2019 Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championship
Winton – Round 5 – Saturday Report
Dark menacing clouds loomed large on the horizon above Winton Motor Raceway as competitors readied for final qualifying in the Kawasaki sponsored Superbike class.
Suzuki’s Wayne Maxwell had topped proceedings on Friday (Link), where riders only got one dry session all day, but it was Cru Halliday (Yamaha) that topped the Saturday morning ‘Timed Practice’ session (Link). Troy Herfoss suffered a hefty tumble during the morning session but escaped injury in the fall.
The new look Saturday format for 2019 sees Superbike competitors out for a 35-minute ‘Timed Practice’ session. The times from that session decided the nine riders that automatically qualified for the Q2 session. The riders from tenth back in the Timed Practice session then had to fight it out in a Q1 session, with the top three in that session then being promoted into Q2, making for a final 12-rider tussle over the first four rows of the grid.
While the ambient temperature had only notched up another two-degrees, to 13-degrees, the track temperature had come up a little more, from 18-degrees this morning to a still cool, but much more amenable 23-degrees when Superbike riders hit the track for the final qualifying sessions. A brief shower 60-minutes earlier during the closing stages of the Supersport qualifying session had dampened the track, but the surface had cleaned up nicely when riders filed out of pit-lane at 1500 for the 15-minute Q1 session.
Alex Phillis topped the session early on and was never headed. Aaron Morris then mounted a late charge to push himself inside the crucial top three and managed to displace not only Kyle Buckley but also Matt Walters. Thus Phillis, Morris and Walters progressed through to the Q2 session in their quest for a top-ten grid position.
Superbike QP1 Results
- Alex Phillis – Suzuki – 1m22.209s Q1
- Aaron Morris – BMW 1m22.410s Q1
- Matt Walters – Kawasaki 1m22.518s Q1
- Kyle Buckley – Kawasaki 1m23.034s Q1
- Damon Rees – Honda 1m23.243s Q1
- Glenn Allerton – BMW 1m23.276s Q1
- Lachlan Epis – Kawasaki 1m23.624s Q1
- Brendan McIntyre – Suzuki 1m25.726s Q1
- Hamish McMurray – Kawasaki 1m31.459s Q1
Superbike QP2
Daniel Falzon was the first man out on track in Q2 closely followed by Troy Herfoss. But the Penrite Honda man went down once again! Herfoss went down at turn 10, losing the front and sliding all the way into the tyre wall without even completing a lap. The defending champion was quickly up and made his way across the main straight with a slight limp in order to get back to the pits and his spare bike. I am not sure if any penalty will be levied on him for crossing the hot track during the session…
Wayne Maxwell was the early leader in Q2 with a 1m20.828s and that time stood until their was five minutes left in the session, when Daniel Falzon came from being nowhere all weekend to catapult his #25 into provisional pole!
Maxwell responded though, dropping in a 1m20.422s to move back up in to the #1 spot. Halliday then put in a 1m20.501s to push Falzon back to third.
Herfoss exited pit-lane on the spare bike with less than three-minutes remaining in the session. He would get only one or perhaps two flying laps to try and propel himself up from 12th in the order… He couldn’t manage it and will start tomorrow’s 16-lap races from 12th on the grid. It will be take no prisoners into turn one tomorrow with an angry Herf’ out to make amends when the lights go out!
Jones cranks out a 1m19s!
Jones goes to the top of the charts with a stunning 1m19.994s on the 1299 Panigale Final Edition, the fastest ever lap by a motorcycle around this Winton Motor Raceway circuit.
Maxwell will start alongside him in P2 with Cru Halliday rounding out the front row.
Daniel Falzon heads the second row ahead of Mark Chiodo and Josh Waters.
Arthur Sissis front the third row alongside Bryan Staring and Alex Phillis.
The key to a fast lap here seemingly coming in the final sector of the circuit. So many times today riders have put in storming first and second sectors, but fast final sectors were few and far between.
That single point earned for pole position today by Jones could prove crucial if this series goes down to the wire. After this fifth round at Winton the series moves to Phillip Island for the penultimate contest in early October, before the championship decider at Sydney Motorsports Park over the first weekend in November.
The opening 16-lap bout for this Winton round is scheduled to get underway at 1125 on Sunday morning, followed by the second and final bout at 1410 Sunday afternoon.
Superbike Qualifying Results
| Pos | Name | Bike | Time |
| 1 | Mike JONES (QLD) | Ducati 1299 FE | 1m19.994 |
| 2 | Wayne MAXWELL (VIC) | Suzuki GSXRR | 1m20.353 |
| 3 | Cru HALLIDAY (NSW) | Yamaha YZF-R1 | 1m20.501 |
| 4 | Daniel FALZON (SA) | Yamaha YZF-R1 | 1m20.785 |
| 5 | Mark CHIODO (VIC) | Honda CBR SP | 1m20.920 |
| 6 | Josh WATERS (VIC) | Suzuki GSXRR | 1m20.929 |
| 7 | Arthur SISSIS (SA) | Suzuki GSXRR | 1m21.481 |
| 8 | Bryan STARING (WA) | Kawasaki ZX10R | 1m21.487 |
| 9 | Alex PHILLIS (VIC) | Suzuki GSXR | 1m21.742 |
| 10 | Matt WALTERS (NSW) | Kawasaki ZX10RR | 1m21.973 |
| 11 | Aaron MORRIS (NSW) | BMW S RR | 1m22.109 |
| 12 | Troy HERFOSS (QLD) | Honda CBR SP | 1m22.520 |
| 13 | Kyle BUCKLEY (QLD) | Kawasaki ZX10R | 1m23.034 |
| 14 | Damon REES (NZ) | Honda CBR | 1m23.243 |
| 15 | Glenn ALLERTON (NSW) | BMW S RR | 1m23.276 |
| 16 | Lachlan EPIS (NSW) | Kawasaki ZX10R | 1m23.624 |
| 17 | Brendan McINTYRE (NSW) | Suzuki GSXR | 1m25.726 |
| 18 | Hamish McMURRAY (NSW) | Kawasaki ZX10RR | 1m31.459 |
Supersport
Tom Toparis did not need to turn a wheel in Saturday’s afternoon’s QP2 session, his 1m23.503s from QP1 was looking very safe but the Goulburn teenager headed out of pit-lane as the 25-minute final qualifying session entered its second half. Toparis then reeled off another couple of 1m23.5s to underline his pace.
Reid Battye improved his time markedly in the second session to move up to P2, demoting Nic Liminton to third place on the grid. The South Australian though reclaimed that P2 late in the session just before rain started falling, putting paid to the chance of any further improvements. Chandler Cooper a victim of the rain, putting his YZF-R6 into the fence late in the session.
Supersport Qualifying Results
| Pos | Name | Bike | Time |
| 1 | Tom TOPARIS (NSW) | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 1m23.503 |
| 2 | Nic LIMINTON (SA) | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 1m24.093 |
| 3 | Reid BATTYE (NSW) | Suzuki GSXR | 1m24.257 |
| 4 | Broc PEARSON (QLD) | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 1m24.510 |
| 5 | Oli BAYLISS (QLD) | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 1m24.741 |
| 6 | Ty LYNCH (SA) | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 1m25.323 |
| 7 | Chris QUINN (NSW) | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 1m25.681 |
| 8 | Jack HYDE (NSW) | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 1m25.702 |
| 9 | Dallas SKEER (SA) | Suzuki GSXR | 1m25.749 |
| 10 | Richie DIBBEN (NZ) | Suzuki GSXR | 1m25.799 |
| 11 | Aidan HAYES (NSW) | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 1m25.862 |
| 12 | Avalon BIDDLE (NZ) | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 1m26.093 |
| 13 | Chandler COOPER (VIC) | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 1m26.679 |
| 14 | Jack PASSFIELD (NSW) | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 1m26.758 |
| 15 | Rhys BELLING (VIC) | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 1m27.007 |
| 16 | Ryan SELLEN (NSW) | Kawasaki ZX6R | 1m28.625 |
YMI Supersport 300 Race One
Max Stauffer capitalised on his pole position to lead the 30-rider field through the challenging Winton esses for the first time in the opening nine-lap bout for the YMI Supersport 300 category.
Stauffer built a small gap early on and stretched that out to a full-second over the first couple of laps. As the race progressed though the chasing horde slowly reduced that gap and with five laps to go Yannis Shaw and Seth Crump had closed right onto the tail of Stauffer’s YZF-R3.
Shaw hit the lead for the first time as they started the fourth-from-last lap. Crump then pushed Stauffer back to third later on that same lap and the three-way tussle was on in earnest. In previous battles Stauffer had proven to have some wily racecraft that belies his tender years, would he come out on top once again and extend his championship lead?
At the last lap board it was Shaw leading from Crump and Stauffer with only three-tenths covering that triumvirate. Hunter Ford then joined the party early on the final lap and Zac Levy came along for the ride! Lapped traffic was also becoming a factor in what was turning into a very exciting final lap.
Shaw with the advantage into the final double right-hander and it is Shaw on the 400 Kawasaki that gets to the chequered flag first, Seth Crump second and Max Stauffer rounded out the podium by a bike length over a late charging Hunter Ford.
YMI Supersport 300 Race One Results
| Pos | Name | Machine | Time/Gap |
| 1 | Yannis SHAW (NSW) | Kawasaki EX 400 | 14m00.505 |
| 2 | Seth CRUMP (QLD) | KTM RC390 390 | +0.060 |
| 3 | Max STAUFFER (NSW) | Yamaha R3 321 | +0.252 |
| 4 | Hunter FORD (NSW) | Yamaha R3 321 | +0.366 |
| 5 | Zac LEVY (QLD) | Yamaha R3 321 | +1.308 |
| 6 | Luke JHONSTON (NSW) | Kawasaki EX 400 | +2.016 |
| 7 | Ben BAKER (NSW) | Yamaha R3 321 | +2.112 |
| 8 | Luke POWER (VIC) / Proworx Racing | Kawasaki EX 400 | +5.287 |
| 9 | Brandon DEMMERY (NSW) | Yamaha R3 321 | +5.299 |
| 10 | Locky TAYLOR (QLD) | Yamaha R3 321 | +6.660 |
| 11 | Senna AGIUS (NSW) | Kawasaki EX 400 | +19.899 |
| 12 | John LYTRAS (QLD) | Yamaha R3 321 | +20.166 |
| 13 | Peter NERLICH (VIC) | Kawasaki EX 300 | +23.355 |
| 14 | Ben BURKE (NSW) | Kawasaki EX 400 | +30.439 |
| 15 | Jacob ROULSTONE (NSW) | Yamaha R3 321 | +30.496 |
| 16 | Tristan ADAMSON (QLD) | Yamaha YZF-R3 | +30.654 |
| 17 | Matt RINDEL (VIC) | Yamaha R3 321 | +31.178 |
| 18 | Reece OUGHTRED (VIC) | Yamaha R3 321 | +36.500 |
| 19 | Ryan SMITH (NSW) | Yamaha R3 321 | +36.678 |
| 20 | John QUINN (VIC) | Kawasaki EX 400 | +37.244 |
| 21 | Zylas BUNTING (NSW) | Yamaha R3 321 | +38.292 |
| 22 | Stephany KAPILAWI-JAMES (QLD) | Yamaha R3 321 | +1m03.912 |
| 23 | Josh NODEN (VIC) | Yamaha YZF-R3 | +1m12.290 |
| 24 | Zak PETTENDY (NSW) | Yamaha R3 321 | +1m16.480 |
| 25 | Noel MAHON (VIC) | Kawasaki EX 400 | +1m17.133 |
| 26 | Jeremy CZMOK (VIC) | Yamaha R3 321 | +1m17.432 |
| 27 | Craig WHITE (NSW) | Kawasaki EX 400 | +1m36.263 |
| 28 | Greg FARRELL (NSW) | Kawasaki EX 300 | +1 Lap |
| 29 | Dominic FLETCHER (NSW) | Yamaha R3 321 | +1 Lap |
| DNF | Harry PARKER (NZ) | Yamaha R3 321 | +6 Laps |
YMI Supersport 300 Qualifying Results
| Pos | Name | Bike | Time |
| 1 | Max STAUFFER (NSW) | Yamaha R3 321 | 1m33.530 |
| 2 | Yannis SHAW (NSW) | Kawasaki EX 400 | 1m33.554 |
| 3 | Luke JHONSTON (NSW) | Kawasaki EX 400 | 1m34.197 |
| 4 | Seth CRUMP (QLD) | KTM RC390 390 | 1m34.242 |
| 5 | Ben BAKER (NSW) | Yamaha R3 321 | 1m34.279 |
| 6 | Hunter FORD (NSW) | Yamaha R3 321 | 1m34.408 |
| 7 | Luke POWER (VIC) | Kawasaki EX 400 | 1m34.474 |
| 8 | Senna AGIUS (NSW) | Kawasaki EX 400 | 1m34.683 |
| 9 | Brandon DEMMERY (NSW) | Yamaha R3 321 | 1m34.900 |
| 10 | Peter NERLICH (VIC) | Kawasaki EX 300 | 1m34.935 |
| 11 | Locky TAYLOR (QLD) | Yamaha R3 321 | 1m35.101 |
| 12 | John LYTRAS (QLD) | Yamaha R3 321 | 1m35.240 |
| 13 | Zac LEVY (QLD) | Yamaha R3 321 | 1m35.643 |
| 14 | Ben BURKE (NSW) | Kawasaki EX 400 | 1m35.995 |
| 15 | John QUINN (VIC) | Kawasaki EX 400 | 1m36.774 |
| 16 | Reece OUGHTRED (VIC) | Yamaha R3 321 | 1m36.777 |
| 17 | Tristan ADAMSON (QLD) | Yamaha YZF-R3 | 1m36.834 |
| 18 | Jacob ROULSTONE (NSW) | Yamaha R3 321 | 1m37.462 |
| 19 | Harry PARKER (NZ) | Yamaha R3 321 | 1m37.862 |
| 20 | Matt RINDEL (VIC) | Yamaha R3 321 | 1m38.053 |
| 21 | Ryan SMITH (NSW) | Yamaha R3 321 | 1m38.306 |
| 22 | Zylas BUNTING (NSW) | Yamaha R3 321 | 1m39.351 |
| 23 | Stephany KAPILAWI-JAMES (QLD) | Yamaha R3 321 | 1m40.025 |
| 24 | Zak PETTENDY (NSW) | Yamaha R3 321 | 1m42.277 |
| 25 | Craig WHITE (NSW) | Kawasaki EX 400 | 1m42.441 |
| 26 | Jeremy CZMOK (VIC) | Yamaha R3 321 | 1m42.713 |
| 27 | Josh NODEN (VIC) | Yamaha YZF-R3 | 1m43.118 |
| 28 | Greg FARRELL (NSW) | Kawasaki EX 300 | 1m43.126 |
| 29 | Noel MAHON (VIC) | Kawasaki EX 400 | 1m43.221 |
| 30 | Dominic FLETCHER (NSW) | Yamaha R3 321 | 1m45.350 |
YMF R3 Cup Qualifying
| Pos | Name | Bike | Time |
| 1 | Max STAUFFER (NSW) | Yamaha YZF-R3 | 1m32.699 |
| 2 | Ben BAKER (NSW) | Yamaha YZF-R3 | 1m32.936 |
| 3 | Hunter FORD (NSW) | Yamaha YZF-R3 | 1m33.312 |
| 4 | Brandon DEMMERY (NSW) | Yamaha YZF-R3 | 1m33.499 |
| 5 | Locky TAYLOR (QLD) | Yamaha YZF-R3 | 1m33.747 |
| 6 | Luke JHONSTON (NSW) | Yamaha YZF-R3 | 1m34.046 |
| 7 | Zac LEVY (QLD) | Yamaha YZF-R3 | 1m34.108 |
| 8 | John LYTRAS (QLD) | Yamaha YZF-R3 | 1m34.364 |
| 9 | Tristan ADAMSON (QLD) | Yamaha YZF-R3 | 1m35.508 |
| 10 | Matt RINDEL (VIC) | Yamaha YZF-R3 | 1m35.617 |
| 11 | Harry PARKER (NZ) | Yamaha YZF-R3 | 1m36.038 |
| 12 | Ryan SMITH (NSW) | Yamaha YZF-R3 | 1m36.039 |
| 13 | Reece OUGHTRED (VIC) | Yamaha YZF-R3 | 1m36.200 |
| 14 | Jacob ROULSTONE (NSW) | Yamaha YZF-R3 | 1m36.283 |
| 15 | Zylas BUNTING (NSW) | Yamaha YZF-R3 | 1m36.524 |
| 16 | Archie McDONALD (VIC) | Yamaha YZF-R3 | 1m38.286 |
| 17 | Zak PETTENDY (NSW) | Yamaha YZF-R3 | 1m38.641 |
| 18 | Jacob HATCH (NSW) | Yamaha YZF-R3 | 1m39.565 |
| 19 | Stephany KAPILAWI-JAMES (QLD) | Yamaha YZF-R3 | 1m39.647 |
| 20 | Josh NODEN (VIC) | Yamaha YZF-R3 | 1m40.868 |
| 21 | Dominic FLETCHER (NSW) | Yamaha YZF-R3 | 1m41.681 |
| 22 | Jeremy CZMOK (VIC) | Yamaha YZF-R3 | 1m42.447 |
| 23 | Patrick BOGNAR (VIC) | Yamaha YZF-R3 | 1m45.867 |
| 24 | Jamie PORT (VIC) | Yamaha YZF-R3 | 1m46.377 |
bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup Race One
Angus Grenfell ran away with the opening bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup bout on Saturday afternoon. Sprinting away from the field right from the off and then pulling away every lap on his way to a clear five-second victory.
Left to contest the minor spoils were Archie McDonald, Tom Drane and Carter Thompson. Jacob Roulstone joined that party late in the race but it was McDonald and Drane that scored the final two steps on the rostrum in what was a photo finish across the line.
bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup Race One Results
- Angus Grenfell
- Archie McDonald +4.519s
- Tom Drane +4.523s
- Carter Thompson +4.603s
- Jacob Roulstone +4.722s
- Glenn Nelson +7.433s
- Max Gibbons +7.458s
- Cros Francis +
bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup Qualifying
| Pos | Name | Bike | Time |
| 1 | Angus GRENFELL (VIC) | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 1m46.350 |
| 2 | Carter THOMPSON (NSW) | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 1m46.395 |
| 3 | Jacob ROULSTONE (NSW) | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 1m46.504 |
| 4 | Glenn NELSON (QLD) | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 1m46.794 |
| 5 | Archie McDONALD (VIC) | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 1m46.976 |
| 6 | Tom DRANE (NSW) | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 1m47.011 |
| 7 | Max GIBBONS (QLD) | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 1m47.110 |
| 8 | Marianos NIKOLIS (NSW) | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 1m47.123 |
| 9 | Reece OUGHTRED (VIC) | Yamaha YZR-R15 | 1m47.252 |
| 10 | Jacob HATCH (NSW) | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 1m47.510 |
| 11 | Cros FRANCIS (NSW) | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 1m47.875 |
| 12 | Zak PETTENDY (NSW) | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 1m47.961 |
| 13 | Patrick BOGNAR (VIC) | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 1m48.498 |
| 14 | Jamie PORT (VIC) | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 1m49.258 |
| 15 | Varis FLEMING (VIC) | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 1m51.183 |
| 16 | Jai RUSSO (NSW) | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 1m51.329 |
| 17 | Hunter DIPLOCK (NSW) | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 1m51.332 |
| 18 | Lucas QUINN (QLD) | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 1m52.098 |
| 19 | Dominic FLETCHER (NSW) | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 1m52.447 |
| 20 | Lincoln KNIGHT (NSW) | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 1m52.719 |
| 21 | Tom CONNORS (NSW) | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 1m52.949 |
| 22 | Cormac BUCHANAN (NZ) | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 1m54.097 |
| 23 | Toby JAMES (VIC) | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 1m54.808 |
| 24 | Natalie BARBATI (VIC) | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 2m30.081 |
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