Maxwell Clinches Superbike Title After Herfoss Retirement
Wayne Maxwell has secured his second victory mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship, presented by Motul, finishing first and second in the final two Kawaskai Superbike races of the season at Wakefield Park today.
In Race 1, Maxwell slotted into second behind polesitter and runaway race leader Troy Herfoss, while resisting pressure from Glenn Allerton, Mike Jones and Cru Halliday.
However, on the race’s 13th lap, Herfoss’ Honda developed a mechanical problem at Turn 8 and forced him into retirement, ending his championship challenge and elevating Maxwell to the lead; the win for Maxwell was enough for him to seal the title with a race to spare.
For the 2013 Australian Superbike Champion, who had come close to winning his second title on several occasions only to fall short, his 2020 championship victory was an emotional one.
“I didn’t expect to win the title like that – Troy and his team are very good,” Maxwell said.
“But at the end of last year, when I put my hand out and said I needed some support, there were so many people that gave me what I needed and I can’t thank them all enough. We worked pretty hard, everyone gave me what I wanted to make me happy and a happy rider is a fast rider.
“It’s so different to my last championship win. To win the championship by winning the race is brilliant and there’s no better feeling, but Troy has been so good all weekend and I didn’t deserve to win that race, it was his to win.
“I’m stoked; we’ve put ourselves in the position to win the championship and that’s why we’ve won it.”
Allerton continued his strong run of form by finishing second ahead of Mike Jones.
While he may have missed out on the title, Herfoss demonstrated the speed of his Honda with victory in the second race, after another typically entertaining battle with Maxwell. The two riders swapped positions several times in the race’s early stages before Herfoss finally pulled out a race-winning margin in the closing laps.
“Congratulations to Wayne – people forget about the previous rounds but he dominated Round 1, and he did a really good job here this weekend as well,” Herfoss said.
“Man am I happy. I’m lucky to have the package I’ve got with the bike and tyres and I’m so excited for the future.”
While Mike Jones held third for the opening stanza of the race, he fell backwards in the second half allowing Bryan Staring to score the final podium position aboard his Kawasaki.
“It’s a great way to finish the year,” Staring said.
“We’ve had a testing weekend but this couldn’t be better for our Kawasaki team to have a podium here. We’ve been nowhere near the podium at Wakefield Park the last two years, so this is a massive turnaround and I can’t thank my Dunlop Kawasaki BC Performance Team enough.”
The only retirement during the race was Chandler Cooper, who crashed his Honda at Turn 9 on the 13th lap.
The 2021 Australian Superbike Championship action begins with a pre-season test at Phillip Island on 27-28 January, before the season begins on 19-21 February, also at Phillip Island.
Australian Superbike Championship Top 10 Points
1. Wayne Maxwell – 161
2. Cru Halliday – 126
3. Troy Herfoss – 125
4. Bryan Staring – 112
5. Josh Waters – 105
6. Glenn Allerton – 104
7. Mike Jones – 98
8. Arthur Sissis – 87
9. Aiden Wagner – 81
10. Jed Metcher – 76
Keep up to date with the latest news on the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship, presented by Motul, via www.asbk.com.au and following ASBK on Facebook and Instagram.
More, from another press release issued by Motorcycling Australia:
Stauffer, Pearson Score Supersport Wins, Toparis Secures Title
Today’s MotorsportsTV Supersport races at the grand finale of the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance ASBK, presented by Motul, produced a pair of first-time winners, with Max Stauffer and Broc Pearson breaking through for their maiden victories, while a pair of top-five finishes ensured Goulburn’s Tom Toparis wrapped up back-to-back titles in the category.
At a windy Wakefield Park circuit, Stauffer was forced to fend off a hard-charging Tom Edwards on the final lap of Race 1; Edwards passed Stauffer in the second-last corner before Stauffer fought back by slicing down the inside of Edwards into the final turn and out-dragging his rival to the finish line.
“It’s amazing, the conditions out there were so tricky and it was so hard, but it’s amazing to get it done,” Stauffer said.
In the second race, Pearson passed Toparis on the fourth lap and was never headed from there, riding to a 1.3s win from Stauffer and Oli Bayliss.
However, the biggest celebration was reserved for two-time champion Toparis.
“I didn’t even know if I was going to be doing this race meeting – I was in hotel quarantine when I found out it was on,” Toparis said.
“I made a few phone calls, I got Ben Richards as my mechanic this weekend and I think that made the difference.
“It was a crazy weekend but it’s so good to see the young guys going so well. Oli (Bayliss) and I are such good mates, we’ve had great racing this year and I think he and Max (Stauffer) are two of the brightest Australian stars of the future.
“We had a bit of drama in the races and I was happy just to limp home in the end and win back-to-back championships.”
bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup
Cameron Dunker and Tom Drane were the winners of today’s two Oceania Junior Cup races, but a second and a third-place finish were enough for Marianos Nikolis to wrap up the title.
The three riders battled fiercely in Race 1 and were separated by just 0.4s at the finish, while the margins were even closer in Race 2, with just 0.8s separating the top five.
Nikolis said he was happy to make up a sizeable points deficit leading into the event.
“I was feeling a bit nervous before the weekend, because I was 26 points behind the championship lead,” Nikolis said.
“Yesterday I was able to win all three races, which put me in the championship lead, which meant I was able to be a bit more conservative today.
“I’m feeling great, but I wouldn’t be able to race without support from all the Oceania Junior Cup sponsors and Motorcycling Australia in putting on the series.”
YMI Supersport 300
John Lytras won both today’s Supersport 300 races after epic battles with Ben Baker, but it was Harry Khouri who was crowned the champion, picking up two fourth-place finishes and clinching the title with a race to spare.
“It’s an amazing feeling to come back from overseas and wrap up the championship, I couldn’t be happier,” Khouri said.
“At the start of the day, I started to push a bit hard and chase the lead when I didn’t need to – I made a little mistake, so I decided to back off, be conservative and wrap up the championship.
“In the last race, I wasn’t quite feeling comfortable on the bike so I just brought it home. Overall, it’s been a fantastic season and I can’t wait to head back overseas next year.”
Lytras’ domination of the final two races saw him move up to second in the final standings ahead of Baker.
YMF R3 Cup
The YMF R3 Cup title was decided in a dramatic decider, with Carter Thompson defeating John Lytras by a solitary point.
Thompson held a commanding lead after his domination of yesterday’ races, but his title bid took a severe turn for the worse at the start of today’s opening race when he crashed in the first corner, triggering a red-flag interruption.
When the race restarted, Lytras took control and rode to the win ahead of Ben Baker and Archie McDonald, setting up a final race showdown for the title.
Despite being knocked around by the earlier crash, a brave Thompson rode to victory ahead of Lytras and McDonald, winning the title in the process.
“I was a little sore in the hand after the crash this morning, and it was a little painful when I was out there riding,” Thompson said.
“I was a bit nervous in the races because the crash knocked me around a bit. I knew I had to win to get the championship, so I did my best to pull away and stay in front.
“I’m stoked to win the title, a big thank you to my team for getting my bikes ready after a couple of crashes.”
Keep up to date with the latest news on the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship, presented by Motul, via www.asbk.com.au and following ASBK on Facebook and Instagram.
