Jones produces a perfect Saturday to keep his ASBK Superbike hopes alive

A perfect Saturday for Yamaha’s Mike Jones has set the scene for a thrilling conclusion to the 2024 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul (ASBK) at The Bend in South Australia.

After securing pole position, the 30-year-old Queenslander played his cards perfectly in the opening Pirelli Superbike race with a stunning last-lap pass on championship leader Josh Waters (McMartin Racing Ducati).

The clutch pass saw Waters’ lead trimmed back to 20pts with two 11-lap races still to come on Sunday. Whoever wins will become the first rider to win four Australian Superbike titles.

“If we are going to have any chance of winning the championship we are going to have to win the last three races,” said an ebullient Jones. “We got pole position and the first race victory done, and we’re in the hunt thanks to a great bike that has speed over one lap and the race distance. I followed Josh the whole race and learnt a lot from him, which will be beneficial for tomorrow’s races as well.”

All the ASBK classes started their race campaigns on Saturday, with 13-year-old wiz Hunter Corney claiming the bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup after his runaway victory, while the balance will continue into ‘live’ rubbers on Sunday.

Tickets will be available at the gate on Sunday.

Pirelli Superbike

When Jones is in ‘steely resolve’ mode, he’s extremely hard to beat – just the mindset he brought to Saturday’s proceedings as he maintained his 100 per cent record of winning every race when he has finished on the podium this season.

It wasn’t a walk in the park by any stretch though, taking two attempts to pass Waters on the final lap before completing the slender 0.180-second victory, while Arthur Sissis (Stop and Seal Yamaha) was a brilliant third as he continues to prosper in a new environment.

Waters, as always, was gracious in defeat, but questioned whether he had made the right tyre choice. “I went with a different option tyre in race one, which I personally didn’t like but it was a safer option,” said Waters. “But Mike and Arthur rode great races, so congratulations to those two. Two more races to go!”

Behind Sissis, Friday fast man Anthony West (Addicted to Track Yamaha) outlasted Broc Pearson (DesmoSport Ducati) after a close battle, with Penrite Racing Yamaha teammates Max Stauffer and Cameron Dunker sixth and seventh. John Lytras (Yamaha), Superbike rookie Tom Toparis (Stop and Seal Yamaha) and Ryan Yanko (Addicted to Track Yamaha) saw out the top 10.

Pearson still remains a mathematical championship chance, but it would take major Waters and Jones meltdowns on Sunday for him to get a look in.

Meanwhile, defending Superbike champion Troy Herfoss (DesmoSport Ducati) – who had been building nicely into the round after a long time off the Panigale V4R – crashed out of third spot on lap four, but he’ll be back on the grid for race two on Sunday.

Herfoss was one of three DNFs in race one.

Michelin Supersport

Archie McDonald (Stop and Seal Yamaha) is now a four-time winner in the 2024 Michelin Supersport class, after a hard-fought victory over polesitter Olly Simpson (Yamaha) and teammate Jack Mahaffy in a three-way slog – which included a heart-in-mouth moment when McDonald and Simpson brushed fairings on the front straight!

By lap three the trio had put a big gap on the pack and, after the inevitable jockeying for position in the frantic, final stages, it was McDonald who greeted the chequered flag with just 0.085 seconds to spare over Simpson. Mahaffy was also right on Simpson’s bumper.

Jonathan Nahlous (Yamaha) and Jack Favelle (Addicted to Track Yamaha) were the next riders home, with Nahlous playing it safe with championship considerations at the forefront of his mind. He’s 36pts in front of Simpson and, if he again keeps his powder dry in race two, could take on early champion-designate status. Tom Bramich (Yamaha), Jake Farnsworth (Yamaha) and Glenn Nelson (Stop and Seal Yamaha) filled positions 6-8 among the 17 finishers.

Race and Road Supersport 300/ShopYamaha R3 Cup

Cameron Swain’s return to local racing after competing in this year’s R3 World Cup was pure class, winning both the Race and Road Supersport 300 and ShopYamaha R3 Cup openers.

In Supersport 300, it was a three-lap dash to settle race one after the first attempt was red-flagged and, with original rival Archie Schmidt (Kawasaki) having to sit it out with overheating problems, Swain defeated Will Nassif (Yamaha), followed by Jordan Simpson (Yamaha), Valentino Knezovic (Yamaha), Casey Middleton (Kawasaki) and Josh Newman (Kawasaki). Newman leads the championship by 30pts over Knezovic.

In the R3 Cup, it was the same trifecta – Swain, Nassif and Simpson – followed by Ryder Gilbert, Knezovic and Mitch Simpson. There’re only 11pts between Knezovic, Nassif and Jordan Simpson with two races to go, so tomorrow is going to be full of intrigue.

bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup

It was the Hunter Corney show today, as he wrapped up the bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup in the most emphatic terms with a five-second victory. It capped off a spectacular day for Corney, who earlier had stunned the internationals with a brilliant second place in the opening Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Asia-Pacific Championship race as a wildcard.

While Corney showed the OJC field a clean pair of heels, the battle for second was a showstopper, with Jai Strugnell, Haydn Fordyce, Hunter Charlett, Connor Lewis, Nixon Frost, Nikolas Lazos and Phoenix O’Brien all flashing across the finish line just 0.4 seconds apart.

In the corresponding FIM Oceania Trans-Tasman Challenge, New Zealand leads Australia by 3pts after race one.

Nolan Superbike Masters

The same top three led the way in both Nolan Superbike Masters races, with Alex Phillis getting the job done from fellow Suzuki riders David Johnson and Ryan Taylor.

Johnson provided nuisance value for Phillis, but the Albury pilot was able to get the job done both times.

Round absentees Keo Watson (Yamaha) and Jack Passfield (Yamaha) still lead the way on 115 and 110pts respectively, with Taylor closing rapidly on 105.