ASBK 2022 Phillip Island Test

It was a much finer but still quite sultry morning as the second and final day of the 2022 ASBK official pre-season test got underway just after 0900 on Friday.  The weather forecast had been quite foreboding but by the BOM radar it looked as though we might get lucky for at least the first half of the day, and that is just how it unfolded.

Many riders had essentially started packing up yesterday evening due to the forecast inclement weather today and some personnel had already gone home. Cape Barren Geese once again interrupted the second Superbike session here today. Riders had only managed a lap before the red flag came out to clear the birds from the track. 

Thursday’s quickest runner Wayne Maxwell was without crew chief Adrian Monti today but the Boost Mobile Ducati outfit still ran through a program of testing various things ahead of the season ahead.

That was pretty much the story up and down pit-lane. Riders getting familiar with new bikes. The same went for some of the technicians getting to know their way around new machines, or new riders, thus there was still plenty of work to be done.

As to whether any results from this week can be used as some sort of form guide for the season ahead, that’s far from clear. It might serve as some indication as to the form heading into round one, but many crews still have a lot of work to do in order to get up to full speed for season 2022.

This is where the defending champ and his crew really have the advantage, there are no changes, it is situation normal. They are just going through the well practiced steps to try an achieve a better outcome.  On his third lap out this morning Wayne dropped in a 1m31.848. The team then packed up and headed home before lunchtime today, as they had already been here testing all week and had got through the bulk of their program. They are the clear pre-season favourites.

Their biggest rival in recent years is still somewhat walking wounded. The injuries sustained by Troy Herfoss in Darwin last year are still quite evident in his gait, and in the somewhat pained expression on his face. He has been working hard to get back to full strength and fitness, but it appears Herf’ is not quite there yet.

Herfoss has another four weeks to build further strength, but it looks as though it might take a little longer than that before we see him back at his best. Herf’ put in quite a lot of laps, but there were few smiles to be seen in the Penrite Honda garage. They ended the test 15th on combined times, hardly an accurate representation of Troy’s speed and the bikes potential performance. 

Bryan Staring rode the DesmoSport Ducati all week and was in a constant loop of laps, feeback to team, more laps, rinse and repeat. Progress was made in many areas as Brian fine tunes himself to the V4 R, and the team in-turn also fine tune the bike to his preference. Fourth quickest is a good start, but they have a lot of ground to make up if they are to challenge Maxwell when we get back here in a few weeks time. They have a busy test schedule planned to try and achieve exactly that and Bryan has ridden the V4 R all this week.

The surprise stand out from the test gong has to go to Lachlan Epis. He did a 1m32.9 yesterday and backed it up again today on his 13th lap of the opening session.  Sure, they have been testing here all week, but so have quite a few of the others.  Epis then went quicker again in today’s second session, a 1m32.825. The team said he had more speed to come but a niggling wrist injury saw them quit while they were ahead, so to speak. Third quickest is impressive and the new BMW Alliance Team will be stoked, if they can convert that to race pace then they will be genuine podium contenders.

Cru Halliday made significant progress today, a big leap in speed late in the second session resulting in a 1m32.232s  Mike Jones didn’t make a leap quite as large and the weather robbed him of his chance to improve further later in the day, although he did take the opportunity to get a feel for the Pirelli wet in the conditions. Halliday ended the test second quickest and on current form is the most likely to take the battle to Maxwell come round one. Jones was seventh, just over a second off Halliday’s best.

Mark Chiodo has steadily built speed this week and has been making incremental improvements to the set-up of the Yamaha. His YZF-R1 is overdue for a fresh engine and he is really starting to get the best out of his equipment and looking for more.  Sixth overall on combined times is I think more than they had even hoped for. 

Arthur Sissis has been consistently fast in every session but didn’t seem to put in a single lap blinder time attack thus ended the test tenth. I think there will be more to come from the South Australian by the time we get back here.  We will also have another quick South Aussie on a Yamaha here at round one, when Daniel Falzon rejoins the field following his injuries at The Bend that sidelined him from this test.

The Hayshed crash by Allerton yesterday put the Maxima Oils BMW squad behind the eight-ball and the team have had limited track time this week compared to most. Josh Waters did not make as much progress as could have been expected. The duo eighth and ninth but no doubt with plenty more to come. I hope they get on top of things and can fight for a podium back here in a few weeks time. 

Aiden Wagner crashed at turn four this morning, the Queenslander hit a false neutral then the gear dropped in and high-sided him, damaging the rear rim and putting a question mark over the straightness of the bike. That was them done, but satisfied with their early speed considering they only had a day or so, while many of their competitors had been here all week. Wagner and the team are not yet committed to the full season, but do expect to compete in at least four rounds. Fifth quickest is an impressive start, especially considering the relative lack of laps they turned here this week compared to most. 

Another well credentialed rider not having the best of days was Anthony West. A crash at Siberia around lunch-time certainly didn’t help their progress, but the issues around the bike he is riding just never seem to end. Chasing one issue after another once again this week, just as they had at The Bend last season, it is starting to look somewhat of an untenable prospect. I believe the team will have some meetings after the test to see what direction they take from here. I think I would be inclined to put the bike in a dumpster and start again… 

Matt Walters was one of the riders to pack up early today so they could start the long trek back to Cessnock. The privateer 12th quickest.

The new 727 Moto pairing of Jed Metcher and Broc Pearson worked their way through a test program. The two riders running very different set-ups, and Broc steadily getting his head around the speed of Phillip Island on a Superbike. Jed ended the test 13th and Pearson 16th. 

BC Performance Kawasaki’s Ben Burke put in plenty of consistent laps as they found further direction with the MoTeC electronics. They also gained plenty of data to reflect on ahead of the season start. Their fastest time of 1m34.430 placed them 14th overall.

A brief shower dampened the circuit before the penultimate Superbike session. That sealed the deal for many as to whether to call an early mark and head home. Another front looked to be approaching, and it had already been a long, and very expensive week for many… It turned out that was a wise decision, as just after the session started the rain really started to fall and the track was sodden. 

I didn’t get to chat at length with many competitors today, everyone was busy running through their test schedules and I didn’t want to interrupt. I will follow up with many of them in the weeks ahead in the lead up to round one back here late next month. It is shaping up to be an exciting season…

Next stop for many competitors is a private track hire of Queensland Raceway organised by DesmoSport Ducati where many other teams have been invited to, and taken up the opportunity, to join them at a circuit that ASBK has not visited for some years. Some riders will also test at The Bend in coming weeks.

Alpinestars Superbike Test Times

Michelin Supersport

Senna Agius had an engine issue on the new CBR600RR today which caused him to head home early. There is some talk of Senna delaying his return to Europe so he can contest the opening round of the championship back here late next month. His bike is clearly fast, it even sounds fast with a proper race bike note to it that you generally don’t hear at a domestic Supersport event.  Senna ended the test as second quickest 600, his 1m35.293 less than two-tenths adrift of pacesetter Tom Edwards.  

Tom Bramich made some big strides forward at this test, primarily off the back of an intervention in the electronics from Boost Mobile Ducati Crew Chief Adrian Monti. Adrian made a few tweaks and voila the corner entry issues Tom has been chasing for months disappeared thanks to some fine tuning of the engine braking on the YZF-R6.  He ended the test ninth. 

Tom Edwards though was the man to beat, fast in every session. I don’t know as much as I should about the team set-up, and the level of machinery Tommy has run in recent seasons, but it certainly looks like quite a small outfit compared to many of his competitors.  Nevertheless you always know that Bikebiz Yamaha is going to be fighting for pole positions and race wins. It would have been nice to see Tom take the step up to Superbike this year.

Edwards only lost the Supersport Championship by a nose across the line at the final juncture, and will start season 2022 as the hot favourite. Edwards topped proceedings with a 1m35.012, a couple of tenths under the lap record, and a clear sign that Dunlop are not only sponsoring the Supersport category this season, but they are also out to win it. 

Harrison Voight and Luke Power were also strong, fourth and fifth respectively amongst the 600 cc competitors. They were then followed by Ben Baker, Jack Passfield and John Lytras.

Oli Bayliss again joined the Australian Supersport competitors onboard a Panigale V2, the likes of which he will ride in the World Supersport ‘New Generation’ category this year. Oli and dad Troy are heading to Europe next week to start the next leg of the learning curve for Oli. He topped the Supersport category overall on the 955 Ducati, a 1m34.484 his best. 

Michelin Supersport Test Times

Dunlop Supersport 300

Four Moto3 machines joined the Supersport 300 sessions this week and predictably they were 1-2-3-4 on the timesheets. Harrison Voight led the way from Carter Thompson, Marianos Nikolis and Angus Grenfell.

Young Cameron Swain was the fastest 300 Supersport competitor ahead of class veteran Brandon Demmery and young Archie McDonald.

Dunlop Supersport 300 Test Times

Yamaha OJC

Queenslander Bodie Paige led the way in the OJC class of 2022 ahead of Marcus Hamod and Teerin Fleming.

Yamaha OJC Test Times

mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance
2022 ASBK Calendar

Source: MCNews.com.au

ASBK 2022 Day One

It was a tad wet here this morning at Phillip Island which meant that most riders chose to stay in their garages and work through various things with their teams rather than turn laps out on track during the morning sessions.

Once a few riders went out in the second session they had hardly got up to speed before the session was red-flagged due to geese on track. A seven-kilogram goose can sting a bit at 300 km/h…

Arthur Sissis put in the most laps in that 25-minute P2 session on what was by the end, just before 1230, a track with a slight dry line appearing, but also with plenty of water still laying about.  Thus the quickest lap came right at the end when BCperformance Kawasaki’s Ben Burke braved the conditions to put down a 1m43.496s, 3.5-seconds quicker than Sissis had managed earlier in the session when conditions were nowhere near as good.

Many of the riders had already ridden in the dry here earlier this week during public ride days and had got plenty of laps in ahead of today’s official start to the ASBK testing program.  Those taking part during those ride days certainly benefitting from their decision as it really looks as though we will be lucky to get any significant dry track time over the course of the next two days.

While the rider changes have already been well covered, with the likes of Broc Pearson and Max Stauffer stepping up to Superbike, Staring to Ducati, Waters to BMW, Jones to Yamaha, less has been talked about in regards to the changes among team personnel for this season.

Long-time Honda technician Paul Free has jumped over to the new-look 727 Moto Yamaha squad with Broc Pearson. Stewart Winton is also working with the squad and Jed Metcher returns to front the team and provide a guiding hand to debutante Pearson.  Ex MotoGP mechanic Brent Stephens has also gone across to the 727 Moto Yamaha squad from DesmoSport Ducati. 

Here working with Penrite Honda this weekend is Phil Tainton, of PTR Suzuki fame.  Phil’s primary knowledge base is of course Suzuki, but bike set-up and geometry of course translates to any Superbike, and he also worked extensively with MoTeC over the years across various projects. We do not expect Tainton to be working with Penrite Honda at the track all season, but stranger things have happened..  Troy Herfoss is still building up strength as he recoveries from the injuries he sustained at Hidden Valley last year, he will be keen to show he has lost no speed when the right opportunity arises. That occasion was not today, Herfoss looked to be struggling for pace, we will endeavour to find out the reasons behind that if he does not make significant improvements tomorrow, let’s hope that is a conversation we don’t have to have…

The Penrite Honda was not the only Fireblade here today as Chandler Cooper returns for another crack at ASBK.

2008 and 2012 British Supersport Champ turned crew chief Glen Richards was approached by various teams for this season but has decided to work with young Mark Chiodo as they adapt his R1 machines to MoTeC. People returning behind the scenes still working with Mark from previous seasons include the redoubtable Gary House and long-term Chiodo family confidant Tiges. This will be Chiodo’s fifth year in Superbike and I would imagine the pressure is building to start delivering consistent results well inside the top ten. He was ninth quickest today so that’s a good start.. 

We have previously covered the split between what was previously known as the NextGen BMW squad as team backers Wayne Hepburn and Nathan Webb decided to go their own way with young charge Lachlan Epis alongside Nathan Spiteri.  Their new BMW Alliance squad have been here testing all week and in the off-season also employed a technician from Alpha Racing in Europe, an official partner of the BMW World Superbike Team during the off-season to try and hit the ground running in 2022. 

Long time BMW campaigner and head technician Shane Kinderis is continuing separately with the NextGen Motorsports banner with Glenn Allerton under a Maxima Racing Oils BMW entry and Josh Waters as his team-mate.  With six Australian Superbike Championship titles between them, this essentially privateer family run effort potentially has the most fearsome rider line-up on the grid. It is many years since a BMW rider won an Australian Superbike race, they hope to break that drought in 2022… 

Then we have the eminently qualified YRT combination of Cru Halliday who is joined by Mike Jones for 2022.  Halliday has been the only Yamaha rider in recent times to really rack up serious points over the course of the season and a shift in rubber from Dunlop to Pirelli, along with some new electronics this season, might give him those final pieces of the puzzle that he requires to start racking up some wins.

Mike Jones didn’t seem to adapt to the high-revving nature of the V4 R Ducati in recent seasons, for whatever reason, and might find the torquey nature of the cross-plane crank Yamaha more to his liking. He’s certainly not a dark horse for 2022, as I think most have learned not to under-estimate him, but if he starts to beat Cru, with all his experience on the R1 and good results in recent seasons, then we will know Jones will be a title contender… How soon can he come to grips with the bike and the team?

Off the back of what we witnessed at The Bend, Arthur Sissis comes in to season 2022 as a bit of a dark horse. The South Australian ex-speedway star is known for his lightning starts, he must have been a gun-fighter in a previous life, such is the speed and feel of his clutch hand, but more recently he has also shown genuine podium pace over full race distance.  His Unitech Racing Team look like a well prepared, well staffed and well backed effort. Will he be hot to trot at all tracks? Let’s hope he can be a sharp clawed cat among the pigeons and shake things up some more throughout the whole season. 

And yet another dark horse in Yamaha colours is Aiden Wagner… The Queenslander was dropped from the official YRT line-up for 2022 but has put together his own privateer effort under the ‘Addicted To Track’ banner and is here this weekend being helped by Brisbane motorcycle dealer Michael Edwards. He is already looking comfortable…

A strong Yamaha rider not here this week is Daniel Falzon. The South Australian broke his leg at the 2021 finale and is giving it another couple of weeks rest to try and be in better shape for the season opener here at Phillip Island in late February.

There are two Kawasaki riders here this week. The perennial privateer Matt Walters is going around again and will no doubt surprise us once again with some great results despite having the least resources to work with. Some people turn up to track-days with more gear and personnel than Matty generally races with, and he gets more than a few top tens…

The other ZX-10RR pilot here is Ben Burke, riding a BCperformance Kawasaki, as they try to bed down their new MoTeC electronics. Burke has scored good results on a Superbike before, and could upset a few if him and the squad get down to business in 2022. 

Anthony West is here with MotoGo Yamaha. After seemingly endless technical issues with an under-prepared bike in 2021, Westy is continuing with the project and will be hoping for a bit more reliability in 2022. It’s a credit to him that he persists considering what went down last year. Alongside Westy in MotoGo colours once again is Victorian youngster Luke Jhonston. 

Bryan Staring has made the jump from BcPerformance Kawasaki to the DesmoSport Ducati squad. The Western Australian turned his first laps on the V4 R earlier this week and is getting in as much seat time as he can ahead of the season opener back here in only four weeks time.

And of course we have the not quite retired any more Wayne Maxwell back for another crack. We spoke to Wayne early in the week about his decision to come back and defend his title in this interview. The key to his decision to press on comes due to the enjoyment he derives from working within the McMartin Racing Team. And of course that V4 R is more than a bit special, and it would hard to see anyone else in its seat…

Someone else had been sitting in his seat though, two-time British Superbike Champion Josh Brookes was here earlier in the week and turned some laps alongside Wayne to get some seat time ahead of his return to the UK, and the team also wanted to see if he could offer any meaningful feedback on their set-up. With the Boost Mobile Ducati ASBK machine proving so different to his BSB V4 R, and time so limited, there was not the opportunity for him to really help the project along.

The team have been trying to some new things this week though as they continue to strive for improvement and were also trialling new tweaks today.  They might have ended season 2021 looking well ahead of the field, but the quest for more speed and consistency never stops…. 

I spoke to Wayne this morning about whether he would go all-out for a quick one if the conditions are right, but with the subject of parity being talked about of late, he thought it might be better to play their cards a little closer to their chest and not reveal their hand. That said, I know the Boost Mobile Ducati squad certainly wouldn’t want to be the second fastest Ducati, and Wayne stamped his authority with a 1m31.993 in the final session.

That time was well ahead of the rest of the field here today but remarkably, it was also slower than what he did on one of his first rides on the Ducati here two years ago, where at the 2020 pre-season test, there he put down a 1m31.776.  Now with two years of development behind them, better electronics and tyres, we know that there is a lot more speed to come…

Lachlan Epis put in an impressive 1m32.968 to go second quickest and claim the honours of top BMW, while Bryan Staring was starting to find some speed on the DesmoSport Ducati, a 1m33.026 good enough for third ahead of Cru Halliday who took top-Yamaha honours ahead of privateer Aiden Wagner.

Mike Jones was sixth quickest ahead of Josh Waters and Glenn Allerton, but the latter of that trio only did one session. A crash at the Hayshed cut the day short for Allerton and did a lot of expensive damage to that pretty M 1000 RR.  The team will work tonight to try and get him back out in the morning.

Tomorrow’s forecast is not exactly encouraging, but we will back at the track tomorrow to see what unfolds and relay our findings, as per usual… Hopefully we get enough dry track time to allow the rest of the field to try and edge closer to Wayne ahead of the season opener back here in only a few weeks time.

Alpinestars Superbike Day One Times

Michelin Supersport

This week the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship, presented by Motul (ASBK) announced that Michelin has signed on as the title sponsor of the Supersport Championship for the 2022 season.

The Supersport category have a few interlopers lapping amongst their ranks this week with some of our young Aussies racing overseas turning their hand to some local action, among them were Harrison Voight and Senna Agius. Both of those riders have also been riding here earlier this week during public ride days and have turned plenty of laps. 

Oli Bayliss joined the Supersport category on the Panigale V2 in the final session, after running with the Superbike class earlier in the day. After all, he will be racing against 600 cc four-cylinder Supersport machines in the new ‘Next Generation’ World Supersport category when he gets to Europe, so it makes sense. Oli was just under the Australian Supersport lap record with a 1m35.092.

Tom Edwards was the quickest of the Australian Supersport competitors with a 1m35.714 ahead of Senna Agius and Harrison Voight.

Michelin Supersport Day One Times

Dunlop Supersport 300

A couple of Moto3 machines turned laps amongst the 300 Supersport riders here today. Harrison Voight was on an RC250 KTM while Angus Grenfell and Carter Thompson dodged the showers on NSF250 Honda machinery. Marianos Nikolis also used the sessions for Moto3 training.

Harrison Voight dominated proceedings with a 1m40.467 on his one session on the machine. Four-seconds off the Moto3 World Championship lap record, even though that is not a fair comparison here today, it is the yardstick. Carter Thompson was next quickest, six-seconds slower than Voight and 1.6-seconds quicker than Grenfell.

The quickest of the Supersport 300 runners was Liam Waters ahead of class debutante Cameron Swain and Brodie Gawith.

Dunlop Supersport Day One Times

Yamaha OJC

The returning and new crop of Oceania Junior Cup riders also took to the track today on their YZF-R15 machines. Notwithstanding the youth of the field, for many newcomers to the OJC, it has been a long path to the 12 corners of the Phillip Island circuit. Without help from parents, and supporters, this would not be possible.

Yamaha returns for their fourth year supporting the OJC, and riders in the OJC will benefit from a wealth of experience this season, with former 500cc, MotoGP and World Superbike racer Garry McCoy set to come on board as the series coach for 2022.

McCoy has already been keeping in the development game by coaching junior competitors at Morgan Park and even had the opportunity to coach young gun, Joel Kelso, who will make his debut in the Moto3 class in 2022.

The OJC allows competitors to learn fundamental technical aspects such as suspension set-up and tyre settings. On this front, McCoy is confident the series with provide an ideal grounding for riders wishing to progress through the ranks.

“It’s great to have a focus on suspension, a bit of data and working with your tyres. Riders will have to learn to ride on worn tyres for Friday sessions. You don’t learn much by throwing new tyres on the bike every session.” said McCoy.

With the OJC now in its fourth season, McCoy says he will be approaching his role as coach as an open book – take things one-step at a time and see where the riders are currently at and how they will evolve.

“Hopefully I’ll be able to give advice not just on set-up, but from my experience racing oversees and racing with a limited budget.”

McCoy also believes he will have some sage-like advice to offer young riders on off-track necessities, such as dealing with the media and other competitors.

“It’s not about how to win them over, but how to put them out of your mind, keep to yourself and do your own thing. I really enjoy working with kids. They’re all very different in that some want to listen and some don’t, but that’s all part of growing up. At the end of the day, you want to put a smile on their faces.”

Yamaha OJC Day One Times

mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance
2022 ASBK Calendar

• Round 1 Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC 25 – 27 February
  SBK, SSPT, SS300, R3 Cup, OJC, SBK Masters
• Round 2 Queensland Raceway, Ipswich QLD 18 – 20 March
  SBK, SSPT, SS300, R3 Cup, OJC, Sidecars
• Round 3 Wakefield Park Raceway, Goulburn NSW 22 – 24 April
  SBK, SSPT, SS300, R3 Cup, OJC, Sidecars
• Round 4 Hidden Valley Raceway, Darwin NT 17 – 19 June
  * With Supercars – SBK Only
• Round 5 Morgan Park Raceway, Warwick QLD 5 – 7 August
  SBK, SSPT, SS300, R3 Cup, OJC
• Round 6 Symmons Plains Raceway – Launceston TAS 20 – 23 October
  SBK, SSPT, SS300, R3 Cup
• Round 7 Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, Cowes VIC TBA – November
  TBC
• Round 8 The Bend Motorsport Park, Tailem Bend SA 2 – 4 December
  SBK, SSPT, SS300, R3 Cup, OJC
  ASBK Night of Champions Dinner – The Bend 4 December

Source: MCNews.com.au

Maxima Racing Oils BMW Superbike Team

NextGen Motorsports have now officially confirmed the 2022 rider line-up for their Maxima Racing Oils BMW Superbike Team. 

Josh Waters had been putting in some appearance wit the team at the St. George Motorcycle Club’s SMSP night races as the team had been hoping to secure enough funding to run the Mildura based champ as part of their ASBK assault in 2022. 

They have now locked down their plans and have officially announced that Josh Waters is joining Glenn Allerton in the team for the full Australian Superbike Championship season. 

Josh brings a wealth of experience with him and he and Glenn have already been working strongly together to help push bike development forward.

Shane Kinderis

“I’m really excited for 2022 and whilst it will push our small family team for resources, I think we have the team and the bike in the M 1000 RR to be at the front week in week out, and that’s how you win championships.”

Glenn Allerton

“It’s great to have Josh joining the team He brings a lot of experience with him which helps us push forward, and I’m excited about the year ahead.”

Josh Waters

“I’m really excited to be joining team Next Gen Motorsports for the 2022 ASBK season on board the BMW M1000RR. I’ve been lucky enough to have ridden the bike, straight away my feelings were positive and I can’t wait to get to work with it and the team. A huge thank you to Megan and Shane for the opportunity and everyone who has supported me with this project.”

Both Glenn and Josh will be taking part in the Official ASBK Test this week at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. Round one of the Championship will be staged at Phillip Island just a few weeks later 26 – 27 February, 2022.

mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance
2022 ASBK Calendar

• Round 1 Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC 25 – 27 February
  SBK, SSPT, SS300, R3 Cup, OJC, SBK Masters
• Round 2 Queensland Raceway, Ipswich QLD 18 – 20 March
  SBK, SSPT, SS300, R3 Cup, OJC, Sidecars
• Round 3 Wakefield Park Raceway, Goulburn NSW 22 – 24 April
  SBK, SSPT, SS300, R3 Cup, OJC, Sidecars
• Round 4 Hidden Valley Raceway, Darwin NT 17 – 19 June
  * With Supercars – SBK Only
• Round 5 Morgan Park Raceway, Warwick QLD 5 – 7 August
  SBK, SSPT, SS300, R3 Cup, OJC
• Round 6 Symmons Plains Raceway – Launceston TAS 20 – 23 October
  SBK, SSPT, SS300, R3 Cup
• Round 7 Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, Cowes VIC TBA – November
  TBC
• Round 8 The Bend Motorsport Park, Tailem Bend SA 2 – 4 December
  SBK, SSPT, SS300, R3 Cup, OJC
  ASBK Night of Champions Dinner – The Bend 4 December

Source: MCNews.com.au

2022 ASBK getting underway at Phillip Island Test

The mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship, presented by Motul (ASBK) returns this week with the Official ASBK Test on 27-28 January at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. For many this will be the final opportunity for teams and riders to test their machinery in preparation for the 2022 season. Round one of the Championship will be staged at Phillip Island just a few weeks later 26 – 27 February, 2022.

Motorcycling Australia (MA) CEO Peter Doyle

“Motorcycling Australia is delighted to see the ASBK Championship back on track in 2022. Kicking off the season at Phillip Island with the Alpinestars Superbikes as the lead category at our standalone round is a terrific way for the fans, industry, sponsors, teams and riders to get into gear into 2022.”

At the official test we will see the following categories:

• Alpinestars Superbike
• Michelin Supersport
• Dunlop Supersport 300
• Yamaha Finance R3 Cup
• bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup

For ASBK competitors, testing and racing at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit is always significant, with the fast and flowing circuit giving riders the opportunity to measure themselves against the country’s best talent.

2020/21 champion Wayne Maxwell who has decided to retire thoughts of retirement for 2022 and go around again. Maxwell said his decision to compete in 2022 was more about making sure his team (McMartin Racing) was prepared for a consistent championship campaign.  We conducted an in-depth interview with Wayne around the announcement, and talking about ASBK in general. Here is a short snippet from the man himself here.

Wayne Maxwell

“McMartin Racing is a very small privateer team, so we had to make sure we could get funding and support in order for the team to make a step forward and improve. Everyone else is going to step-up so we need to do the same. We were far from perfect in 2020 and 2021, but the ultimate goal is to win the championship three years in a row. I’m under no illusion that’s it’s going to be easier than the previous two, so if I can improve my fitness off the bike, it will help my consistency in the races.”

Two-time British Superbike Champion Josh Brookes will also be turning some laps on the Boost Mobile Ducati V4 R motorcycles over the duration of the test.

Bryan Staring is already testing the DesmoSport Ducati this week at Phillip Island as part of an intensive and quick-fire adaption to the Panigale V4 R as he rode the machine for the first time on Monday.

Troy Herfoss has had a lot more time to recover from his injuries and build up strength. He will be out to send a signal that he is back…

Josh Waters has been busy adapting to the BMW M 1000 RR and early signs are that he will be back in championship contention.

In other ASBK news today, Motul was announced as the presenting rights holders once again for the upcoming season, and mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance has signed on again in 2022 as the primary naming rights sponsor of the series.

Mark Bradley, General Manager, mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance

“We’re really pleased to be back as the naming rights sponsor and look forward to what will be a close and competitive season of racing. At mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance, we offer a comprehensive range of insurance products that are designed so our customers can cover their specific insurance needs. This comes from a deep understanding of motorcycling, riders, and their needs. We believe that our involvement in ASBK as the naming rights sponsor shows we really mean what we say. For fans, competitors and officials associated with ASBK, we wish you all the absolute best in season 2022.”

Brenden Stoeckert
Link International – Motul Distributor

“Motul has been involved in racing via various partnerships for a long time and this unbroken relationship with racing has established and maintained the brand as a global motorsport power reference it is today. We are pleased to be the presenting rights sponsor again in 2022 and wish all involved the very best.”

Motorcycling Australia (MA) CEO Peter Doyle

“We are confident that ASBK is set for a terrific year in 2022 and having mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance return as sponsors show they share our confidence in the championship. In 2022, we are looking forward to a full season of competitive and entertaining racing and the support of our sponsors is key to making this happen. Motul have been an important supporter of motorcycle racing in Australia and having them return as presenting rights sponsor in 2022 is an important element in the ongoing success of ASBK. I want to thank mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance and Motul for their continuing support on behalf of not only Motorcycling Australia but all fans and stakeholders.”

mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance
2022 ASBK Calendar

• Round 1 Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC 25 – 27 February
  SBK, SSPT, SS300, R3 Cup, OJC, SBK Masters
• Round 2 Queensland Raceway, Ipswich QLD 18 – 20 March
  SBK, SSPT, SS300, R3 Cup, OJC, Sidecars
• Round 3 Wakefield Park Raceway, Goulburn NSW 22 – 24 April
  SBK, SSPT, SS300, R3 Cup, OJC, Sidecars
• Round 4 Hidden Valley Raceway, Darwin NT 17 – 19 June
  * With Supercars – SBK Only
• Round 5 Morgan Park Raceway, Warwick QLD 5 – 7 August
  SBK, SSPT, SS300, R3 Cup, OJC
• Round 6 Symmons Plains Raceway – Launceston TAS 20 – 23 October
  SBK, SSPT, SS300, R3 Cup
• Round 7 Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, Cowes VIC TBA – November
  TBC
• Round 8 The Bend Motorsport Park, Tailem Bend SA 2 – 4 December
  SBK, SSPT, SS300, R3 Cup, OJC
  ASBK Night of Champions Dinner – The Bend 4 December

Source: MCNews.com.au