Herfoss in Hot Pursuit as Championship Fight Heats up in Darwin

When it comes to Charles Darwin, most people can easily quote his famous phrase, “Survival of the fittest.” This resonates strongly in Darwin, NT, as round four of the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul (ASBK) takes place.

While the June weather in the NT is generally pleasant and ludicrously lovely, it still remains hot and unforgiving which comes as a rude shock to Alpinestars Superbike competitors from southern Australia. Riders employ various methods to keep cool, including ice jackets, ice baths, oscillating fans, and even unconventional approaches like using kiddie wading pools and wheelie bins.

Josh Waters (McMartin Racing) entered round three at Queensland Raceway with a sizeable lead but saw it narrow due to outstanding performances by Penrite Honda’s Troy Herfoss, who displayed his champion-like indefatigability. Waters anticipated difficulties at QLD and focused on minimising losses, with the current points leader doing so with two respectable fourth-place finishes.

Nevertheless, finishing fourth wasn’t desirable, especially with all the main championship contenders ahead of him. Herfoss secured the maximum 51 points while Waters settled for 34, allowing Herfoss to cut the gap in half and firmly putting the pressure back on the #21 ahead of the upcoming round.

However, as a seasoned professional, Waters will put that behind him as the championship heads to Darwin for the winter leg of the competition. Waters boasts an impressive track record in Darwin, having secured a total of seven race wins at the Hidden Valley Raceway previously, with Herfoss and Jones being the closest contenders with two wins each.

Waters, aboard the Ducati, will enjoy the favourable conditions and track, particularly the 1.1KM long main straight and overall layout and will expect domination in the manner of the Sydney Motorsport Park and Phillip Island rounds. Furthermore, the heat shouldn’t bother him much, given his background as a lad from Mildura, and the Ducati has proven its excellence in hot conditions, although fuel economy must be carefully managed.

This round consists of three races with a maximum of 76 championship-affirming points up for grabs. Last year, former McMartin Racing rider Wayne Maxwell missed out on round victory and subsequently lost any chance of securing another championship due to a combination of rider errors and team issues. Valuable lessons were learned, and it is unlikely we will witness a repeat of those problems.

Among the riders likely to challenge Waters,  Yamaha’s Mike Jones will be at the forefront. Jones trails Waters by 56 points and lags 38 points behind Herfoss, making it crucial for him to start closing the gap. Fellow Yamaha man Cru Halliday excels on faster circuits and has experienced a resurgence in 2023, so he won’t go down without putting up a fight. Herfoss, who returned to the podium in Darwin last year, can confidently put to rest any doubts about the circuit being a jinx. With his self-assured demeanour and belief, the Honda rider poses a significant threat.

We cannot forget the likes of Glenn Allerton (GT Racing BMW) and Bryan Staring (MotoGo Yamaha), who in recent years have shown glimpses of race winning speed and strategy, only to narrowly miss out. Allerton stood on the podium once last year while Staring did twice, they’ll be looking to have their BMW M1000RR and Yamaha R1 M in the mix come the chequered flag.

However, the Ducati, under the expert guidance of Craig McMartin, has evolved to its full potential, while 36-year-old Josh Waters, at the peak of his abilities and maturity, makes the McMartin Panigale V4 R an irresistible force.

Indigenous Round

A number of ASBK teams have joined the Indigenous Round theme for this year once again with striking new looks. Penrite Honda, DesmoSport Ducati and MotoGo Yamaha all unveiled their liveries during the week, with more teams to showcase a new look in the coming days, stay tuned to the ASBK social media channels for more.

A proud Western Australian, Bryan Staring and MotoGo Yamaha have teamed up with Perth Artist, Xavier and Marlee Resources to create their livery.

When speaking about the design and it’s significance to him, Staring said, “The design incorporates Kings Park, Swan River and the people in the community. I think that’s a good showcase for Western Australia, but also for the company that’s behind it and the people that were responsible for bringing the artwork together, including Xavier (the artist), it’s a real honour to represent it. It’s close to my heart as I’m a proud Boorloo boy. “

The DesmoSport Ducati squad have also connected with their local region to develop their livery. Telling stories from the Yugambeh Language region (Gold Coast), they have partnered with indigenous artist, Luther Cora to continue telling stories of Aboriginal culture local to the team, and embracing with awe, the oldest living culture in the world.

Once again incorporating artwork from Lorraine White and partnering with the Melbourne Indigenous Transition School (MITS) for a charitable cause, the Penrite Honda crew unveiled the Fireblade alongside the Penrite Racing Supercars team in North Melbourne.

“I’m really excited about our indigenous livery this year, it’s always great to unveil a new livery and our team love getting behind the indigenous round,” said Herfoss. “Working with the Penrite Racing Supercars team and having matching liveries is a lot of fun and it’s great to incorporate artwork from Lorraine again this year to produce the liveries, as well as partner again with MITS to raise money for the kids. I think our Fireblade will be the best looking bike on track and I can’t wait to see it out there.”

In partnering with MITS, several auction items will be up for grabs to continue to support its mission, with Honda Australia generously donating a CRF50 stickered up as a Penrite Honda, Herfoss replica. You can find the auction site here.