Goulburn local Herfoss shines on home soil
27 March, 2016
It was a fairy tale ending for Crankt Protein Honda Racing Team’s Troy Herfoss at Round 2 of the Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship at Wakefield Park today, collecting the round win in front of family and friends.
However, it was a hard fought battle to the overall Yamaha Motorcycle Insurance Superbike podium, with plenty of thrill and spills across the two races at Wakefield Park today.
When the bikes headed to the track for race one this morning, a packed Superbike media grid put a certain buzz in the air before racing had even gotten started, and by the time the Superbikes set off for their warm up lap, fans watched on, eager to see the battles unfold.
Despite Herfoss starting on pole, the lightening fast Yamaha machine of Glenn Allerton managed to make his way in to the race lead, followed by Crankt Protein Honda Racing fill in rider Anthony West who found his way in to second.
After only two laps, the Superbikes were forced to return to the grid – the opening race being red flagged when three riders went down in lap ten. And thankfully for Honda mounted Herfoss who got to a terrible start initially, a complete race restart was ordered, with the race reduced to 14 laps.
When bikes took off for the second time, Herfoss took full advantage of the restart, taking the early lead through turn one, followed by Allerton, and teammate Maxwell who were locked in to a head to head battle for second position.
Just as racing got underway again, there was an unbelievable repeat of events, with the race red flagged for a second time – two riders going down in turn ten, forcing the Superbike race to restarted for a second time.
With the Superbike race reduced to 12 laps, when riders got to a frustrating third start, Herfoss launched off the grid first yet again, but before riders had gotten the opportunity to get one lap in the books, the race was once again red flagged, with DesmoSport Ducati’s Mike Jones, West and Halliday caught up in a crash at turn one. As a result, the further restart of race one was rescheduled to after lunch.
When the Superbike race one finally got underway at 2:00pm, Herfoss got the started he’d hoped for, but despite leading for a lap, Allerton executed an outstanding pass on lap two, moving in to the race lead with time on his hands.
After two laps, the running order saw Allerton out in front, followed by the Honda pair, Herfoss and West who were locked into a battle for second.
It was the five lap freight train of Allerton, Herfoss, West, Halliday and Maxwell that kept fans on the edge of their seats, Allerton even setting a new lap record with a 57:860, proving he was the man to beat.
However, with the Superbike race one shortened to 12 laps, riders had limited time to get their battles for top positions sorted out, and as the race reached the half way point, Allerton and Herfoss began to pull a gap on Maxwell and West who were in a head to head battle for third.
On turn five on lap seven however, it all went pair shaped for Yamaha’s Allerton who ran wide and hit the dirt, handing the race lead to Troy Herfoss ahead of Maxwell and West – Herfoss also managing to set a new lap record with a 57:540.
But there was further disaster in store for the Yamaha stars, Maxwell also crashing out in the exact same turn on the following lap, allowing Crankt Protein Honda’s West to move in to second position, behind his new team mate Herfoss.
With the Yamaha front runners both out of race win contention, when the last lap board was shown, it was Herfoss with the lead on home soil, ahead of West, Halliday, JD Racing’s Daniel Falzon and Ben Burke rounded out the top five.
And by the time the chequered flag flew, no one could match the flawless performance of Goulburn local Herfoss, taking the race one win from West and Halliday who finished in second and third places respectively.
The final top positions saw Burke in fifth, while 2015 Supersport Champion Brayden Elliot wrapped up race one in sixth. New Zealander Sloan Frost finished seventh, Ryan Hampton in eighth, while Adam Senior and Nathan Spiteri finished in ninth and tenth places respectively.
When the Superbikes lined up for Race 2 this afternoon, there was a sense of excitement in the air, with the likes of Yamaha Racing Team’s Maxwell and Allerton eager to redeem themselves, while Herfoss attempted to remain undefeated.
When the Superbikes screamed away for the final time today, Herfoss looked as if he had the jump that was required, however it was the Yamaha machine of Maxwell who got to the early race lead. And there was carnage again in turn one, with Halliday and Falzon going down, both unable to resume the race.
With two laps in the books, the focus then shifted to the front of the pack, and with Maxwell pulling a comfortable gap on the field, by lap three it was the fight for second between Allerton and West that had the crowd on their feet.
By lap five, the running order saw Maxwell in front with a three second lead on second position which was held by West, followed by Allerton in third and Herfoss in fourth.
Herfoss, who was determined to put on a performance in front of family and friends, then began his charge to the front, and by the time riders headed in to lap eight, the local had made the pass on Yamaha’s Allerton and began to eye off the rear tyre of his Honda teammate.
In a huge upset for Jones this afternoon, the defending ASBK champ was forced to return to the pits after only nine laps with a mechanical issue.
For Herfoss though, a pass on West during lap ten provided a clear track ahead for the local to chase down Maxwell. And chase down he did, the local taking advantage of Maxwell heading in to lapped traffic – managing to marginally close the gap.
However, Herfoss’s charge to the front was put to a stop at turn ten on lap 13, with the local running his Honda machine wide, forcing him to drop two positions back in to fourth.
With one lap remaining, Maxwell was completely untouchable, while Honda fill in rider West maintained an impressive second position, followed by Allerton in third, and Herfoss in fourth.
When the chequered flag flew, there was no change in race order, Maxwell taking an unchallenged race two win, ahead of West and Yamaha teammate Allerton who crossed the line in third. Herfoss, and privateer Burke (Kawasaki) concluded the final race of the day in fourth and fifth places respectively.
It was Elliot who held on for sixth in the final race of the day, followed by Sloan Frost, Ryan Hampton, Adam Senior, and Joel Beard rounding out the top ten.
Despite a fourth place in race two, Honda mounted Herfoss did all that was required to take the Round two win on home soil, ahead of his team mate West who collected second in his first ASBK appearance since 1998, while the surprise performance came from Kawasaki mounted Bourke who secured third position on the Yamaha Motorcycle Insurance Superbike Podium.
Herfoss who was relieved to have gotten the job done at his home track, shared his thoughts on his round two overall win, straight off the podium.
“It was a bit of a mediocre final race for me, but I’m really happy to walk away with the round win. To come home to Goulburn and race in front of my mates and my family, get pole position, and then get the first race win is awesome,” he said.
“It was a hectic day especially with all of the race restarts, so it was hard to keep going back to the grid, but it’s a fantastic reward for the Crankt Protein Honda Racing Team that I got the job done.
“I wasn’t playing it safe in the last one, we’re at round two of the championship and I’m here to win, but all in all it’s a great result for the team at round two.”
Yamaha Motorcycle Insurance Superbike Round Points
1 Troy HERFOSS 43
2 Anthony WEST 40
3 Ben BURKE 32
4 Brayden ELLIOTT 30
5 Sloan FROST 28
6 Ryan HAMPTON 26
7 Wayne MAXWELL 25
8 Adam SENIOR 24
9 Joel BEARD 19
10 Brendan SCHMIDT 19
Yamaha Motorcycle Insurance Superbike Championship Standings
1 Troy HERFOSS 95
2 Glenn ALLERTON 93
3 Wayne MAXWELL 80
4 Ben BURKE 73
5 Michael JONES 57
6 Daniel FALZON 56
7 Cru HALLIDAY 52
8 Michael BLAIR 45
9 Ryan HAMPTON 42
10 Brayden ELLIOTT 41
For a full list of results from Round 2 of the Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship, head to www.computime.com.au
For more information on the ASBK, head to www.asbk.com.au
More, from a press release issued by Motorcycling Australia:
Clarke goes undefeated at Round 2 of the ASBK
27 March, 2016
The fans were treated to a spectacular show at Round 2 of the Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul Pirelli at Wakefield Park today, with the Motul Supersport class dishing out the excitement across two races.
After a brief warm up this morning, it was straight into race one for the Motul Supersport competitors, and with fans eager to see the Wakefield track come to life, spectators dotted the fence line to cheer on the class.
Kawasaki mounted Sam Clarke had the advantage of Pole position this morning, so when bikes screamed off the full grid and in to turn one, all eyes were on his Banham WA Racing machine. Clarke rose to the occasion, getting the perfect jump, and moving in to a comfortable race lead.
With a total of 16 laps to get the job done, Clarke pulled away from the field ahead of JNL Racing’s Luke Mitchell in second – series points leader Troy Guenther found himself in third (Graffiti Alley Racing), while Cambridge Olivier and Chris Quinn rounded out the top five.
With Clarke, Mitchell and Guenther out in front, the battle for fourth, fifth and sixth intensified – Yamaha mounted Ben Blyth making his presence known, securing a move on Olivier to snatch up fourth position behind Guenther.
By lap five, Western Australian Clarke looked untouchable out in front, he continued to maintain a healthy race lead, ahead of Mitchell and Guenther who also had a comfortable gap on the field, in second and third.
However, Mitchell was not ready to settle for second position – by lap seven the Yamaha rider had put the fastest time on the board, finding the rear wheel of race leader Clarke, setting up a battle for the Motul Supersport race one win.
By the time the race reached lap ten, there were battles for positions left, right, and centre, and with the leaders well and truly into lapped traffic, the back markers added an additional element to the 16 lap race.
With five laps remaining, the running order saw Clarke out in front, holding off a hard charging Mitchell and Guenther who were in second and third – Callum Spriggs had also found his way in to fourth position, followed by Blyth, Olivier, Guiseppe Scarcella and Ted Collins.
And it was on lap 14 that the Motul Supersport class came to a dramatic early finish – Mitchell snatching up the lead, only to have the race red flagged when a rider crashed at the exit of turn one.
The first Motul Supersport race was then declared at the 13 lap mark, meaning Clarke was awarded the race one win, ahead of Mitchell in second, Guenther in third, while Spriggs, and Blyth rounded up the top five. Olivier concluded the race in sixth position, followed by Scarcella, Collins, Robbie Menzies and Mark Chiodo who all finished in the top ten.
By the time race two got underway this afternoon, the Wakefield Park circuit had heated up, and the Motul Supersport class took advantage of the weather by putting on one last performance for spectators.
When bikes left the grid for the final time this afternoon, the battle was on, but it was Clarke who edged out his competitors, and emerged from turn one with the race lead.
With one lap in the books of the 16 lap race, the running order saw Clarke out in front, ahead of Mitchell in second, followed by Guenther in third.
With four laps in the books, there was no change in the race order, Clarke managing to hold off Mitchell in second and Guenther in third, while Olivier and Spriggs rounded out the top five.
When the riders reached lap ten, there was a challenge for the lead, Clarke with his hands full, trying to keep Mitchell’s Yamaha machine at bay, all the while Mitchell was also under fire from Guenther, Olivier and Kawasaki mounted Spriggs.
On lap 12, fans were treated to a total of four changes to the lead, with Mitchell heading into lap 13 as the new race leader, ahead of Clarke who was relegated to second, while Guenther managed to maintain third.
And in the closing stages of the race it was anyone’s guess who would take the chequered flag first, both Mitchell and Clarke putting on a classy performance, the pair drag racing down the final straight – Clarke eventually putting his front wheel over the finish line first, while Mitchell was forced to finish second, followed by Guenther who wrapped up the final Motul Supersport race for the day in third.
Local Olivier finished the second Supersport race in fourth, ahead of Spriggs in fifth, followed by Blyth, Scarcella, Chiodo, Quinn and Ted Collins who all wrapped up the top ten respectively.
When the round two points were tallied, it was Clarke’s flawless performance which saw him take the Supersport honours at Wakefield Park, followed by Mitchell in second, and Guenther in third, completing the round two podium.
An elated Clarke spoke after taking the final race win, sharing what the round two win meant to himself and his dedicated supporters.
“We are absolutely stoked to finish round two on the podium, and it’s awesome to be able to reward my sponsors with two race wins and an overall podium,” he said.
“Coming from Western Australia to race the ASBK, getting the win on the East Coast always feels good, and it certainly makes the journey to the races well worth it.
“We had some tough competition across both of my races today which made racing a lot of fun. There is plenty of talent in the Supersport class this year so I am excited to go racing again at Round 3.”
Motul Supersport Round Points
1 Sam CLARKE 51
2 Luke MITCHELL 40
3 Troy GUENTHER 36
4 Callum SPRIGGS 33
5 Cambridge OLIVIER 32
6 Ben BLYTH 31
7 Guiseppe SCARCELLA 28
8 Mark CHIODO 24
9 Ted COLLINS 24
10 Robbie MENZIES 22
Motul Supersport Championship Standings
1 Troy GUENTHER 95.5
2 Sam CLARKE 81.5
3 Luke MITCHELL 81
4 Callum SPRIGGS 76.5
5 Ben BLYTH 69
6 Ted COLLINS 53.5
7 Mark CHIODO 52
8 Chris QUINN 52
9 Brad SHAW 47.5
10 Nic LIMINTON 45
11 Robbie MENZIES 3
For a full list of results from Round 2 of the Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul Pirelli, head to www.computime.com.au
For more information on the ASBK, head to www.asbk.com.au
More, from a press release issued by DesmoSport Ducati:
EVENTFUL WAKEFIELD PARK ASBK ROUND FOR DESMOSPORT DUCATI’S JONES
DesmoSport Ducati’s reigning Australian Superbike Champion Mike Jones will take positives out of a difficult day at Wakefield Park’s second round of the 2016 ASBK season today.
Jones and the newly-formed factory-supported DesmoSport Ducati team co-owned by triple World Superbike Champion Troy Bayliss and Ben Henry are confident that progress made across this weekend will be vital in the coming rounds.
A racing incident involving 22-year-old Jones in race one this afternoon caused a third consecutive red flag stoppage on the opening lap, which led to the race being rescheduled altogether for later in the day.
Unfortunately for Jones and the team, race officials deemed him as the sole cause of the collision and under the regulations he wasn’t permitted to continue when the race was re-run following lunch.
DesmoSport Ducati’s Jones returned to action in race two and was instantly on the pace of the front-runners, until he was forced out of proceedings while in position five on lap 10 of the scheduled 16.
“Obviously zero points today isn’t ideal for the championship, but we made a lot of progress with the DesmoSport Ducati team and the 1299 Panigale S,” Jones commented. “We made a big step with the suspension set-up, further tailoring it to my style, which will help a lot in the coming rounds.
“From this point after racing at Phillip Island, which is fast and flowing, and then Wakefield Park, which is tight and technical, with the improvements made we will be heading to Sydney Motorsport Park very optimistic for a strong result. The most crucial thing for us is to keep developing the brand new bike in these early stages and we will be right there.”
Co-owner Henry echoed Jones, stating that in while it was a frustrating end result for the team after displaying so much promise through practice and qualifying, they are certain that information learned will increase the team’s chances of victory in following rounds.
“Sydney is definitely the focus now and regardless of the result, in many aspects we moved forward this weekend,” Henry explained. “We found a few things that worked for Mike in the races and that was really positive. From here we will keep our heads down, continue working hard and look forward to the next round.”
Bayliss made a huge impression aboard the DesmoSport Ducati 1299 Panigale S two-up experience bike during the entertainment breaks at Wakefield Park, pleasing guest pillions around the 2.2-kilometre Goulburn-based circuit.
The next round of the 2016 Australian Superbike Championship will take place at Sydney Motorsport Park in New South Wales on the 16-17 April weekend. Check www.asbk.com.au for further event information.
More, from a press release issued by Team Honda Racing:
Herfoss and West finish 1, 2 for Crankt Protein Honda Racing at Wakefield Park
27th March 2016
It was a complete fairy tale ending for the Crankt Protein Honda Racing team at round two of the Australian Superbike Championship at Wakefield Park, with Troy Herfoss taking the round win on home soil, while Jamie Stauffer’s replacement Anthony West finished in second position on the Superbike podium, in what was only his first ASBK outing since 1998.
There was no doubt that the second round of this year’s ASBK championship dished out plenty of thrills and spills across the entire three days, but it was Goulburn local Herfoss on his Honda machine who was the man of the moment this weekend.
From the minute Herfoss hit the track at Wakefield Park, the local proved he was a force to be reckoned with, putting down a record lap time of 57.350 during the Superbike qualifying session on Saturday, which provided himself and the Crankt Protein Honda Racing Team with pole position when racing kicked off today.
And when race 1 eventually got underway this afternoon, despite three race restarts due to red flags, Herfoss showed his consistency and patience, taking the opening race win ahead of his teammate West who put in an outstanding effort to finish in second, at his very first event with the Honda racing team.
In race two, Herfoss hoped to remain undefeated at Wakefield, however in the later stages of the race, at turn ten on the tight technical Wakefield Park circuit, Herfoss hit false neutral and was forced back two positions, seeing him slide from second to fourth.
However, at the conclusion of race two, both Herfoss and West had plenty of reason to celebrate – the pair wrapping up the final outing for the day with West snatching up second position once again, and Herfoss finishing in fourth, handing the team positions one and two on the round two overall Superbike podium.
Round two winner Herfoss shared that despite a tough final race, he has added confidence, now having the Superbike Championship points lead, as the series heads to round three.
“It was a bit of a stressful morning, I’m not sure what was going on – it was as if everyone was too eager and there were bikes going down everywhere. It was a bit odd with the tyre allocation, because with so many restarts we still had to use the same tyre, and I was a bit nervous about pushing hard – but the Pirelli’s really proved themselves this weekend and I was able to bring it home in the first race. In race two I was a bit disappointed, because I was struggling to get through the traffic, and I managed to get in to second, but I hit false neutral in turn ten and I hit the kitty litter which pushed me back a few positions. All in all though, I’m that excited with the package we have. We’ve gone a lot faster and we just keep improving on what we’ve got. Now we’re going to Eastern Creek where you really need a bike that can go the whole race distance, and fast, and I’m absolutely confident that we have the opportunity to do that with the Honda CBR1000RR SP.”
Fill in rider Ant West was also happy at the conclusion of round two, sharing that the ASBK Superbike class is more competitive than he first anticipated.
“I jumped straight on this bike and to be honest I’m pretty happy with what we achieved this weekend. I’ve never raced a Honda before, so it’s been a challenge getting comfortable on the bike and really we haven’t had a lot of time to get the bike set up for me. I still didn’t feel 100 per cent during the race and I still think there’s a lot more that we can get out of the bike, and also a lot more that we can get out of myself. I’ve had fun though, and I’d definitely consider racing at the ASBK again. I’ve never really thought about racing in Australia, but after racing here I’ve realised it is competitive, and it’s not an easy championship – these top guys are fast. Wakefield Park is a track that I’m not used to, it’s tight and bumpy and it’s a lot different to what I’m used to riding, so I’d love the opportunity to come back and see what I can do on a different circuit.”
Crankt Protein Honda Racing Team Manager Paul Free shared that he couldn’t be happier after both Herfoss and West finishing on the podium at Wakefield Park today.
“For any team, this really is a fairy tale result, and on behalf of the Crankt Protein Honda Racing Team, a big congratulations to both Troy and Anthony. We knew that Troy would be fast here, but to set a new lap record and take the round two win, it really is a great result for the entire team. Anthony was asked to step in at the last minute, and he has proven today that we made the right choice. To finish with both boys in the two top spots on the podium, we really couldn’t be happier.”
The Crankt Protein Honda Racing Team will now begin preparation for Round three of the ASBK, being held at Sydney Motorsport Park on April 16 – 17.
To keep up to date with all of Crankt Protien Honda Racing’s news, results, and features like the ‘Team Honda Racing’ Facebook page, follow @teamhondaracing on Instagram, or head to www.teamhondaracing.com.au.