Tag Archives: ASBK 2020

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Cru Halliday fastest in ASBK FP1 at Phillip Island

February 27, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

2020 ASBK – Phillip Island

With Chris Plumridge

Yamaha Racing Team’s Cru Halliday has laid down a marker at the start of the 2020 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship season, quickest in Free Practice 1 at Phillip Island on the new 2020 YZF-R1. Halliday set the early pace of the weekend, his 1:32.500 a great start to a season where he is more determined than ever to break into the ASBK winner’s circle.

Cru Halliday – Image by TBG

Grey skies greeted the teams and riders, with the notorious Phillip Island weather once again testing the riders. Offshore wind would ensure fast speeds through the speed trap down the main straight, with all the riders looking to get their weekends, and their seasons, off to a good start.

Riders had only done two laps in the session before a red flag stopped proceedings. Glenn Scott’s BCperformance Kawasaki had spilt fluid on the racetrack through turns 3, 4 and 5, requiring a lengthy cleanup for the session to continue. Once the session resumed Cru Halliday was the first rider to dip into the 1:32s, his 1:32.836 putting him to the top of the leaderboard with 15 minutes to go. Wayne Maxwell was the only rider daring to match him at that point, his best of 1:33.097 the next fastest.

With three minutes to go Josh Waters joined Halliday in the 1:32s with a 1:32.973, a great start for the privateer on his team’s first outing in an ASBK round. Maxwell improved on his best to a 1:32.988 leaving him third.

As the final flurry of laps came in before the chequered flag, Halliday further improved his mark to a 1:32.500, ahead of Maxwell (1:32.610) and Waters. When the chequered flag fell to end the session that’s how they stayed, Halliday fastest ahead of Maxwell and Waters, Aiden Wagner on his first outing as a factory Yamaha Racing Team rider in fourth (1:33.563). Glenn Allerton on the brand-new 2020 Maxima BMW S1000RR was an impressive fifth (1:33.806) while CAT Yamaha privateer Daniel Falzon was sixth (1:34.096).

ASBK Season Launch

Speaking at the launch event for the 2020 ASBK this morning, Halliday and teammate Wagner said they were impressed by the speed of their new 2020 Yamaha YZF-R1.

However Halliday said there’s also improvement needed in his riding to truly take the fight to Troy Herfoss, Maxwell and Mike Jones.

Cru Halliday

“This is the year I need to start winning races. I just think I need to get more aggressive in the races and understand where these other riders are faster than me at some of the tracks where I really need to pick up the pace- and this is one of them.”

Cru Halliday – Image by TBG

Also speaking at the season launch, Desmosport Ducati’s Mike Jones was confident of getting his 2020 championship defence off to a good start.

Mike Jones

“The pace that we’ve got’s quite good, we finished up second quickest at the test and heading into this weekend we’ve got good race pace. I feel like the races are going to be just as hectic and intense as they were at the end of last year. It brought the level of the championship up, the depth of field’s getting more and more, the level of the championship’s getting higher and higher.”

Penrite Honda’s Troy Herfoss has plenty of new elements to his race package for 2020, with a new tyre in Michelin and a new Crew Chief in Paul Free. But the biggest change for Herfoss is still to come, with the 2020 Fireblade still on the way pending the import numbers to make the bike eligible for ASBK.

Troy Herfoss

“I’ve been watching the (WorldSBK) testing and all I care about is that the two fastest bikes (through the speed trap) are the Hondas! I’ve seen the bike, I’ve sat on the bike, I’ve started the bike, it’s got my name on it, it’s sitting there ready, the parts are ordered, they’re available, but we’re just waiting for the bikes to arrive in the country. Realistically it’ll be (here) the last half of the season.”

Boost Mobile Racing’s Wayne Maxwell has switched over from Suzuki to Ducati and has been impressed with the performance of the new-for-2020 V4R.

Wayne Maxwell

“It was really fast, that was the first impression! Just the way it accelerates, the bike is super-fast compared to the Suzuki, it accelerates a lot harder. Turning on the throttle… not only has it got a really strong engine the chassis also suited my style.”

Meanwhile over at Kawasaki BCperformance Bryan Staring says no news is good news.

Bryan Staring

“Nothing’s really changed for us, which is from my point of view a big positive. Same bike, same tyre, same team, same personnel. The racing (in ASBK) is really hard at the moment, and it’s also really good. Parity between the bikes is all quite good, and even with the tyre competition there’s a lot of brilliant things there.”

For Josh Waters this weekend marks his 100^th race start in the ASBK, and his first with his own team. Waters announced his privateer effort officially only last Monday, and has been much more hands-on since departing Suzuki’s factory effort last year.

Josh Waters

“It’s a lot different for me this year because my program is back to the grass roots. A lot of late nights over the last month, but I’m doing it because I love it. I’m fortunate to have some great sponsors on board and we’ve got a good little team behind us so just try and enjoy it and try our hardest.”

Maxima BMW have also taken delivery of their 2020 S1000RR ready for Round 1. Glenn Allerton feels that while the team have been struggling to come to grips with the new machine, it’s only a matter of time.

Glenn Allerton

“We’re in a development phase with this new bike. I’m lucky enough to have a lot of support from BMW, but at the moment we’re on the back foot. It’s only going to get better from where we are. The potential of this new bike’s really high, we just haven’t been able to get the thing to handle in some of the corners especially on corner exit. It’s something that will only get better, and I’m looking forward to when we get on top of it.”

Round 1 of the 2020 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship began today, February 27, and runs until March 1 at Phillip Island.

Pos	Name	Bike	Time/Gap	Speed
1	Cru HALLIDAY	YZF-R1	1m32.500	309
2	Wayne MAXWELL	V4R	+0.110	309
3	Josh WATERS	GSXRR	+0.473	303
4	Aiden WAGNER	YZF-R1	+1.063	301
5	Glenn ALLERTON	S1KRR	+1.306	305
6	Daniel FALZON	YZF-R1	+1.596	307
7	Matt WALTERS	ZX10RR	+1.692	303
8	Troy HERFOSS	CBRRR	+1.818	295
9	Mike JONES	V4R	+2.175	302
10	Bryan STARING	ZX10R	+2.236	299
11	Josh HAYES	YZF-R1	+2.490	294
12	Jed METCHER	GSXRR	+2.871	298
13	Arthur SISSIS	GSXRR	+2.985	298
14	Sloan FROST	GSXR	+3.517	298
15	Max CROKER	GSXR	+3.596	301
16	Linden MAGEE	S1KRR	+3.711	298
17	Glenn SCOTT	ZX10R	+4.851	298
18	Beau BEATON	V4R	+5.124	298
19	Brendan McINTYRE	GSXR	+5.367	287
20	Giuseppe SCARCELLA	1199	+6.440	290
21	Nathan SPITERI	GSXRR	+6.739	288
22	Dominic DE LEON	ZX10R	+6.910	285
23	Matthew TOOLEY	YZF-R1	+6.991	278
24	Dean HASLER	S1KRR	+7.010	286
25	Adam SENIOR	YZF-R1	+7.086	279
26	Evan BYLES	ZX10R	+7.362	287
27	Michael EDWARDS	YZF-R1M	+9.396	284
28	Hamish McMURRAY	ZX10RR	+11.128	263

Thursday 27th February 2020
*Thursday session not open to public*
Time	Class	Program
13:10	Oceania Junior Cup	FP1
13:30	Australian Supersport	FP1
14:05	Australian Superbike	FP1
14:40	Australian Supersport 300	FP1
15:15	Oceania Junior Cup	FP2

Friday 28th February 2020
Time	Event	Program
8:25	Oceania Junior Cup	Qualifying
8:45	ASBK Supersport	FP2
9:05	Australian Superbike	FP2
9:30	ASBK SS300	FP2
9:50	FIM Medical Inspection
10:00	FIM Track Inspection
10:30	WorldSBK	FP1
11:30	WorldSSP	FP1
12:25	Pit Walk 1
13:00	Australian Superbike	Q1
13:25	Australian Superbike	Q2
13:50	Oceania Junior Cup	R1 \| 6 Laps
14:15	ASBK Supersport	Qualifying
15:00	WorldSBK	FP2
16:00	WorldSSP	FP2
16:55	ASBK SS300	Qualifying
17:15	Parade Laps
Saturday 29th February 2020
Time	Class	Program
8:25	ASBK Oceania Junior Cup	R2 \| 6 Laps
8:50	ASBK Supersport	R1 \|10 Laps
9:30	FIM Medical Inspection
9:40	FIM Track Inspection
10:00	WorldSBK	FP3
10:35	WorldSSP	FP3
11:05	Australian Superbike	R1 \| 12 Laps
11:40	ASBK SS300	R1 \| 8 Laps
12:15	WorldSBK	Superpole
12:55	WorldSSP	Superpole
13:40	Pit Walk 2 & Safety Car Laps
15:00	WorldSBK	R1 \| 22 Laps
16:15	Australian Superbike	R2 \| 12 Laps
16:50	ASBK SS300	R2 \| 8 Laps
17:15	ASBK Supersport	R2 \| 10 Laps
17:50	Hyundai N Experience (Test Drive)
Sunday 1st March 2020
Time	Class	Program
8:20	Oceania Junior Cup	R3 \| 6 Laps
8:50	FIM Medical Inspection
9:00	FIM Track Inspection
09:30	WorldSBK	Warm Up
09:55	WorldSSP	Warm Up
10:30	Australian Superbike	R3 \| 12 Laps
11:05	Pit Walk 3 & Safety Car Laps
12:00	WorldSBK	SP Race \| 10 Laps
13:15	WorldSSP	RACE \|16 Laps
15:00	WorldSBK	R2 \| 22 Laps
16:15	ASBK SS300	R3 \| 8 Laps
16:45	ASBK Supersport	R3 \|10 Laps
17:20	Hyundai N Experience (Test Drive)

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News, WSBK

PI WSSP race shortened to 16 laps | Mandatory pit stop

February 27, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

2020 WorldSBK – Phillip Island

Race Direction at Phillip Island have announced that the Sunday afternoon World Supersport race has been shortened to 16 laps, with a compulsory pit-stop for all riders to change their rear tyre, no later than lap 10. In the event of a wet race the race duration will also be 16 laps, with no mandatory pit stop if using racing wets, however the maximum number of laps on a dry tyre still needs to be observed.

World Supersport at Phillip Island

The announcement mirrors a similar situation in 2019, where a mandatory pit stop was also added to the World Supersport race due to Phillip Island’s highly abrasive surface.

The World Superbike class is uneffected, and will race as normal.

Here’s the full release from Race Direction:

The World Supersport Race (Yamaha Finance Australia Round) will have a compulsory pit stop. The race distance will be 16 laps for a ‘dry’ race.

– No more than 10 race laps are allowed for any rear dry tyre.

– The Riders must enter pit lane to change tyre no later than the end of lap 10.

– The race tyre that is fitted on the grid and will start the race MUST have a tyre sticker fitted.

The second tyre does NOT require a tyre sticker.

A race started as ‘wet’ the race distance will be 16 laps. No mandatory pit stop is required, provided the conditions below are met:

– A wet rear tyre is used for the complete race

– In the case of starting the race with a wet rear tyre, the team may decide to change to a dry rear tyre but must respect the maximum limit of 10 racing laps for that tyre.

Any rider doing more than 10 laps with a rear dry tyre will be black flagged (sighting, warm up and slow down laps are not counted).

In the case of a restarted race, the maximum number of laps to be covered will be 10.

The Superbike Races will remain at their originally published race distance.

– The RACE DIRECTION, Phillip Island 27/02/2020

Thursday 27th February 2020
*Thursday session not open to public*
Time	Class	Program
13:10	Oceania Junior Cup	FP1
13:30	Australian Supersport	FP1
14:05	Australian Superbike	FP1
14:40	Australian Supersport 300	FP1
15:15	Oceania Junior Cup	FP2

Friday 28th February 2020
Time	Event	Program
8:25	Oceania Junior Cup	Qualifying
8:45	ASBK Supersport	FP2
9:05	Australian Superbike	FP2
9:30	ASBK SS300	FP2
9:50	FIM Medical Inspection
10:00	FIM Track Inspection
10:30	WorldSBK	FP1
11:30	WorldSSP	FP1
12:25	Pit Walk 1
13:00	Australian Superbike	Q1
13:25	Australian Superbike	Q2
13:50	Oceania Junior Cup	R1 \| 6 Laps
14:15	ASBK Supersport	Qualifying
15:00	WorldSBK	FP2
16:00	WorldSSP	FP2
16:55	ASBK SS300	Qualifying
17:15	Parade Laps
Saturday 29th February 2020
Time	Class	Program
8:25	ASBK Oceania Junior Cup	R2 \| 6 Laps
8:50	ASBK Supersport	R1 \|10 Laps
9:30	FIM Medical Inspection
9:40	FIM Track Inspection
10:00	WorldSBK	FP3
10:35	WorldSSP	FP3
11:05	Australian Superbike	R1 \| 12 Laps
11:40	ASBK SS300	R1 \| 8 Laps
12:15	WorldSBK	Superpole
12:55	WorldSSP	Superpole
13:40	Pit Walk 2 & Safety Car Laps
15:00	WorldSBK	R1 \| 22 Laps
16:15	Australian Superbike	R2 \| 12 Laps
16:50	ASBK SS300	R2 \| 8 Laps
17:15	ASBK Supersport	R2 \| 10 Laps
17:50	Hyundai N Experience (Test Drive)
Sunday 1st March 2020
Time	Class	Program
8:20	Oceania Junior Cup	R3 \| 6 Laps
8:50	FIM Medical Inspection
9:00	FIM Track Inspection
09:30	WorldSBK	Warm Up
09:55	WorldSSP	Warm Up
10:30	Australian Superbike	R3 \| 12 Laps
11:05	Pit Walk 3 & Safety Car Laps
12:00	WorldSBK	SP Race \| 10 Laps
13:15	WorldSSP	RACE \|16 Laps
15:00	WorldSBK	R2 \| 22 Laps
16:15	ASBK SS300	R3 \| 8 Laps
16:45	ASBK Supersport	R3 \|10 Laps
17:20	Hyundai N Experience (Test Drive)

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News, WSBK

WorldSBK season launches | Rea states “Consistency is key”

February 27, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

WorldSBK 2020 launches at Phillip Island

With Chris Plumridge

Five time World Champion Jonathan Rea has emphasised that consistency will be key to netting a sixth FIM Superbike World Championship, speaking at the 2020 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship Season Launch at an overcast Phillip Island today.

Speaking at the launch, which also marked the 30th year of World Superbike at Phillip Island, Rea said he was happy to be back at the Island with Kawasaki.

Jonathan Rea

“I’m super excited, I think the biggest thing for me is the continuity with the Kawasaki Racing Team. It’s a long championship in Superbike now, with the addition of the Superpole race we have 39 races per year, so it means consistency is even more key than ever.”

Jonathan Rea – Image by TBG

As dominant as the Northern Irishman has been in recent seasons, he’s still acutely aware of the need to stay one step ahead of his championship rivals, “It’s always exciting because there’s so many fast guys here, so many guys can step up on any given weekend and we’ve got to be ready for that.”

Championship rival Alvaro Bautista led Aruba.IT Ducati to a clean-sweep of race wins on his WorldSBK debut in Phillip Island last year. Now having moved across to HRC, he has played down chances of repeating his early 2019 season success, saying there is more work to do to get the Honda to the front of the WSBK field.

Alvaro Bautista

“Last season was a new challenge, it was a new championship, new tyres, new tracks, so I enjoyed it a lot. It was incredible to start a new era (joining WorldSBK) winning the races. But this is a different situation. Everything is brand new and we have a lot of work to do. I will try to do my best, but I don’t think that will be like last season.”

Alvaro Bautista – Image by TBG

At PATA Yamaha, Michael van der Mark will be coming to grips with his new 2020-spec steed.

Michael van der Mark

“It’s not a massive change, when we tested in Jerez and in Portimao we improved a lot, and it was good to see on this track which is completely different the bike was working well again. We just keep making small steps so I’m really happy so far.”

Michael van der Mark – TBG Image

Moving up from winning the British Superbike Championship last year, Aruba.IT Ducati’s Scott Redding was quickly comfortable in the WSBK paddock.

Scott Redding

“It feels really good to be honest. We’ve had a couple of tests now so I’ve had time to settle with the team and my bike. Now going into a race weekend everything’s new to me for a race weekend so I just need to take it a step at a time.”

Scott Redding – Image by TBG

One adaptation that Redding will have to make is getting used to the Tissot Superpole race, with the sprint format still a bit of an unknown for the Ducati rider.

Scott Redding

“I’ve kind of no strategy whatsoever! Just try and go behind somebody that’s going fast and see what happens! Here I think it’s more difficult because tyre wear is quite a big factor, so going from the long race to the short race I’m not so sure. I’ll just go on the moment and see and try and battle it down to the last lap.”

Scott Redding – Image by TBG

BMW’s Eugene Laverty has been encouraged by the performance of the BMW so far but says there’s still a little bit of work to do to bridge the gap to the front runners.

Eugene Laverty

“I’m really pleased with the work we did in the Winter. I can see last year the bike with the chassis was steering really well. Especially at a track like this with fast flowing corners it’s really nice. During the winter they worked a lot on the power delivery and the electronic strategy. I think a big step forward was made. It’s nice to have that factory involvement again, it’s a proper effort.”

Eugene Laverty – TBG Image

In Supersport, Australian Wild Card Oli Bayliss will make his World Supersport debut with Cube Racing this weekend, in addition to his regular ASBK duties. Bayliss Junior will have a busy weekend ahead, but he’s confident of a good showing in his first World Championship appearance.

Oli Bayliss

“So far it’s been really good, we’ve only had two days testing and all the riders are going so fast. If we can keep on improving then hopefully we can go a bit better. A top 15 would be really good, we’re not fighting for the podium or anything.”

Oli Bayliss – Image by TBG

The 2020 event marks 30 years of World Superbike at Phillip Island, with the circuit is locked in to continue hosting the event until 2027.

Practice for the Yamaha Finance Round of the 2020 Yamaha Finance Round begins tomorrow (28 Feb) from Phillip Island.

Thursday 27th February 2020
*Thursday session not open to public*
Time	Class	Program
13:10	Oceania Junior Cup	FP1
13:30	Australian Supersport	FP1
14:05	Australian Superbike	FP1
14:40	Australian Supersport 300	FP1
15:15	Oceania Junior Cup	FP2

Friday 28th February 2020
Time	Event	Program
8:25	Oceania Junior Cup	Qualifying
8:45	ASBK Supersport	FP2
9:05	Australian Superbike	FP2
9:30	ASBK SS300	FP2
9:50	FIM Medical Inspection
10:00	FIM Track Inspection
10:30	WorldSBK	FP1
11:30	WorldSSP	FP1
12:25	Pit Walk 1
13:00	Australian Superbike	Q1
13:25	Australian Superbike	Q2
13:50	Oceania Junior Cup	R1 \| 6 Laps
14:15	ASBK Supersport	Qualifying
15:00	WorldSBK	FP2
16:00	WorldSSP	FP2
16:55	ASBK SS300	Qualifying
17:15	Parade Laps
Saturday 29th February 2020
Time	Class	Program
8:25	ASBK Oceania Junior Cup	R2 \| 6 Laps
8:50	ASBK Supersport	R1 \|10 Laps
9:30	FIM Medical Inspection
9:40	FIM Track Inspection
10:00	WorldSBK	FP3
10:35	WorldSSP	FP3
11:05	Australian Superbike	R1 \| 12 Laps
11:30	ASBK SS300	R1 \| 8 Laps
12:15	WorldSBK	Superpole
12:55	WorldSSP	Superpole
13:40	Pit Walk 2 & Safety Car Laps
15:00	WorldSBK	R1 \| 22 Laps
16:15	Australian Superbike	R2 \| 12 Laps
16:50	ASBK SS300	R2 \| 8 Laps
17:15	ASBK Supersport	R2 \| 10 Laps
17:50	Hyundai N Experience (Test Drive)
Sunday 1st March 2020
Time	Class	Program
8:20	Oceania Junior Cup	R3 \| 6 Laps
8:50	FIM Medical Inspection
9:00	FIM Track Inspection
09:30	WorldSBK	Warm Up
09:55	WorldSSP	Warm Up
10:30	Australian Superbike	R3 \| 12 Laps
11:05	Pit Walk 3 & Safety Car Laps
12:00	WorldSBK	SP Race \| 10 Laps
13:15	WorldSSP	RACE \|16 Laps
15:00	WorldSBK	R2 \| 22 Laps
16:15	ASBK SS300	R3 \| 8 Laps
16:45	ASBK Supersport	R3 \|10 Laps
17:20	Hyundai N Experience (Test Drive)

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News, WSBK

WSBK riders reflect on P.I. test and look towards weekend

February 26, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

WorldSBK 2020

Jonathan Rea – P1

“It has been a positive test all-in-all. Even though some sessions were hindered a bit by the weather, we have been able to confirm a lot of items from the balance side, to try to get the bike to turn more naturally. That was out focus coming here, knowing what we knew from last year. I felt good with the bike and tested two different front tyres. Both gave good but different sensations so it is more about understanding which one we go towards the weekend with. You never really know in this race. We have done race distance on all the tyres we used and I feel fast and consistent with all. But you never really know until the race. It is clear at this track that you can go all out and be really fast but you tend to run into issues at the end of the race. So it is more about trying to make your consistent rhythm easy and I feel like we have a bike that is quite user-friendly. That is positive to go into Friday with.”

Jonathan Rea – TBG Image

Loris Baz – P2

“For us the season can start, we are ready. The past two days we have done a lot of work, tried many things and we can look back on, once again, a very positive test. We have been able to test many things back-to-back with our eyes on the coming weekend. However, there are a few areas where we need to find something for the races, but I am very satisfied and I am very confident going into the season opener. I am sure that I will have a great season together with this team.”

Loris Baz – GeeBee Image

Tom Sykes – P3

“I’m very happy with the way things have gone. We had very successful winter tests, didn’t get too carried away with the lap times and really focused on the set-up of the BMW S 1000 RR. We really got through a strong test programme and when we came here to Phillip Island, it has paid off. As soon as I rolled out, the bike felt very good and we were able to work on the little parameters that we had in store before the race weekend. Overall, I’m happy with the outcome. We have a lot of information that we will study over next days and we will try to come back strong for the race weekend with a good base set-up. Regarding my goals for the season opener: obviously everybody is here trying to win races. I just want to be more consistent throughout the season but we always have to aim for the podium, always have to try to make that podium into a race win and obviously here it is not different.”

Tom Sykes – GeeBee Image

Toprak Razgatlıoğlu – P4

“We worked to have good grip and a bike that turns well and again we will try more with these things with my R1 on Friday. We are happy because for me it is very important that I could ride the R1 at this track in dry conditions. This final afternoon I rode more in a race style and it was not bad; quite good really. But on Friday we will try another new set-up for even better grip. It is important to do race simulations and our laps were consistent. I felt good. Michael was also fast in race conditions so we will see how things are in the races. Phillip Island races can start slow, slow and then fast – I remember last year we started with 1’32 laps times then after some laps we went into the 1’31s. But we will have to see, because this is 2020, not 2019!”

Toprak Razgatlıoğlu – TBG Image

Leon Haslam – P5

“We’ve made some steps forward today, despite the windy conditions being a bit of a problem this afternoon. Unfortunately, there is never enough time, especially considering how many elements we have to test but we’ve got a lot done here. Our lap times are not bad and I’m quite happy with our consistency in terms of the tyres. Overall, I feel we’re making good progress although the testing only tells us so much of course. We won’t know exactly where we are until we race, so we’ll know more come the weekend – it’s going to be interesting.”

Leon Haslam – TBG Image

Scott Redding – P6

“I’m very pleased with what we’ve done. They were two important days in which we worked on many aspects. We have closed the gap to front guys and the feeling with the bike is definitely positive. It’s a shame about today’s crash but the important thing is that there were no consequences. Maybe we still need to improve on the single lap but the race pace data is very positive”.

Scott Redding – TBG Image

Michael van der Mark – P7

“I am quite happy with our test and the 2020 R1. Our main goal was to improve our race pace and save our tyres. Yesterday we did a long run, which was really positive, and today we tried some different things with the rear suspension and the pace was there again, especially in a race simulation. So, I am really happy with how the test went but unfortunately this morning when I was on my way to my fastest lap I crashed, so that was a shame. But if you look back at the race simulations they were pretty good. Today I did 20 laps and the tyres were still fine. You have to start the race with a different approach than normal here but this is not my first time in Phillip Island, so we know this. At the beginning I think everyone will be a little bit conservative but at the end we will see who is the strongest. It is always going to be a surprise in this race!”

Michael van der Mark – TBG Image

Eugene Laverty – P9

“I’m a typical rider, I always want more time, an extra day to be ready but it has been a good couple of test days. We’ve worked a lot towards race preparation because you have concentrate on 20 laps not just on one lap and that has been our focus. We still have some work to do to do that fast lap time as for example Tom has been able to do but I’m confident that we will get there. We need to be fighting up there for the podium because this bike’s capable of it at this track. We’re feeling prepared. We need some more dry time on Friday to find our one lap pace but I’m confident that for the long distance, we will be there.”

Eugene Laverty – TBG Image

Alvaro Bautista – P10

“This test has been very important for us of course and I think we’ve made progress. With respect to yesterday, my feeling with the Fireblade was a little better this morning, while this afternoon was a little trickier in the wind and on a more slippery track. We’ve also tested tyres today, finding positives and negatives as is always the case, and we also attempted a long run in order to collect as much data as possible ahead of the first races. All this information is really important as we move forward and I’m confident we can take another step forward this coming weekend. The potential, power and speed are all there, now we just need to work to be able to effectively harness it all.”

Alvaro Bautista was the busiest rider over the two days, putting in 126 laps – TBG Image

Chaz Davies – P11

“It’s been a busy couple of days. If I’m honest, I think I found a good feeling, maybe not great but still positive even if we still have to perfect the set up for the race. Compared to the first day of testing, however, today the feeling was better. It is clear that we still have a lot of work to do but there is a lot of confidence and above all a lot of desire to start the season in the best possible way.”

Chaz Davies – TBG Image

Alex Lowes – P12

“Obviously it has not been as easy to find the right feeling and set-up on the bike as I would have liked coming here but also it is the first time on the bike on such a strange track layout. It is so fast here, with lots of changes of direction. How I felt on the bike earlier in the winter tests was not quite the same here, so we worked a bit on the set-up. I got a little bit frustrated a couple of times, made a couple of mistakes, but the last session it was a bit better and we have found a base set-up that I can go into the weekend with. I am looking forward to getting my first race weekend in green started in a few days from now.”

Alex Lowes – TBG Image

Garrett Gerloff – P16

“This is my first time here in Phillip Island and I am really enjoying the track. The only thing is that it has been a bit more difficult than I had originally imagined because of how fast the track is. For example, if I make one small mistake it becomes a huge mistake by the time I get to the corner. It’s been hard to be precise and I am working on it. Also we are making a big step in the bike set up because this track is pretty different than the other tracks where we have been testing in the last few months, so I think it requires a different set up. I think today in the second session we made a big step in the right direction. I am definitely looking forward to the weekend, I think it was nice that we had two days of testing but yesterday we only tested about 2 hours of the 4 hours because of weather and other track conditions. Luckily today we had more time, but I still feel like more laps would be beneficial. I am looking forward to getting back on track on Friday and I have a game plan!”

Federico Caricasulo – P17

“The feeling is getting better and better. We have tried out several strategies and by the last session we have determined which direction to take. This will be a good base for Friday. For the rest of the race weekend we will try to get closer to the front. As my personal objective, TOP10 would be a very good result for myself.”

Takumi Takahashi – P19

“I’m glad I was able to get back out for some additional track time this afternoon and that the weather conditions allowed us to work without interruption. It was a bit windy but that was not a problem for me. I must say thanks to my technicians who all worked very hard yesterday and this morning to get me back out on track, as it was important to try and complete as many laps as possible. We still have a lot to do, in terms of both bike set-up and me learning the track, but I’m looking forward to Friday when my first WorldSBK race weekend will begin.”

Pere Riba – Crew Chief for Jonathan Rea

“Before coming here, and it is the same as every year, we knew this is the real first time that you can see everybody – all the teams, riders and manufacturers – and there are some new bikes and riders – so before you come here you are expecting to see where everybody is. Now we can understand where everyone is. Last year was tough for us even if Johnny finished all the races in second place; Alvaro was really strong and riding really well. We struggled with the rear tyre so before we came here I studied this aspect and we focused 100% on the most important points of this track. Phillip Island is quite unique and we have to save the tyre for race distance. But at the same time you have to be fast. We worked calmly with Johnny and he understands what this track asks of him, so step-by-step we focused and followed all the items we wanted to test – all the plans – so we are happy.”

Paul Denning – Pata Yamaha Team Principal

“I don’t think any team or manufacturer finishes the Phillip Island test with all the boxes ticked and all the answers they might have been looking for put into place. However, despite a few more details still to improve, in general, we are very happy with the work completed and the raw pace of both riders and the R1. The crew have done a great job, including on Mikey’s side to get a badly damaged bike ready during the second free practice today. Now the job is to simply make a clear plan for the race weekend and find a couple of tenths where we can, but more importantly, provide the guys with an R1 that can do 22 strong and consistent laps on Saturday and Sunday – our goals are certainly higher than they were at this circuit a year ago.”

Marc Bongers – BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director

“In general, we are well prepared for the season opener. After the tests in Jerez and Portimão we had some open points that we were able to continue and to confirm here in good conditions. Now we have to make our choice for the race weekend. Tom’s pace is strong and we now have to try to keep it over the race distance. With Eugene, we have identified a few things we will work on for the weekend to also further improve his pace. Our goal for the opening round is: we want to start from the front row and I think that we have the chance to get onto the podium.”

Shaun Muir – Team Principal BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team

“We’ve had two good days of testing here in Australia. On Eugene’s side, we’ve had a lot of information to work through and we had satisfying results, mostly with the electronics and his feel for the delivery of the power. That has been his focus area and while we are happy so far we will take some of this work into Friday. On Tom’s side we’ve had a huge list of items for him to test over the two days. We are pretty happy with where we are. We’ve not managed to do much race simulation due to the extensive test items, so that will be Fridays focus. We know we can qualify very well and aim to be on the front row in qualifying. But it’s not about qualifying, it’s about the race and we know that to be in contention for a podium position, we need to do consistent fast lap times in the latter parts of race. To do so and to be on the podium is definitely the goal for the season opener.”

Marcel Duinker – Crew Chief for Alex Lowes

“We did not finish where we would have wanted to finish in the timesheets but we were fast and competitive over race distance, which is very positive. We did most laps during this test, which was one of our targets. This is a special track and we did not have too many laps in the previous winter tests before we got here. The overall package of Alex and the bike are still fresh and therefore I am sure we can improve our performance for the weekend.”

Phillip Island WorldSBK Testing
Final Combined Times

Pos	Rider	Bike	Time/Gap
1	J. Rea	Kawasaki ZX-10RR	1m30.448
2	L. Baz	Yamaha YZF R1	+0.076
3	T. Sykes	BMW S1000 RR	+0.120
4	T. Razgatlioglu	Yamaha YZF R1	+0.292
5	L. Haslam	Honda CBR1000RR-R	+0.434
6	S. Redding	Ducati Panigale V4 R	+0.437
7	M. Van Der Mark	Yamaha YZF R1	+0.629
8	M. Rinaldi	Ducati Panigale V4 R	+0.959
9	E. Laverty	BMW S1000 RR	+0.988
10	A. Bautista	Honda CBR1000RR-R	+1.005
11	C. Davies	Ducati Panigale V4 R	+1.085
12	A. Lowes	Kawasaki ZX-10RR	+1.112
13	S. Cortese	Kawasaki ZX-10RR	+1.117
14	X. Fores	Kawasaki ZX-10RR	+1.205
15	M. Scheib	Kawasaki ZX-10RR	+1.362
16	G. Gerloff	Yamaha YZF R1	+1.493
17	F. Caricasulo	Yamaha YZF R1	+1.496
18	L. Camier	Ducati Panigale V4 R	+2.228
19	T. Takahashi	Honda CBR1000RR-R	+5.866

Phillip Island WorldSBK Testing
Tuesday Afternoon Top Speeds

Pos	Rider	Bike	Speed
1	A. Bautista	Honda CBR1000RR-R	317.6
2	C. Davies	Ducati Panigale V4 R	314.9
3	L. Haslam	Honda CBR1000RR-R	312.1
4	J. Rea	Kawasaki ZX-10RR	310.3
5	S. Redding	Ducati Panigale V4 R	310.3
6	M. Rinaldi	Ducati Panigale V4 R	310.3
7	T. Razgatlioglu	Yamaha YZF R1	309.5
8	E. Laverty	BMW S1000 RR	309.5
9	A. Lowes	Kawasaki ZX-10RR	308.6
10	G. Gerloff	Yamaha YZF R1	306.8
11	F. Caricasulo	Yamaha YZF R1	305.9
12	L. Camier	Ducati Panigale V4 R	305.9
13	M. Scheib	Kawasaki ZX-10RR	305.9
14	L. Baz	Yamaha YZF R1	305.9
15	T. Sykes	BMW S1000 RR	305.9
16	M. Van Der Mark	Yamaha YZF R1	305.9
17	X. Fores	Kawasaki ZX-10RR	305.1
18	S. Cortese	Kawasaki ZX-10RR	300.8
19	T. Takahashi	Honda CBR1000RR-R	290.3

WorldSBK Rev Limits

If you want the best explanation of how the WorldSBK rpm based parity system works then take some time to digest this interview with Scott Smart we published last year (Link).

2020 Starting Rev Limits WorldSBK
Ducati V4	16,100 rpm
Honda (2020 SC82)	15,600 rpm
Honda (2019 SC77)	15,050 rpm
MV Agusta	14,950 rpm
Yamaha	14,950 rpm
Suzuki	14,900 rpm
BMW (2020)	14,950 rpm
BMW (2019)	14,900 rpm
Aprilia	14,700 rpm
Kawasaki	14,600 rpm
Ducati V2	12,400 rpm

Phillip Island WorldSSP

Thursday 27th February 2020
*Thursday session not open to public*
Time	Class	Program
13:10	Oceania Junior Cup	FP1
13:30	Australian Supersport	FP1
14:05	Australian Superbike	FP1
14:40	Australian Supersport 300	FP1
15:15	Oceania Junior Cup	FP2

Friday 28th February 2020
Time	Event	Program
8:25	Oceania Junior Cup	Qualifying
8:45	ASBK Supersport	FP2
9:05	Australian Superbike	FP2
9:30	ASBK SS300	FP2
9:50	FIM Medical Inspection
10:00	FIM Track Inspection
10:30	WorldSBK	FP1
11:30	WorldSSP	FP1
12:25	Pit Walk 1
13:00	Australian Superbike	Q1
13:25	Australian Superbike	Q2
13:50	Oceania Junior Cup	R1 \| 6 Laps
14:15	ASBK Supersport	Qualifying
15:00	WorldSBK	FP2
16:00	WorldSSP	FP2
16:55	ASBK SS300	Qualifying
17:15	Parade Laps
Saturday 29th February 2020
Time	Class	Program
8:25	ASBK Oceania Junior Cup	R2 \| 6 Laps
8:50	ASBK Supersport	R1 \|10 Laps
9:30	FIM Medical Inspection
9:40	FIM Track Inspection
10:00	WorldSBK	FP3
10:35	WorldSSP	FP3
11:05	Australian Superbike	R1 \| 12 Laps
11:40	ASBK SS300	R1 \| 8 Laps
12:15	WorldSBK	Superpole
12:55	WorldSSP	Superpole
13:40	Pit Walk 2 & Safety Car Laps
15:00	WorldSBK	R1 \| 22 Laps
16:15	Australian Superbike	R2 \| 12 Laps
16:50	ASBK SS300	R2 \| 8 Laps
17:15	ASBK Supersport	R2 \| 10 Laps
17:50	Hyundai N Experience (Test Drive)
Sunday 1st March 2020
Time	Class	Program
8:20	Oceania Junior Cup	R3 \| 6 Laps
8:50	FIM Medical Inspection
9:00	FIM Track Inspection
09:30	WorldSBK	Warm Up
09:55	WorldSSP	Warm Up
10:30	Australian Superbike	R3 \| 12 Laps
11:05	Pit Walk 3 & Safety Car Laps
12:00	WorldSBK	SP Race \| 10 Laps
13:15	WorldSSP	RACE \|18 Laps
15:00	WorldSBK	R2 \| 22 Laps
16:15	ASBK SS300	R3 \| 8 Laps
16:45	ASBK Supersport	R3 \|10 Laps
17:20	Hyundai N Experience (Test Drive)

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News

Troy Herfoss all smiles with arrival of new Fireblade

February 25, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

Australia’s first CBR1000RR-R SP arrives

The first CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP to arrive in Australia will make its debut appearance at Honda’s expo display at the Phillip Island World Superbike and ASBK season opener this weekend.

This lone ranger is the only unit to hit Australia so far, with the remaining models’ due mid-year. It’s fate? To become Troy Herfoss’s steed for his 2020 Australian Superbike campaign with Penrite Honda Racing.

Herfoss is extremely excited to get out on the track with his all-new race machine in the coming months and looks forward to seeing it in action when Team HRC riders Alvaro Bautista and Leon Haslam head out to race for the first time on Saturday.

Troy Herfoss

“It looks so fast, it’s going to be a serious contender, I am shaking with anticipation to ride this thing. The technology and craftsmanship that has gone into it is so obvious, it looks mean! I’ve seen some of the dyno stats from Europe where the bike is straight out of the box, it’s got quite a bit more horsepower than my current race bike as standard so I can’t wait to feel that power in the coming months.”

Troy Herfoss will race the CBR1000RR-R SP in ASBK with Penrite Honda Racing in 2020

It will likely be some time before Herfoss races the new Fireblade in ASBK however. As of now there is only one bike in Australia, and 20 need to be here before it become eligible for ASBK Superbike competition. The outgoing model remains competitive in ASBK with Herfoss only narrowly being beaten to the title in 2019, and of course he was crowned champion in 2018.

Joining the new CBR1000RR-R SP Fireblade on show at the Honda display over the WSBK weekend are the all-new CRF1100 Africa Twin and top spec Africa Twin Adventure Sports with Showa EERA (Electronic Suspension)

Lighter, more powerful and with more features than ever before, the new Africa Twins are forged through adventure and will be available in Honda dealers from March.

The 2020 Motocross models, the CRF450R and CRF250R will also be on display.

Thursday 27th February 2020
*Thursday session not open to public*
Time	Class	Program
13:10	Oceania Junior Cup	FP1
13:30	Australian Supersport	FP1
14:05	Australian Superbike	FP1
14:40	Australian Supersport 300	FP1
15:15	Oceania Junior Cup	FP2

Friday 28th February 2020
Time	Event	Program
8:25	Oceania Junior Cup	Qualifying
8:45	ASBK Supersport	FP2
9:05	Australian Superbike	FP2
9:30	ASBK SS300	FP2
9:50	FIM Medical Inspection
10:00	FIM Track Inspection
10:30	WorldSBK	FP1
11:30	WorldSSP	FP1
12:25	Pit Walk 1
13:00	Australian Superbike	Q1
13:25	Australian Superbike	Q2
13:50	Oceania Junior Cup	R1 \| 6 Laps
14:15	ASBK Supersport	Qualifying
15:00	WorldSBK	FP2
16:00	WorldSSP	FP2
16:55	ASBK SS300	Qualifying
17:15	Parade Laps
Saturday 29th February 2020
Time	Class	Program
8:25	ASBK Oceania Junior Cup	R2 \| 6 Laps
8:50	ASBK Supersport	R1 \|10 Laps
9:30	FIM Medical Inspection
9:40	FIM Track Inspection
10:00	WorldSBK	FP3
10:35	WorldSSP	FP3
11:05	Australian Superbike	R1 \| 12 Laps
11:40	ASBK SS300	R1 \| 8 Laps
12:15	WorldSBK	Superpole
12:55	WorldSSP	Superpole
13:40	Pit Walk 2 & Safety Car Laps
15:00	WorldSBK	R1 \| 22 Laps
16:15	Australian Superbike	R2 \| 12 Laps
16:50	ASBK SS300	R2 \| 8 Laps
17:15	ASBK Supersport	R2 \| 10 Laps
17:50	Hyundai N Experience (Test Drive)
Sunday 1st March 2020
Time	Class	Program
8:20	Oceania Junior Cup	R3 \| 6 Laps
8:50	FIM Medical Inspection
9:00	FIM Track Inspection
09:30	WorldSBK	Warm Up
09:55	WorldSSP	Warm Up
10:30	Australian Superbike	R3 \| 12 Laps
11:05	Pit Walk 3 & Safety Car Laps
12:00	WorldSBK	SP Race \| 10 Laps
13:15	WorldSSP	RACE \|18 Laps
15:00	WorldSBK	R2 \| 22 Laps
16:15	ASBK SS300	R3 \| 8 Laps
16:45	ASBK Supersport	R3 \|10 Laps
17:20	Hyundai N Experience (Test Drive)

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News

Mike Jones set to kick off title defense at Phillip Island

February 24, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

2019 ASBK Champion Mike Jones kicks off title defence

Defending Australian Superbike Champion, Mike Jones, is feeling confident and ready to fire for this weekend’s first round of the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship, presented by Motul, at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.

The Queenslander aboard his DesmoSport Ducati V4R, believes he has struck the right combination following a successful test last month at Phillip Island and is ready to defend his championship title.

Mike Jones

“After the test I feel really confident heading into the race weekend. We were able to have good pace at the test, and now for me I’m preparing myself mentally to be able to come out on the race weekend and be firing straight away. I know everyone is amped up for the first round and ready to go.”

Mike Jones – TBG Image

It is the overall package of the new Ducati that has Mike excited.

“It feels like a completely different bike, but it’s probably been the most rider friendly bike I’ve ever ridden so that was a real positive, and it’s just been finding the right settings.”

Despite being “very happy” with the pace of the bike at the Official ASBK Test last month, Mike admits to keeping an eye on what Wayne Maxwell – also on the same model machine and who broke the Superbike lap record at the test – is doing.

“He did reel off a few quick laps, but as we saw last year it is not the be all and end all. Race pace is the most important thing and I feel like we got that at the test and something we are quite strong with.”

Mike Jones – TBG Image

Mike feels his biggest competition this year could come from 2018 ASBK Champion, Penrite Honda’s Troy Herfoss, who he battled for the championship win in the last race at Sydney Motosport Park in 2019.

“I believe it is going to be Troy Herfoss again, purely because of who he is as a person, and the drive and motivation that he has got. In my opinion that is what you need to be able to win, he’s going to be the strongest guy through the year again.”

It’s not only Australian superbike riders who want to upset the champ this weekend, but 4-time American Superbike Champion, Josh Hayes, will also be aiming to cause a few upsets when he joins the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship at the Island, which Mike thinks is fantastic for the championship.

Mike Jones – Image by Rob Mott

“I think it’s really exciting for ASBK for someone of his calibre wanting to race with us at Phillip island and I think it’s the perfect place for him to come and do it. All the riders are eager and keen to go racing so it should make for a really competitive first round and having Josh in the field will be really cool just to have another gauge of where the ASBK is. “I personally feel it (ASBK) is at a really high level.

“Having the first round of ASBK alongside WorldSBK is important because the motorbikes are based on the same type of production bikes. It’s a real asset for the riders and fans to see the world level and domestic level guys go racing on the same weekend.”

The 2019 ASBK Champion wants a big crowd at the Island this weekend.

“We all share the same passion and it brings everyone together, come down and watch. It will be a weekend of a lifetime with World Superbikes and ASBK on the same weekend with incredible action from both championships. But I know particularly here in Oz, the racing is fierce and it’s going to be close, so come and have some fun and get involved.”

Ben Henry prepping the DesmoSport Ducati for Mike Jones at Phillip Island

2020 ASBK Calendar


Rnd	Date	Track
Rnd 1	Feb 27 – March 1	Phillip Island, VIC
Rnd 2	27-29 March	Wakefield Park, NSW
Rnd 3	7-10 May	The Bend, SA
Rnd 4	15-17 May	Barbagallo, WA (SBK only)
Rnd 5	7-9 August	Morgan Park, QLD
Rnd 6	11-13 September	Winton, VIC
Rnd 7	2-4 October	Phillip Island, VIC

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News

ASBK tyre war set to erupt at season opener

February 24, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

Five-way ASBK tyre manufacturer war set to erupt at Phillip Island

For the first time in recent ASBK history, a five-way tyre manufacturer war is set to light up the 2020 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship, presented by Motul.

Ducati Panigale V4 R – Image by Rob Mott

Pirelli have been dominating the ASBK paddock for the past few years and have clearly set their sights on Dunlop, Bridgestone, Michelin and Shinko, who will all compete for supremacy in the ASBK paddock in the rubber war, which is set to add another element to the 2020 championship.

New kid on the block – Michelin – have called in a big gun of the sport with Jeremy Burgess – former crew chief to Wayne Gardner, Mick Doohan, and Valentino Rossi – to be Michelin’s expert technician in the pitlane this year.

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

At the recent Pre-Season Official ASBK Test at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, several riders had changed not only teams and bike manufacturers, but also tyre brands, meaning there was a whole new learning curve to get their head around.

After burning off their Christmas pudding, the top 11 Superbike riders were covered by two seconds, and the top five by less than one second, running Pirelli, Dunlop and Michelin tyres during the 2020 Kawasaki Superbike Class test.

Pirelli runners were fastest at P.I. – Image TH

But it is the YMI Supersport 300 and YMF R3 Cup class where all tyre manufacturers will go head to head, with all five manufacturers vying for top place amongst riders, teams and on the podium.

Some riders may even choose to do a repeat of last year where some mixed front and rear tyre brand combinations gained what they felt was the greatest advantage.

Good race results, and a championship win, can produce a massive shift in tyre sales, but also allow the Australian tyre suppliers to influence parent companies to invest more in tyre development for the ASBK. The tyre war – while friendly at the moment – will heat up and could “boil over”, as the season progresses.

Dunlop tyres

All manufacturers agree, the tyre competition is great for the 2020 ASBK and is further evidence of the recent growth and strength of the championship.

Garry Crilly – Link International – Pirelli

“I think 2020 will be similar to 2019 with a very tight series, a lot of riders and bikes with new tyre combinations and I certainly think it will make an exciting series in all classes. I think it (the tyre war) will give ASBK a new dynamic based on results from the Official ASBK test at Phillip Island in January and obviously the main three brands in Superbike are very close, and it will be a hard-fought battle. And in the 600s and 300s I think it will also be tight as well between the brands. We are all competitive, it’s part of the DNA in racing, whether its motorcycle riding, tyre company, oil company, we all want to win. The main thing we want to see is tight competition in all three classes, top, good, hard, tight racing that’s what I want to see and that’s what Pirelli wants, and that’s what spectators want to see.”

Garry Crilly said the main advantage for Pirelli ASBK riders was that the tyre technology it produced is fed down from World Superbikes.

“Our Superbikes are different to the worlds, but we have the same basic characteristics and I think Pirelli have tyres that suit multiple brands, and riders can adapt easily to our tyre on any given motorcycle. Wayne Maxwell is a perfect example of that. I think we’ve got a range of tyres in each class that can run and be used at any of the circuits we visit throughout the season.”

Robert Bugden – Ficeda Accessories – Dunlop

“Obviously, it’s been quite some time since Michelin have been in the championship and Pirelli are obviously strong, but we feel we’ve put together the best range possible for our circuits and conditions and we are really confident with our new range. We’ve got all the pieces of the puzzle to go up against the other brands and I’m really looking forward to it. It’s great for the championship, it will really intensify and could boil over in 2020. We have some guys in the 300s on the brand-new tyre that we’ve put forward for homologation and it will be interesting to see how that plays out. Again, Pirelli are really strong in that sector, but we also believe we have the answer to that and in Supersport we have been involved in for a long time and we believe we have everything we need to win races.”

The Dunlop shod BCperformance Kawasaki in 2019 – TBG Image

Craig White – McLeod Accessories – Bridgestone

“The number of manufacturers coming into the ASBK is great for the sport, as it shows the manufacturers are interested in the championship, and it will lead to healthy racing at the end of the day.”

Doug Sharp – Gas Imports – Michelin

“It has to strengthen the Championship, and when you are passionate about racing, like I am you want to see it improve. Being a part of the ASBK is good for us, hopefully we can sell tyres and grow the series along with everybody else. Most of our work has been testing with Honda and Troy and even so that’s been limited. We would still like to have a reasonable amount of people on them. This year will be a fairly steep learning curve to what works and what doesn’t, and Troy (Herfoss) has been quick, I’m sure he likes them and likes the way they feel.”

Jeremy Burgess

Jackson Collins – Bruce Collins Enterprises – Shinko

“In our first year it is definitely a friendly rivalry, and I’m sure whoever is winning races will have the bragging rights, and if you can steal a couple of results it might not become so friendly. For us in our first year to get some good results on track and further develop the tyres, we’d be stoked to pick up some good results and challenge the majors would be the ideal outcome as our first go at it. We (at a recent test) moved the tyres across a range of bikes with different set ups, Yamaha and Kawasaki and are really happy with how that went.”

While new entrants like Shinko and returning manufacturer, Michelin, admit to starting from ground zero, recent testing has shown that all the brands will be a force to be reckoned with, especially the more established Pirelli, Bridgestone and Dunlop.

In 2019 it was Pirelli who took out the championship tyre war winning with Mike Jones in the Superbike class and Tom Toparis in the Supersport class. In the Supersport 300s it was Senna Agius, who was on Pirelli for a bulk of the year before changing his front to Bridgestone for the last three rounds.

The 2020 war begins in only a few days as ASBK Round 1 blast into action at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.

2020 ASBK Calendar

Round 1 – WSBK – Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC 27 Feb – 1 March
Round 2 – Wakefield Park Raceway – Goulburn, NSW 27 – 29 March
Round 3 – The Bend Motorsport Park – Tailem Bend, SA 7 – 10 May *4 day
- *with Asia Road Race Championship (ARRC) & IATC
Round 4 – Supercars – Barbagallo Raceway, Perth WA 15 – 17 May
- (Superbike Class Only)
Mid-Year Official Test – Morgan Park Raceway, QLD 28 – 29 July
Round 5 – Morgan Park Raceway – Warwick, QLD 7 – 9 August
Round 6 – Winton Motor Raceway, Benalla VIC 11 – 13 September
Round 7 – Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, Cowes VIC 2 – 4 October

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News

Hayes to race ASBK opener on Addicted to Track Team YZF-R1

February 19, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

Josh Hayes joins ASBK season opener at Phillip Island

One of America’s all-time Superbike greats – Josh Hayes – will take on the best Australian Superbike talent in next week’s first round of the mi-bike Australian Superbike Championship, presented by Motul, at Phillip Island.

Josh Hayes recently raced at the Island Classic – Image by Russell Colvin

The four-time American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) Superbike Champion, fell in love with Phillip Island and Australia after competing in the 2019 and 2020 International Island Classic held at the Island last month and the Island obsession will see Hayes race a Yamaha YZF-R1 under the Queensland-based “Addicted to Track Team” banner.

Josh Hayes

“I have to say that I’m overwhelmed by the outreach of support to bring to fruition the idea of participating in a round of the Australian Superbike Championship. After simply chatting about how much fun it would be with Mark Bracks, he assembled all the necessary people to make it actually happen! From the Addicted to Track team, Phillip Island Circuit, and Motorcycling Australia support, arose the final touches of help from Öhlins, Dunlop Tires, and Mojo Yamaha’s Dave Crussell. With all of this backing, I have to admit to feeling a touch of pressure to perform well against the ASBK regulars. But I truly enjoy the circuit, and absolutely love competition, so I’m looking forward to trying to get into the fight with a few of my racing friends.”

Josh Hayes – Image by Russell Colvin

Stephanie Redman – ATTR Team Manager

“When we received the opportunity to host Josh in the first round of ASBK at Phillip Island we were excited. Josh brings a huge amount of knowledge and experience to the team about both racing and the Yamaha R1s. Anthony from A&C Motorcycle Dyno has worked hard to get the bikes ready and with the support of YRD and Yamaha Australia we will be able to give Josh a good package overall. We believe Josh should be able to run some good times, but our only true expectations are to be professional, put our best foot forward and have a bit of fun while doing it.”

Dave Bennett – Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit General Manager

“We’re thrilled to have Josh back for our next big event, the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship – Yamaha Finance Round. At January’s Island Classic he was as tough as nails on the track, and off-track, enthusiastic and great fun in the paddock. Josh is a true racer. We love his appreciation of our little piece of 4.445km island bitumen, so much so, that he is returning from the US within a month. The winners are the fans. Josh brings world-class talent to the grid and the result will be spectacular Australian Superbike racing to thrill everyone trackside.”

Hayes won his four AMA superbike titles from 2010-12 and then again in 2014, and he finished seventh in the 2011 season-ending MotoGP round at Valencia deputising for injured countryman Colin Edwards. With 61 AMA Superbike wins to his credit, Hayes is second on the all-time winners’ list behind Australian Mat Mladin.

Josh Hayes – Image by Russell Colvin

Practice for the mi-bike Insurance Australian Superbike Championship will commence on Thursday, February 27 with qualifying and racing from Friday to Sunday. The packed agenda of 15 races includes the headline categories of World Superbike and World Supersport and from the national ranks, Australian Supersport, Supersport 300 and the Oceania Junior Cup.

ASBK returns to Phillip Island for Round 1 alongside the WSBK

Book tickets and on-circuit camping via Ticketek today for a weekend getaway at Phillip Island’s World Superbikes from February 28-March 1, 2020.

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News

Boost Mobile Racing officially launch ASBK assault

February 17, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

Boost Mobile Racing with K-Tech set sights on ASBK

Boost Mobile Racing with K-Tech have announced their team plans and have their sights firmly set on the 2020 mi-bike Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul.

Following the first public test of the Ducati Panigale V4R with star recruit Wayne Maxwell at the helm, McMartin Racing welcomed back Boost Mobile as the team’s naming rights sponsor for 2020 along with K-Tech Suspension who will be providing full factory support to form Boost Mobile Racing with K-Tech.

Wayne Maxwell – Image by Rob Mott

The team’s long associations will continue with Racers Edge Performance, Pirelli, Motul, RK 1Day Wraps, DA Plumbing as well as welcoming on board new sponsors Drummin Security Advisory, Irving Vincent, Strata Remedial Group, MFW Builders, Profile Interiors, SpeedAngle, Banham’s WA and Childs Dream Kindergarten.

Continuity is important for Boost Mobile Racing with K-Tech not only in terms of sponsors and supporters. Over the last few years Craig McMartin has built a highly experienced team that possess the same level of experience and determination as Wayne Maxwell to wrest the ASBK title.

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

Craig McMartin will utilise his twenty plus years of experience to build and maintain the Ducati Panigale V4Rs. Long-time team members Greg and Julie Maher bring their wealth of ASBK Team knowledge and experience preparing the bikes for each track session, providing the teams logistical support as well as supplying supreme quality Racers Edge Performance fairings. Dale McMartin will continue to provide valuable support with tyres to enable the rest of the team to focus on the motorcycle.

Craig McMartin – Team Owner

“I am very happy to have Wayne riding my bike this year in the 2020 ASBK. Wayne loved the bike from his first ride at Wakefield Park and did a very good job adapting the new components at the official test. He is great to work with and has put a lot of effort in behind the scenes helping with sponsorship and pit set-up. I am very grateful to have Adrian, Greg, Julie and Dale on the team as I cannot do it without them and the increased support this year from Ken and Barry from Irving Vincent and K-tech is a crucial factor. I am confident that this year as a team we will achieve great results. I would also like to thank each and every one of the sponsors for their faith and the backing that they are providing this year.”

Wayne Maxwell and Craig McMartin

Highly experienced and much sought after Crew Chief Adrian Monti has many years of experience working with top level ASBK riders and will work with Craig and Wayne to fine tune the chassis and K-Tech suspension at each round. James Harpham, Product Development Technician at K-Tech Suspension’s head office in the UK, will also be on hand at selected rounds providing his wealth of knowledge with the K-Tech product.

Engineering and fabrication support will be provided by Ken and Barry Horner, creators of the stunning bespoke Irving Vincent Motorcycles that are a crowd favourite every time they take to the racetrack.

Wayne Maxwell – Image by TBG

Wayne Maxwell is a rider that needs little introduction to Australian racing fans. One of the most highly credentialed and experienced riders in the ASBK paddock, Wayne is a multiple time national champion and is one of the highest profile riders in Australia. The 2013 ASBK Champion and 2014 ASC and AFX-SBK Champion has not finished an ASBK season outside of the top three since 2012 and in 2019 scored an impressive eleven podiums and four wins from the sixteen-race season.

Wayne Maxwell

“Joining Boost Mobile Racing with K-tech has been a dream transition; from the first time I rode the bike at Wakefield Park in November I have just jelled with it. The experience that Craig, Adrian and Greg have when it comes to preparing the bike is second to none, also the belief that they have in me makes me want to push that extra bit. It’s a real team effort with Dale and Julie also. We are extremely privileged to have some great partners from out of industry as well as within the motorcycle industry for this season and I can’t wait for the first round to get underway.”

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

Wayne will also be joined at selected rounds in 2020 by Beau Beaton on the North Coast V-Twins Panigale V4R, who will benefit from the same level of support from the Boost Mobile Racing with K-Tech squad.

Earlier this year Boost Mobile Racing with K-Tech attended the official ASBK pre-season test finishing fastest over the two days with the best ever recorded lap time for an ASBK spec machine. The official test was completed in testing livery with Boost Mobile Racing with K-Tech’s spectacular official 2020 livery to be unveiled on the eve of the first round.

The 2020 mi-bike Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul kicks off at the stunning Phillip Island Circuit in conjunction with the first round of the 2020 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship over the weekend of 28 February to 1 March.

Wayne Maxwell – Image by TBG

mi-bike Insurance ASBK Championship presented by Motul Calendar

Round 1 February 28 – March 1, Phillip Island Vic (World SBK)
Round 2 March 27-29 Wakefield Park NSW
Round 3 May 7-10 The Bend Motorsport Park SA (incl ARRC & ATC)
Round 4 May 15-17 Barbagallo Raceway WA (Supercars)
Round 5 August 7-9 Morgan Park QLD
Round 6 September 11-13 Winton Vic
Round 7 October 2-4 Phillip Island Vic

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News

Stauffer and McDonald to GTR MotoStars Team for 2020

February 16, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

2020 GTR MotoStars Team Announced

A new team will make its Australian racing debut in 2020, with the newly formed GTR MotoStars Team to be run by former FX Pro Twins Champion and ASBK stalwart Heath Griffin and MotoStars’ founder and former MotoGP racer Damian Cudlin.

The team has formed as a Yamaha backed racing program within the Supersport 300, R3 Cup and Supersport 600 classes in the 2020 Australian Superbike Championships, and will field 13-year-old Archie McDonald on a pair Yamaha R3s, who will be joined in the garage by 16-year-old Max Stauffer on the team’s newly developed Yamaha R6.

Coming from a successful 2019, notching up lap records and race wins in the Supersport 300 and R3 Cup classes, Max Stauffer will make the jump up to the Supersport 600 class aboard the Yamaha R6 under the watchful eye of his Dad, crew chief, and multiple ASBK Champ, Jamie Stauffer.

Max Stauffer

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to race with the GTR MotoStars Team and I want to learn as much as I can in 2020. Working with guys like Heath, Damo, and of course my Dad, Jamie, is a dream come true. I’m really excited to step up to the 600 class and I hope to mix it up at the pointy end as soon as I can.”

Max Stauffer (left) and Archie McDonald (right)

Archie McDonald is a current Australian Junior Dirt Track Champion and turned to road racing just over a year ago – learning the craft at MotoStars training and coaching days. He soon became a regular race winner at MotoStars Nationals and went on to compete in the inaugural Oceania Junior Cup in 2019 – a season that featured race wins and fourth overall in the series.

Archie McDonald

“I’m absolutely thrilled and immensely proud to represent the GTR MotoStars Team in 2020. I come from a humble dirt track background and am still relatively new to road racing. I raced in the OJC last year and always maintained a strong dedication to the MotoStars training and coaching days under the guidance of Damian Cudlin. Having the opportunity to work with him again, Heath Griffin and Jamie Stauffer, while being teamed up with Max Stauffer is every kids dream. I have to thank everyone who’s helped me reach this point and I can’t wait for Round 1.”

Archie McDonald

With two very talented young riders, the aim of the GTR MotoStars Team is to bring through and develop outstanding talent within Australia, forging a pathway starting from MotoStars, to the OJC, onto 300s and eventually into Supersport 600.

Damian Cudlin

“Since the inception of MotoStars, I’ve worked with plenty of talent here in Australia that just need more opportunities to succeed. When Heath came to me with the idea of building a pathway for riders from MotoStars to ASBK, I was keen to be a part of it, and thankfully Yamaha and a host of our sponsors were too. Archie and Max have both been regulars at MotoStars events and have made an impact already within ASBK. I’m excited to see what they can achieve this year with a bit of help and support.”

The GTR MotoStars Team will compete in the R3, SS300 and Supersport classes

Heath Griffin

“I’m extremely excited to be able to offer this opportunity for two exceptionally talented young Australian riders in Max and Archie to progress their road racing careers through our GTR Motorstars Team program for 2020. I believe we have put together a great group of people to be able to support and progress our riders, and help them maximize their potential. In Damian Cudlin we have Australia’s premier junior road racing coach to assist in our rider’s development both on and off the track, as well as providing technical and strategic advice to the team as a whole. Jamie Stauffer is a crew chief that many of Australia’s top Superbike riders would love to have in their corner, and his company Doctor Mak Engines already supplies many ASBK front runners with engine building, dyno mapping and suspension tuning services. Damo and Jamie are also two of the most successful Superbike riders to come out of this country in the past 20 years, and provide a wealth of knowledge and experience to our team. Highly experienced Brian Shields is also on board as our team mechanic. Brian has been a fixture in dirt track and road racing pit garages for several decades, firstly with his son Adam, then Jamie, and now Max and Archie benefitting from his skills, work ethic and strong attention to detail. I feel extremely privileged to be working with such a talented pair of riders, and our skillful and experienced crew in 2020, and I can’t wait to get the season underway at Round 1 of WSBK at Phillip Island”.

The GTR MotoStars Team is supported by Yamaha Australia, YRD, RS+C Precision CNC, Doctor Mak Engines, Bikebiz, Motul Oils, RK Chains, Pirelli Tyres, Racers Edge and Ricondi Leathers.

Source: MCNews.com.au

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Tag Archives: ASBK 2020

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