Wayne Maxwell smashes Pole Position record at Winton

April 29, 2017

Wayne Maxwell has snatched first position on the grid ahead of tomorrow’s Yamaha Motorcycle Insurance (YMI) Superbike races from reigning 2016 champion, Troy Herfoss. Maxwell put in a storming lap towards the end of Qualifying Two, that could not be matched by any other competitor. With three different manufacturers represented on the front row alone, the Spokes.com.au presents Round 3 at Winton Motor Raceway is set for an incredible battle as part of the Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul Pirelli.

Wayne Maxwell (Yamaha Racing Team, Yamaha YZF-R1) has the honour of being first on the grid for tomorrow’s tantalising first YMI Superbike race. Maxwell pulverised the previous lap record with a time of 1:20.290. The Yamaha rider has been hovering around the top five for the majority of the practice sessions but Maxwell delivered when it counted after his bike was setup to perfection by the Yamaha Racing Team.

Troy Herfoss (Crankt Protein Honda Racing, CBR-1000SP) looked primed to snare pole position after topping Qualifying One earlier in the day. The Honda rider soon found a battle on his hand when he realised Maxwell had topped the timesheets. Herfoss attempted to put in a flying lap in the final stages of the session but was too late across the line to challenge. His fastest overall qualifying lap was a 1:20.568.

Josh Waters (Team Suzuki ECSTAR, GSXR-1000R) completed the exciting front row with his phenomenal build throughout the weekend. The new bike is gelling extremely well with Waters and proving to be a great combination. Water’s fastest lap was a 1:20.641, and very close to the top two on the grid. The local Victorian will be looking to put on a show for his friends and family as they watch him battle the other competitors in tomorrow’s races.

In fourth and fifth positions were Yamaha riders Daniel Falzon (JD Racing, Yamaha YZF-R1) and Cru Halliday (Yamaha Finance, YZF-R1). Championship leader Falzon couldn’t quite crack the top three but is still in a position of strength for tomorrow’s race. Halliday is a Winton Motor Raceway specialist and can’t be counted out of an impressive result.

Make it to the track for Spokes.com.au presents Round 3 at Winton Motor Raceway to witness the ASBK competitors in person as they take to the track to battle for championship glory!

Wayne Maxwell

“The guys from the Yamaha Racing Team have given me a great package for today. We’ve been hanging around the top three for the majority of the practice sessions. We’ve just been chipping away at getting the one lap pace to where it needed to be. Braking around Winton Motor Raceway is such a critical aspect to get right and our bike excels around the back of the track in that respect. We have a great bike for the long distances but we’ll have to find out what transpires tomorrow. I feel we’re back to the position we were last year in terms of competitiveness, hopefully we can build momentum from now on.”

Troy Herfoss

“I’m never happy to be second but if there’s one thing I’ve learned, its not over until the final second of qualifying! Hats off to Wayne he’s done a great job and its great to have the old mates up the front. It’s been a nervous weekend tyre wise and no one knows what to do tomorrow but as you’ve just seen the pace on new tyres is very quick. Hopefully we get some great weather for tomorrows racing.”

Josh Waters

“Huge thanks to Team Suzuki ECSTAR, I’m really enjoying the brand new bike. Step by step we are improving the package and improving session by session. We’ve made huge improvement with the balance of the bike in particular. I’m going to try my hardest for a great result. It’s really important to get on the front row as it won’t be easy to pass.”

ASBK Live

Can’t make it to the track this weekend? Simply grab your remote this Sunday afternoon, buckle up and tune into SBS on your television from 12:30 PM to 4:00 PM AEST for hours and hours of dramatic race coverage!

For hard-core ASBK race fans, who simply cannot miss out on any electrifying ASBK race day action, Live Streaming featured on asbk.com.au and the ASBK Facebook page, will satisfy your thirst for two-wheeled action, with hours and hours of feed from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM AEST – All of which will make you feel like you are in the paddock! The action can be viewed from any device – whether it’s a computer, smart phone or tablet, you’re all set to go.

YMI Superbike Overall Qualifying Results

1. Wayne MAXWELL (Yamaha Racing Team, YZF-R1) 1:20.290

2. Troy HERFOSS (Crankt Protein Honda Racing Team) 1:20.568

3. Josh WATERS (Team Suzuki ECSTAR, GSRXR-1000R) 1:20.641

4. Daniel FALZON (JD Racing, Yamaha YZF-R1) 1:20.652

5 Cru HALLIDAY (Yamaha Finance, YZF-R1) 1:20.934

6 Bryan STARING (Crankt Protein Honda Racing Team) 1:21.049

7 Alex PHILLIS (Arnold’s Fruit Market Yamaha YZF-R1) 1:21.330

8 Josh HOOK (McMartin Racing, Ducati Panigale) 1:21.713

9 Robert BUGDEN (Kawasaki BCperformance, ZX-10R) 1:21.817

10 Troy GUENTHER (NextGen Motorsports, BMW S1000R) 1:21.969

2017 Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship Presented by Motul Pirelli Calendar:

Round 3 Spokes.com.au presents Winton Motor Raceway, VIC 28-30 April

Round 4 Hidden Valley Raceway, NT 7-9 July

Round 5 Morgan Park Raceway, QLD 25-27 August

Round 6 SMSP Eastern Creek, NSW 8-10 September

Round 7 Spokes.com.au presents Phillip Island Circuit, VIC 6-8 October

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