Bayliss and Cube withdraw from WorldSSP wildcard

Cube Racing withdraws from World SuperSport Race

Despite showing consistent improvement through testing, free practice and qualifying, including a personal best lap time of 1:34.398, over a second faster than his previous time, and placing as high as 14th in one of the sessions, Oli Bayliss will not line up in today’s World SuperSport race.

Team owner – Ben Henry

“Oli has done a terrific job all week, both on track, and how he’s handled the pressure, the media attention and the extra commitments that come with a ride in this paddock, but the guys found an issue with the bike heading into qualifying, that despite all efforts both from our team, and many others in the WSBK paddock, in particular the GMT Yamaha guys, we just can’t solve in the time frame we have. Long story short is that we’ve lost compression in one cylinder, and despite some incredible offers of support, we aren’t able to give him a bike capable of being competitive and allowing him to continue to learn and improve, especially while our focus for 2020 is the Australian championship. He’s had a great run, a great experience and we’ll leave this opportunity there, and thank everyone for their incredible support.”

WSBK TBG ASBK Round Phillip Island Oli Bayliss TBG

WSBK TBG ASBK Round Phillip Island Oli Bayliss TBG

Oli Bayliss – TBG Image

Oli Bayliss

“I’m obviously disappointed to not race in World SuperSport today. We had a really great package and I was feeling more and more confident every time I went out. It’s been a pretty incredible week, on track with the best 600 riders in the world, and already, the experience has helped my riding. I improved my fastest lap time in pretty much every session, and everyone I met in the paddock was really supportive. I want to thank Mum and Dad, Marty and Nathan, Ben, Motorcycling Australia, our team sponsors and everyone that helped make this possible, and also the GMT Yamaha team, they came and offered a lot of support and advice to us all week, and it really made our week so much better. I’ll put all my attention towards my ASBK Supersport race at 4:45pm and see if I can take another race win… And you never know, if an opportunity comes up to ride World SuperSport again, and we could make it work, I’d be in for sure!”

WSBK TBG ASBK Round Phillip Island TBG

WSBK TBG ASBK Round Phillip Island TBG

Oli Bayliss – Image by TBG
Source: MCNews.com.au

Martin takes control on Day 2

Behind the two, Bulega, and Roberts, Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing) completed the top five, just ahead of Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP). Rookie Aron Canet (Aspar Team) was back to his old tricks from the Jerez test and slots into an impressive P7, ahead of Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team) despite a small spill for the Italian.

Source: MotoGP.comRead Full Article Here

Salač stamps some authority on Saturday

The timesheets were close from second down, with Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) in fourth and Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) in fifth only split by half a tenth – and Tony Arbolino (Rivacold Snipers Team) made for close company in sixth, too. Albert Arenas (Aspar Team) was the leading KTM in seventh but only just, with Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) taking P8. Sergio Garcia (Estrella Galicia 0,0), who has a little less experience of the venue after sitting out the 2019 edition due to his age, was ninth quickest, with Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) completing the top ten – the fastest rookie.

Source: MotoGP.comRead Full Article Here

This is MotoGP™ – the evolution of the classes

MotoGP™, Moto2™ and Moto3™ have drastically evolved over the past decade but we embark on a new decade in the midst of a golden age

During its 70-year history, the MotoGP™ landscape has undergone some incredible transformations and the last decade has been no exception. Beyond the new trends that have emerged like MotoE™ and the eSport World Championship, the technology has evolved considerably as well as the categories!

The introduction of a new format

On the one hand, they have been reorganised for clarity. At the end of 2009, the 250cc disappeared in favour of the Moto2™ World Championship: motorcycles equipped with the same engine – in this case a four-cylinder, 600cc Honda. The idea was to get young riders more acclimatised with powerful machines so that the step to MotoGP™ wouldn’t be as big. A highly competitive category, where the prototypes would dissociate above all by their chassis, which was also inaugurated by the late Shoya Tomizawa’s victory in Qatar.

Two years later, a new era was also beginning in the smallest category. 125cc became the Moto3™ World Championship: 250cc, four-stroke, single-cylinder engines but this time without a single-engine manufacturer. Now MotoGP™ star Maverick Viñales won the very first race there.

New challengers

And then within these categories, brands arrived whilst others returned. At the end of 2011, Suzuki decided to take a break from Grand Prix racing but thankfully the Hamamatsu factory bounced back. In 2015, the Japanese manufacturer returned to the world stage with Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Viñales. Just a few months later, Viñales made sure Suzuki were back on top of the world again with victory at Silverstone. In total, their first campaign back in the premier class resulted in four podiums, but it was only the beginning! Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) triumphed in these colours at the 2019 Grand Prix of the Americas and better still, he managed to put in a repeat performance at the British Grand Prix, finding a last lap, last corner move on the dominant Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) Results that speak volumes about the level they’ve now reached. Their pre-season points towards further success.

Aprilia, for its part, has had a few more difficulties since its return to MotoGP™ in 2015. The Noale factory has, however, a revolutionary 2020 RS-GP that stunned everyone with its performance at the Sepang and Qatar pre-season tests. The Italian outfit appear to have put their struggles behind them.

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A brand new Aprilia in 2020?

KTM was embarking on a larger challenge in 2017 when they entered both Moto2™ and MotoGP™. Without any experience, the brand deployed their great resources and became a true challenger in the intermediate category, winning a handful of races and contending for multiple titles before exiting in 2019. In the big leagues – the class that it will focus all its attention in 2020 – it has managed to reduce the gap year on year, race by race. Top ten finishes have multiplied, with Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) even earning the Austrian factory’s debut podium at the wet season finale in Valencia just over a year ago. Other highlights have included front-row starts in Brno and Misano last season, as well as a sixth-place finish in Le Mans, their best in dry conditions. With another step forward taken ahead of the 2020 season, there’s no question of knowing where the KTM journey ends.

The 2019 campaign was also marked by the arrival of a new engine manufacturer in Moto2™: Triumph. The new weapon of choice? A 765cc in-line three-cylinder, inspired by the 2017 Street Triple. The noise a total contrast to what we had become accustomed to. Its introduction brought incredibly close gaps, a multitude of winners, a rewriting of the record books in both speed and lap record chapters, plus very few technical issues for the riders to encounter.

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A record breaking year for Triumph in Moto2™

More importance given to satellite teams

The aim of making MotoGP ™ as equal and level as possible means the rules are forever evolving. First there was CRT – Claiming Rule Team – in 2012; a class within a class that was created so that teams working with a smaller budget can also take part in the MotoGP™ World Championship. Help came in the form of having twelve engines instead of six and putting 24 litres in the tank instead of 21.

CRTs were then replaced by the Open class from 2014. This time, the teams entered in this class agreed to have the same Magneti Marelli ECU in return for certain privileges, again linked to the number of engines, the litres of petrol, and also the types of rubber. These same privileges were also given to certain manufacturers who hadn’t tasted victory in previous years or were simply making their debut. Ducati thus decided to join the class in order to properly prepare for the future.

Just two years later, the Factory versus Open fight was ended. Everyone was, therefore, suddenly in the same boat. The same ECU, 22 litres of petrol and seven of the exact same engines for the season. However, concessions were still granted to new brands, or to those that didn’t stand on the top step of the podium between 2013 and 2015, with their concessions reviewed and renewed depending on results. For the upcoming season, just two manufacturers will benefit from a helping hand. Both Aprilia and KTM will, among other things, have nine engines throughout the season with one upgrade permitted throughout the course of the year.

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Off the Racing Line #2: Jack Miller

Now, in modern-day MotoGP™, nearly all of the factories have their own satellite teams, which all carry greater importance than ever before. Proof of this is Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol), Jack Miller and Francesco Bagnaia of Pramac Racing, Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and Red Bull KTM Tech 3’s Miguel Oliveira and Iker Lecuona only competing with the same machinery as their factory counterparts. Truth be told, manufacturers are well aware of the benefits that having as many competitive motorcycles on the grid as possible can be for data collection, especially since these riders are fully capable of fighting victories, podiums and pole positions. Just look Jack Miller’s Assen win in 2016 or by Cal Crutchlow conquering Termas de Rio Hondo in 2018, plus Brno and Phillip Island in 2016. Fabio Quartararo is not to be forgotten too, with seven podiums and six poles last season; performances which convinced Yamaha to give him a full-factory Yamaha M1 for the 2020 campaign.

Over the years, the classes have evolved with the sole purpose of maintaining the cornerstones of MotoGP™ – passion and excitement. As we enter a new decade, the premier class boasts the closest and most competitive field arguably in its history, whilst continuing to smash lap records and speed records at every circuit year on year.

Every race weekend LIVE and OnDemand, exclusive interviews, historic races and so much more fantastic content: this is VideoPass

Source: MotoGP.comRead Full Article Here

ASBK race two belongs to Maxwell at Phillip Island

News 29 Feb 2020

ASBK race two belongs to Maxwell at Phillip Island

Toparis edges Bayliss in close Supersport encounter.

Image: Russell Colvin.

Wayne Maxwell has continued his dominance so far at Phillip Island’s opening round of the 2020 Mi-Bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK), the Boost Mobile Racing contender riding to victory in race two.

The former multi-time champion was unstoppable in the 12-lap affair, although he was unable to shake Yamaha Racing Team’s Cru Halliday, who kept him honest for the duration of the encounter.

The pair broke away from the field to finish first and second respectively, crossing the line over 10 seconds ahead of third’s Mike Jones (DesmoSport Ducati).

The reigning champion was locked in a multi-rider battle for third, ultimately fending off a hard charging Bryan Staring (Kawasaki BCperformance) and Troy Herfoss (Penrite Honda Racing).

Josh Waters (JW Racing) drew the short straw to marginally finish in sixth after a drag race down the straight, while Daniel Falzon (Yamaha) closely followed in seventh. The top 10 was completed by Matt Walters (Kawasaki Connection), Glenn Allerton (Maxima BMW), and Jed Metcher (Suzuki).

Image: Russell Colvin.

Reigning champion Tom Toparis (Yamaha) fended off Oli Bayliss (Cube Racing) in Supersport race two, the number one defeating the WorldSSP wildcard by 0.263s.

Rookie Max Stauffer (GTR MotoStars) was an impress third, as Jack Passfield (Yamaha) and Nic Liminton (Yamaha) completed the top five.

The Supersport 300 category was dominated by Kawasaki-mounted Harry Khouri, the youthful talent winning by over seven seconds ahead of Luke Jhonston (Kawasaki) and Laura Brown. The final races will take place tomorrow.

Detailed results

Source: CycleOnline.com.au

Toparis wins second ASBK Supersport bout

ASBK Supersport Race Two

Images Rob Mott


Oli Bayliss had broke through for his first Supersport win on Saturday morning in what was a close run affair. Bayliss scored the win from Toparis by a nose while Nic Liminton and Tom Edwards also crossed the line within the same second to make for a close finishing quartet.

The second ten-lap bout got underway a little behind schedule at 1730 Saturday afternoon.

Oli Bayliss scored the holeshot ahead of Toparis and that pair immediately started to build a lead over Nic Liminton and Jack Hyde.

Toparis moved through to the race lead and the Aussie Supersport Champion and young Oli Bayliss swapped the lead a multiple times over the next few laps.

Behind them Max Stauffer was making a great Supersport debut, recording a new fastest lap of the race to get the better of Edwards and Passfield before then stretching away from that pair a little as he tried to bed down that P3.

Passfield and Liminton though maintained the rage and closed back up on Stauffer to make for a tight tussle over third place,.

With four laps to run Toparis was trying to eke a small gap over Bayliss but the young Queenslander was not letting the Goulburn based champ get away from him.

At the last lap board Toparis led Bayliss by a bike length.  Five-seconds behind them that titanic tussle for P3 was still being waged between Passfield, Stauffer and Liminton.

Toparis held on to the chequered flag for victory from Bayliss but he had to put a 1m36.053 fastest lap of the race on the final circuit to get the better of Bayliss.

Max Stauffer the victor in that second battle for the final step on the rostrum.


ASBK Supersport Race Two Results

Pos Rider Bike Time/Gap Speed
1 Tom TOPARIS  YZF-R6 16m11.819 258
2 Oli BAYLISS  YZF-R6 +0.263 258
3 Max STAUFFER YZF-R6 +5.675 267
4 Jack PASSFIELD YZF-R6 +5.738 263
5 Nic LIMINTON  YZF-R6 +6.056 258
6 Jack HYDE  YZF-R6 +11.292 262
7 Tom EDWARDS  YZF-R6 +15.614 269
8 Ted COLLINS  GSXR +18.001 264
9 Rhys BELLING  YZF-R6 +18.232 261
10 Broc PEARSON YZF-R6 +18.328 261
11 Dallas SKEER GSXR +19.463 266
12 Aidan HAYES  YZF-R6 +19.619 265
13 Ty LYNCH YZF-R6 +22.740 260
14 Luke MITCHELL YZF-R6 +34.601 259
15 Ryan TAYLOR  YZF-R6 +36.418 262
16 Chris QUINN  YZF-R6 +43.139 258
17 Mitch KUHNE YZF-R6 +45.140 263
18 Darren McGRATH ZX6R +1m05.380 255
19 Andrew EDSER ZX6R +1:05.985 261
20 Stephany J-JAMES YZF-R6 +1m39.414 251
DNF Patrick LI YZF-R6 7 Laps 243
DNF Brodie MALOUF YZF-R6 10 Laps 207

ASBK Supersport Points

Pos Name Machine Pole R1 R2 Total
1 Oli BAYLISS Yamaha 1 25 20 46
2 Tom TOPARIS Yamaha 20 25 45
3 Nic LIMINTON Yamaha 18 16 34
4 Max STAUFFER Yamaha 15 18 33
5 Jack HYDE Yamaha 16 15 31
6 Tom EDWARDS Yamaha 17 14 31
7 Rhys BELLING Yamaha 14 12 26
8 Ted COLLINS Suzuki 12 13 25
9 Broc PEARSON Yamaha 13 11 24
10 Dallas SKEER Suzuki 10 10 20
11 Aidan HAYES Yamaha 11 9 20
12 Jack PASSFIELD Yamaha 17 17
13 Ty LYNCH Yamaha 9 8 17
14 Luke MITCHELL Yamaha 8 7 15
15 Ryan TAYLOR Yamaha 7 6 13
16 Chris QUINN Yamaha 6 5 11
17 Mitch KUHNE Yamaha 3 4 7
18 Darren McGRATH Kawasaki 4 3 7
19 Brodie MALOUF Yamaha 5 5
20 Andrew EDSER Kawasaki 2 2 4
21 Stephany KAPILAWI-JAMES Yamaha 1 1 2

Source: MCNews.com.au

Herlings and KTM extend contract through 2023 season

News 29 Feb 2020

Herlings and KTM extend contract through 2023 season

Additional three-year deal confirmed for MXGP title challenger.

Image: Supplied.

Four-time world champion Jeffrey Herlings has extended his contract with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing through the 2023 MXGP World Championship season.

Hurlings, 25, was previously signed to remain with KTM until the end of this year, now confirming the pair will continue for an additional three years.

“I’m very, very happy,” the Dutchman commented. “I have been with KTM since 2009 so by the end of this next contract it will be 15 years together. I’m excited to stay in the orange family and I have been working with Pit [Beirer] and the entire crew since the beginning and I was 14.

“I’m blessed to be able to do it for another three years – four including this one about to start. It is also good to have this done before the weekend and GP1 of 2020. KTM is where my heart is and they are my family. I’m thankful that they trust in me and I believe in them, the bike and all the people I work with.”

KTM Motorsports director Pit Beirer added: “This contract definitely means a lot to me personally because it was back in 2009 that we gave this young kid and his family our word that we’d take good care of him and he had a great future in front of him – we wanted to be a partner in that.

“We went through so many ups and downs with Jeffrey and he has collected all of his wins and titles with us, just one brand. It was actually quite emotional to know he could spend his career with just one company. I’m really happy that we could agree everything so early for another three years and I wish him a healthy and strong season.”

The association began in 2009 when Herlings was signed to make his MX2 debut for the 2010 season as a 15-year old. He claimed his first top-three race finish in just his second moto at the Grand Prix of Bulgaria, celebrated his first podium at Mantova in Italy for round two and then went 1-1 at Valkenswaard.

Since that initial term in 2010 Herlings has gone on to accumulate 86 grand prix victories in two classes and capture titles in 2012, 2013, 2016 (MX2) and then 2018 (MXGP) with KTM 250 SX-F and KTM 450 SX-F machinery.

Source: MotoOnline.com.au

Maxwell wins second ASBK Superbike bout from Halliday

2020 mi-bike Australian Superbike Championship
Round One – Phillip Island
Superbike Race Two

By Trevor Hedge


Wayne Maxwell (Boost Mobile Ducati) looked to have had to work for his victory in the opening 12-lap bout of the Australian Superbike Championship earlier today at Phillip Island, but his rivals were not so sure…

Just how much Maxwell had controlled the opening bout would be revealed on Saturday afternoon in the second of the three 12-lap encounters that make up round one of the 2020 mi-bike Australian Superbike Championship.

ASBK riders formed up on the grid after witnessing Toprak Razgatlioglu win a breath-taking first WorldSBK race of season 2020. The WorldSBK race distance almost double that of the ASBK competition, and with the Pirelli runners in ASBK running the exact same rubber as the WorldSBK competitors, there should be no problems in regards to tyre longevity over only 12-laps.

This morning Dunlop’s Josh Waters (Suzuki) and Bryan Staring (Kawasaki) finished in third and fourth respectively, while the Michelin shod Penrite Honda of Herfoss took fifth. That suggests that nobody is enjoying any real significant advantage on the rubber front in these cool conditions at Phillip Island today. The track temperature though had crept up a few degrees since the morning bout, now registering 32.5-degrees.

Defending champion Mike Jones was all fired up ahead of this second encounter for the day, which for him was his first! The DesmoSport Ducati had a little fuel coming out of the over-flow line as he went to form up on the grid for race one which saw him have to pull off onto the grass and miss the start of the race. Jones and the Gold Coast based team gutted at seeing their rider having to start his title defence firmly on the back foot.

Aiden Wagner clashed with Glenn Allerton in the opening bout and thus both had their potential curtailed so it would be interesting to see what they could bring to the table this time around.

Cru Halliday was very strong in the first race and ran Maxwell closest, would he be able to get the better of the #47 this time around?

Josh Waters seemed almost genuinely surprised to be on the podium in the opening bout and that would have the Mildura based three-time champ full of confidence ahead of this second 12-lap distance. And a confident Josh Waters makes for a very strong Josh Waters…

Daniel Falzon is back in his South Australian family run outfit this year and looked strong enough this morning to challenge for a podium, should the cards fall his way.

Matt Walters was running inside the top six and looking strong until the chain failed on his Cessnock Kawasaki and robbed him of a strong start to the season in the opening race.

American Superbike legend Josh Hayes had some brake problems rob him of his potential in the first bout and was fired up ahead of this second contest…

Race Two is away!

Wayne Maxwell led the field into turn one ahead of Josh Waters, Cru Halliday and Troy Herfoss. Mike Jones fifth ahead of Bryan Staring, Glenn Allerton and Daniel Falzon.

Herfoss got stood up at MG Hairpin by Mike Jones as the Ducati man took fourth place. Bryan Staring then looked up the inside of Herfoss at turn one as they started lap two and relegated the Penrite Honda further back to sixth.

Josh Hayes went down and out of the race.

This time around Maxwell was making a break, a 1m32.677 on the next lap saw him pull a second out on the field.

Herfoss was now building speed, through on Staring and then Jones to move back up to fourth place. Then the Honda man went through on Waters to move up to third position and started pulling away from that group.

Maxwell was leading Halliday by a second, with Herfoss equidistant back in third but now being chased hard by Jones and Staring.

Herfoss, Jones and Staring three-wide heading towards turn one but coming out the other side it was Staring with his nose in front of that pack as they fought over P3.

Aiden Wagner was in 11th place and would also be subjected to a jump-start penalty to make for a difficult debut round for the YRT rider.

Cru Halliday had managed to chase down Wayne Maxwell and with eight laps to run was only a couple of lengths behind the Ducati.

The battle for third place was broadening… Joining Staring, Herfoss, Jones was once again Waters, while Daniel Falzon and Matt Walters were also now looking to join that party and make it a six-way tussle.

Up front Halliday was still keeping Maxwell honest and that pair were more than six-seconds ahead of that busy war being waged over third place with five laps still to run.

The action continued to be all in that battle for third place as they tussled over track position and placings at almost every turn. At the last lap board Jones was third and Herfoss fourth, all battling hard.

Halliday was right behind Maxwell on the final lap, shadowing the Ducati man throughout, right on his tail through Hayshed… Perhaps trying to line something up for Lukey Heights but the YRT man ran wide and his shot at victory was gone with that mistake.

Wayne Maxwell the winner to make it two-from-two, Halliday a strong second place while Jones took third by a nose from Staring and Herfoss.

That final battle for third place though unfolded ten-seconds behind that leading duo. That difference will be deeply concerning those riders ahead of tomorrow’s third and final 12-lap race of the ASBK Superbike weekend. That third bout scheduled to take place at 1030 on Sunday morning.


Wayne Maxwell – P1

“The bike worked flawlessly again, it’s a full credit to everyone from Boost Mobile Racing with K-Tech. The suspension, the balance, Pirelli with the tyre – without the support of all the partners that makes it hard to make it happen. This is just the reward for the hard work we’ve put in at the start of the year. I guess it depends on what we’re restricted by at the moment, because Motorcycling Australia won’t let us have an ECU to (get more out of the bike). At the moment we’re controlled by them, so I’m unsure. We’ve got a lot more to give but until we can get some updated parts, we can only race with the bike that we’ve got.”


Cru Halliday – P2

“Mate that was absolutely everything (we had). I saw the gap happen between Josh and Wayne, to be honest, I know it was a decent sized gap but I didn’t want to panic because if I had panicked I would have over-rode the bike. I just slowly chipped away at him- usually it’s hard to lead a race so I just used Wayne as a mark and got to him. It’s probably easier closing the gap than actually passing because he’s a very good defensive rider and he’s a lot faster than me in the first part of the circuit. I did catch him in 1 but the rest he’s a lot quicker. I was going to go for a move around Lukey and MG but just pushed too hard- that’s what you’ve gotta do to try and get past him,

“He’s riding good, looks like the Ducati’s working well for him. But what can I say about my R1? This thing’s a hoot to ride, this 2020 model and I can’t thank the team enough. I’m really enjoying riding Phillip Island for the first time ever because I’ve got a package that really works for this track and works for me. If you don’t have a package under you that flows around here, this place can be a nightmare. I’m glad that we’ve got the right setup and we’re pointing in the right direction and I’m looking forward to the third race.

“To be honest I didn’t change one thing on the bike then, and I’m not going to change anything on the bike for tomorrow. You can see by the results we are up there, it’s just a matter of getting past him- that’s a whole other story. I’ll go home and think about it, but everyone can be beat.

“The (Ducati V4) is a lot faster, but hey, I’m not one to complain about power. With racing you get the lucky draw sometimes. They come out with a fast bike and Wayne’s team got on that bike this year, good luck to him, he gets that advantage. My bike has come out with a lot more power than last year’s model and I’m pumped with that. Not as fast as the Ducati but I think we’ve got some better aspects on the R1 than the Ducati. I think our bike handles a lot better than that, but time will tell. It’s only Race 2 of round 1, we’ve got Wakefield Park and the tighter tracks coming up. It looks like around the back here I’m faster than Wayne so we’ll see what happens. He could come out swinging in the next one and smoke us all and prove me wrong, so…”


Mike Jones – P3

“At the start of Race 1 I pulled up onto the grid for the race start, and the marshals seemed to think that there was a possible leak on the bike, some sort of fluid leak, and told me I couldn’t start the race. It wasn’t til afterwards that we realised that there was no leak from the motorbike, but regardless we weren’t able to start the race and we weren’t able to get any points from it, so that was quite a disappointment. But in saying that our full focus was on the next race and trying to maximise ourselves in that one.

“Coming back in Race 2 made a reasonably good start, progressed my way up a few positions, and overall had a really solid battle and finished in third position, so it was quite an exciting race.

“The V4R is actually quite a rider-friendly bike to first get on, and that’s quite confidence-inspiring, to jump on something that feels good straightaway, it’s a race-bred machine. In terms of pushing the bike to the complete limit and getting the most out of it, we’re not quite there yet. But it won’t be long and we’ll be there. It’ll just be a matter of track time and setup with the motorbike. Just finding the right setting that works well for me and my riding style, and of course just adapting myself to that bike- it’s a completely different motorcycle to the bike that I rode last year.”


2020 mi-bike Australian Superbike Championship
Round One – Phillip Island
Superbike Race Two Results
Pos Name Bike Time/Gap Speed
1 Wayne MAXWELL V4R 18m42.496 301
2 Cru HALLIDAY YZF-R1 +1.178 303
3 Mike JONES   V4R +10.087 301
4 Bryan STARING  ZX10R +10.133 301
5 Troy HERFOSS CBR RR +10.175 303
6 Josh WATERS GSXRR +10.319 300
7 Daniel FALZON YZF-R1 +10.724 307
8 Matt WALTERS ZX10RR +13.789 310
9 Glenn ALLERTON S1K RR +22.095 306
10 Jed METCHER GSXRR +22.145 301
11 Arthur SISSIS GSXRR +22.275 306
12 Aiden WAGNER YZF-R1* +29.815 306
13 Glenn SCOTT ZX10R +37.854 303
14 Max CROKER GSXR +38.105 303
15 Linden MAGEE S1K RR +38.458 295
16 Sloan FROST GSXR +38.672 298
17 Beau BEATON V4R +46.199 303
18 Brendan McINTYRE GSXR +56.295 285
19 Giuseppe SCARCELLA 1199 +1m05.829 292
20 Matthew TOOLEY YZF-R1 +1m08.587 280
21 Dean HASLER S RR +1m13.984 284
22 Dominic DE LEON ZX10R +1m14.237 287
23 Nathan SPITERI  GSXRR +1m14.734 284
24 Evan BYLES ZX10R +1m15.183 285
25 Adam SENIOR YZF-R1 +1m27.301 278
26 Hamish McMURRA ZX10RR +1 Lap 268
27 Michael EDWARDS YZF-R1M +1 Lap 290
DNF Josh HAYES  YZF-R1 11 Laps 298

*(With ten second penalty)

2020 mi-bike Australian Superbike Championship Points
Pos Name Bike Pole R1 R2 Total
1 Wayne MAXWELL Ducati V4R 1 25 25 51
2 Cru HALLIDAY Yamaha 20 20 40
3 Bryan STARING Kawasaki 17 17 34
4 Josh WATERS Suzuki 18 15 33
5 Troy HERFOSS Honda 16 16 32
6 Daniel FALZON Yamaha 14 14 28
7 Arthur SISSIS Suzuki 15 10 25
8 Jed METCHER Suzuki 12 11 23
9 Aiden WAGNER Yamaha 13 9 22
10 Mike JONES Ducati 18 18
11 Glenn ALLERTON BMW 5 12 17
12 Max CROKER Suzuki 9 7 16
13 Linden MAGEE BMW 10 6 16
14 Matt WALTERS Kawasaki 13 13
15 Sloan FROST Suzuki 8 5 13
16 Glenn SCOTT Kawasaki 4 8 12
17 Beau BEATON Ducati 7 4 11
18 Josh HAYES Yamaha 11 11
19 Brendan McINTYRE Suzuki 6 3 9
20 Giuseppe SCARCELLA Ducati 3 2 5
21 Matthew TOOLEY Yamaha 1 1 2
22 Dean HASLER BMW 2 2
2020 mi-bike Australian Superbike Manufacturer Points
Pos Name Pole R1 2 Total
1 Suzuki 68 51 119
2 Yamaha 59 44 103
3 Ducati 1 35 49 85
4 Kawasaki 21 38 59
5 BMW 17 18 35
6 Honda 16 16 32

Source: MCNews.com.au

Multiple injuries sideline Osborne ahead of Atlanta

News 29 Feb 2020

Multiple injuries sideline Osborne ahead of Atlanta

Return of Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider yet to be determined.

Image: Supplied.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Zach Osborne was injured in training this week, forcing him out of upcoming Monster Energy AMA Supercross rounds.

Osborne suffered a broken rib, two bruised lungs and a sprained wrist, with his return to racing yet to be determined.

“I’m really gutted with the timing of this incident, but very grateful that my injuries were minor considering the hit that I took,” Osborne said.

“It’s been a very tough start to the season for me and my team has been so awesome in picking me back up as they always do. This is just a bump in the road and I will be back as soon as I’m back to 100 percent and can reach my full potential again.”

Osborne had been on the rise during the middle stages of the season, finishing fifth last weekend in Arlington – his third top five result of 2020. He is currently ranked ninth in the standings.

Source: MotoOnline.com.au