Mixed results across both outings in competitive category.
Image: Russell Colvin.
Yamaha’s Max Stauffer has claimed victorY in races one and two of the Supersport 300 category at Phillip Island’s opening round of the 2019 Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK).
Stauffer captured the win in race one by a slender 0.150s over Luke Power (Yamaha) following a interesting outing between the pair, while it was Senna Agius (Kawasaki) who closed out the top three, a further 4.733s off the leaders.
KTM-mounted Seth Crump crossed the line in P4 ahead of Harry Khouri (Yamaha), as the top 10 was completed by Hunter Ford (Yamaha), Zac Levy (Yamaha), Dylan Whiteside (Kawasaki), Callum O’Brien (Kawasaki BCperformance) and John Lytras (Yamaha).
Race two saw a mix of results, however Stauffer still narrowly controlled proceedings, as just 0.241s separated the first six riders. Behind Stauffer was Lyrtas ahead of O’Brien, while Khouri and Power were fourth and fifth respectively.
Positions six through to 10 were completed by Agius, Yannis Shaw (Kawasaki), Whiteside, Benjamin Baker (Yamaha) and Crump. The final Supersport 300 race will take place tomorrow.
Liminton runner-up on both occasions in Saturday’s opening day of racing.
Image: Russell Colvin.
Landbridge Transport Yamaha’s Tom Toparis has dominated races one and two of the Supersport category at Phillip Island’s opening round of the 2019 Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK).
In race one, Toparis got out to a fantastic start, ultimately stretching a comfortable 5.495s lead by the time he crossed the line, setting a fast-time almost one second quicker than his rivals.
Yamaha’s Nic Liminton wound up in second following a spirited effort, just ahead of Callum Spriggs (Yamaha), while the top five was rounded out by Oli Bayliss (Cube Racing) and Broc Pearson (Yamaha). Sixth to 10th was completed by Ty Lynch (Yamaha), Aiden Hayes (Yamaha, Jack Passfield (Yamaha), Sam Lambert (MV Agusta) and Reid Battye (Team Suzuki Ecstar Australia).
It was another Toparis affair in race two, this time charging to a 3.681s win over Liminton and Bayliss, who’s making his Supersport debut this weekend.
Pearson was fourth ahead of Lynch, with Hayes, Battye, Spriggs, Scott Nicholson (Suzuki) and John Quinn (Triumph) completing the top 10. The Supersport class returns to the track tomorrow for the final race of the weekend.
Race victories marred by controversial race two clash.
Image: Russell Colvin.
Wayne Maxwell (Team Suzuki Ecstar Australia) and Aiden Wagner (Yamaha) have secured victories in races one and two respectively at Phillip Island’s opening round of the 2019 Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK).
Race one saw Maxwell emerge victorious in an absolute thriller, as just one second separated the first five riders across the line.
Yamaha privateer Wagner put in an incredible effort on return to the ASBK leading majority of the race, falling short of victory by just 0.147s, as Western Australian Bryan Staring (Kawasaki BCperformance) came from behind to close out the top three, 0.320s off the leader.
Supersport champion Cru Halliday (Yamaha Racing Team) was an impressive fourth behind Staring, as it was Josh Waters (Team Suzuki Ecstar Australia) who completed the first five.
Daniel Falzon (Yamaha Racing Team) was sixth followed by Glenn Allerton (Maxima BMW), Mike Jones (Kawasaki), reigning champion Troy Herfoss (Penrite Honda Racing) and Matt Walters (Kawasaki). Three-time Superbike world champion Troy Bayliss (DesmoSport Ducati) crashed out of the race five laps in after tagging Maxwell on turn one, sustaining a suspected injured hand.
In another thrilling encounter, Wagner pulled through for victory in race two after a controversial clash at the final turn with Maxwell. After the duo battled it out front, with Waters and Halliday in tow, Wagner made a hard move on the last corner after negotiating lapped traffic in laps leading into the finish, resulting in a heavy fall for Maxwell.
Halliday capitalised to finish runner-up ahead of Waters, as the top five was completed by Staring and Jones. Sixth through to 10th consisted of Herfoss, Allerton, Walters, Glenn Scott (GSR Kawasaki) and Max Croker (Mladin Racing). Bayliss didn’t start the race, as race one contender Falzon crashed out on lap four. Racing resumes tomorrow for the final event of the weekend.
2019 ASBK Round One – Phillip Island Superbike Race Two
Wayne Maxwell narrowly got the better of Aiden Wagner at the final juncture of race one after the privateer had virtually led from start to finish. Troy Bayliss had been in that mix before tipping off at turn one, while Bryan Staring had got the better of Falzon, Halliday and Waters to claim the final step on the rostrum.
The riders and the teams would have all learned some lessons in that opening 12-lap bout, and then set about applying some tweaks to their machines. While the riders tweaked their own brain spaces ahead of the second of three 12-lap races that make up the opening round of ASBK 2019.
On the warm-up lap Troy Bayliss felt that the discomfort in his hand was going to make racing this bout dangerous for himself and the other riders, so he elected to park the DesmoSport Ducati for this one and watch from the sidelines. He broke a finger on his left hand on Friday, and suffered injuries to the middle finger on his right during this morning’s crash. He is booked in for surgery on Tuesday. TB and DesmoSport Ducati have put so much work in during the pre-season and will be gutted to walk away from here with no points.
Daniel Falzon again got a great launch off the line but it was Josh Waters that led the field through turn one from Troy Herfoss as they negotiated Southern Loop for the first time. At turn four Herfoss got in a little deep and lost a number of positions as Aiden Wagner moved up to second place behind Waters. Through turn 12 for the first time it was Waters, Wagner, Falzon, Maxwell, Herfoss, Jones and Halliday.
Aiden Wagner moved past Waters to take the lead as they entered turn two early on the second lap and immediately put the hammer down to try and get away from the pursuing pack. A big moment coming on to the main straight next time around though allowed Wayne Maxwell and Josh Waters to slip past Wagner and make it a Suzuki 1-2 up front. Daniel Falzon was right on the tail of that trio as Cru Halliday also then joined the party to make that top five fight a very close affair.
Wagner was back in the lead on the next lap but then got in way too hot at turn four, the two Suzuki riders somewhat baulked each other mid-turn also which robbed them of their chance to take advantage of Wagner’s mistake.
Wagner made almost exactly the same mistake on the next lap, and actually came together with Cru Halliday and nearly fell off his machine, but somehow gripped it haed enough to recover. Halliday had fared worse in the clash, losing a couple of positions and valuable track position.
Daniel Falzon had been in the hunt but fell unhurt at turn ten at half race distance. At the halfway mark of the race it was Maxwell from Wagner and Waters, that trio in close company, while Halliday tried to regain the ground he lost in that brush with Wagner. Halliday had actually set the fastest lap of the race in that first half, a 1m32.669, and had been the only man to dip into the 32s, but he had work to do in order to get back in touch with the leading trio in the closing laps.
Halliday did that work though and with 2.5 laps to go got the better of Waters on the run through MG Hairpin to move up to third place and maintained that position through 11 and 12 and right through to turn one to start the penultimate lap. Nothing separated the top four, they were all in with a chance of stealing victory. Lapped traffic though, and a lot of it, baulked them late on that lap, they negotiated it safely to start the final lap with Wagner leading from Maxwell, Halliday and Waters.
Wagner had the rear of his privateer Yamaha break away though which allowed Maxwell through as they negotiated the back of the circuit.
Aiden Wagner – Maxwell tumbles – Image Rob Mott
Wagner then went up the inside of Maxwell as they neogotiated turn 12, the pair touched, sending Maxwell tumbling through the kitty litter, and was then seen tearing off his glove and looking at his hand as he ran to the pit wall and to safety.
Aiden Wagner – Maxwell tumbles – Image Rob Mott
Thus a somewhat controversial win and early championship lead goes to Aiden Wagner from Cru Halliday and Josh Waters.
DORNA Group, the exclusive commercial and TV rights holder for the world’s leading motorcycle racing Championships, and ITDC, Indonesia’s largest integrated tourism developer and operator, jointly announce the signing of two separate Promoters’ Contracts namely for the FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix, more commonly referred to as the FIM MotoGP™ World Championship, as well as the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. The signing was conducted by Mr Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of DORNA and Mr Abdulbar M. Mansoer, CEO of ITDC at DORNA’s office in Madrid, Spain on the 28th January 2019, in front of Senior Management team by both parties and witnessed by Indonesian’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary for Spain, Drs. Hermono M.A.
2019 ASBK Round One – Phillip Island Supersport Race Two
Tom Toparis ran away with the opening Australian Supersport race which left Nic Liminton, Callum Spriggs and Oli Bayliss to fight it out for the other steps on the podium.
Toparis again jumped away from the pack and immediately started stretching away as Nic Liminton, Oli Bayliss, Reid Battye, Ty Lynch and Callum Spriggs vainly gave chase.
Toparis did it easily once again while Nic Liminton was the best of the rest, putting in consistent 37s to pull away from Oli Bayliss, who managed to stave off a late attack from Broc Pearson to claim his first Supersport 600 podium.
2019 ASBK Round One – Phillip Island Supersport 300 Race Two
Max Stauffer and Luke Power had dominated the weekend’s opening Supersport 300 race and it was again this pair of youngsters that got away best early on in Saturday afternoon’s second bout as Seth Crump and John Lytras gave chase.
As the race broached the halfway point Hunter Ford went down while in the leading group. Senna Agius was in the lead from Power and Stauffer and it looked as though it would be this trio that were going to battle it out for the podium positions.
Harry Khouri, Callum O’Brien and John Lytras had other ideas though! The battle for the lead became a six-way affair with two laps to run and it was on! Half-a-second covered that sextet and they were swapping order with reckless abandon.
At the flag though it was once again Max Stauffer that had the smarts and the skills to take the win. John Lytras second and Callum O’Brien third. Two-tenths of a second covered the entire top six at the line….
Rea second as Melandri scrapes into the top three.
Image: Russell Colvin.
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) has dominated the opening race at Phillip Island’s round one of the 2019 FIM Motul Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK), making his mark while on debut in the series and aboard the all-new Panigale V4 R.
The Spanish ace, who transferred from MotoGP to WorldSBK this season, put on a stellar display, gaining the lead immediately before crossing the line with an incredible 14.983s over reigning world champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team).
Rea had his hands full with new teammate Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team), the duo jostling for position in the opening half of the encounter before Haslam went down, recovering to finish 15th.
Marco Melandri, on debut with new WorldSBK squad GRT Yamaha, nabbed Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK) at the line for third, just 0.050s separating the pair, while the top five was completed by Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK).
Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) showed his nose inside the top five for much of the race before settling for sixth, as the top 10 was rounded out by Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK), Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha), Michael Rinaldi (Barni Racing Team) and Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati).
Australian wildcard Troy Herfoss (Penrite Honda Racing) retired from the race six laps into the affair. The WorldSBK category will return to the circuit tomorrow for races two and three.
2019 WorldSBK Round One – Phillip Island WSBK Race One
Alvaro Bautista had stolen most of the headlines this week but it was Jonathan Rea that produced a record-breaking Superpole qualifying lap to claim pole position for the season-opening Motul FIM Superbike World Championship, Yamaha Finance round today at Phillip Island.
The 32-year-old’s qualifying lap of 1m29.413s on the KRT ZX-10RR the fastest that a production-based superbike has ever circulated around the 4.448km grand prix circuit, besting his previous benchmark (1m29.573s) set in 2017. It’s Rea’s 17th pole position in WorldSBK racing, and his third at Phillip Island.
Leon Haslam (1m29.626s) and Alvaro Bautista (1m29.729s), joined Rea on the front row for opening 22-lap race of WSBK season 2019.
It was clear that Bautista and the new Ducati Panigale V4 R had the pace over one lap, but could it look after its tyres well enough to be in contention over a full 22-lap race distance…?
They are away!
Jonathan Rea got the holeshot and led the field through Southern Loop for the first time but Alvaro Bautista pounced at turn three to move into the lead. Haslam was third, Lowes fourth, Sykes fifth and Melandri sixth.
On lap two Haslam moved past Rea but a small mistake allowed Rea back through to second place shortly thereafter. Up front though Bautista was breaking away… By lap four his advantage had grown to a full 2.5-seconds while Haslam and Rea continued to dust each other up while they themselves were being closely stalked by Razgatlioglu, Lowes and Sykes.
Bautista pulling away…
Four laps later that advantage was out to almost five-seconds. Haslam was leading Rea and Toprak Razgatlioglu was in a strong fourth place ahead of Alex Lowes and Tom Sykes.
At half race distance, Bautista led by nine-seconds. Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam were virtually attached to one another in an ongoing tussle for second place, while Alex Lowes had moved forward to fourth place and was right on the tail of the KRT pair.
Haslam down!
Leon Haslam then slid off softly at turn four, losing the front end mid-turn while in front of Rea. Haslam rejoined the race in 16th place.
Jonathan Rea and Alex Lowes had managed to break away from Sykes, Melandri, Van der Mark and Razgatlioglu as that quartet battled over fourth place.
As the race wore on Rea streadily eked away from Lowes little by little. A little further behind Melandri had got the better of Van der Mark, Razgatlioglu and Sykes, pulling away from them and edging his way forwards towards Lowes in order to make a late challenge for the podium. Melandri did exactly that, over the course of the following lap he pushed his GRT Yamaha past the Pata Yamaha of Lowes but the Briton was not going to relent, and battled the Italian all the way to the flag for that final step on the rostrum.
Last lap
Alvaro Bautista completes his domination of the race, despite backing off on the final lap his victory a massive 15-seconds over Jonathan Rea. Tellingly, Bautista was more than 25-seconds quicker over race distance than the next best Ducati, Michael Rinaldi in ninth.
Marco Melandri managed to outsmart Alex Lowes to the flag by less than a tenth-of-a-second to finish as top Yamaha and make it three different manufacturers on the rostrum.
WSBK Race One Results
Alvaro Bautista – Ducati
Jonathan Rea – Kawasaki +14.983
Marco Melandri – Yamaha +16.934
Alex Lowes – Yamaha +16.984
Michael Van der Mark – Yamaha +19.179
Toprak Razgatlioglu – Kawasaki +21.203
Tom Sykes – BMW +21.488
Sandro Cortese – Yamaha +23.018
Michael Rinaldi – Ducati +25.580
Chaz Davies – Ducati +27.124
Jordi Torres – Kawasaki +28.214
Eugene Laverty – Ducati +30.055
Markus Reiterberger – BMW +31.859
Leandro Mercado – Kawasaki +34.793
Leon Haslam – Kawasaki +41.009
Ryuichi Kiyonari – Honda +45.523
Tickets and on-circuit camping for the Yamaha Finance-sponsored WorldSBK round are available at Ticketek or at the gate. Gates open 8am Sunday. On-circuit camping open 24/7 for arrival and check in at any time… via gate 2.
All-Yamaha front row in Supersport as Caricasulo clinches pole.
Image: Russell Colvin.
Kawasaki Racing Team’s defending champion Jonathan Rea has produced a record-breaking Superpole qualifying lap to claim pole position for the season-opening Motul Superbike World Championship Yamaha Finance round at Phillip Island.
The 32-year-old’s qualifying lap of 1m29.413 on the ZX-10RR is the fastest that a production-based Superbike has ever circulated around the Australian circuit, besting his previous benchmark set in 2017.
It’s Rea’s 17th pole position in WorldSBK racing and his third at Phillip Island. Rea’s extraordinary lap in the last few minutes of the 25-minute session saw him shoot to the top of the timesheets after Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha), Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing Ducati) and Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team) had taken turns at the top.
Haslam and Bautista, who had been the dominant force in practice, will join Rea on the front row for this afternoon’s opening 22-lap race, with row two to be filled by 2018 pole-sitter Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad), Lowes – the final rider in the 29s and rookie Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha).
Last year’s Phillip Island winner Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha) starts from the third row after qualifying in ninth, as the first Honda in the field, ridden by Moriwaki Althea Honda Team factory pilot Leon Camier, will start from 10th on the grid.
Image: Russell Colvin.
Although Australian wildcard Troy Herfoss (Penrite Honda Racing) failed to meet the 107 percent qualifying cut-off, the national champion been given dispensation to compete in race one.
In World Supersport Superpole it was Federico Caricasulo (Bardahl Evan Bros Yamaha) who scored pole with a flying 1m32.604s, edging teammate Randy Krummenacher by just 0.079s while Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) will complete the front row.
Australian wildcard Tom Toparis (Landbridge Transport Yamaha), fresh from winning this morning’s opening Australian Supersport affair, will start out of 15th position in Sunday’s world championship race. He recorded an impressed 1m34.448s lap-time.
Bringing you the Best Motorcycle News from Around the Web!
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok
