Maxwell snatches up Superbike championship lead and Round 4 victory in Western Australia
5 June, 2016
Yamaha Racing Team’s Wayne Maxwell did all that was required to snatch up the Yamaha Motorcycle Insurance Superbike Championship lead today, racing to impressive results across two exciting races, at Round 4 of the Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul Pirelli at Barbagallo Raceway.
Despite carrying a hand injury after a crash during practice, Maxwell showed strength and determination on the Western Australian circuit today, fighting off an in form Ducati mounted Mike Jones to snatch up the round four win.
With reigning 2015 ASBK Champ Jones starting on pole for the first time so far this season this morning, there was plenty of excitement on the grid ahead of race one commencing today – but it was Crankt Protein Honda Racing Team’s Troy Herfoss who screamed off the straight and in to the lead, while Yamaha Racing Team’s Maxwell and Glenn Allerton slotted in behind him.
With two laps in the books, Maxwell began to apply the pressure on Herfoss for the top spot, and by the time riders reached the switch back section of the track on lap three, Maxwell was the new race leader, with Herfoss relegated to second. Unfortunately for Herfoss, two more positions were snatched away from him when Allerton and Jones began their charge to the front – Allerton moving in to second behind his teammate, while DesmoSport Ducati’s Jones slotted in to third.
After only five laps, for the Yamaha Motorcycle Insurance Superbike class, Maxwell continued to maintain a healthy gap on teammate Allerton, while Jones held down third position from Jon Daniels Racing’s Daniel Falzon, who had passed Herfoss to move in to fourth. From there, Falzon was on a commanding charge, snatching up a new lap record with a 55.446 lap time, proving that he was well and truly the fastest Superbike on track during race one.
After eight laps, Jones applied enough pressure on second placed Allerton to make the pass, relegating Allerton to third, where he also began to feel the daring speed of Falzon’s Jon Daniels Racing Yamaha machine.
But it was Jones’ performance who had spectators cheering on their feet in race one – the Ducati mounted star snatching away the lead from YRT’s Maxwell on lap 11, while Falzon steered his Yamaha past Allerton to slot in to third position.
With eight laps remaining, the running order saw Jones continuing to lead from Maxwell by 0.161 of a second, while Falzon maintained an impressive third position followed by Allerton and Herfoss who were in fourth and fifth places respectively.
By lap 14, Jones and Maxwell began to approach back markers, but it did not at all effect Jones’ impressive performance – streaming past lapped riders, and with a clear track ahead of his Ducati machine, Jones continued to hold off the experienced Maxwell.
With four laps to go in race one, the only change to the standings came from Falzon, who dropped from third to fifth position, allowing Allerton to move up a spot while Herfoss followed suit in fourth.
And when the Superbike riders headed in to their last lap, both Jones and Maxwell remained only 0.14 of a second apart, treating spectators to a final dash to victory.
But it was a fairy tale ending for youngster Jones, who showcased impressive maturity, leading from lap 11 all the way to the chequered flag. Despite applying the pressure on Jones throughout the entire race, Maxwell (Yamaha) crossed the finish line in second position followed by teammate Allerton, while Honda mounted Herfoss and Falzon wrapped up race one in fourth and fifth places respectively.
Just outside the top five was SA Kawasaki’s Ben Burke in sixth, followed by Cru Halliday (Yamaha Racing Team), and Brayden Elliott (Knobby Underwear Suzuki). Crankt Protein Honda Racing Team’s Jamie Stauffer raced to ninth, while local Ben Stronach finished race one in an impressive 10th place.
When race two kicked off, thousands of spectators watched on as Herfoss launched off the grid and in to turn one with the lead for the second time today, followed by Maxwell and race one winner Jones.
And with the confidence of a race win up his sleeve, Jones took no time at all to make two passes and move in to the race lead, and unfortunately for Herfoss it was somewhat a repeat of race one, because before long Maxwell had also gotten by the Crankt Protein Honda machine.
After four laps, Jones continued to lead from Maxwell by only 0.187 of a second, while Yamaha’s Allerton had also made the pass on Herfoss to move in to the final podium position.
But by lap five, spectators on the straight were greeted with a new race leader – Maxwell’s number 47 Yamaha R1 machine leading the way from Jones by the narrowest of margins followed by Allerton who remained in third. Herfoss who had led the first lap of race two, dropped back to a disappointing sixth place.
As the Superbike class reached the half way point, Allerton began to close in on the rear tyre of Jones’ Ducati machine, testing the youngster’s ability to hold off the undeniable experience of his closest threat. Falzon, who now holds the Barbagallo lap record after race one, maintained fourth position from Halliday and Herfoss who were in fifth and sixth places.
With seven laps remaining on track, Maxwell, Jones, and Allerton began a three-way fight for the top spot, ensuring that spectators would leave the Round 4 of the ASBK with the final race going down to the wire.
And when riders headed in to lap 17, it was a shock to the crowd to see Yamaha teammates Maxwell and Allerton in positions one and two, with Jones losing time in the basin forcing him to drop back to third position.
And when the chequered flag flew for the final time for the Superbike class, it was Maxwell’s turn to celebrate – taking the final race win aboard his Yamaha machine, while teammate Allerton finished in an impressive second. DesmoSport Ducati’s Jones wrapped up the final race of the day in third, followed by Falzon and Herfoss who finished in fourth and fifth places respectively.
Yamaha Racing Team’s Halliday concluded the final race of the day in sixth, followed by Burke, Crankt Protein Honda Racing Team’s Stauffer, Matt Walters and Elliott who all finished inside the top ten.
When the points from both races today were tallied, Yamaha Racing Team’s Maxwell 2,1 finishes saw him awarded with the Round 4 win and the Superbike championship lead, followed by Jones who wrapped up the round in second, while Allerton completed the Superbike podium in third.
Yamaha Racing Team’s Maxwell, who will head in to Round 5 as the championship leader by five points, spoke moments after stepping off the Superbike podium.
“I’m absolutely stoked to leave round four with the win. Barbagallo was one of the tracks that I was unsure about, and didn’t know whether I could go with the likes of Mike (Jones) and Glenn (Allerton), so to get a race win and to turn everything around after a crash on Thursday feels awesome,” Maxwell shared.
“A massive shout out to the Racesafe crew who got me out there and allowed me to get the job done, I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them.
“We have an awesome tight crew with the Yamaha team, and to come away with a win feels awesome. To do it in front of such a big crowd, and to be a part of such a great championship feels fantastic – I’m looking forward to celebrating with the boys tonight.”
Yamaha Motorcycle Insurance Superbikes Round 4 Results
1 Wayne MAXWELL 45
2 Mike JONES 44
3 Glenn ALLERTON 38
4 Daniel FALZON 33
5 Troy HERFOSS 33
6 Cru HALLIDAY 29
7 Ben BURKE 29
8 Jamie STAUFFER 25
9 Brayden ELLIOTT 24
10 Adam CHAMBERS 20
Yamaha Motorcycle Insurance Superbikes Championship standings
1 Wayne MAXWELL 176
2 Glenn ALLERTON 171
3 Troy HERFOSS 158
4 Mike JONES 137
5 Ben BURKE 114
6 Cru HALLIDAY 106
7 Daniel FALZON 103
8 Brayden ELLIOTT 91
9 Jamie STAUFFER 84
10 Matt WALTERS 73
For a full list of results from Round 4 of the ASBK, head to www.computime.com.au
For more information on the Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul Pirelli, head to www.asbk.com.au
2016 ASBK calendar:
Round 1 Phillip Island GP Circuit, WSBK, Vic 25-28 February
Round 2 Wakefield Park Raceway, NSW 25-27 March
Round 3 Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW 16-17 April
Round 4 Barbagallo Raceway, WA 3-5 June
Round 5 Morgan Park Raceway, QLD 6-7 August
Round 6 Winton Motor Raceway, Vic 30 September – 2 October
More, from another press release issued by Motorcycling Australia:
Western Australian local Clarke takes round honors and Supersport Championship lead at Barbagallo
5 June, 2016
It was a perfect day at Barbagallo Raceway for Banham WA Racing’s Sam Clarke, who raced to two impressive race wins, going undefeated, and becoming the Motul Supersport Championship leader in front of a home crowd at Round 4 of the Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul Pirelli.
Clarke, who arrived at Round 4 on a wave of confidence, did not disappoint his Western Australian fans today, fighting off tough competition to conclude the day victorious.
Despite Clarke starting the first Motul Supersport race of the weekend on pole, when lights turned green and bikes left the grid for the first time today, it was JNL Racing’s Luke Mitchell who launched in to the race lead, however with the home crowd advantage at Round 4, Banham WA Racing’s Clarke only took half a lap to move into the top spot and from there the Kawasaki pilot checked out.
With three laps in the books, Clarke had more than a 1.2 second lead on Mitchell who continued to circulate in second, while series points leader Troy Guenther (Graffiti Alley Racing) held down third position, from Cube Racing’s Callum Spriggs and Ben Blyth, who maintained fourth and fifth positions respectively.
By lap four, Clarke was simply unstoppable out in front, setting a new lap record with a 57.184 lap time, smashing that of Jamie Stauffer’s 600cc record (57.533) which was first set in 2011.
With Clarke out in front, the battle for positions came from Guenther and Spriggs who were both going head to head for third position, keeping spectators guessing as to who could make up time through the sectors at Barbagallo.
By lap 10, the front four Supersport riders Clarke, Mitchell, Guenther, and Spriggs all began to spread out, pulling a 13 second gap on fifth placed Blyth, and putting two seconds between each other’s respective positions.
From there, there was no change to the standings, with Clarke streaming to his first Motul Supersport race victory for the weekend by 2.346 seconds, followed by Mitchell, Guenther, Spriggs and Nic Liminton who made a late charge for fifth position.
Despite showing early speed, Blyth wrapped up race one in sixth, followed by Chris Quinn, Matt Price, Robbie Menzies and Thomas Bryden who all completed the top ten finishing positions.
With a race one victory, Clarke immediately became the Motul Supersport Championship leader by a marginal two points from Guenther before the lunch break, setting up the last race of the day as a dash for ultimate glory.
In the final race of the day, Clarke had the support of the home crowd behind him, so it was no surprise to see his Kawasaki machine get the jump off the start, followed closely by JNL Yamaha’s Mitchell in second and Spriggs in third.
With three laps in the books, Clarke stretched out his lead to .553 of a second, while Spriggs managed to get by Mitchell to move in to second position, while Guenther was in third.
From there, the front four riders separated themselves from the rest of the Supersport group, and by lap seven, Clarke began to come under fire from Yamaha mounted Mitchell who was not prepared to take second without a fight.
However, in a surprise to spectators a mistake from Mitchell on lap nine caused him to drop back to fourth, and left the door open for Cube Racing’s Spriggs to launch his attack on local rider Clarke.
And from there the final Supersport race of the day was set to go down to the wire – Clarke holding off Spriggs by the smallest of margins (0.194) while Guenther and Mitchell continued to apply the pressure in positions 3 and 4.
Mitchell, who was determined to snatch up points in race two, managed to get by Guenther with only two laps to go, and when riders headed in to their final lap of the day on the Barbagallo circuit, Clarke was in the box seat to collect his second victory on home soil.
And when the chequered flag flew for the final time, Clarke and the Western Australian crowd celebrated – the Kawasaki star racing to the final win, going undefeated at Round 4 and snatching up the Motul Supersport Championship lead.
Following Clarke, was Spriggs who crossed the line in second position in the final race of the day, while Mitchell was forced to settle for third.
Despite entering the round with the championship lead, Guenther wrapped up race two in fourth position, followed by Ted Collins, and Nic Limiton.
When the points from both races were tallied, Clarkes 1,1 results saw him awarded with the round four Motul Supersport victory, while JNL Racing’s Mitchell took the second step on the podium, followed by Cube Racing’s Callum Spriggs.
Clarke shared his thoughts, moments after celebrating with champagne, alongside family and friends.
“It’s been an awesome weekend – we’ve had a good round and we have increased the championship lead even more in that last race, which is what we came here to do,” he said.
“I can say that I will probably have a drink to celebrate tonight that’s for sure.
“I did struggle in the last race – I was a bit sidewards everywhere. It didn’t go quite as easily as the first race, and Callum (Spriggs) and Luke (Mitchell) applied the pressure, but it makes racing fun and I’m stoked to finish with the win!” Clarke concluded.
Motul Supersport Round 4 Results
1 Sam CLARKE 51
2 Luke MITCHELL 38
3 Callum SPRIGGS 37
4 Troy GUENTHER 35
5 Nic LIMINTON 31
6 Matt PRICE 26
7 Thomas BRYDEN 25
8 Ben BLYTH 24
9 Rhys CLAY 21
10 Joshua MATHERS 21
Motul Supersport Championship Standings
1 Sam CLARKE 162
2 Troy GUENTHER 152
3 Callum SPRIGGS 143.5
4 Luke MITCHELL 137
5 Ben BLYTH 114.5
6 Chris QUINN 92
7 Nic LIMINTON 89.5
8 Ted COLLINS 83.5
9 Robbie MENZIES 70
10 Mark CHIODO 53.5
For a full list of results from Round 4 of the ASBK, head to www.computime.com.au
For more information on the Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul Pirelli, head to www.asbk.com.au
2016 ASBK calendar:
Round 1 Phillip Island GP Circuit, WSBK, Vic 25-28 February
Round 2 Wakefield Park Raceway, NSW 25-27 March
Round 3 Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW 16-17 April
Round 4 Barbagallo Raceway, WA 3-5 June
Round 5 Morgan Park Raceway, QLD 6-7 August
Round 6 Winton Motor Raceway, Vic 30 September – 2 October
More, from a press release issued by DesmoSport Ducati:
RACE WIN AND ROUND PODIUM FOR DESMOSPORT DUCATI’S JONES IN WA
DesmoSport Ducati is celebrating a maiden Australian Superbike Championship race win after Mike Jones claimed the opening bout at Barbagallo Raceway in Western Australia this afternoon.
After securing the Superpole in yesterday’s qualifying, Jones was able to convert that result to the race one victory, crossing the line with a 0.307s advantage on board his 1299 Panigale S.
The defending ASBK champion was also able to lead laps in the second 20-lap affair, before slipping back to third at race’s end and sealing second overall for the round.
“It’s been a fantastic weekend for myself and the DesmoSport Ducati team,” Jones reflected. “To get the Pirelli Superpole yesterday was really important and to get the first race win was a great result.
“I’m really pleased to reward the team’s efforts. It was good to control race one from the front under pressure, a really, really cool feeling.
“In the second race I made a much better start, tried to push early, but the other guys were obviously very fast as well. Anyway, to finish on the podium and take second overall was a great way to cap off the weekend!”
Team co-owner and three-time World Superbike Champion Troy Bayliss was on hand for Jones’ success throughout the weekend, satisfied with the ongoing progression made by the first-year operation.
“We’re making progress all the time and Mike obviously had a really good weekend here in WA,” Bayliss commented. “It puts us back up nearer to the front, so with only two more rounds to go we can focus on more strong results.”
Western Australian Ben Henry, co-owner of DesmoSport Ducati with Bayliss and team manager, was proud of the team’s results across the Barbagallo weekend, which included a new fastest-ever motorcycle lap of the circuit by Jones at 55.029s.
“It’s been an exceptional weekend for Mike and the entire DesmoSport Ducati team,” Henry explained. “To see him claim the Pirelli Superpole and go on to take the opening race victory was great and well-deserved. Bringing home third in race two was another strong finish and we’re really happy to see him stand second on the podium overall.”
Jones will enter Morgan Park’s penultimate round of the 2016 ASBK title-chase in Queensland on 5-7 August ranked fourth in the standings. Visit www.asbk.com.au for further information on the series.
More, from a press release issued by Cube Racing:
CUBE RACING CLAIMS BARBAGALLO RACEWAY ASBK CLASS PODIUMS
Cube Racing riders raced to a pair of hard-fought class podiums at Barbagallo Raceway’s fourth round of the 2016 Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) today in Western Australia.
Australian Supersport title challenger Callum Spriggs claimed fourth in race one and the runner-up in the second, resulting in third overall. He’s now third in the standings, 18.5 points off the lead with two rounds remaining.
“At the start of the weekend I wasn’t feeling 100 percent and struggled to go faster,” Spriggs said. “I got stuck at a wall in terms of lap times and struggled to go faster, but we came good in the races. The second race was even better again.
“It was good to fight for the win, we came up a little bit short, but I am happy with how the weekend finished. Hopefully we can get a win at Morgan Park and be right there for the championship, because that would definitely help.”
Supersport class rookie Robbie Menzies was ninth in the opening race and improved his lap speed in the second, but was a non-finisher. That dropped him down to 15th for the round, but he’s ninth in the series.
“We had a pretty good weekend and improved every time we went out,” Menzies recalled. “Every time I was on track we moved forward, which was good. My fastest time came in the last race. Unfortunately I didn’t finish that one, but that’s okay – we will move onto the next round in Queensland.”
Goulburn teenager Tom Toparis impressed once again in the Up To 300 Production category, finishing second overall via a 3-2 scorecard and even leading a number of laps. The road racing newcomer currently sits fourth in the championship.
“This is by far the best weekend I’ve had so far in road racing,” Toparis explained. “I was right amongst the leaders and led for the first time, which was a great experience, and I’m just learning so much. I’m getting more confident every time!”
The penultimate round of the 2016 Australian Superbike Championship will take place at Morgan Park in Queensland on 5-7 August, the team’s home stop of the six-round schedule. Visit www.asbk.com.au for further details.