ASBK 2019

Morgan Park – Round 4 – Preview

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If you’re keen to share the full Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championship experience, the series heads into Morgan Park next week for the fourth round of the 2019 championship, of July 5-7. But don’t worry if you can’t make it, you can still curl up on the couch or invite your mates over to stream all the action, or watch it on TV!

For those going in person, there’s plenty of opportunities to really get to know what the ASBK is all about and here’s five of the best ways you can get up close and personal at Morgan Park for Round 4.

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Go for a grid walk at Morgan Park

With engines revving and thousands of horsepower about to be unleashed, the start is one of the most exciting moments of any ASBK race, and you’ve got the chance to experience some of that excitement and nervous energy firsthand.

The ASBK is offering some lucky fans the chance to be on the grid just before the start of Kawasaki Superbike Race 2 for Round 4 at Morgan Park, where they’ll get the chance to walk amongst the teams and riders as they make their final preparations to do battle. All you need to do is head online and purchase a Weekend Adult Ticket or Weekend Concession Ticket (if eligible) and you’re in the draw to win!

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Grab an autograph or a selfie

If you’re not one of the lucky ones to score a spot on the grid, then don’t worry! You’ve still got a chance to get up and close to the stars of the ASBK with an autograph session!

Times are posted on Facebook and Instagram in the lead up to the weekend, so lock them in the diary and come and say hello! You’ll find plenty of ASBK Champions, some ex-MotoGP riders, many more with other international experience, and maybe even some future international stars…

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Wander the paddock

If you’re unfamiliar with the ASBK, the paddock is a great place to get up close and personal with the teams, riders, and bikes. Wander between the marquees and check out the impressive team transporters. Marvel at these cutting-edge racing machines up close and see for yourself just how impressive these machines are.

Or if you’re keen to re-live your favourite racing memories, step back in time in the Superbike Masters paddock, where you’re able to get up close with some of the hero machines of yesteryear. The owners of these timeless machines are always up for a chat! Then go and wander the aisles of Trade Alley and kit yourself out like the pros!

The action doesn’t stop once the racing is over, head over to the ASBK podium to see the winners get presented with their trophies- just watch out for the champagne! And forget about F1-style exclusive paddock access, at Morgan Park access to the paddock is free with your ticket!

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Go for a pillion ride

For the ultimate in up-close-and-personal experiences, you can’t beat flying through the scenery at over 200km/h on the back of a Superbike! Let former FIM Endurance World Champion Steve Martin be your guide as you get every sensation a real Kawasaki Superbike racer feels on one of these road-going missiles!

A money can’t buy experience, you can win your way in by following ASBK on Facebook and keeping your eye out for our competition posts. You could be selected as the lucky winner!

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Come and give motorcycling a try with bLU cRU Mini Moto!

Give the youngsters their chance to ride a motorcycle just like their ASBK heroes! bLU cRU Mini Moto Come n’ Try provides a safe space for kids to jump on a motorcycle for the first time and give the sport a go in a fun, safe and supervised environment.

The kids can strap on the provided safety gear including boots, goggles and helmets before throwing their leg over a Yamaha and cutting a few laps of the Come n’ Try area. You’ll give them a memory they’ll never forget!

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2019 ASBK – Round 4

Morgan Park

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Round 4 of the 2019 Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) hits Morgan Park from 5-7 July 2019 for a fantastic weekend of motorcycle racing at the challenging Southern Downs circuit. Battling it out for supremacy across the weekend will be Australia’s fastest and most fearless motorcycle racers, riding some of the most highly-tuned motorcycles in the country.

The circuit at Morgan Park is a 2.9km squiggle of tarmac draped across a Southern Downs hillside just outside of Warwick in Southern Queensland. The track dishes out quite a number of challenges, not least the elevation changes, the bravery-testing back straight kink, and the infamous Turn 3 wall that sees riders playing chicken with a solid slab of concrete.

Queensland local Mike Jones is one of the riders who knows the circuit best, having taken two races from two when the ASBK visited in 2015, and testing there regularly with his Desmosport Ducati team.

Mike Jones

“Morgan Park is unique, the undulations and elevation changes add to the technicality of the circuit, not only for the rider but also for the team in being able to set the motorbike up. Because there’s physically less room on the track, the rider needs to be aggressive, and definitely an elbows-out attitude that’s for sure!”

Jump on board with Mike as we take a ride around the Morgan Park circuit:

Morgan Park Track Guide

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Turns 1 and 2 – Morgan Park

“You want to try and combine those two corners, just make it one big sweeper. Decelerate all the way through the first turn, right until the middle of Turn 2, and from that point on focus on driving the bike through the exit to go up the hill towards Turn 3.

“It’s quite hectic going into the first couple of turns straight off the start. There’s a bunch of bikes trying to go into the same bit of bitumen and it’s all very tight there. The riders are on edge, the adrenalin’s high, hearts are pumping and blood’s rushing through the body. It’s quite an exhilarating feeling going through turns one and two at the start of the race.”

Turn 3 – Morgan Park

“This corner is probably the most exciting corner on the whole circuit, it’s a blind left-hand turn because of the wall on the inside of the corner. You want to be as close as possible to the wall on the inside of the track for the fastest line, but be very careful that you don’t go too close and rub your head or your shoulder up against it.

“Everybody’s a little bit different, but my approach is to build into it- Friday practice in the first session we won’t be going as close to the wall immediately but come race time we’ll be hard up against it!”

Turns 4, 5 and 6 – Morgan Park

“Turn 4’s a really a good opportunity for overtaking. It’s a heavy braking zone into a really tight right hander, so it’s quite an action-packed part of the track. In practice on the Friday you’re trialling the tighter lines to practice overtaking other riders in the race.

“There’s a couple of different ways to approach the complex, and my preference is to exit Turn 4 on a really tight line which will allow me to get a better attack angle for the long sweeping left hander at Turn 5. Drive the bike really hard into 5 and just as you arrive at maximum lean angle, hard on the brakes again for Turn 6. You start to apply brake pressure while the bike is more or less on maximum lean angle, and then pick the bike up and change direction into the right hander at Turn 6. It’s quite a tricky and challenging part of the track.”

Turns 7, 8 and 9 – Morgan Park

“Turn 7 is crucial, and in my opinion one of the most difficult corners on the whole track. It’s tight, and quite deceiving as there’s not a lot of reference points when you enter the corner so it’s hard to consistently get the right line. But it’s one of the most important corners as it leads onto the fastest section of the track: the back straight, down the hill and through the fast turns 8 and 9. This section is very high speed and you can make up a lot of time with a good exit.

“Accelerate through turn 8 at maximum throttle in fifth gear. It’s a wild ride as the track undulates and the bike bucks underneath you, so try to let the bike dance by standing on the footpegs and raising yourself out of the seat ever so slightly. All the while being at full throttle at over 200km/h through the left hander! To anyone that hasn’t experienced that sort of thing before it’s hard to comprehend how full-on it is through that part of the track.

“Into the right hander at turn nine, decelerate slightly as you lean the bike over, and immediately back onto the gas as you head towards Turn 10.”

Turns 10, 11 and 12 – Morgan Park

“Turn 10 is quick. It’s got a lot of banking, so you can run the bike in with a lot of entry speed. It’s a good overtaking opportunity because the banking makes it easier to go up the inside. Fire yourself out of there as hard and as fast as you can, towards the last chicane that leads to the end of the lap.

“The last chicane is tricky: there’s a couple of different ways you can ride it. You could enter really quickly and make up a lot of ground on entry, but then you have to slow up as you change direction while still trying to get good drive out onto the main straight. My approach is to slow the entry up a little, get a really good line as you change direction from the right to the left and focus 100 percent on the drive out of the last part of the chicane up onto the main straight. This helps keep the motorbike stable as you come up onto the main straight, because there’s a crest in the road and it unsettles the bike a bit. So if you’ve got the motorbike stood upright, it allows you to track over the crest with a little bit more ease and be able to be full throttle down the rest of the straight.”

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Meet your ASBK heroes!

But forget inaccessible, F1-style paddock clubs, at the ASBK we’re a little different! You’ve got plenty of opportunities to meet these gladiators of the bitumen for an autograph or a selfie across the weekend.

The action isn’t just confined to the track this weekend! A slew of your favourite riders and their machines will hit Rose City Shoppingworld in Warwick on Thursday, July 4, to say hello, take some selfies and sign some autographs!

The Meet ‘n Greet at Rose City Shoppingworld, Palmerin St, Warwick QLD will take place from 6-7PM on Thursday 4 July, in front of Coles Supermarket.

ASBK Autograph Sessions

When you’re at the track, you can meet the ASBK heroes at two designated autograph sessions across the weekend. The autograph sessions take place at the ASBK podium, where all the riders will hope to be spraying champagne later on that day! Autograph sessions begin at 12:30pm on Saturday and Sunday at the ASBK podium.

bLU cRU Mini Moto Come N Try

If you’re going to give motorcycling a go for the very first time, you may as well learn from the best! Some of Yamaha’s top motorcycle racers will be at the bLU cRU Mini Moto Come N Try stand in Trade Alley, standing by to help the little ones take their first steps to becoming motorcycle champions in their own right!

bLU cRU Mini Moto Come N Try inflatable in Trade Alley will be operating from 10am-3pm on Saturday and Sunday. ASBK riders will be at visiting from 12:20 to 12:40 Saturday, and 12:30 to 12:50 Sunday.

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Make sure to get your ticket for Round 4 of the 2019 Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championship at Morgan Park, 5-7 July 2019.

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Make sure to get your ticket for Round 4 of the 2019 Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championship at Morgan Park, 5-7 July 2019. For more updates and to purchase, head to ASBK.com.au.

Source: MCNews.com.au