2021 Australian Superbike Championship
The Superbike tyre war offers an intriguing sub-plot to the ASBK Championship, and the upcoming round at Hidden Valley is set to present the teams with new challenges for how they manage their rubber allocation for the weekend.
In the most recent round at Wakefield Park, the race victories were shared between Wayne Maxwell (Pirelli) and Troy Herfoss (Michelin), but the Hidden Valley event will throw up a variety of curve-balls.
The increased ambient and track temperatures are an obvious factor, along with Superbike riders and teams largely choosing not to conduct pre-event testing at Darwin in the lead-up to the race meeting.
Here’s what representatives from the four ASBK tyre homologation suppliers: Pirelli, Dunlop, Michelin and Bridgestone, had to say of the season so far…
Garry Crilly – Pirelli (Link International)
Pirelli are certainly no stranger to motorcycle competition having long been the control tyre supplier to the FIM Superbike World Championship.
Teams and riders running Pirelli tyres include DesmoSport Ducati (Mike Jones and Oli Bayliss), Craig McMartin Racing (Wayne Maxwell), Next Gen Motorsports (Glenn Allerton and Lachlan Epis), Matt Walters, Ant West and Arthur Sissis.
Garry Crilly said the performance of Pirelli tyres in the scorching European summer heat can give the Pirelli-shod teams a wealth of confidence heading to Darwin.
Garry Crilly
“Our tyres are the same ones used in the FIM Superbike World Championship. The heat doesn’t worry us – our tyres have been tried and proven in the sweltering heat, so the hotter, the better! The more significant challenge for the teams will be the lack of testing, as they chose not to visit Darwin in the lead-up to the event. The Friday practice sessions will be particularly important.”
The ASBK tyre homologation list permits each tyre manufacturer to use two different front and three different rear compounds over the course of the season. Crilly said teams will be trialling different compound options in practice.
Garry Crilly
“The teams will be experimenting with tyre compounds and bike set-up to work out how they can best balance the objective of peak speed over one lap (for qualifying) with making sure the bike looks after its tyres over a race distance. I think our biggest advantage in the tyre war will be the international knowledge base we can tap into.”
Robbie Bugden – Dunlop (Ficeda Accessories)
The Yamaha factory team has chosen to use Dunlop tyres for its riders, Cru Halliday and Aiden Wagner, while Kawasaki BCPerformance riders Bryan Staring and Josh Waters also continue to use Dunlops. According to Dunlop representative and ex top-flight Superbike rider Robbie Bugden, the 2021 season has been a promising one for Dunlop so far.
Robbie Bugden
“To get third at Winton, in our debut weekend with the Yamaha factory team, shows we’ve made steps forward with our versatility – it hasn’t traditionally been one of our strongest tracks. Heading to Hidden Valley will be a big test with the heat, but the circuit layout should suit our tyres.
“One of the interesting factors will be sharing the event programme with the Supercars. The way they lay down their rubber is different to the bikes, because they take different lines; this can create some challenges with a variation in grip levels, which the riders will have to adapt to.”
An accomplished rider himself, Bugden said his own racing experience is useful in dealing with the riders and teams.
Robbie Bugden
“When they’re providing feedback on how a tyre is behaving, I can understand what they’re feeling because I’ve experienced it myself. Overall, the tyre war has become very competitive and created a lot of discussion in the paddock, which is a good thing for all the manufacturers as well as the ASBK.”
Doug Sharp – Michelin (Gas Imports)
The Australian importer for Michelin Superbike tyres is Doug Sharp, a man who has spent decades in international grand prix racing paddocks, including a stint with the Repsol Honda team as a technician, working with riders such as Wayne Gardner, Daryl Beattie, Alex Criville and Nicky Hayden.
With his vast experience at the very top level of motorcycle racing, Sharp is someone who has the potential to give Michelin a strong focus with their Australian exploits. He hasn’t been shy in bringing some other prominent names along for the ride, with fellow MotoGP mechanics Jeremy Burgess and Alex Briggs (who both worked as mechanics for superstar Valentino Rossi) called upon as Michelin tyre technicians at ASBK events.
Troy Herfoss is the most prominent rider on Michelin rubber, with others including Mark Chiodo, Jed Metcher and Aaron Morris also using the French tyres.
Sharp believes the biggest advantage of the Michelin rubber is their performance over longer runs.
Doug Sharp
“Michelin definitely make tyres that last, and here in Australia our races are not particularly long compared to overseas,” Sharp said. “I haven’t actually been to Darwin before; it’s one of the few tracks I haven’t visited. But there are a lot of similarities to some of the overseas venues, especially with the high ambient and track temperatures we’ll be facing.”
Sharp is expecting the Michelin rubber to shine at some of the other events on the 2021 ASBK calendar.
Doug Sharp
“Based on the testing we’ve done at other circuits, I think we’ll be strong at some of the other upcoming events,” he said. “Troy Herfoss recorded some very fast times in testing at Morgan Park, so that’s one we’re really looking forward to.”
Craig White – Bridgestone (White’s Racing Products)
Two ASBK teams were signed up to use Bridgestone tyres in 2021, but the arrangements fell through due to a COVID-related lack of supply from the Bridgestone factory in Japan.
Craig White
“We couldn’t guarantee supply for 2021 and we didn’t want to inconvenience the riders, but we’re using this time to prepare for 2022. In a few months, Bridgestone are releasing a new range of slicks for the Supersport class and we’re also working on supplying some Superbike teams next season.”
So, that leaves the question: which tyre manufacturer will prevail at Hidden Valley? Over the last few years, Pirelli has the runs on the board when it comes to the ultimate prize, but Michelin came oh-so-close to knocking them off that pedestal in 2020, their first year back in the series. Traditionally Dunlop have rubber that works well in hotter conditions and they also have plenty of fast riders on their tyres.
Darwin does present a somewhat unique challenge when it comes to conditions so it will be interesting to see if one tyre brand has a recipe that stands out and gives their riders distinct advantages. Talking of recipes, restaurants do get Michelin stars after all…
ASBK Hidden Valley Schedule
Friday, 18 June
10:25am – Practice 1 (40 min) FOX Sports
2:20pm – Practice 2 (30 min) FOX Sports
Saturday, 19 June
10:15am – Qualifying 1 (20 min) FOX Sports
10:40am – Qualifying 2 (15 min) FOX Sports
2:05pm – Race 1 (16 laps) FOX Sports/Channel 7
Sunday, 20 June
10:50am – Race 2 (16 laps) FOX Sports
2:05pm – Race 3 (16 laps) FOX Sports/Channel 7
2021 ASBK Championship Calendar (Updated)
Round 1 Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC February 18-21 CancelledRound 2 Winton Motor Raceway, Benalla, VIC March 12-14Round 3 Wakefield Park Raceway, Goulburn, NSW April 16-18- Round 4 Hidden Valley Raceway, NT – Supercars 2+4 (Superbikes only) June 18-20
- Round 5 Morgan Park Raceway, QLD August 20-22
- Round 6 The Bend Motorsport Park, Tailem Bend, SA September 23-26
- Round 7 Wakefield Park Raceway, Goulburn, NSW October 15 – 17 *
- Round 8 Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC November 5-7 *
Alpinestars Superbike Championship Standings
| Pos | Rider | Total |
| 1 | Wayne MAXWELL | 91 |
| 2 | Troy HERFOSS | 81 |
| 3 | Mike JONES | 74 |
| 4 | Cru HALLIDAY | 65 |
| 5 | Glenn ALLERTON | 64 |
| 6 | Bryan STARING | 54 |
| 7 | Jed METCHER | 47 |
| 8 | Arthur SISSIS | 46 |
| 9 | Oli BAYLISS | 45 |
| 10 | Matt WALTERS | 42 |
| 11 | Lachlan EPIS | 36 |
| 12 | Josh WATERS | 27 |
| 13 | Anthony WEST | 24 |
| 14 | Michael EDWARDS | 22 |
| 15 | Mark CHIODO | 22 |
| 16 | Yannis SHAW | 21 |
| 17 | Nathan SPITERI | 20 |
| 18 | Luke JHONSTON | 17 |
| 19 | Aiden WAGNER | 15 |
| 20 | Aaron MORRIS | 14 |
| 21 | Philip CZAJ | 10 |
| 22 | Hamish McMURRAY | 4 |
| 23 | Sash SAVIN | 3 |
Darwin ASBK Entry List
- #1 Wayne Maxwell – Ducati
- #2 Mark Chido – Yamaha
- #3 Jed Metcher – Yamaha
- #12 Matt Walters – Kawasaki
- #13 Anthony West – Yamaha
- #14 Glenn Allerton – BMW
- #16 Luke Jhonston – Yamaha
- #17 Troy Herfoss – Honda
- #21 Josh Waters – Kawasaki
- #25 Daniel Falzon – Yamaha
- #28 Aiden Wagner – Yamaha
- #32 Oli Bayliss – Ducati
- #37 Michael Edwards – Yamaha
- #46 Mike Jones – Ducati
- #51 Corey Turner – Yamaha
- #61 Arthur Sissis – Yamaha
- #65 Cru Halliday – Yamaha
- #67 Bryan Staring – Kawasaki
- #83 Lachlan Epis – BMW
- #92 Jack Davis – BMW
- #333 Yanni Shaw – Suzuki
Source: MCNews.com.au