Motorcycling Australia (MA) has revealed the bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup (OJC) will feature at the Australian WorldSBK and MotoGP rounds in 2020, while a six-round calendar has been confirmed.

Officially recognised by the FIM and Dorna Sports as part of the Road to MotoGP program, the Australian junior road race academy initiative has secured two international events and four Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) rounds for its 2020 calendar.

“It’s an understatement to say the inaugural season of OJC has exceeded our expectations,” said Motorcycling Australia operations director Martin Port. “With lap records, ridiculously close racing, the show has simply been world-class.

“And then to have had the opportunity to send our OJC kids to the Red Bull Rookies Cup and the Idemitsu Asia Talent selection events, with the only two new Aussie recruits into the IATC coming from the OJC, we couldn’t be prouder.

“And now, thanks to the vision from the Australian Grand Prix Corporation and PI SBK Pty Ltd, to invest in Australian junior road racing, the OJC will showcase its racing future at two of Australia’s largest international motorcycle racing events.

“What MA has produced this year in terms of junior rider development and action-packed racing under the Road to MotoGP program has been recognised by both the WorldSBK and MotoGP events, so we are very proud of that.”

The series will kick off in conjunction with the WorldSBK and ASBK opener at Phillip Island on 27 February-1 March, and will then follow the ASBK calendar at Wakefield Park Raceway on 27-29 March. Round three of the OJC will be staged at Morgan Park on 7-9 August before heading to Winton on 11-13 September.

The penultimate round will take place at Phillip Island’s ASBK finale on 2-4 October, with the championship set to conclude at the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix on 23-25 October.

2020 Oceania Junior Cup calendar:
Rd1 – 27 February-1 March – Phillip Island (WorldSBK)
Rd2 – 27-29 March – Wakefield Park (ASBK)
Rd3 – 7-9 August – Morgan Park (ASBK)
Rd4 – 11-13 September – Winton (ASBK)
Rd5 – 2-4 October – Phillip Island (ASBK)
Rd6 – 23-25 October – Phillip Island (MotoGP)

YART Yamaha secured victory in a weather-affected 8 Hours of Sepang for round two of the 2019/2020 FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC) in Malaysia.

The team won the day despite an electronics scare in the early stages of the race by steering clear of trouble with Niccolo Canepa as the only Yamaha number seven rider in the saddle throughout the race.

The strategy of having a sole fast rider with experience of tricky track conditions proved fruitful – Australian Broc Parkes and Karel Hanika were however co-credited with the win.

The team finished ahead of Honda Asia Dream Racing with Showa, who ran a consistent race in the leading pack with Malaysian rider Zaqhwan Zaidi, Thai rider Somkiat Chantra and Indonesian Andi Farid Izdihar. The Japanese team’s line-up had already done brilliantly in the Top 10 Trial, wresting second place on the starting grid.

BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team claimed their second podium at the 8 Hours of Sepang with riders Ilya Mykhalchyk and Markus Reiterberger after their Bol d’Or podium finish. Kenny Foray sustained an injury in practice and was unable to compete in the race. Moto Ain and championship leader Suzuki Endurance Racing Team completed the top five.

Yamaha Sepang Racing, who dominated qualifying and the early stages of the race, and their chief rival F.C.C. TSR Honda France broke away from the other front-runners to embark on a duel for the lead. A collision involving Mike di Meglio (F.C.C. TSR Honda France) and WorldSBK Michael van der Mark (Yamaha Sepang Racing) knocked both machines to the ground.

After a pit stop, van der Mark returned to the track beyond 40th place. By dint of piling up fastest race laps – including a 2m17.817s by MotoGP rider Franco Morbidelli – Yamaha Sepang Racing finished seventh.

F.C.C. TSR Honda France – which includes Australian Josh Hook, who sat out of the race with illness – returned to the lead after the collision, but lost their chance of a win after di Meglio crashed out with one hour left in the race.

The Endurance World Championship now heads to Le Mans for the 24 Heures Motos on 18-19 April 2020.

Detailed results

Former champion Wayne Maxwell will pilot a Ducati Panigale V4 R in the 2020 Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) after joining McMartin Racing.

Maxwell was initially signed to a two-year deal with Team Suzuki Ecstar that would see him through 2020, however it was revealed following Sydney’s ASBK finale that Suzuki would withdraw its support from the operation, leaving both himself and Josh Waters without a ride for the upcoming season.

The 37-year-old, who finished third in the 2019 standings, immediately moved to secure a seat for next year, sampling the Craig McMartin-prepared on numerous occasions before finalising plans for 2020.

“I’m obviously very excited that I’m going to be able to make it back on the grid and very excited to be working with Craig [McMartin],” Maxwell told CycleOnline.com.au. “When it comes to the Ducati brand, Craig knows them better than anyone in Australia.

“We have a lot of work to do – we’ve received no support from Ducati, Craig bought the bikes off his own back, so that’s a huge expense. It’s a matter of gaining sponsorship so I can run at the level I need to run at, and to maintain the bikes at the level they need to be at to continue running for 11 years in the top three of the championship.

“I’ve had a few outings on the V4 R, obviously I was unsure whether I’d be able to adapt to the bike – I’ve never ridden a Ducati before. But, I’ve adapted easily – the bike was very good from the get-go and I’m really enjoying it.”

The opening round of the 2020 ASBK season is scheduled for 27 February-1 March at Phillip Island, running in conjunction with round one of the Motul FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK).