Herfoss Untouchable at Morgan Park Raceway
19 August 2018
Troy Herfoss (Penrite Honda Racing, CBR1000SP) was simply untouchable at Morgan Park Raceway for Round 5 of the Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul Pirelli (ASBK). Coming into the round as the YMI Superbike points leader, he was calculated and precise throughout the weekend, picking up two race wins, as well as starting from pole position.
Leading up to the weekend, it was always going to be the battle of Troy after practice on Friday, and it lived up to expectations. Troy Bayliss (Desmosport Ducati, 1299 FE) and Herfoss had two epic battles in both races, but it would be Herfoss getting both wins.
“It was so much fun, having dream runs like this and I must thank the team for giving me a bike this good and so easy to ride. A big thank you to the team and I’m just so happy to take another round win and extend my championship lead,” said Herfoss.
Josh Waters (Team Suzuki ECSTAR, GSX-R1000R) and Bayliss shared the same results here at Morgan Park both grabbing a second and a fourth. Waters takes out second overall for the weekend after a better finish in race two.
Bayliss ended third but the speed he carried throughout the two races was captivating, breaking the race lap record during race two just showed he was on it this weekend.
A pair of third place finishes left Wayne Maxwell (Yamaha Racing Team, YZF-R1M) fourth overall but missed second position for the weekend by just one point.
Race One
Herfoss continues his stellar 2018 season, taking the win in race one of the YMI Superbike class here at Morgan Park Raceway. Herfoss had a poor start but his battle with Bayliss from lap ten all the way to the line was epic.
Herfoss made the move on Bayliss on lap 13, but the pair had been going at it from lap ten. It looked that Bayliss’s Ducati had more grunt down the straight and Herfoss was finding the most out of his Honda through the tight technical part of Morgan Park Raceway.
Once Herfoss made the move for the lead, he took off to the chequered flag and claimed his sixth race win of the season.
“Once again the fight with Troy is so much fun, we just have confidence in each other and he then leans in on me and I’m like don’t do that Troy, but for us to come out on top of the battle and to get our sixth win of the season is better than I would have imagined,” finished Herfoss.
Bayliss would have to settle for second, whilst behind the front two, Maxwell and Waters were battling it out for the last spot on the podium.
It would be Maxwell who found the speed to book himself the last spot on the podium, whilst defending YMI Superbike Champion, Waters would settle for fourth.
Rounding out the top five was Daniel Falzon (Yamaha Racing Team, YZF-R1M) who put in a consistent race throughout the fourteen laps.
A season best came from privateer Matt Walters (Swann Insurance Superbike, Kawasaki ZX-10R) who mixed it with the factory riders to claim sixth.
Just behind Walters was the factory Kawasaki machine of Bryan Staring (Kawasaki BCperformance, ZX-10R) who battled with Falzon throughout the race, but faded late to collect seventh position.
In his return to ASBK on a new bike, Corey Turner (Honda CBR RR SP) raced right back into the top ten and looked like he hadn’t missed a beat, grabbing eighth position.
Another one of the privateer brigade, Alex Phillis (Phillis Racing, Suzuki GSX-RR) put in a great ride in the windy conditions to collect ninth, a solid top ten effort.
Rounding out the top ten and one of his best race performance of the season was Ted Collins (NextGen Motorsports, BMW S RR).
YMI Superbike Race One Provisional Results
1. Troy HERFOSS (Penrite Honda Racing, Honda CBR RR SP) 17:19.961
2. Troy BAYLISS (Desmosport Ducati, Ducati 1299 FE) 17:21.044
3. Wayne MAXWELL (Yamaha Racing Team, Yamaha YZF-R1M) 17:24.908
4. Josh WATERS (Team Suzuki ECSTAR, Suzuki GSX-RR) 17:25.065
5. Daniel FALZON (Yamaha Racing Team, Yamaha YZF-R1M) 17:33.723
6. Matt WALTERS (Swann Insurance Superbike, Kawasaki ZX-10R) 17:36.484
7. Bryan STARING (Kawasaki BCperformance, Kawasaki ZX-10R) 17:38.319
8. Corey TURNER (Honda CBR RR SP) 17:40.551
9. Alex PHILLIS (Phillis Racing, Suzuki GSX-RR) 17:43.056
10. Ted COLLINS (NextGen Motorsports, BMW S RR) 17:43.206
Race Two
Herfoss is simply on another level in the YMI Superbike class as he makes it the perfect weekend at Morgan Park Raceway. A measured and calculated performance, Herfoss slipped to fourth off the line but he just made his ground slowly but surely throughout the 16-lap race.
He made his move on Maxwell for third mid-race before setting his sights on Waters in second, the move was made on lap ten and he set his sight on Bayliss.
The battle of Troy was enthralling with Bayliss making his bike as wide as possible, but on lap 13 Herfoss made the move and didn’t look back collecting race win number seven.
Waters bounced back this weekend after a tough past few rounds to be back on the podium, finishing in second after Bayliss ran wide on lap 15.
Maxwell was also on the receiving end of good fortune when Bayliss ran wide, making his move onto the final spot on the podium.
Bayliss would cross the line in fourth, but it was a weekend where the three-time World Superbike Champion had such great pace but just slowed towards the end of the race.
Falzon made it a pair of fifth place finishes here at Morgan Park Raceway but would be a little disappointed, he didn’t get to mix it with the lead group.
Staring would have to settle for sixth a very similar performance to race one for the man in green.
What a weekend it was for Walters, picking up seventh place in race two, a great effort after his sixth in race one leading the way for the privateers.
Turner who didn’t look out of place at all after a miss the last few rounds, backed up his race one effort with another eighth place finish, showing plenty of promise on his Honda.
Collins has had his best weekend since making the jump to the Superbike class, grabbing ninth place and giving himself great confidence for the remaining two rounds.
Local rider Ryan Yanko (Bettapork, Ducati Panigale) will be over the moon, grabbing tenth in front of his home crowd.
YMI Superbike Race Two Provisional Results
1. Troy HERFOSS (Penrite Honda Racing, Honda CBR RR SP) 19:43.566
2. Josh WATERS (Team Suzuki ECSTAR, Suzuki GSX-RR) 19:44.295
3. Wayne MAXWELL (Yamaha Racing Team, Yamaha YZF-R1M) 19:47.849
4. Troy BAYLISS (Desmosport Ducati, Ducati 1299 FE) 19:51.110
5. Daniel FALZON (Yamaha Racing Team, Yamaha YZF-R1M) 19:58.539
6. Bryan STARING (Kawasaki BCperformance, Kawasaki ZX-10R) 20:00.459
7. Matt WALTERS (Swann Insurance Superbike, Kawasaki ZX-10R) 20:03.748
8. Corey TURNER (Honda CBR RR SP) 20:12.522
9. Ted COLLINS (NextGen Motorsports, BMW S RR) 20:12.540
10. Ryan YANKO (Bettapork, Ducati Panigale) 20:17.145
Herfoss leaves Morgan Park Raceway with 256.5 points, Maxwell sits in second with 212 points and Bayliss sits in third with 194 points after the completion of five rounds.
The next time you will see ASBK in action will be at Winton, Victoria on September 7-9.
More, from a press release issued by Penrite Honda Racing:
PENRITE HONDA RACING’S HERFOSS SWEEPS MORGAN PARK ASBK WEEKEND
Penrite Honda Racing’s Troy Herfoss has extended his lead in the 2018 Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) to 44.5 points following a dominant display at Morgan Park Raceway this weekend.
Herfoss scored the Elite Roads pole position on Saturday with a new best lap of 1m12.651s, before going on to capture victory in both of Sunday’s 16-lap races around the technical 2.967-kilometre Queensland circuit.
It was a stunning ride from 2016 title-winner Herfoss aboard his ER Motorsport-prepared CBR1000RR SP Fireblade, patient in his approach and striking when it counted in the closing laps of both races to make it four-consecutive overall wins.
On top of Herfoss’ exceptional results for the round, a scintillating 1m12.645s lap-time set in the middle stages of race two smashed the previous lap record and lowered his own fastest-ever Superbike lap of Morgan Park from qualifying the day prior.
“This was the best weekend I’ve ever had, really!” beamed Herfoss. “We had a lot of pace all weekend and it showed in qualifying when we set pole position on a race tyre. In the races we had a clear strategy to save the tyre as much as possible in the early stages and I think that showed.
“We were able to pick off the other guys as the races wore on and, in the end, it resulted in two dominant race victories. I’m just that stoked for the whole team to deliver this type of reward, so thanks to everybody at Penrite Honda Racing and all of our supporters. Now we are really looking forward to the next round.”
It was another great reward for the Penrite Honda Racing squad, continuing to focus on the championship in the team’s first season of ASBK competition together with Honda Motorcycles Australia. Team manager Shaun Clarke said these results are a testament of the work that has gone into each round of 2018.
“The results this weekend are probably a reflection of how we tested here and we basically didn’t change the bike at all,” Clarke commented. “It was just about putting the laps in, making sure we could make the tyre last and that was about it! We made a small traction control mapping change today for the first few laps and that was all.
“Troy was very patient today, which is sometimes very difficult for riders, but he did what he had to do and rode quite smart. The way the bike was working, he was able to keep driving forward through the races and the K-Tech Suspension is working really well for us.
“We have a clear direction, to focus on winning at every round, and if we do that the points will sort themselves out. There is the opportunity to wrap it up at Winton a round early, but if it doesn’t happen then we’ll look to the following round. Regardless, the plan is to go out and win – we won’t be going into conservation mode whatsoever.”
With Herfoss leading the championship standings by 44.5 points, Penrite Honda Racing’s next event will take place at the penultimate round of the ASBK series between 7-9 September at Winton Motor Raceway in Victoria.
Follow Team Honda Racing on Facebook, as well as @teamhondaracing on Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
More, from a press release issued by DesmoSport Ducati:
MORGAN PARK ASBK PODIUM FOR DESMOSPORT DUCATI’S BAYLISS
DesmoSport Ducati’s Troy Bayliss delivered his second-consecutive Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) podium in an inspired performance at Morgan Park, Queensland, this weekend to take third overall at round five.
After setting the pace in Friday’s opening practices, team co-owner Bayliss went on to qualify second on Saturday with a lightning-fast 1m12.784s lap-time aboard his 1299 Panigale R Final Edition.
Bayliss led no less than 10 laps in the restarted opening 16-lap encounter, only to be passed in the closing stages and finish a close second. He set the pace once again in race two, leading the first 12 laps. A mistake while running second on the penultimate lap dropped him to P4.
Still, those results saw the three-time world champion claim third overall for the round and he’s currently third in the championship standings with two rounds remaining. He also posted the fastest lap of race one at 1m13.015s, which was a new lap record at the time.
“I’m satisfied to an extent, because if I was younger I’d be really upset with the result, but honestly it was okay for us at this stage,” recalled the gritty 49-year-old. “We’re a bit disappointed because we believed we could win both races, but we were certainly amongst it at the front and put on a show – that’s always a positive.
“This round was hopefully going to be the turning point for a last-ditch run at the championship, but that’s finished now. The plan was to get pole and two race wins here, which didn’t pan out, so now we just have to aim for some wins and more good results for our DesmoSport Ducati team and sponsors.
“In race two we had made a couple of tiny changes that we thought might help, but the tyre went downhill really fast again. I had no rear brake as I overcooked it a bit and had a small run-off, so that was that – it was just one of those things. We’re still third in the points and second would be the goal, so finishing the year strongly is the only thing that we can do!”
DesmoSport Ducati team manager and co-owner Ben Henry said it was another promising weekend, impressed with Bayliss’ ability to set the pace and lead the field through much of each race. They’re now working to extract that performance over race distance, which would cap-off the season well in the final rounds.
“We went into the races pretty confident, but we will probably need to take a look at the way the races are panning out,” Henry commented. “To me, there’s a pattern that’s emerging. We have led a lot of race laps, only to fall back toward the end when we’re running out of grip. We’re trying to learn as fast as we can, trying different things.
“Of course, we’re happy to be toward the front with reliable and fast bikes. We can match anyone for lap-speed, however over race distance we are a bit off. I believed we could be in the mix to win this weekend and Troy was right there, so we will keep working away and move on to Winton now.”
The penultimate round of the 2018 ASBK season will take place at Winton Motor Raceway in Victoria on 7-9 September.
Like DesmoSport Ducati on Facebook, Follow @desmosportducati on Instagram and visit www.asbk.com.au for further information. Cube Performance Centre also has an exclusive DesmoSport Ducati section on its website, available to view at www.asbk.com.au