again, saluting for the win while actually greeting the one-lap-to-go board. Realising his mistake, he put his head down again to chase after Harrison Watts.

Thompson was able to immediately get on terms with Watts, at the line, commentators couldn’t call the win and this time neither rider celebrated. Official timing providers Computime gave the win to Watts by a tiny 2/1000th of a second, with Thompson second and a gap back to Marcus Hamod in third.

It would not end there. After the race, Thompson and Watts were penalised one place each for – in the words of the Clerk of the Course – “…breaching the safety of other competitors”. This was a serious situation and as younger riders in a development series, this was a necessary penalty for weaving over the white line while racing down the start-finish straight. This elevated third-placed rider Levi Russo to the race win with Watts and Thompson in second and third respectively.

Race Three
The final race started out in typical manner, but it was Hamod and Rende who joined Thompson at the front as part of a group of six: Thompson, Hamod, Watts, Rende, Russo and Drane. Thompson managed to get out to a .4 second lead and was hoping to remove the drafting option for those following behind.

At the halfway point, just four riders remained in contention for the podium and the win: Thompson, Hamod, Watts and Rende. The lead group were mindful of each other as they traded spots, with all four taking a turn at the front.

The final lap beckoned and once again it was 14 (Watts) and 41 (Thompson) at the front as they went into the last corner.  And there, a lot happened; Rende made a lunge up the inside for the lead from third, Thompson took the lead from Watts, Watts went back to fourth and Hamod was just happy to be in the hunt in second. There they would finish. Hunter Thompson, Marcus Hamod, Harrison Watts and Cameron Rende in fourth. OJC Full Results here.

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

1 Hudson Thompson – Yamaha YZF-R15
2 Harrison Watts – Yamaha YZF-R15
3 Levi Russo – Yamaha YZF-R15

bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup Standings After Round 3 (Full Standings Here)

1 Harrison Watts – Yamaha YZF-R15 176
2 Hudson Thompson – Yamaha YZF-R15 163
3 Cameron Rende – Yamaha YZF-R15 152

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The Yamaha Finance R3 Cup (YMF R3 Cup) was introduced to the Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) in 2016 as a one-make series featuring the Yamaha R3 motorcycle. Modifications are limited and because all the bikes are similar, with race results are determined by a rider’s ability to race and set the bike up specifically to their needs. 

Yamaha Finance representative Matt Ferry: “The evenness of the machinery in the Yamaha Finance R3 Cup places a premium on race-craft, which is why this category is such so exciting. It’s that kind of passion that we understand at Yamaha Finance.” 

Motorcycling Australia (MA) CEO Peter Doyle: “Motorcycling Australia are extremely pleased to see Yamaha Finance once again come on board in support of the YMF R3 Cup. Since its introduction, the R3 Cup has provided a fun and affordable class platform for riders wishing to get into racing, as well as those hoping to progress their career.” 

For more information on Yamaha Financial Services’ broad range of products go to https://www.yamaha-motor.com.au/buying/finance-and-insurance  

2022 ASBK Calendar

• Round 1 Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC 25 – 27 February SBK, SSPT, SS300, R3 Cup, OJC, SBK Masters
• Round 2 Queensland Raceway, Ipswich QLD 18 – 20 March SBK, SSPT, SS300, R3 Cup, OJC, Sidecars
• Round 3 Wakefield Park Raceway, Goulburn NSW 22 – 24 April SBK, SSPT, SS300, R3 Cup, OJC, Sidecars
• Round 4 Hidden Valley Raceway, Darwin NT 17 – 19 June * With Supercars – SBK Only
• Round 5 Morgan Park Raceway, Warwick QLD 5 – 7 August SBK, SSPT, SS300, R3 Cup, OJC
• Round 6 Symmons Plains Raceway – Launceston TAS 20 – 23 October SBK, SSPT, SS300, R3 Cup
• Round 7 Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, Cowes VIC TBA – November TBC
• Round 8 The Bend Motorsport Park, Tailem Bend SA 2 – 4 December SBK, SSPT, SS300, R3 Cup, OJC
• ASBK Night of Champions Dinner – The Bend 4 December
  

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