2020 Mi-Bike ASBK

Official Phillip Island Test Day Two

By Trevor Hedge – Images TBG/Rob Mott/TH

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Kawasaki Australian Superbike Championship

The first of today’s 4 x 25-minute practice sessions for Australian Superbike competitors got underway just before 0930 on what was a beautiful sunny morning at Phillip Island. The track temperature had just nudged past 30-degrees while the ambient was climbing past 20-degrees towards a forecast maximum of around 35-degrees expected later in the day.

Rear wheel going in the Ducati of Wayne Maxwell – TBG Image

All 16 riders present for the test were quickly out on track in that morning session but it was Wayne Maxwell again that dominated. The 37-year-old has obviously taken to the new V4 R Ducati very well indeed and wasted no time in setting a string of mid-high 1m32s right from the off. He then returned to the pits for some tweaks before heading out again to record a 1m32.608.  Maxwell was clocked at 311 km/h through the speed trap by Computime in that session.

Mike Jones – TBG Image

Daniel Falzon also enjoyed the cooler conditions and shrugged off the soreness of recent arm pump surgery to get down to business, dropping in a 1m32.813 on his sixth lap of the morning.

Daniel Falzon – TBG Image

Mike Jones put in a 1m32.434s lap on his 13th and final lap of that opening session to finish on top and with Maxwell that made for a Ducati 1-2 at the top of the time-sheets. Something that might happen quite a bit this season one suspects…

Mike Jones – Image by Rob Mott

Ambient temperatures were nudging 30-degrees and the track temperature heading for 45-degrees when Superbike competitors took to the track for their second session today at 1130.

Max Croker – TBG Image

Falzon was quick out of the blocks again with another 1m32, a 1m32.958s which he then backed up with a 1m33.137. Bryan Staring put his quickest time of the week early on in the second session with a 1m33.063s to make it a Dunlop 1-2 at the top of the charts for the early part of that second session. Staring strung together a series of low-mid 1m33s in that 25-minute session.

Bryan Staring – Image by Rob Mott

Josh Waters started to make some progress halfway through the session after setting his fastest time of the week thus far, getting down to a few mid 33s.

Josh Waters – TBG Image

The YRT boys also got wound up as that second session drew to a close. Wagner dropping in a 1m32.792 and Halliday a 1m33.171, some new rubber had gone into at least one of those bikes. Conversely we believe Mike Jones worked on his pace while shod with used rubber in that session.

Mike Jones – Image by Rob Mott

Wayne Maxwell didn’t do many laps in that second session but headed out of the pits with a few minutes to run and then instantly went top with a 1m31.776. That is two-tenths under the ASBK qualifying lap record set by Jones here last October at 1m31.995… It’s fair to say he is already getting on pretty well with the Pirelli shod and K-Tech suspended Ducati V4 R…. Look out competition…

Wayne Maxwell – 2020 Phillip Island ASBK Test – Image by TBG

By the time the third and penultimate session of the two-day test got underway at 1330 the ambient temperature was registering 35.4 and the track temp 56.3-degrees celsius. Would the Dunlop boys come to the fore in the hotter conditions?

Dunlop

While the likes of Bryan Staring and Daniel Falzon did put in some quick times in that stinging heat on Dunlops, the man setting the pace was yet again, Wayne Maxwell.   Maxwell put in a 1m32.279 then backed it up with a 1m32.603, followed by a 1m32.994, a 1m32.746, a 1m33.003 and then a 1m32.959 to cap that run off. He then backed off a little before resuming with a 1m33.182 and then returning to the pits.

Wayne Maxwell – 2020 Phillip Island ASBK Test – Image by Rob Mott

Mike Jones had been circulating a little off the pace, presumably working on used tyre pace, before then putting in a 1m32.903 to be second quickest in that session and Herfoss rounded out the top three with a 1m32.985 on the Michelin shod Honda ahead of Cru Halliday.

Jeremy Burgess overseeing the Michelin rubber for Penrite Honda at the ASBK Test – Image by Rob Mott

Dunlop runners Bryan Staring and Daniel Falzon were sixth and seventh in the hot conditions, Staring the quickest of the pair in that session with a 1m33.122.

Bryan Staring

One man left nursing his wounds after the session was Aiden Wagner who went down at MG Hairpin and headed to the medical centre nursing a very sore left hand after smacking it hard on the tarmac in the tumble. He headed off for x-rays to check out what was broken but will be racing round one either way as he only needs to use the clutch once per race. 

Aiden Wagner

With the track temperatures heading yet further northwards past 60-degrees, and most of the teams having worked through their testing plans, many of the riders packed up after that penultimate session. Those sitting out the final 25-minute practice session included Wayne Maxwell, Daniel Falzon, Max Croker and the injured Aiden Wagner.

Daniel Falzon – Image by Rob Mott

Troy Herfoss though was amped after just watching his wife Emily come second in a major bicycle race in Torquay, live on his phone only minutes before he went out of pit-lane for the final session. A 1m32.497 on his first flying lap followed by a 1m33.443 to the 2018 champ.

Jeremy Burgess overseeing the Michelin rubber for Penrite Honda at the ASBK Test – Image by Rob Mott

Mike Jones then dropped in a 1m32.517, Bryan Staring his best of the two-day test with a 1m32.603, and Josh Waters a 1m33.141 on the 2017 model GSX-R1000 he is testing here this week. 

Josh Waters – TBG Image

The Mildura based three-time Aussie Superbike Champion was left somewhat high and dry when the official Suzuki Team pulled the pin after last season, but is putting the finishing touches now on his own privateer team after securing some out-of-industry sponsorship that will enable him to compete this season.  He improved his time further in the dying minutes of that final session to end the two-day test seventh quickest with a best of 1m33.052.

Josh Waters – Image by Rob Mott

Herfoss though topped that afternoon session ahead of Jones and Staring with Waters fourth. On combined times Herfoss was third quickest across the two days of testing with a best of 1m32.497, only a gnat’s whisker behind second placed Jones. Both of those men though seven-tenths behind pacesetter Maxwell which might have them worried ahead of the season opener here at Phillip Island late next month…

Troy Herfoss – Image by Rob Mott

Matt Walters would be pretty happy with a 1m33.278 while Lachlan Epis put in a very impressive best lap of 1m33.477 in that final session to round out the top ten on combined times. 

Matt Walters – TBG Image

Matt Walters ended the test in ninth just behind eighth placed Cru Halliday. 

Lachlan Epis

Jed Metcher used Ohlins suspension on the opening day of the test to use as a benchmark indicator for himself before today switching to YSS suspension as he evaluates and considers the Thailand produced components for his 2020 Australian Superbike campaign. The Victorian finished the test 14th on combined times with a best of 1m34.438, just ahead of Sloan Frost. 

Jed Metcher evaluated Thai made YSS suspension today at Phillip Island – Image by Rob Mott

NextGen BMW and Glenn Allerton did not really seem to find their feet at all during the two-day test. Hopefully they can look at their data and find some direction ahead of the next test. They ended the test 13th quickest with a best of 1m34.192.

Glenn Allerton – TBG Image

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Kawasaki Superbike Times

Pos	Rider	Bike	Time
1	Wayne MAXWELL	Ducati V4R	1m31.776
2	Mike JONES	Ducati V4R	1m32.434
3	Troy HERFOSS	Honda CBR RR	1m32.497
4	Bryan STARING	Kawasaki ZX10R	1m32.603
5	Aiden WAGNER	Yamaha YZF-R1	1m32.792
6	Daniel FALZON	Yamaha YZF-R1	1m32.813
7	Josh WATERS	Suzuki GSX RR	1m33.052
8	Cru HALLIDAY	Yamaha YZF-R1	1m33.112
9	Matt WALTERS	Kawasaki ZX10R	1m33.278
10	Lachlan EPIS	Suzuki GSX RR	1m33.477
11	Glenn SCOTT .	Kawasaki ZX10R	1m33.616
12	Max CROKER	Suzuki GSX RR	1m34.142
13	Glenn ALLERTON	BMW S RR	1m34.192
14	Jed METCHER	Suzuki GSXR	1m34.438
15	Sloan FROST	Suzuki GSX RR	1m34.860
16	Brendan MCINTYRE	Suzuki GSX RR	1m36.191
17	Nathan SPITERI	Suzuki GSX RR	1m39.939

Combined Practices

Supersport 300 / R3 Cup

Combined Practices

Pos	Rider	Bike	Time
1	Tom BRAMICH	Kawasaki EX 400	1m48.418
2	Harry KHOURI	Yamaha / Kawasaki	1m48.614
3	Luke JHONSTON	Kawasaki EX 400	1m48.639
4	Luke POWER	Kawasaki EX 400	1m49.297
5	Caleb GILMORE	Yamaha R3 321	1m49.731
6	Brandon DEMMERY	Yamaha R3 321	1m50.328
7	Reece OUGHTRED	Yamaha R3 321	1m50.539
8	Archie MCDONALD	Yamaha R3 321	1m50.626
9	Jack HYDE	Yamaha R3 321	1m50.645
10	Peter NERLICH	Kawasaki EX 400	1m50.938
11	Zylas BUNTING	Kawasaki EX 400	1m50.962
12	Jacob HATCH	Yamaha R3 321	1m51.072
13	Laura BROWN	Yamaha R3 321	1m51.308
14	Jake SENIOR	Kawasaki EX 400	1m51.670
15	Angus GRENFELL	Yamaha R3 321	1m51.776
16	Cody VAN BERGEN	Yamaha R3 321	1m52.025
17	Joseph MARINIELLO	Kawasaki EX 400	1m52.163
18	James JACOBS	Kawasaki EX 400	1m52.394
19	Jake FARNSWORTH	Yamaha R3 321	1m52.645
20	Jesse WOODS	Yamaha R3 321	1m53.463
21	Luca DURNING	Yamaha R3 321	1m53.915
22	Jamie PORT	Yamaha R3 321	1m54.530
23	Oliver SHORT	Yamaha R3 321	1m54.633
24	Hannah STEWART	Yamaha R3 321	1m56.995
25	David WILSON	Kawasaki EX 400	2m00.443
26	Sam DAVIS	Yamaha R3 321	2m00.834

Pos	Name	Machine	Time
1	Tom TOPARIS	Kawasaki ZX6R	1m36.185
2	Jack HYDE	Yamaha YZF-R6	1m36.469
3	Nic LIMINTON	Yamaha YZF-R6	1m36.605
4	Oli BAYLISS	Yamaha YZF-R6	1m36.685
5	Jack PASSFIELD	Yamaha YZF-R6	1m36.917
6	Broc PEARSON	Yamaha YZF-R6	1m37.140
7	Max STAUFFER	Yamaha YZF-R6	1m37.741
8	Aidan HAYES	Yamaha YZF-R6	1m37.780
9	Ted COLLINS	Suzuki GSXR	1m37.784
10	Dallas SKEER	Suzuki GSXR	1m38.139
11	Luke MITCHELL	Yamaha YZF-R6	1m38.459
12	Chris QUINN	Yamaha YZF-R6	1m38.633
13	Andrew EDSER	Kawasaki ZX-6R	1m39.848
14	Callum O’BRIEN	Kawasaki ZX6R	1m40.164
15	Patrick Jun LI	Yamaha YZF-R6	1m40.544
16	Darren MCGRATH	Kawasaki ZX6R

Source: MCNews.com.au