Reigning Champ Toparis Rules Supreme in Supersports
Tom Toparis has added another pole position to his extensive tally in the MotorsportsTV Supersport category at the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship, presented by Motul Grand Finale at Wakefield Park this afternoon.
Toparis set his fastest time in the first of the two qualifying sessions, and no other rider was able to eclipse it in the second session.
“We felt both the tyres and the track conditions would be at their best in the first session, so we banked a lap then and it turned out to be good enough,” Toparis said.
Broc Pearson was second ahead of Oli Bayliss, Max Stauffer and Tom Edwards.
YMI Supersport 300
Yamaha R3 rider Carter Thompson emerged victorious in the opening YMI Supersport 300 race of the weekend, converting his pole position into victory by a margin of almost two seconds.
Behind Thompson, the battle for second raged throughout the race, with multiple riders swapping positions several times a lap. Harry Khouri ultimately scored the runner-up spot on his Kawasaki, leading home a freight train of bikes that included Ben Baker, John Lytras, Archie McDonald and Luke Power.
“It’s been a great start to the weekend, the bike has been awesome,” Thompson said.
“I have to thank the team for putting a lot of effort into the bike.”
bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup
Marianos Nikolis dominated Friday’s OJC proceedings, qualifying on pole position by 0.9s and romping to a commanding 3.6s win over Tom Drane in Race 1. As a result of his victory, Nikolis closed to within nine points of series leader Lucas Quinn.
“I’ve had a good weekend so far – it started off well in practice, I did a good time in qualifying and in the race I tried to focus from start to finish.
“Tom did well at the start, but I put my head down and focused on pulling away.”
The battle for third place was hard-fought, Cameron Swain prevailing after a last-lap pass on Cameron Dunker.
YMF R3 Cup
Carter Thompson translated his Supersport 300 form into the YMF R3 Cup, qualifying on pole position and taking the Race 1 win. However, he had to work harder for his victory, Archie McDonald chasing him all the way to the chequered flag while Ben Baker completed the podium.
“I could hear the others behind me and dad was keeping me updated on the gaps with the pit board; I really had to go as hard as I could,” Thompson said.
Two races will be held for each category tomorrow, while the Oceania Junior Cup and YMF R3 Cup will also hold qualifying sessions in the afternoon to set the grid for Sunday’s races.
Race fans can catch all the drama and action from the 2020 ASBK Grand Finale at Wakefield Park Raceway, December 3-6, live via ASBK live streaming, and through ASBK TV partners SBSHD, Fox Sports Australia and Fox Sports Asia on both Saturday and Sunday.
Keep up to date with the latest news on the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship, presented by Motul, via www.asbk.com.au and following ASBK on Facebook and Instagram.
