Maxwell tops combined practice for the weekend

Aiden Wagner sets second fastest time in final session

By Mark Bracks

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At the end of the two day official ASBK test it was Wayne Maxwell who could beat his chest as the fastest Superbike rider on the grid, after setting a 1:32.312 during the final day’s morning session.

Wagner put in a notable final session of the day, setting a late 1:32.451 to post the second fastest time of the test, while close behind was the man who finished third last year in Troy Bayliss, followed by Josh Waters and Daniel Falzon. All bar Falzon and Wagner set their fastest times in the opening session of day two, before the heat really set in.

Defending champion Troy Herfoss meanwhile was sixth fastest, with Bryan Staring, Cru Halliday, Glenn Allerton and Mike Jones rounding out the top ten on the combined timesheets.

See below for individual sessions and the full combined testing times for the weekend.

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Superbikes – Sunday Session 1

By 10am Sunday morning, the air temp was over 24 degrees at Phillip Island, with the track temperature already nudging 36 degrees. That meant that with the forecast saying it would only get hotter, it was vital to get the times in early as most expected the track and tyre performance to drop off as the temperatures rose and the day wore on.

The first session saw Maxwell kick the day off well and continue his form, topping the sheets again with a blistering 1:32.312, which was only fractionally outside Troy Bayliss’s lap record of 1:32.224.

There were four other riders under the 1:33 mark for the first session of the day, with Bayliss, Waters, Wagner and Herfoss all claiming that honour.  There was then a further one second gap back to Halliday in sixth.

Kawasaki Superbike – Practice 5 (Sun Session 1)

1. Wayne MAXWELL (VIC) Suzuki GSX-R ELR 1:32.312
2. Troy BAYLISS (QLD) Ducati Panigale FE +0.319
3. Josh WATERS (VIC) Suzuki GSX-R ELR +0.364
4. Aiden WAGNER (QLD) Yamaha YZF-R1 +0.532
5. Troy HERFOSS (QLD) Honda CBR RR SP +0.672
6. Cru HALLIDAY (NSW) Yamaha YZF-R1 +1.587
7. Daniel FALZON (SA) Yamaha YZF-R1 +1.635
8. Glenn ALLERTON (NSW) BMW S RR +1.642
9. Arthur SISSIS (SA) Suzuki GSXR RL7 +1.706
10. Mike JONES (QLD) Kawasaki ZX10RR +1.842

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Superbikes – Sunday Session 2

The second session was held just before the lunch break and saw Bayliss return to the top of the timesheets, while a multitude of consistent laps from Falzon propelled him into second for the session. Wagner and Maxwell completed the top four and these were the only other riders to also descend into the 1:32s for the session.

The consensus of those that were asked is that they were all still trying to find a setup to suit the new Pirelli tyres. All bar Bayliss, who basically just adapted to the new tyres well.

To me, that gives an indication of the man’s adaptability, a skill that would have been honed on those many laps in the Superbike World Championships where a new compound or new profile change from either Michelin or Pirelli was more common than many changing underwear!

Kawasaki Superbike – Practice 6 (Sun Session 2)

1. Troy BAYLISS (QLD) Ducati Panigale FE 1:32.676
2. Daniel FALZON (SA) Yamaha YZF-R1 +0.108
3. Aiden WAGNER (QLD) Yamaha YZF-R1 +0.281
4. Wayne MAXWELL (VIC) Suzuki GSX-R ELR +0.281
5. Josh WATERS (VIC) Suzuki GSX-R ELR +0.628
6. Cru HALLIDAY (NSW) Yamaha YZF-R1 +0.636
7. Bryan STARING (WA) Kawasaki ZX10RR +0.793
8. Troy HERFOSS (QLD) Honda CBR RR SP +0.882
9. Glenn ALLERTON (NSW) BMW S RR +1.338
10. Mike JONES (QLD) Kawasaki ZX10RR +1.408

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Superbikes – Sunday Session 3

By the time the third session of the day commenced the track temp was over 55 deg with lap times dropping by over a second across the board.

Daniel Falzon topped the time sheets for the first time, as he set the benchmark of 1:33.208 for the session. Closest was Bayliss, who went within 0.038 second of equaling the time on his last flying lap, with Waters third and Wagner fourth.

Kawasaki Superbike – Practice 7 (Sun Session 3)

1. Daniel FALZON (SA) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:33.208
2. Troy BAYLISS (QLD) Ducati Panigale FE +0.036
3. Josh WATERS (VIC) Suzuki GSX-R ELR +0.215
4. Aiden WAGNER (QLD) Yamaha YZF-R1 +0.217
5. Cru HALLIDAY (NSW) Yamaha YZF-R1 +0.256
6. Bryan STARING (WA) Kawasaki ZX10RR +0.317
7. Wayne MAXWELL (VIC) Suzuki GSX-R ELR +0.317
8. Troy HERFOSS (QLD) Honda CBR RR SP +.403
9. Glenn ALLERTON (NSW) BMW S RR +0.411
10. Mark CHIODO (VIC) Honda CBR RR SP +0.792

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Superbikes – Sunday Session 4

With the final session of the two days approaching, a massive blackout hit the Island after a tree came down on a power line, shutting off power to the track and thus power to tyre warmers and other equipment in the pit sheds. As such over half the field of Superbikes decided to pack up for the day, including Daniel Falzon and Glenn Allerton.

After the final 25 minute session with the remaining riders – and a red flag delay after Mark Chiodo crashed at Lukey Heights for the second time of the weekend – it was Aiden Wagner who was the fastest from Maxwell, Halliday, Waters, Mike Jones and Bayliss.

Kawasaki Superbike – Practice 8 (Sun Session 4)

1. Aiden WAGNER (QLD) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:32.451
2. Wayne MAXWELL (VIC) Suzuki GSX-R ELR +0.492
3. Cru HALLIDAY (NSW) Yamaha YZF-R1 +0.760
4. Josh WATERS (VIC) Suzuki GSX-R EL R +0.853
5. Mike JONES (QLD) Kawasaki ZX10RR +1.335
6. Troy BAYLISS (QLD) Ducati Panigale FE +1.487
7. Troy HERFOSS (QLD) Honda CBR RR SP +1.524
8. Max CROKER (NSW) Suzuki GSX-R +2.287
9. Alex PHILLIS (VIC) Suzuki GSXR +2.429
10. Arthur SISSIS (SA) Suzuki GSXR RL7 +2.504

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Sunday Superbike Wrap

While there are no prizes for being fastest at a test there is certainly a form guide we can take away, especially with the first round of the Australian Superbike Championship at the same venue in a little under three weeks time.

There may be the usual bunch of street fighters that have battled out the championship over the last couple of years at the front of the field, but Aiden Wagner has certainly made a few sit up and take notice.

The 25-year-old Queenslander was never out of the top five during the two days and his consistency in lap times was impressive. Also when you peek into the pit box of the Landbridge Transport/Wagner Soil Testing Team and see what isn’t there, it makes his effort even more outstanding.

It is very much a true privateer team with good personnel around him and while the focus will be on the manufacturer teams, just keep an eye on the #28 Yamaha R1 of Wagner. He will be ready to pounce, and he is certainly ready to win.

The first round of the Australian Superbike Championship will be held alongside the opening round of the Superbike World Championship at Phillip Island 22-24 February.

Kawasaki Superbike – Phillip Island Test – Merged classification

1. Wayne MAXWELL (VIC) Suzuki GSX-R EL R 1:32.312
2. Aiden WAGNER (QLD) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:32.451
3. Troy BAYLISS (QLD) Ducati Panigale FE 1:32.631
4. Josh WATERS (VIC) Suzuki GSX-R EL R 1:32.676
5. Daniel FALZON (SA) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:32.784
6. Troy HERFOSS (QLD) Honda CBR RR SP 1:32.984
7. Bryan STARING (WA) Kawasaki ZX10RR 1:33.181
8. Cru HALLIDAY (NSW) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:33.211
9. Glenn ALLERTON (NSW) BMW S RR 1:33.614
10. Mike JONES (QLD) Kawasaki ZX10RR 1:33.786
11. Mark CHIODO (VIC) Honda CBR RR SP 1:33.934
12. Arthur SISSIS (SA) Suzuki GSXR RL7 1:34.018
13. Max CROKER (NSW) Suzuki GSX-R 1:34.171
14. Sloan FROST (VIC) Suzuki GSX-R 1:34.427
15. Ted COLLINS (VIC) BMW S RR 1:34.494
16. Alex PHILLIS (VIC) Suzuki GSXR 1:34.536
17. Lachlan EPIS (NSW) Kawasaki ZX10RR 1:34.735
18. Glenn SCOTT (NSW) Kawasaki ZX10RR 1:35.128
19. Ryan YANKO (QLD) Ducati 1299 1:36.468
20. Phil CZAJ (VIC) Aprilia RSV4 RFW 1:36.617
21. Patrick LI (VIC) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:37.891
22. Heath GRIFFIN (NSW) Suzuki GSX-R 1:39.054
23. Murray CLARK (QLD) BMW S RR 1:39.123
24. Scott TUDDENHAM (VIC) Suzuki GSX-R 1:39.467
25. Will DAVIDSON (NSW) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:39.819

Source: MCNews.com.au