2019 Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championship
Maxima BMW Set for titanic tussle in rural Victoria
Round five of the seven-round Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) gets underway this weekend at the tight and technical country Victorian venue of Winton and a new look Maxima BMW squad are hoping to get back on track in the best way possible with a great points haul.
Glenn Allerton was forced to sit on the sidelines at the previous Morgan Park round due to wrist injuries, but the three-time champ will make his long-awaited return to top flight competition this weekend.
At the recent two-day Winton test Allerton focused on getting his #14 BMW S 1000RR and himself ready for battle. He is going in while still a little wounded, and was searching for a suspension set-up that would help ease the load on his troublesome wrist.
Glenn Allerton
“The physiotherapy after the test has definitely helped with the inflammation in the joint, and apart from the small teething issues we had, the team and I made some big steps forward in terms of suspension. I really feel like the changes we made over the two days benefitted me quite a lot. I’m sure at the end of the three practice sessions come Friday, we will have a good setting heading into Saturday’s qualifying and the races for Sunday.”
Aaron Morris heads into his third Australian Superbike Championship start in the premier class with confidence after a solid weekend at Morgan Park Raceway in July and a positive test at Winton two weeks ago.
“Once I got the hang of Winton at the test, I actually started to really enjoy the circuit,” explained Morris. “At first, I didn’t really know what to expect, but in the end, it was a lot of fun aboard the Maxima BMW S 1000RR, it’s quite technical and flowing. The team and I walked away from the test in a positive state of mind. In saying that, we know we still have a little bit of pace to find. I’m not too stressed, as we have three thirty-minute practice sessions on Friday to try a few more things on the bike and get a few more laps around the circuit. I believe we’ll be in for the hunt come qualifying and the races.”
With two Australian Superbike round starts under his belt now, Morris also explained that he now understands more about what he can get out of both himself and the overall bike setup.
“Obviously I knew my fitness had to step up to another level before I went into round four, which I have been working on very hard at late. But the main thing I took from Morgan Park, which I can apply to this weekend, is just understanding what the bike does from the start of the race, compared to the end of the race. I feel a lot more confident about the races from here on in the rest of the season, so I’m expecting to be able to deliver good results for the Next Gen Motorsports team and their sponsors,” concluded the 27-year-old.
Maxima BMW’s Team Manager, Wayne Hepburn is optimistic about this weekend for both Allerton and Morris.
“The test at Winton Motor Raceway proved two things; one, Glenn is getting closer to full fitness every day, which is a credit to him and his hunger to keep fighting on to achieve good results and two; Aaron keeps getting faster and faster every time he gets on the bike,” said Hepburn.
Hepburn also explained that Maxima BMW’s Chief Technical Officer Shane Kinderis is back for this round after returning from race duties overseas.
“While the team generally know which direction to go in regards to machine set-up, it will certainly help that little bit more having Shane back for the round so he can ‘sprinkle that last bit of fairy dust’ over the bikes.”
2019 Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championships Calendar
- Round 5: Winton Motor Raceway, VIC – 6-8 September 2019
- Round 6: Phillip Island GP Circuit, VIC – 4-6 October 2019
- Round 7: Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW – 1-3 November 2019
Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championship Standings
Source: MCNews.com.au