Tag Archives: ASBK

Support class round up to sign off on ASBK 2021 as we look towards 2022

Bracksy’s take on the Supports at the ASBK Grand Final at The Bend

For Part 1 see: The ASBK Grand Finale in retrospect

By Mark Bracks – Images by RBMotoLens


The ASBK Superbike class was obviously the main attraction at The Bend, but without the support classes there wouldn’t be a helluva lot of on-track action and drama over the weekend, but more importantly, there would be no breeding ground for new talent, and there is a whole load of youngsters coming through and showcasing their talents.

The Bend ASBK Grand Final
The Bend ASBK Grand Final

The five categories of the ASBK titles are like going to school; Junior racing is kindergarten, the Supersport 300 and R3 Cup are primary school, Supersport is high school and those lucky enough to graduate to university move onto the  premier ASBK while those who graduate with honours move onto categories like World Superbike or MotoGP.

Angus Grenfell and Tom Drane
Angus Grenfell and Tom Drane – SS300

Looking through the ranks we have plenty of candidates keen on furthering their education, with a handful appearing to have the talent and ability, in coming years, to matriculate to the university of road racing on the world stage.


Pearson Tops Supersport

In the 600 cc Supersport Championship there was no more deserving winner than Broc Pearson. In the past few years he’s played second string to dual Australian Supersport Champion, Tom Toparis and 2018 Champ, Cru Halliday. Always there but didn’t quite bash the door hard enough to knock it down, to break through for a title.

Tom Edwards and Broc Pearson
Tom Edwards and Broc Pearson

Anyone that knows his history realises those knocks on the door have become more persistent and forceful, but there have been plenty of challenging moments – both physically, and mentally – that have knocked him from pillar to post and back again. It’s been a long, painful and confronting road for the Queenslander.

Pearson has overcome a major crashes, and even near death experiences in his quest for glory and at times for all money it appeared that his dream of road racing success was in the dust.

Broc Pearson at The Bend on Monday after the final round testing his new YZF-R1 that he will ride in 2022 as he steps up to Superbike – Image RbMotoLens

Thankfully, his determination and the support of many has put the trauma behind him. Broc now has a championship in the belt as he graduates to the Superbike class, in 2022. Not a bad way to celebrate your 21st birthday.

Broc Pearson
Broc Pearson

The championship battle between he and life-long race rival Tom Edwards went down to the wire. Pearson held a seven-point lead over Edwards heading to The Bend, with Max Stauffer in contention a further 13-points adrift.

The drama and excitement of the last round was a fitting end to a year that has seen them nipping at each others heels like pesky blue-heelers, with Max Stauffer keeping them in check.

Max Stauffer
Max Stauffer

Edwards won the first race by over five-seconds after Pearson made a mistake early in the race. Broc then mixed it with Max as Tom increased his gap but Max won the battle for second.

The gap between the pair had now closed to a solitary point advantage to Broc, with Max still nipping away ready for a mishap from either of them.

Pearson did a heap of soul-searching in the break between races. It was his worst result of the year, at the most crucial time of the year.

Broc Pearson won the championship by this much….. Image RbMotoLens

Whoever won the last race would win the title and it went down to a classic last corner of the last lap, with a last fast desperate drag to the line as Pearson crossed the line by the bee’s dick gap of just 0.05s!

Broc Pearson won the championship by this much….. Image RbMotoLens

No one likes to be the first loser, but Edwards was the first to congratulate Pearson on his feat and did not begrudge Broc one iota after the race.

The pair have been racing against each other since they were seven-years-old,  chasing each other around the dirt tracks of Australia before the graduation to road racing. Their paths in road racing took different avenues before they reunited again this year to go head-to-head for the title.

There may have been only six races to the season, but in each one, the pair stalked and battled, breaking lap records while racing with the utmost respect for each other.  It was heart-warming to see the pair embrace at the end of the race.

Broc Pearson
Broc Pearson – 2021 Australian Supersport Champion – Image RbMotoLens

An annual award that commenced in 1988 is the “Samurai Award” previously known as the RK Chains Samurai Award initiated by AMCN editor, the late Ken Wootton.

The Honour Roll of recipients of the award is a who’s who of Australian racing with recipients such as Mick Doohan, Daryl Beattie, Peter Goddard, Marty Craggill and 27 other illustrious riders.

The winner this year, Broc Pearson, was the unanimous victor and had his name etched on the trophy. Another award well deserved.


Aussie Ex-Pats Return

The Supersport class had a couple of international riders making a very welcome appearance at the final round with Billy van Eerde, Harrison Voight and Senna Agius entering the class for the weekend.

Billy van Eerde on the grid at Catalunya in September – Image 2snap

Some may have heard of Billy van Eerde, who won the Asia Talent Cup, competed in the Red Bull Rookies Cup and this year, did a few rounds of the FIM CEV Moto3 Junior World Championship along with a couple of steers in the World Supersport Championship.

Billy van Eerde
Billy van Eerde

He was riding a fairly long-in-the-tooth Yamaha R6  and also had to learn the track but, like Jack, he was just happy to be there racing. In fact Jack was even on the spanners, assisting with his set-up.

Harrison (Harry) Voight is not as well known – at the moment – but he had a very confronting year racing in the FIM CEV Moto3 Championship. He graduated to that class after racing in the Asia Talent Cup in 2019 and 2020 and also the Northern Talent Cup in 2020 where he finished fourth.

For 2021 he was accepted for the Red Bull Rookies Cup and signed to the SIC58 Squadra Corse Honda team with fellow Aussie, Senna Agius. The above mentioned trio made up a quartet of Aussie competitors in the CEV champs with Joel Kelso – who won three races and finished fourth overall in the title.

The year started very well for Voight, with a 12th place in the opening CEV race, but then soon turned to crap. At the next round, he had a coming together with another rider, crashed and broke his collarbone that forced his withdrawal for a few weeks from both competitions.

Harrison Voight
Harrison Voight

Harry returned for the fourth round of the RBRC at the Sachsenring (Germany) and finished eighth in the second race. His best result of the year, so a great confidence boost. He then headed to Portimao for the fourth round of the CEV title. In the opening laps, he high-sided over the infamous crest of the roller coaster, unsighted from following riders then he was hit, breaking his femur, fibula with a compound fracture of the tibia for good measure.

It was an horrific incident and if the impact had been 30 cm higher, who knows where the 15-year-old would be. Harry was out of both titles but through massive hard work and determination made a remarkably rapid recovery from such  serious injury

He competed in the the final round of the CEV at Valencia after a medical clearance with strict instructions not to go too crazy. Easier said than done for a teenager but Harry listened and scored a 20th and 17th places to finish the year to rush back here, go through quarantine to compete on a not-so-new race bike.

The good news is that Harry will again be with the SIC58 team in the CEV Moto3 class next year. Keep an eye on him as I reckon he will go a long way in the sport.

For 2019 Aussie Supersport 300 Champion Senna Agius the weekend was a perfect summation of his year in the CEV.

Senna Agius
Senna Agius

He was quick from the outset and looked a real threat for a victory after he qualified third for the Supersport class, but unfortunately there was an oversight in his quarantine on his return to Australia and he was then forced to withdraw from the meeting on Saturday afternoon and head to Adelaide.

Senna is not short of talent but he’s not short in height either, which was a massive detriment to him racing with all the lighter, short-arse riders of Euro heritage, in the SIC58 Team alongside Voight in the CEV title.

Moving up to the FIM CEV Moto2 class will be manna for him as his weight and height will be nowhere near as critical as in the junior 250 cc class, and he proved in his time at the Bend (and a few days ago at SMSP) he will kick some freckle next year in Europe.

As for the weekend for Billy and Harry, in the first Supersport race, the pair finished seventh and eighth respectively, and in the last race they both crashed out!

In R2, Billy was battling with the leaders in third position when he crashed at the end of the second lap, while Harry battling in the top six, crashed at the tight T6 Hairpin with just over a lap to go. Thankfully, both were uninjured.


Moving On Up

While Pearson and Stauffer may be moving on to the Superbikes, in a way, its a pity to see Max graduate. After finishing in the top three two years in a row and also being a race winner, he’d be an equal favourite for next year’s title.

With Pearson moving on I reckon he will adapt to a Superbike pretty quickly to be in the top five. Finally he will be sitting on a bike that suits his rather tall frame.

There are others that are also moving on.

Luke Power chases Max Stauffer
Luke Power chases Max Stauffer

Luke Power is heading to the USA to race in the MotoAmerica Supersport class with his good mate and Supersport 300 rider, Joe Mariniello (who’ll be competing in the Supersport 300 class), while Scott Nicholson may be heading over with them as a support crew with the trio based in Orlando, Florida. Look out Orlando, especially if LP gets dolled up in his watermelon PJs and matching hat for a night out!

While it will be disappointing not to see all of them racing locally, there are plenty to fill the void to ensure that Edwards doesn’t have it all his own way in 2022.

The Tom-E-Gun will start favourite for the title after finishing fifth in his first season last year and going oh so close in ’21.

South Australian, Dallas Skeer who finished fifth overall will be knocking on the door with the likes of Tom Bramich, Aidan Hayes and teenager John Lytras in the leading contingent more often.

Dallas Skeer
Dallas Skeer

Skeer has been on a Suzuki in the past few seasons but that will change next year with him switching to Yamaha after purchasing one of Pearson’s championship winning bikes.

Dallas is a quiet achiever going about his racing with a minimum of fuss and fanfare. This year he had the experienced Glen Richards in his corner as crew chief. Whether that continues next year is uncertain, but if he stays it will be a major benefit for Dallas’s championship aspirations.

Tom Bramich will be a front runner next year. I don’t doubt it. He has a good team and good support and if he hadn’t had a whoopsie in race one he would’ve been well in the top ten in the race and in the championship. In the family run team it’s taken a bit of time for Tom to settle into the 600 but he’s never been that far away from the front runners. Next year will be a different yarn.

Tom Bramich
Tom Bramich

The seventh place overall finish of John Lytras doesn’t mirror his year as he was an early casualty at the Wakefield Park round when he wrote off his bike early on practice day and was forced out of the meeting going down a wagon full of points.

With his ever improving progress expect the diminutive teenager to be right up the front from the first round.

A debutant to the class next year will be this year’s dual Proddie champ, Ben Baker. Ben has the talent to be up the front. It won’t happen immediately but rest assured he will be getting closer on every lap.


The 300 cc Classes

Baker from the NSW Central Coast created his own piece of history by being the first rider to claim the Supersport 300 Championship and the Yamaha R3 Cup in the same year.

Ben Baker
Ben Baker

Like Pearson in the 600s, Benny didn’t make it easy for himself. After finishing third in the opening 300 and R3 Cup races on Saturday afternoon, he came out for his first race on Sunday in the R3s and won the title with another third place (0.052 from the win) in a six rider bunch that was separated by 0.739 sec at the finish line.

Ben’s post race antics were one of the most bizarre championship celebrations ever witnessed in Australia;  he was welcomed at Turn 1 by Lachlan Epis, dressed as a Roman centurion and Anthony Mariniello, – a close friend and supporter of Ben – dolled up like Emperor Julius Caesar. They presented the championship T-shirt and one-off gold-liveried helmet, and adorned him with a massive imitation gold chain with two rolls of Anthony’s home-made salami attached!

Ben Baker
Ben Baker

As they say; “Once seen, can never be unseen,” and watching Epis bend over in his rather short centurion outfit was one of those sights.

However with the 300 title up for grabs, maybe it was the pressure, maybe he was overcome with winning the R3 Cup an hour previously, maybe it was the weight of the salami or maybe not enough spuds from his favourite food cart but while in the leading bunch with a 37-point lead, he just had to bring it home. That would’ve been too easy so, he crashed at T1 at the start of lap four!  He remounted to finish the race but the title lead was now 23 points.


Brando’s Last Tango

The end of the 2021 season marked the end of Brandon Demmery’s racing career. Brando has been a mainstay of the 300 cc Proddie class for the best part of a decade; one of the original competitors and won the title when it was still running the Ninja 250.

Brandon Demmery
Brandon Demmery

Brando came back from life threatening injuries after a start line incident in the 2017 MotoGP support races to still be a regular front runner.

He wears his heart on his sleeve and was never backward in expressing his thoughts, which could be detrimental but one thing was for sure, there was never a dull moment, and you sure knew where you stood with the man – good or bad!

His last race wasn’t a fairy tale winning end but he was just one second from the win in ninth position, mirroring the intensely close competition of the breeding classes, but he did leave a mark with a new Supersport 300 lap record to show there is still plenty of pace in him, if he did desire to change his mind.

Archie McDonald and Brandon Demmery
Archie McDonald and Brandon Demmery

I wish him all the best in his future endeavours.

Another that uttered he would be hanging up the leathers is Zachary Johnson but I’d like to make a public appeal to Zac: Keep on racing as you will be missed with your spectacular riding style.


The Winning Feeling

Successful riders tell me that the first win in any class is a mighty relief.

Archie McDonald and Glenn Nelson will certainly agree. Both have been on a steady upward progress this year although Archie had a rough start to the year missing the first round with a broken leg – as did Angus Grenfell – but he certainly made up for that at the Bend.

Archie McDonald
Archie McDonald

Not only did he break through for his first win in the ASBK Proddie classes, he had a stellar weekend with two wins and a third in the Supersport 300, while in the R3 Cup he had one win and two second places, meaning he was on the podium in every race, taking round wins in both classes. An excellent way to finish his time in Australia, before he heads to Italy in 2022.

Queenslander, Glenn Nelson wasn’t far behind in accomplishments to crack his first win. In the opening race he looked to have the edge in a frantic duel with four others but took the long way to the line weaving across the straight while Archie nailed it in a straight line to win, momentarily thwarting his maiden win by another bee’s dick distance of an almost invisible 0.05-sec gap.

After being summoned to the head master’s office for a little chat regarding weaving during the race, Glenn was suitably admonished and ready to rumble on Sunday, and that he did with a race win in each class backed up with two second places, a third and a crash in the opening 300 cc race.

Glenn Nelson
Glenn Nelson

The fairly consistent results were enough for him the finish second overall in the R3 Cup class after Cameron Dunker was forced out of the final race of the year – crashing at T1 to bring out the red flag and a complete restart. While disappointing for Dunker he still held onto third in the championship.

Another to keep your eye on in 2022 will be Reece Oughtred who through consistent results finished second behind Baker in the Supersport 300 and it won’t be too long into next year where he gets a taste of that winning feeling.

As for 2019 OJC winner and last year’s R3 Cup champion Carter Thompson, it was a weekend to forget for he and his younger brother, Hudson, who both ended the weekend visiting a hospital.

Carter Thompson
Carter Thompson

Thompson the elder started out in fine form and looked to be back in his winning ways after he qualified first in the R3 Cup and second in the Supersport 300 class. In the opening R3 Cup race he was part of the frantic four rider duel with McDonald, Nelson and Baker to finish fourth but in the first 300cc heat he very uncharacteristically crashed while in a good position and walked away seemingly ok.

It only got worse for the youngster as in the opening race on Sunday, in the R3 Cup he crashed again virtually at the same spot, knocking himself out and breaking a collarbone.

But he will bounce back, he is a champion in the making, has been successful in the Asia Talent Cup and will race in the European Talent Cup next year.


Oceania Junior Cup

As with any junior program, the OJC continues to produce future stars and one of the brightest to come through is Cameron Swain.

Cameron Swain
Cameron Swain

While he won the OJC to join other victors it is the way he did it that had folk sit up and take notice. In the nine races this year he was never off the podium taking six wins, two second places and one third – the only OJC rider to podium at every race, and he wrapped up the title with two races to go. Not too shabby for a 13-year-old.

Add in that Cam has never crashed in two years of the OJC and won the 2021 title by 56-points, and he is sure to go a long way.

Cam will remain in Australia next year but has been invited to compete in the Asia Talent Cup alongside fellow Aussies, with Carter Thompson fronting up for his third year in the series, while Marianos Nikolis will join the ATC for a second year.

2021 Oceania Junior Cup Champion – Cameron Swain – Image RbMotoLens

As mentioned above it was a wretched weekend for the Thompson brothers with Hudson the younger, who debuted in the Oceania Junior Cup this year, also joining his brother with a trip to hospital.

Hudson finished fifth in Race 1, and scored the fastest lap time of Race 2 before he crashed at the tricky turn 6 and suffered an ankle injury,

Look out for Teerin Fleming too, the younger brother of Varis. He is just old enough to race and was granted a Wild Card to compete before joining OJC full time next year. A typical case of brotherly rivalry as he finished in front of his older sibling in two of the three races, with the pair finishing on equal points.

Varis Fleming
Varis Fleming

The OJC will no doubt give rise to many future champions, but over the weekend at the Bend there were a multitude of riders that had come through the junior ranks in the past, that has now morphed into the OJC that we recognise today.

On a personal level, after running the GP Juniors Australia program for three years with the Yamaha R15s, from 2016-18, it’s very special to witness so many graduates of the class succeeding; Harrison Voight, Max Stauffer, Joel Kelso, Tom Edwards, Luke Power, John Lytras, Ben Baker, Reece Oughtred, Harry Kouri and Glenn Nelson are doing so well. Then there’s a few more like Zylas Bunting and Marianos Nikolia that competed in the GP Juniors. It makes an old man very proud to have had some effect on road racing.

Combine those names with Jack Miller, Billy Van Eerde, Josh Hook, Daniel Falzon, Mike Jones and Remy Gardner that competed in the MRRDA series, as well as Tony Edwards and Joel Kelso whose initial road racing commenced in the MRRDA, before continuing with GP Juniors, proves emphatically that the junior programs have succeeded in the past.

Jack Miller
Jack Miller himself came through the MRRDA

Go back before the MRRDA was formed, and the likes of Wayne Holland and Tony Hatton started the Moriwaki 80 series in the mid-1990s that featured fledgling riders such as Wayne Maxwell and Josh Brookes.

Now it is run with the ASBK at every round with such a professional setup, the OJC program will provide even more opportunities for young Aussie racing hopefuls to have a broader avenue to achieve their dreams. The lines of your little black talent spotter’s book will be filled with plenty of names to be used for future reference.


Summing up a watershed weekend

There were so many positives about the final round but one observation from the spectators’ point of view is worth consideration.  A few mates from Phillip Island rode over, meeting up with others that rode from interstate for an excellent adventure and camped out. The general consensus was they would never complain about the spectator facilities at the Island ever again.

The lads related to me that the Bend is a great layout and while the pit lane facility is world class with a hotel, corporate facilities and a restaurant and bar to watch the action, plus sky decks for a great view, and a great campground adjacent to the track, but if you are out spectating around the track, it’s a very different story.

Jack Miller added something extra special to the event

While there are some great vantage points, perched on the mounds to watch the racing, there is very little in way of facilities; with no toilets, or food vans and no protection from the elements particularly the gamma rays. You have to bring your own quick shades, eskies and anything else you might need if your desire is to remain in the one spot. .

Added to that I was informed, they were assaulted by dry hot winds and dust with barely any grass and massive weeds and clumps of nettles and thorns ready to attach themselves to human flesh.

Overall the entire weekend was something very special. There’s no denying that the presence of Jack Miller, along with Josh Hook, Harry Voight, Billy Van Eerde and to a certain extent Senna Agius, added exposure on an international scale through the myriad of broadcast avenues that aired the event.

Troy Bayliss and Josh Hook in the pits
Troy Bayliss and Josh Hook in the pits

Their participation, combined with the local talent that strutted its stuff over that weekend will benefit the future exposure and ever increasing popularity of the ASBK Championships.

Let’s hope the racing gods see fit to allow a full season of competition that will culminate in another stellar event at the Bend Motorsport Park in early December, next year, and Jack will have the opportunity to grace us with his involvement again.

You never know who may come to play with him! Thanks Jack and thanks Hooky for dangling the bait for him to bite.

In many ways 2021 was more challenging than last year in the hurdles and detours that had to be negotiated with this bloody wretched pandemic.

Supersport 300s in pitlane
Supersport 300s in pitlane

In closing for the year, a massive thanks to everyone involved is due and as such, I’d like to thank everyone from M.A. who worked tirelessly to ensure that we completed a championship, to the officials, the riders, teams and families, to all the spectators that attended the events in this challenging year to assist in making it what it was – no matter how many rounds were changed and/or cancelled.

Also thanks to the amazing bunch of people I had the opportunity and pleasure to work with during the year to broadcast the event at the circuit and around the world. I trust we were entertaining, although it’s a fact of life you can’t please all the people all the time, and indeed some of the people any of the time!

Angus Grenfell and Tom Drane

Here’s to a massive 2022. A merry Christmas and Happy New Year to each and everyone of you.


Motorsports TV Supersport Championship  Standings

Pos Name Pole R1 R2 Total
1 Broc PEARSON 1 18 25 135
2 Tom EDWARDS 25 20 129
3 Max STAUFFER 20 18 116
4 Scott NICHOLSON 17 16 91
5 Dallas SKEER 13 15 90
6 Luke POWER 63
7 John LYTRAS 16 17 61
8 Jack PASSFIELD 58
9 Tom BRAMICH 14 55
10 Timothy LARGE 12 13 50
11 Aidan HAYES 47
12 Rhys BELLING 42
13 Noel MAHON 11 12 40
14 Mitch KUHNE 30
15 Luke MITCHELL 24
16 Matthew LONG 23
17 Jack HYDE 23
18 Ben ANGELIDIS 10 11 21
19 Joel TAYLOR 17
20 Billy VAN EERDE 15 15
21 Harrison VOIGHT 14 14
Pos Name Bike Pole R1 R2 R3 Total
1 Ben BAKER Yamaha 1 18 16 171
2 Reece OUGHTRED Yamaha 14 20 11 143
3 Zac JOHNSON Kawasaki 16 17 134
4 Cameron DUNKER Yamaha 13 15 13 127
5 Archie McDONALD Yamaha 25 18 25 119
6 Brandon DEMMERY Yamaha 12 13 12 111
7 Tom DRANE Yamaha 20 16 18 108
8 Glenn NELSON Yamaha 25 20 96
9 Angus GRENFELL Yamaha 15 14 17 87
10 Joseph MARINIELLO Kawasaki 7 12 8 78
11 Carter THOMPSON Yamaha 76
12 Caleb GILMORE Yamaha 75
13 James JACOBS Kawasaki 17 7 15 67
14 Peter NERLICH Kawasaki 2 4 3 56
15 Jacob HATCH Yamaha 46
16 Lucas QUINN Yamaha 2 6 41
17 Jonathan NAHLOUS Yamaha 40
18 Zylas BUNTING Kawasaki 39
19 Brodie GAWITH Yamaha 11 10 35
20 Varis FLEMING Yamaha 10 11 10 33
21 Matthew RINDEL Yamaha 4 32
22 Mitchell SIMPSON Yamaha 9 8 14 31
23 Jake FARNSWORTH Kawasaki 31
24 Taiyo AKSU Yamaha 8 9 9 30
25 Clay CLEGG Yamaha 26
26 Zakary PETTENDY Yamaha 23
27 Sam PEZZETTA Yamaha 6 6 7 19
28 Jai RUSSO Yamaha 16
29 Henry SNELL Yamaha 3 5 5 14
30 Laura BROWN Yamaha 5 14
31 Liam WATERS Yamaha 10
32 Zane KINNA Yamaha 7
33 Hayden NELSON Yamaha 1 3 1 5
34 Jordan SIMPSON Yamaha 4 4
35 Cooper ROWNTREE Yamaha 1 2 3
Pos Name R1 R2 R3 Total
1 Ben BAKER 18 18 25 192
2 Glenn NELSON 20 25 18 132
3 Cameron DUNKER 14 17 127
4 Archie McDONALD 25 20 20 125
5 Brandon DEMMERY 12 12 14 114
6 Reece OUGHTRED 11 11 111
7 Angus GRENFELL 16 15 16 99
8 Varis FLEMING 13 13 13 90
9 Carter THOMPSON 17 87
10 Tom DRANE 15 16 17 83
11 Caleb GILMORE 72
12 Brodie GAWITH 14 11 71
13 Lucas QUINN 4 5 10 62
14 Jacob HATCH 62
15 Clay CLEGG 3 2 3 53
16 Taiyo AKSU 9 10 15 52
17 Henry SNELL 5 7 9 50
18 Jake FARNSWORTH 48
19 Matthew RINDEL 2 6 6 42
20 Zakary PETTENDY 40
21 Laura BROWN 38
22 Sam PEZZETTA 8 8 12 28
23 Liam WATERS 28
24 Mitchell SIMPSON 10 9 8 27
25 Jai RUSSO 7 4 5 26
26 Jonathan NAHLOUS 23
27 Jordan SIMPSON 6 3 7 16
28 Zane KINNA 16
29 Jamie PORT 1 1 2 7
30 Sam DAVIS 6
31 Jack FAVELLE 4 4
32 Hayden NELSON 4
33 Lincoln KNIGHT 3
Pos Name R1 R2 R3 Total
1 Cameron SWAIN 20 25 20 208
2 Ryan LARKIN 25 18 25 152
3 Levi RUSSO 14 15 16 137
4 Harrison WATTS 11 16 17 121
5 Nate O’NEILL 18 17 121
6 Hayden NELSON 17 14 18 112
7 Varis FLEMING 13 11 12 108
8 Hudson THOMPSON 16 96
9 Riley NAUTA 83
10 Marcus HAMOD 12 12 81
11 William HUNT 6 10 9 80
12 Toby JAMES 3 5 6 74
13 Valentino KNEZOVIC 5 7 13 73
14 Jack FAVELLE 9 7 71
15 Nikolas LAKUSIC 48
16 Bodie PAIGE 7 8 11 47
17 Tate McCLURE 45
18 Sam DRANE 10 20 10 40
19 Elijah ANDREW 1 3 4 39
20 Lachlan MOODY 2 4 5 38
21 Teerin FLEMING 15 6 15 36
22 Rikki HENRY 8 13 14 35
23 Oliver SKINNER 29
24 Cameron RENDE 4 9 8 21

Source: MCNews.com.au

Entries closing this week for Whitsundays Supermoto and Junior Road Racing extravaganza

ENTRIES CLOSE DECEMBER 24

Entries for the 2021 MotoStars NATIONALS featuring the Australian Supermoto Championships and the Australian Junior Road Racing Championships in the Whitsundays are still available for booking HERE.

Entry fees for Senior classes: $350.00
*ASMC SUPERMOTO PRO
*ASMC SUPERMOTO PRO 250
*ASMC SUPERMOTO WOMENS
*ASMC SUPERMOTO OPEN
*SUPERMOTOSTARS CUP
*SUPERMOTO ROAD RACE OPEN
*MINI MOTO CUP
*MINIGP OPEN
*MOTOSTARS SENIOR CUP

Entry fees for Junior classes: $300.00
*AJRC 85GP
*AJRC 150 PRODUCTION
*MOTOSTARS JUNIOR CUP
*ASMC SUPERMOTO LITES

ADDITIONAL CLASS FEE: $50.00 per class

There is also an optional MotoStars Training event on the Friday 7th of January for the cost of $200. On-site Camping is also available this year, at a cost of $10 per person, per night.

We expect an oversubscription to some classes- and entries will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis OR where the number of entries is greater than the track capacity for practice and qualifying, acceptance of entries will be in accordance with the following:

1. Riders who gained points in previous rounds in the respective class.
2. Riders who gained points in the previous year in the respective class.

Closing date for entries is 24th of December. In the event of over subscription, MotoStars, in consultation with Motorcycling Australia, reserve the right to close entries prior to the nominated closing date.

We’ve been eager to go racing for ages now, as are our competitors, so we can’t wait to kick things off again at Proserpine. There will be more exciting announcements in the coming weeks, regarding sponsors, guest riders and spectators, so make sure you clear your calendar for most of January as you won’t want to miss it!” MotoStars Director, Damian Cudlin.

Source: MCNews.com.au

Mike Jones returns to Yamaha Racing Team for 2022


A two-pronged attack of Halliday and Jones will see the pair contest the Australian Superbike Championship on Yamaha’s championship winning YZF-R1 and headline a huge Yamaha presence at ASBK events.

Mike Jones, who won his last ASBK championship in 2019, is excited about his move to Yamaha, a brand and team he is familiar with after having an association earlier in his career. The 27-year-old Queensland based rider, is looking forward to getting stuck into testing and a solid pre-season hit-out with the team before lining up for round one of the championship in February.

Mike Jones

“Yamaha enjoyed plenty of success around the world in 2021 and the R1 has proven to be a very competitive package in every major championship contested this year,. Personally, I have raced Cru closely over the past few seasons and I can see the YRT bike is good and look forward to working with the team to fine-tune it to my needs and have a good run at the ASBK championship in 2022. Having the team based here in Brisbane and the experience of John and Kevin around will be to my advantage and I know from our meetings just how enthusiastic and determined they are this year to get YRT back on top. I’m pumped to be on board with them.”

Mike Jones
Mike Jones

Cru Halliday will mark nearly a decade with the bLU cRU as he lines up again for the 2022 season with Yamaha and YRT. Halliday has matured over the years, and he is now a legitimate contender in the ASBK championship and a potential race winner every time he grids up on his R1.

The former Supersport champion has finished the last three ASBK season inside the top five but is desperate to take the next step and turn those top five finishes into podiums and be right in the championship hunt at the end of the season.

Cru Halliday

“I have been with Yamaha and YRT for a long time and I’m due to reward them with another championship. The team and I have a great relationship and it continues to grow each year. Since returning to the superbike class in 2019, I have finished fourth, second, third and it’s time to make things happen and fight my way to the top. The team has made a few changes and given us more support and assistance during the week, so I feel I have all the tools I need and really look forward for what’s to come in 2022.”

Cru Halliday
Cru Halliday

Team owner, John Redding, also anticipates a successful and productive season as the team has done whatever it takes to achieve the ultimate success.

John Redding

“The pairing of Cru and Mike is exciting as we have two riders in the prime of their careers with plenty of experience but also the motivation to win. We have worked with Mike a long time ago but welcome him back to Yamaha and believe he will fit in perfectly with the team, while Cru is ready for a breakout year. Our determination to win this year is at an all-time high and we have stepped up the support to the riders in many ways. They will be given every opportunity to prove themselves with a strong team behind them and a great bike beneath them.”

Cru Halliday
Cru Halliday

Redding also over seas the massive YRD program at the ASBK events we he and his team of helpers offer support to Yamaha riders across all divisions. For 2022, YRD will again provide technical support to Yamaha riders as well as parts, garaging, merchandise, bonus programs and a range of other services that no other team or manufacturer can provide.

John Redding

“Yamaha has over 70 % of the pit paddock at ASBK rounds and that is a testament to not just the quality of the motorcycles we race, but also the support we provide at these events. It doesn’t matter if you are just starting out in the OJC-R15 Cup or a rival to YRT in the Superbike class, YRD are happy to assist and offer a range of things to assist teams and riders. The YRD truck will again be at all ASBK events where Stewart and Janice will be happy to take care of your needs.”

The 2022 Australian Superbike Championship gets under in January with the first official test before round one kicks off in February.

Source: MCNews.com.au

Kinderis plans to run Josh Waters alongside Allerton in ASBK

SMSP Night Series saw Waters debut with BMW

If Shane Kinderis gets his way the BMW presence in Australian Superbike might be the strongest ever come 2022 as he works to secure enough funding to run Josh Waters alongside Glenn Allerton next season.

Maxima Oils S1K Racing BMW M 1000 RR – Shane Kinderis and Josh Waters – Image HalfLight

While half of the NextGen BMW squad recently went their separate ways after long-term team backers Wayne Hepburn and Nathan Webb formed a new BMW Alliance Racing squad, the main man behind the spanners and electronics throughout recent history on the BMW Superbikes in ASBK, Shane Kinderis, chose to continue on without his previous partners and race under the Maxima Racing Oils BMW and his S1K Racing banners with Glenn Allerton.

That paid dividends as the pair wrapped up second outright in the Australian Superbike Championship after carding two second place finishes behind Wayne Maxwell at the ASBK finale staged at The Bend.

We covered the separation in some detail while it was still quite raw here, but chose to run a conciliatory line rather than amplified clickbait headlines as the dust settled and the respective teams set about finalising their plans with BMW Motorrad HQ, and their respective sponsors. Do no harm and all that… But there certainly does seem to be some animosity going on behind the scenes between the new BMW Alliance squad and the Kinderis managed outfit.

In that piece on the split we mentioned that Kinderis would love to run another rider alongside Glenn Allerton in 2022, if enough finances could be raised to make that a viable possibility for the Maxima Oils backed squad.

After the BCperformance Kawasaki squad lost their backing from KMA in the lead up to the 2021 ASBK finale and Josh Waters was thus left without a ride, the three-time Aussie Superbike Champ, and Kinderis started talking about Waters testing the M 1000 RR.

Consequently Waters rode the BMW for the first time at Wakefield Park the Tuesday before the ASBK finale to help run in a new bike for the team and get a feel for the M 1000 RR. Josh loved the bike.

At the invitation of Kinderis he then had his competitive baptism of fire at Sydney Motorsport Park on the weekend when he contested the second round of the St. George Motorcycle Club Summer Night Series with the squad.

Maxima Oils S1K Racing BMW M 1000 RR – Josh Waters – Image RbMotoLens

A third place in the opening bout behind Allerton and Halliday was followed up with a second place in the following race.

Unfortunately the team was not completely set-up for a two-rider effort as it was a bit of a last minute arrangement and with such a quick-fire race schedule they missed getting Josh out on the grid for the final race after having to change a wheel speed sensor due to a lack of spare rims, that meant Josh had to start the final bout from pit-lane. He still came through the field for seventh which was good enough to tally enough points to score fourth overall on the night.

Maxima Oils S1K Racing BMW M 1000 RR – Josh Waters – Image Half Light
Josh Waters

It was great to battle with the guys that got second (Allerton) and third (Halliday) in the Australian Superbike Championship after not running up front for a fair while, really enjoyed that part of it for sure.

Maxima Oils S1K Racing BMW M 1000 RR – Josh Waters chasing Glenn Allerton – Image RbMotoLens

“100 per cent I would love to race with Shane and Glenn in 2022 and a big thanks to Shane for putting me on the bike this weekend, it’s so great to be competitive again, I would love to be part of the journey with the team in 2022.”

Maxima Oils S1K Racing BMW M 1000 RR – Josh Waters – Image Half Light

Glenn Allerton set the fastest lap of the Friday night at 1m30.879 in the final race after switching to the harder W spec’ Pirelli, while Josh carded a best of 1m31.584 in race two. Racers remarked that the V8 Supercars have really knocked the track around of late and the surface now has more ripples than before and is not in the best of shape.

Glenn Allerton

I really enjoy the format of the night racing, the racing is short, fast and exciting under lights in front of a really great crowd. Even a lot of my mates come out after work on Friday with their kids and really enjoy it.

“I had a great weekend, pole position, and then the overall on the night, but I have found in the night racing it can be hard to lead from the front, as the guys have you as a target to follow.

“It was really good to have Josh there and get a different opinion on the bike, he picked up a couple of things in regards to the rear when trying to put that 200 horsepower down to the ground, and we made some good headway today on the back of his feedback. He will only make the team stronger and having another champion level rider in the team will only make ours and BMW’s presence in ASBK the strongest it has ever been.

“In the racing it was really close but to come out on top was really great, with the races only being five laps, it comes down to who can hold it on the longest and brake the deepest, to see who can come out on top.

Maxima Oils S1K Racing BMW M 1000 RR – Josh Waters and Glenn Allerton – Image RbMotoLens

There was a ride day at SMSP on Saturday where the team stayed on for three sessions in 40-degree heat and made some big chassis changes to the motorcycle which Allerton and Waters could both evaluate by swapping between motorcycles. The pair providing plenty of testing data for Kinderis to process when back at his SKR workshop and Alpine Performance Centre at Whorouly in Northern Victoria.

Shane Kinderis

I have to try and find some serious sponsorship to make it happen, but my intention is to have Josh on my bikes with Glenn in 2022 and I will move heaven and earth to try and make that happen.

Maxima Oils S1K Racing BMW M 1000 RR – Image RbMotoLens

Josh Waters is expected to join the team again when they contest the next round of the St. George Motorcycle Club Summer Night Series on January 8th, again under lights at Sydney Motorsport Park.

Pirelli Unlimited Race One

  1. Cru Halliday / Yamaha YZF-R1
  2. Glenn Allerton / BMW M 1000 RR
  3. Josh Waters / BMW M 1000 RR
  4. Oli Bayliss / Ducati 959
  5. Matt Walters / Kawasaki ZX-10R
  6. Ben Burke / Kawasaki ZX-10R
  7. Mark Vaartjes / Kawasaki ZX-10R
  8. Yanni Shaw / Suzuki GSX-R1000R
  9. Dominic DeLeon / Kawasaki ZX-10R
  10. Nicholas Marsh / Aprilia RSV4 RF

Pirelli Unlimited Race Two

  1. Glenn Allerton / BMW M 1000 RR
  2. Josh Waters / BMW M 1000 RR
  3. Cru Halliday / Yamaha YZF-R1
  4. Oli Bayliss / Ducati 959
  5. Ben Burke / Kawasaki ZX-10R
  6. Matt Walters / Kawasaki ZX-10R
  7. Yanni Shaw / Suzuki GSX-R1000R
  8. Mark Vaartjes / Kawasaki ZX-10R
  9. Tim Griffith / Kawasaki ZX-10R
  10. Nicholas Marsh / Aprilia RSV4 RF

Pirelli Unlimited Race Three

  1. Glenn Allerton / BMW M 1000 RR
  2. Cru Halliday / Yamaha YZF-R1
  3. Oli Bayliss / Ducati 959
  4. Ben Burke / Kawasaki ZX-10R
  5. Mark Vaartjes / Kawasaki ZX-10R
  6. Matt Walters / Kawasaki ZX-10R
  7. Josh Waters / BMW M 1000 RR
  8. Yanni Shaw / Suzuki GSX-R1000R
  9. Brendan McIntyre / Suzuki GSX-R1000R
  10. Nicholas Marsh / Aprilia RSV4 RF
Maxima Oils S1K Racing BMW M 1000 RR – Josh Waters – Image RbMotoLens

Pirelli Unlimited Round Two Points

Pos Rider R1 R2 R3 Total
1 Glenn Allerton 20 25 25 70
2 Cru Halliday 25 18 20 63
3 Oli Bayliss 17 17 18 52
4 Josh Waters 18 20 14 52
5 Ben Burke 15 16 17 48
6 Matt Walters 16 15 15 46
7 Mark Vaartjes 14 13 16 43
8 Yanni Shaw 13 14 13 40
9 Nicholas Marsh 11 11 11 33
10 Brendan McIntyre 10 10 12 32

Source: MCNews.com.au

The ASBK Grand Finale in retrospect

Bracksy’s take on the ASBK Grand Final at The Bend

Images by RBMotoLens


The dust from the final round (and there was plenty of that), of the 2021 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship at The Bend has settled, but the buzz and memories are still swirling.

Mark Bracks was at The Bend to catch all the action and of course report on it all

With a week’s reflection Bracksy is one of those still buzzing about an event that will go down in the annals of Australian road racing as a watershed moment. Here’s his take on the event.


It may be over a week since the event but that really doesn’t matter as ASBK fans will be waxing lyrical about this particular event for many years.

The Grand Final at The Bend also attracted a bumper crowd, especially in light of the last two years

It’s no coincidence that M.A. has announced a very similar date for the final round of 2022 at the same venue. Will Jack be back? You can bet on it. And as he hinted to yours truly there may be a few other of his MotoGP mates that may follow. If he does manage to get a few of his buddies to come on down, there’s a fair chance Joan Mir will probably not get an invite!

In the weeks leading up to the event, there was a hint of doubt as the dreaded pandemic raised its ugly head again which could lead to another event being canned, but thanks to all the hard work behind the scenes we managed to all unite.

Superbike Race One underway – Image RbMotoLens

It wasn’t just a case of getting excited about the on-track action. That was a bonus. Uniting with the road racing fraternity was the highlight, and after being in the paddock for all of five minutes it was palpable that everyone felt the same.

The event was magnificent medicine for the mental health of everyone; from officials to sponsors, to families and the thousands of spectators that witnessed the racing.

The weekend also provided a great chance for the paddock to catch up

According to circuit management, over the weekend of the event more than 17,000 paying customers went through the entrance gates, considerably more than the first ASBK event at the venue in 2018, when the Asia Road Racing Championships was also on the card.

Mates from Victoria and NSW travelled to the meeting, while there were some that introduced themselves that had ridden down from Queensland. There was a real buzz in the atmosphere with so many people in attendance.

It was good to be back.

In the Supersport 300 pits

The old adage ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’ was definitely the case, as besides the Darwin ASBK round in late June, it was the first time since mid-April that the ASBK paddock was all together. The event was only the sixth time in two years that a full ASBK round had been conducted.

There will never be too many words written or spoken about the involvement of Jack Miller and what he has done for the sport in this country on the back of this. But here’s a few more.

Jack Miller on the grid at The Bend

The motorcycle racing world was king-hit with the news that Jack would compete and put it all on the line, with a target on his back, and nothing to gain, but a lot to gone wrong.

After his appearance there are thousands more folk that are aware of the ASBK title that may not have shown any interest before. The entire road racing world was watching ASBK.

Miller’s presence added a whole new level of focus on the ASBK championship

Anyone that doubted Jack would be competitive was already eating messy egg sandwiches just after lunchtime Friday when he topped the second practice session of the 4.95 km layout.. The most obvious hurdle was tyre wear as after just a couple of laps the Michelins were crying ‘Enough!’ after being tortured by Miller, but it sure as hell didn’t slow him down. Watching him man handle the Duke around The Bend on shagged tyres, wheel spinning, sliding and smoking the rear while tying the thing in knots was magnificent.

Jack Miller had his hands full on the Ducati with tyre wear an issue

Tyres weren’t his only woe, as he had problems running out of fuel a few times during Friday’s three sessions and during Saturday morning. With the lads helping him coming from a dirt bike background a bit of banter in the DesmoSport Ducati box was that maybe they should throw more fuel in, as road bikes have much larger fuel tanks to fill than what they are used to when topping up a dirt squirter!

To put Jack’s appearance in perspective, it was the first time since 1980 – 41 years ago – that a current, contracted premier class Australian GP rider competed in a round of the Australian Championships. That rider was the late Gregg Hansford, another people’s champion.

Miller’s attendance was the first in 41 years from an Australian GP rider

Gregg finished runner-up in the 1978/79 250 cc and 350 cc world titles with 10 GP victories, behind his South African team mate Kork Ballington. In 1980 he competed in a few GPs in the lower classes waiting while Kawasaki made an ill-feted attempt at constructing a 500 cc machine. After competing in a few European GPs, Gregg returned to Australia, to compete in three events; the annual Australian Grand Prix at Bathurst festival, a round of the Australian Road Racing Championships at the Adelaide International Raceway, and Oran Park for an endurance race.

In modern times it never happens. Jack changed that in one fell swoop.

Jack Miller

The momentous occasion eventuated because one of his best mates, Josh Hook put it to him with a bet. The pair share a house in Andorra and as mates do when a challenge is thrown, one thing led to another. As Josh said to the crowd – tongue in cheek – at the autograph signing, “You can thank me for getting him down here!“

After that, Jack did it all on his own. He purchased a bike and everything fell into place, with the blessing of his employers in Italy. He wasn’t paid any appearance money and he brought a few mates down from Townsville to work on his bike. They had never worked on a road bike before, but they had a ball.

Jack Miller bought an ex-DesmoSport Ducati for the event

The bike he purchased was an ex-DesmoSport Ducati from Ben Henry. A spare bike from the ASBK squad with a fresh engine and taken to Darwin as a spare but never raced. Jack himself hadn’t even seen the bike in the ‘flesh’ until he arrived at the track.

There was one difference between Jack’s bike and the other Panigale V4Rs that graced the track, primarily due to the fact that Jack is restricted from using the full race kit ECU set-ups currently fitted to the other Ducatis being raced in ASBK. That restriction stems from the rules set in place by Dorna, preventing MotoGP riders testing in the off-season on Superbikes fitted with that level of telemetry.

Jack Miller and Daniel Falzon

In many other Superbike series around the world their race bikes would be modified in many other ways that would also prevent any MotoGP rider from legally being able to ride them at all, let alone race them.

Luckily, ECU aside, our ASBK Superbikes are otherwise so standard that Miller can race here without breaking the MotoGP testing rules that only allow competitors to ride production bikes with minimal changes. And that, essentially, is what an Australian Superbike is. Our Superbikes are more standard than most Superstock categories around the world, let alone a British Superbike or World Superbike.

Jack cannot be commended highly enough for what he did. The same must be said for Ducati head office for giving him the stamp of approval to take part in the final round. I am sure there was a lot of tension at Bologna as they watched from afar, and no doubt a few gasps of breath when he tumbled across the deck twice.

Jack Miller had the stamp of approval from Bologna, but there must have been some baited breaths with his offs

With his off-track actions, attitude and his interaction with everyone he gained a massive amount of adulation. Jack’s fan base would’ve grown massively, probably doubled, even tripled. Nothing seemed to be any trouble for him.

Nothing was too much trouble, with Jack spending plenty of time with the fans

The amount of time he spent with his fans was insane. No one was knocked back for a photo, or an autograph.

After the second ASBK race – where he finished second – on the slow down lap, he stopped at the back of the circuit. He asked a Marshall to hold his bike while he ran over to another Marshall behind the retaining wall and gave him his gloves, then pointed up to the spectator hill and instructed the Marshall to give the gloves to a kid that had been waving a Miller flag all weekend. Pure class.

Jack Miller with his crew – Image RbMotoLens

There were countless moments in the pits when he spoke, joked and posed with fans to prove he really is the People’s Champion.

Another fact about Jack; his house in Andorra is known as the ‘Australian Embassy’ a half-way training house for many young Aussie rider that compete in various championships in Europe.

But the final round wasn’t just about Jack.

There were five championships to be decided.

Because of the drama of the last couple of years, there’s been words uttered and comments posted on social media that the past two seasons haven’t been a real championship because they were unusually short seasons. That is way off the mark.

Superbikes on the grid at The Bend

It may have been a shortened season due to the ever-changing landscape during all the lockdowns, but to think that is an insult to those that put it on the line every time they head out on track.

Take a wander through history; there have been many years when the Australia titles were decided over only one weekend. Or 2014, when there was two rounds, as the championship sunk to its nadir, before M.A. stepped in to take control the following year. Very few remember there were only two rounds, but Glenn Allerton’s name will be in the record books for ever more.

Since 2008 six riders have shared the ASBK Superbike championship title, and all competed at some stage this year; those riders were Wayne Maxwell, Josh Waters, Glenn Allerton, Bryan Staring, Mike Jones and Troy Herfoss.

Wayne Maxwell is just one of three riders to have won the championship on different machinery

In the past 21 seasons, only three riders; Wayne Maxwell, Glenn Allerton and Mike Jones have won championships on different brands.

Additionally, Wayne Maxwell is the first rider to claim back-to-back titles since 2006/07, when Jamie Stauffer did the double.

Adding to the drama were a couple of developments that occurred a few weeks out from the meeting, dubbed The Grand Finale.

The biggest news was the demise of the BC Performance Kawasaki team after the Japanese manufacturer withdrew direct support from the team, leaving Bryan Staring and Josh Waters without a ride.

BC Performance weren’t present with Kawasaki withdrawing, leaving Staring and Waters without a ride

The other was the earlier than anticipated split in the Next Gen Maxima Oils BMW team. Glenn Allerton and Lachlan Epis had shared a pit box at the previous rounds this season but at the Bend Allerton was the sole rider, stewarded by long-time crew chief Shane Kinderis, still under the Next Gen Maxima Racing Oils banner. Lachlan Epis entered with the new BMW Alliance Team alongside Nathan Spiteri for a two rider line-up, that will continue in 2022.

The Tyre War

The bitumen of The Bend is renown for tyre degradation. The last time ASBK visited, in April 2019, Bryan Staring took three wins from three starts using Dunlop tyres. This was somewhat of a standout anomaly in comparison to their performances that season at most other tracks. The Dunlops were more durable and Staring used the length of the three races to conserve tyres and then pick off riders at will as their tyre degradation set in, and his Dunlops stayed strong.

Dunlop looked to be the tyre to beat after the last running at The Bend where Staring won on them

A couple of years down the track and the performance of tyres, naturally, was still a headline. All tyre brands were a little nervous about what lay ahead, but none were admitting it. It’s the nature of their corporate pride as they put on a brave face exuding confidence in the product while quietly stressing about durability, weather conditions and the track surface.

It was soon apparent that the track surface was a lot more user friendly than in past years. The surface is now “bedded-in” with the track a little bit smoother due to the amount of use it has been through, wearing away the hard edges of the surface that is common with a green track.

Heading into the event, riders on Pirelli and Dunlop rubber were cautious in regards to tyre durability. Michelin were quietly confident as they had tested at exactly the same time of year, in very similar hot conditions, albeit two years previously with a range of tyres, two of which proved very satisfactory.

The company took the two preferred rears but mysteriously neither of them performed as expected, causing a lot of head scratching in the Michelin truck. The rear was lasting just a few laps before grip became an issue and it wasn’t only on Jack’s bike; anyone running Michelins suffered the same fate with a lack of rear tyre durability. Speaking to the Michelin crew they were at a loss to explain what had gone wrong and have since been in contact with head office in France in an attempt to rectify the situation in future.

There was some recompense for the French rubber when Jack finished third in Race Two, but his tyre was deteriorating rapidly. One more lap and a fast finishing Cru Halliday would’ve put Dunlop up on the podium again, after his third place finish in the opening stanza.

By the end of the weekend it was Pirelli who was smiling the loudest as Maxwell had claimed pole, the two wins, a new race lap record and the fastest ever lap of the circuit.

Lap Records

This year we have become nonchalant with lap records as after such a prolonged gap between meetings at many venues, the advances in tyres and machinery has seen many records broken. The question was by how much the qualifying and race lap records set by Mike Jones in April 2019 would be lowered.

The lap record tango between Miller and Maxwell in qualifying and the racing was extremely entertaining, but they were not the only ones to lap under the previous records.

Wayne Maxwell and Jack Miller

Bear with me as I explain the numbers.

On Jack’s very first flying lap during the Timed Practice session on Saturday morning, the MotoGP star went within 0.5 second of the all-time fastest lap that at the time was 1:51.220. Maxwell then went within 0.023sec. On Jack’s very next lap the record fell with a time of 1:51.163 taking just 0.067 sec off. Jack appeared to be aiming for an even faster time but crashed at T1 to end his session.

Not to be out-done, as Jack was brushing off the dust, Maxwell lowered it again to a new benchmark of 1:50.924 – 0.296 seconds quicker.

Wayne Maxwell was fastest overall, consistently shaving down the times

As the Q2 session heated up, Miller couldn’t quite match his morning’s time but Maxwell chomped almost half-a-second under his morning time to set a new qualifying record of 1:50.520

The record breaking continued in the races, or more to the point, the race lap record of 1:52.875 was obliterated, a number of times.

On the second lap Maxwell took 1.330 sec off the record as he crossed the line over a second in front of Jack, who was just 0.059 sec slower than Maxwell’s stellar lap. Glenn Allerton on the Next Gen BMW was also a second under the previous benchmark.

Glenn Allerton was also well under the previous benchmark

Miller and Maxwell again shaved time off the new lap record as Maxwell posted the fastest lap of the race on Lap 4 with a 1:51.192 – an astonishing 1.683 sec under the old record. Okay, the weather was a lot warmer in December than April, and the track is more tyre friendly, but that is still a remarkable time.

If that wasn’t enough in the last race of the year – and quite possibly Maxwell’s last race – the successful defending champion was the first rider to get under the 1:51s, setting another record with a 1:50.972 lap – less than half-a-second off his qualifying record set the previous day. Astounding.

Top Speeds

  • Timed Practice
    • Maxwell 306 km/h
    • Miller 306
    • Bayliss 306
  • Q2
    • Maxwell 304 km/h
    • Miller 309
    • Falzon 298
    • Sissis 303
    • Bayliss 308
    • Halliday 300
  • Race 1
    • Maxwell 298 km/h
    • Miller 309
    • Allerton 302
    • Halliday 301
    • Sissis 300
  • Race 2
    • Maxwell 301 km/h
    • Miller 305
    • Bayliss 303
    • Sissis 303
At the end of the day Wayne Maxwell was dominant, with a well earnt title to show for it

Jack was repeatedly the fastest as his corner speed through the final sector was ultimately the difference in top speeds. His speeds and lap times demonstrated that there is not a lot of differences in ECU. It’s more in the fine tuning over race distance. It might also have something to with who is in the jockey seat of the 200+ hp weapon.


Troy Herfoss

Taking a bit of shine away from the weekend was the lack of bike fitness/strength exhibited by Troy Herfoss on the Penrite Honda, still recovering from the terrible injuries he suffered at Hidden Valley.

Troy Herfoss made a return, despite still recovering and made an early exit opting to focus on 2022 rather than take risks

Before a wheel was turned he was second in the title chase, 26 points adrift from Maxwell. Glenn Allerton on the Maxima Racing Oils BMW was then just six points away in third and Cru Halliday, in his last meeting for the Yamaha Factory Team, sitting in fourth spot, in with a huge sniff of a top three finish, 12 points adrift of Allerton.

Riders are different to us mortals. If a doctor tells them not to do something for a certain period of time, they use that as motivation to get back in the saddle sooner. Herfoss is one of those riders. No matter the pain and discomfort, he had to compete. To him, it was a better option than sitting at home watching the weekend from afar.

He sure gave it a great crack and considering the physically and mentally draining nature of the undulating 4.95 km track his efforts were all the more impressive.

Troy Herfoss

Unfortunately, after giving it his all over the weekend where Troy qualified in eighth spot and finished in seventh place in the restarted first leg, discretion played the better part of valour and he withdrew from the event.

Fair call, too. The championship hunt was over after Maxwell claimed the title in the first leg. Allerton had drawn level with Herfoss and Halliday had closed the gap Halliday.

Troy will be back just as strong and all the more determined to claim another ASBK title.

Local Lads Shine

Hats off to the local lads, Daniel Falzon and Arthur Sissis who flew the flag high for the Crow Eaters. The pair were on the pipe from the outset on Friday afternoon and in the first session the pair topped the timesheets – understandable considering they had the bonus of some track days at the venue.

Local talent Daniel Falzon looked set for a great weekend

Sissis was the more consistent of the pair throughout the weekend. To see the way he gained on Maxwell during the final free practice on Friday was most impressive, and many were thinking that the quietly spoken lad had a real chance come race day.

Arthur had a bit of extra motivation as he and Jack competed in the Moto3 World Championship from 2012 – 2014. In 2012 Arthur actually finished in front of him in the title chase, that included a third at the Oz GP.

Arthur Sissis was another local with a history with Miller

As for qualifying Falzon had the bragging rights but only just, as he was third on the grid sitting beside Jack Miller with Maxwell on Pole Position, Sissis just 0.081 behind him in fourth. With his trademark rocket starts fourth was a great position for a run into Turn One.

While it all looked promising for the pair, it soon went pear shaped on race day. Falzon crashed in the opening lap when his front wheel kissed the white line at T6 and he went down, he remounted to be mobile when the red flag came out. As he was at the rear of the field, he threw in a new rear tyre and started from last on the grid.

After the 15 km dash he finished in fifth place, and no doubt with a couple of extra laps would’ve been in line for a podium. It went even worse in race two when he again crashed and in the melee was hit by another ride suffering leg injuries. Whatever the result sheets say, we all know that Falzon is very rapid so expect him to be back at the sharp end in 2022.

Falzon had to settle for fifth in a restarted Race 1, with a crash in Race 2

Sissis was in a buoyant, but quietly confident mood as race day dawned but in reality what promised so much, delivered very little. In the first leg of race one he was in a strong position, in third place, and closing on Jack Miller, when the red flag was displayed after another local, Evan Byles, had a massive high side exiting the second last turn, requiring medical assistance.

In the re-start Sissis cooked the clutch and had to retire.

Leg two went further downhill for Sissis when he was caught up with Josh Hook at Turn One. That combined with the incident with Falzon at T3, saw the red flag brought out again. Fortunately, Sissis remounted and was able to return to the pits and so was able to compete in the restart and salvage a little from the weekend, finishing seventh but unable to get close to the lap times he was reeling off previously.

Arthur Sissis
Arthur Sissis

Wagner and Miller

There was one incident in the restart of the first Superbike race that had tongues wagging and race control investigating. Heading into the downhill Turn 6 hairpin, Miller ran a little wide as he struggled severely with a shagged rear Michelin. (In a restart if you fit a new tyre, you have to start from the rear of the grid, so most riders opted to race the three laps on old bags).

That left a gap and Yamaha’s Aiden Wagner went for it. Unfortunately he lost the front and skittled the Ducati with two riders and bikes sliding off track. As the dust settled and the pair ran back to their bikes Jack gave Aiden the thumbs up.

Many thought it was a derogatory gesture but in fact, Jack was asking if Aiden was ok. Initially, race control thought there was something in it and Aiden’s appearance was required where he was informed that he would be penalised 10 positions on the grid for the next race.

Wagner appealed and with Jack backing him up saying it was just a racing incident as he’d left a gap and as he said, “He’s a racer. I ran wide, there was a gap and he went for it. It was just a racing incident.”

Aiden Wagner

With Jack’s support, Wagner maintained his original grid position with no other penalty and the matter was put to bed.

ASBK Superbike Championship Points

Pos Name Total
1 Wayne MAXWELL 183
2 Glenn ALLERTON 140
3 Cru HALLIDAY 123
4 Troy HERFOSS 120
5 Oli BAYLISS 103
6 Jed METCHER 98
7 Bryan STARING 87
8 Arthur SISSIS 85
9 Mike JONES 74
10 Lachlan EPIS 62
11 Luke JHONSTON 57
12 Josh WATERS 53
13 Aiden WAGNER 52
14 Anthony WEST 52
15 Matt WALTERS 52
16 Michael EDWARDS 47
17 Mark CHIODO 43
18 Nathan SPITERI 39
19 Daniel FALZON 38
20 Yannis SHAW 34
21 Ben BURKE 23
22 Jack DAVIS 23
23 Jack MILLER 18
24 Aaron MORRIS 14
25 Philip CZAJ 10
26 Hamish McMURRAY 4
27 Sash SAVIN 3

Source: MCNews.com.au

A recap of SMSP under lights opener and look towards star studded Rnd 2 this weekend

St George MCC Pirelli Summer Night Series Round 1 Report

Words and Images by Half Light Photographic


The St George MCC Pirelli Summer Night Series is back at Sydney Motorsports Park for a second season under the magnificent floodlights at the Blacktown facility. Summer Nights is a quickfire racing experience with three classes running of – if time permits – four races each from 1830 to around 2230.

Greg Avery – AGV Unlimited – St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021

Underlining the intensity of the action, there are no practice sessions for any class. It’s straight into qualification with eight minutes per class which only allows for a handful of laps to post a time to determine grid positions.

The atmosphere under lights is a fantastic experience for everyone on and off the track. Sunset is around 8 pm and with another 20 minutes or so of twilight, the only light for the last hour and a half comes from the floods.

The Unlimited class is split into two with the Pirelli Unlimited Division 1 class for riders expecting to post sub 1:40 laps (in dry conditions) and AGV Unlimited Division 2 for the remaining riders.

Franco and Josh Soderland - Pirelli Unlimited - St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021
Matthew Franco and Josh Soderland – Pirelli Unlimited – St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021

The IPONE 600 class has riders fielding not only 600 four-cylinder bikes but also a good mix of Triumph 675 triples alongside Suzuki and Yamaha 650/700 twins.

Round 1 of the Series on December 3 coincided with the final round of ASBK at The Bend so there were fewer ASBK riders at the round than is usual but, with the ASBK season concluded, expect to see a more of them in attendance for Round 2 of the series on December 17. More on that later.

Andrew Black – AGV Unlimited – St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021

St George MCC events have had an unfortunate funny/not funny reputation of being rain magnets recently and the weather going into Round 1 was, once again, quite threatening.

Fortunately, SMP was spared the heavier storms that were making noise elsewhere in the metro area but there was constant, light, almost mist-like rain for the whole evening which didn’t put enough rain on the track to force riders to swap to wet tyres but it did make for tricky and variable conditions in every race.

Timothy Hunt – IPONE 600 – St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021

SMP recently hosted four rounds of Supercars on consecutive weekends and the riders reported that there were a couple of areas where cracks in the surface were allowing a bit more water to seep onto the track but not to the extent that it caused any concerns.

Aiden Hayes – IPONE 600 – St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021

With four hours for three classes to qualify and run four five-lap races each, there’s not much margin for time delays. The track must be clear by 10:30 pm so if time is lost to recovery or medical interventions, there’s a high risk that the last round of races can be affected.

Hussein Ayad – AGV Unlimited- St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021

That was the case for Round 1 with the final races of AGV Unlimited Division 2 and IPONE 600 having to be cancelled. That meant qualifying and three races for those classes, with four races for Pirelli Unlimited Division 1.


Pirelli Unlimited

Sean Condon (Bike Biz Fireblade) headed qualifying with a 1:33.7240 which was a spectacular time spectacular given the conditions. Peter Graham (R1) and Timothy Griffith (BC Performance, TAG Avionics ZX-10R) rounded out the top three.

Sean Condon – Pirelli Unlimited – St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021

ASBK rookie Yanni Shaw would have been disappointed with only being able to post 13th, which gave him a lot of work to do in the races. However this is a reflection of him being well out of practice, this being the first time on track for the big Specialist Heights Access Gixxer since ASBK Darwin back in June. The meeting follows a progressive grid format which means a poor qualifying performance can be overcome with good race results.

Race 1 saw the worst of the conditions for the evening and lap times were in the low 1:40’s. Pole sitter Sean Condon decided that the conditions weren’t worth the risk and pulled into the pits at the end of the sighting lap and played no further part in the evening’s event.

Paul Rose - Pirelli Unlimited - St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021
Paul Rose – Pirelli Unlimited – St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021

Paul Rose on the Avvero Solutions R1 adapted quickest to the slippery race conditions and was able to translate that into a 5 second lead over Timothy Griffith on the BC Performance at the flag. Josh Soderland on the Gowanloch sponsored R1 crossed the line in third less than a second behind Griffith. This was a spectacular result for Solderland on his first outing on the R1.

By the time Race 2 came around, conditions had improved and it was Timothy Griffith who was able to post the fastest lap of 1:36:6530 and take out the win with Nick Marsh tight on his tail on the Superbike Bike Source Racing R1. Yanni Shaw was starting to get back into the racing groove and bought the Team Specialist Suzuki home in third place.

Timothy Griffith and Yannis Shaw - Pirelli Unlimited - St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021
Timothy Griffith and Yanni Shaw – Pirelli Unlimited – St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021

Conditions for Race 3 weren’t quite as favourable and Timothy Griffith while on the ZX-10R was able to maintain his form from Race 2 taking out the win, it was Paul Rose on the R1 who took fastest lap with a 1:38:200 and able to hold on for third place from a hard charging Nick Marsh.

Yanni Shaw, continued to build confidence and bought the big Gixxer home in second spot, less than half a second behind Griffith.  Early in the race, St George regular Andrew Burley took a nasty tumble in Turn 2 after a brake issue coming out of T1. Both bike and Andrew came off a bit second-hand but he’s hoping to have everything back in shape before the series ends in late January.

Andrew Burley and Timothy Griffith - Pirelli Unlimited - St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021
Andrew Burley and Timothy Griffith – Pirelli Unlimited – St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021

Pirelli Unlimited was the only class that managed to get a fourth race in before the time limits on track use expired and once again it was Griffith, Rose and Shaw who took out the top three spots with Griffith pulling out a two-second lead for the win, also taking out fastest lap of 1:36:6940 along the way. Once again, Nick Marsh was just out of the top three trailing Yanni Shaw by just two-tenths of a second.

Timothy Griffith’s strong performance in all four races gave him the meeting win and puts him on 95 points heading into Round 2. Paul Rose, Yanni Shaw, Nick Marsh and Josh Soderland round out the top five with just 9-points covering the four of them.

Timothy Griffith took the overall - Pirelli Unlimited - St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021
Timothy Griffith took the overall – Pirelli Unlimited – St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021

Timothy Griffith – Unlimited Div 1 – P1

“Super happy to come away with the round win. Misting rain tested the confidence levels, but wow! How fantastic to be able to race under lights again.”

Yanni Shaw – Unlimited Div 1 – P3

“It was so good to be out there and get an eye in on riding these superbikes again. After having our bikes stuck in Queensland for so long it was a relief for everyone to be riding again. The goal for the night was to shake the cobwebs both rider and mechanics and have fun doing it. We tested the bike and spent the night pulling data from various setups so it was a big win for us. It had been almost 6 months since the last race meeting so was well worth it. Conditions were tricky with light rain playing havoc on the mind. The pace across the board definitely showed it had an effect. Hats off to St George for another well run night event at one of the best tracks in Australia.”

Yanni Shaw - Pirelli Unlimited - St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021
Yanni Shaw – Pirelli Unlimited – St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021

Josh Soderland – Pirelli Unlimited

“Great to be sitting on the R1 for the first time at a race meeting and what a race meeting to choose. Under lights at Sydney Motorsport Park, love this Summer Night fast paced event. Got bumped into the Pirelli Unlimited (fast group) after my qualification time in the AGV Unlimited saw me break the time cut off. Was awesome racing with the fast boys and learnt so much getting pulled around by a few and bumping bars with them by the end of the night. Awesome event, cannot await Round 2 on December 17th.   None of this would be possible without the great support from Gowanloch Ducati, Alpha Team fitness and Evo Racing Suspension.”

Josh Soderland - Pirelli Unlimited - St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021
Josh Soderland was bumped up to Pirelli Unlimited – St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021

Pirelli Unlimited Results/Standings

Pos Rider Bike R1 R2 R3 R4 Total
1 TIMOTHY GRIFFITH ZX-10R 20 25 25 25 95
2 PAUL ROSE R1 25 16 18 20 79
3 YANNIS SHAW GSXR 15 18 20 18 71
4 NICHOLAS MARSH RSV4 RF 16 20 17 17 70
5 JOSHUA SODERLAND R1 18 14 14 13 59
6 ADRIAN PELEGRIN ZX10R 17 17 12 9 55
7 JOEL TAYLOR R1 0 15 15 16 46
8 PETER GRAHAM YZFR1 14 0 16 15 45
9 MICHAEL JEFFERY R1 9 12 10 12 43
10 CHRISTOPHER LYNCH ZX10R 13 11 8 11 43
11 EDUARDO PEREIRA R1 11 8 11 10 40
12 MATTHEW FRANCO R1 0 10 13 14 37
13 CLINT MCANALLY V4 10 9 7 7 33
14 PHILLIP CLOROS PANIGALE 8 6 6 6 26
15 ANDREW BURLEY V4S 12 13 0 0 25
16 GERGELY NAGY R1 0 0 9 8 17
17 HAMISH MCMURRAY ZX10RR 0 7 0 0 7

AGV Unlimited

In AGV Unlimited qualifying, Josh Soderland posted the fastest lap with a 1:37:8140. As mentioned above, this was the first time Soderland had raced the R1 and he came into the meeting uncertain what his lap times would be and had taken a cautious approach and nominated for the slower class.

Andrew Black - AGV Unlimited - St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021
Andrew Black – AGV Unlimited – St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021

But with AGV Unlimited class being for riders expected to card no faster than 1:40, his qualifying time gave him the confidence to switch to the faster Pirelli Unlimited for the remainder of the night where he put in some impressive rides. This made Andrew Black (Fireblade), Zsolt Veres (S 1000 RR) and Greg Avery (Ficeda/MotoDNA GSX-R1000) the top three going into the races.

Greg Avery - AGV Unlimited - St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021
Greg Avery – AGV Unlimited – St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021

With Soderland promoted to Pirelli Unlimited, the three AGV Unlimited races followed the form established in qualifying with Andrew Black taking the win and Zsolt Veres taking second place in each race.

Zsolt Veres - AGV Unlimited - St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021
Zsolt Veres – AGV Unlimited – St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021

Greg Avery took out third spot in Races 1 and 2 but Jacob Hatch (Motorcity, Jekyl&Hyde, Kabuto Aprilia), who will be heading on to BSB in 2022 to run in Leon Haslam’s Supersport team, scored a podium in Race 3 with Avery coming home in fourth.

Hussein Ayad leads Veres - AGV Unlimited - St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021
Hussein Ayad leads Veres – AGV Unlimited – St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021

No surprise with this run of results that Andrew Black took out the meeting win and heads to Round 2 leading Zsolt Veres and Greg Avery in the championship. Hussein Ayad (Gixa Core Cut) and Jacob Hatch (Motorcity, Jekyl&Hyde, Kabuto Aprilia) filled out the top five.

Andrew Black - AGV Unlimited - St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021
Andrew Black – AGV Unlimited – St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021

Jacob Hatch – AGV Unlimited

“It was my first time racing the RSV4 and we didn’t do so well in qualifying but as the night went on we got light misty rain in all three races but I was happy to come away with eighth, fourth and third and not crashing due to the conditions! I had an awesome time and the meeting was put together great , thank you to the St George Motorcycle Club for putting it on and MotoCity for lending me the bike to race on to help with my preparation for big plans in 2022.”

Jacob Hatch - AGV Unlimited - St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021
Jacob Hatch – AGV Unlimited – St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021

AGV Unlimited Results/Standings

Pos Rider Bike R1 R2 R3 Total
1 ANDREW BLACK CBR1000RR 25 25 25 75
2 ZSOLT VERES S1000RR 20 20 20 60
3 GREG AVERY S1000 18 18 17 53
4 HUSSEIN AYAD R1 17 16 16 49
5 JACOB HATCH RSV4 13 17 18 48
6 CRAIG BOYD R1 14 14 14 42
7 LUKE RUCKLEY RSV4 16 15 11 42
8 AARON SCHERECK RSV4 15 9 13 37
9 TALAL SBBET S1000RR 12 11 12 35
10 STEPHEN KAIRL GSXR1000 11 13 7 31
11 JASON CLIFF S1000RR 9 10 9 28
12 HARLEY BORKOWSKI CBR 0 12 15 27
13 JAMES BERKLEY ZX10 3 8 10 21
14 GAVIN LACKEY 1098S 10 6 2 18
15 JOSHUA OROURKE ZX-10R 0 7 6 13
16 MARTIN BALL GSXRR L7 5 4 3 12
17 WILLIAM BIRDSEY 1098R 7 3 1 11
18 ANDY FISHER S1000RR 0 2 8 10
19 JASON DLUGOSZ RSV4 4 0 5 9
20 BILAL EL CHAMI S1000RR 0 5 4 9
21 DUNCAN MUIR PANIGALE 8 1 0 9
22 JASON HEWETT 848 EVO 6 0 0 6

IPONE 600

IPONE 600 series always puts on some exciting racing and even with the dodgy conditions requiring riders to show a bit more restraint than normal, the three races delivered some excellent battles.

Simon Rees - IPONE 600 - St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021
Simon Rees – IPONE 600 – St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021

James McIntyre (R6) took out qualifying with a 1:40.2260, a full second ahead of Simon Rees (Castle Hill Motorcycles ZX6). Jack Passfield (Stay Upright Rider Training R6), Carl Kitson (K-Werx R6) and Trent Kilner (R6) rounded out the top five.

Jack Passfield - IPONE 600 - St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021
Jack Passfield – IPONE 600 – St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021

Aidan Hayes (Hayes Johnston Chartered Accountants R6) was only able to qualify eighth but come the drop of the flag in each race, it was Hayes and Jack Passfield who made the running.

Aiden Hayes – IPONE 600 – St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021

Passfield took out two wins and one second place, Hayes took one win and a brace of second place finishes. Race 1 saw the closet finish with Hayes crossing the line just a fraction of a second later than Passfield. The Stay Upright rider was able to take more control of the second and third races finishing two-seconds and nearly 10-seconds ahead respectively.

Aiden Hayes – IPONE 600 – St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021

Behind them, Simon Rees showed great consistency carding two third place finishes and one fourth place with Darragh Murphy taking out third place in the first race.

Darragh Murphy – IPONE 600 – St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021

Passfield’s consistency sees him take a narrow five-point margin over Hayes into Round 2 of the series with Rees, Murphy and Timothy Hunt (Assetnote Triumph Daytona) holding the other top five positions.

Timothy Hunt – IPONE 600 – St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021

Aidan Hayes – P600

“Friday night racing is back!! Finally after months of no riding or racing we got to race SMSP under lights for round 1 of the St George Summer Night Series and it was a hit! We finally had a hot day leading into it but there was storms predicted and everyone was nervously waiting for qualifying as we could see the clouds coming in and very light rain. Lucky for the hot day the track stayed mostly dry even with light rain in every session with white flags out on most corners it was tricky conditions as the track felt grippy but at the same time we were never sure how much water was going to be on the tar throughout each corner. This didn’t stop the tight racing battle with Jack Passfield and I as we swapped positions multiple times in race 1 before I got the win by 0.008 secs! Race 2 was not so tight with Jack taking the win & me chasing him. Race 3 I was hoping for a really good battle but I made a mistake in T2 missing a gear shift and giving Jack a nice gap which I couldn’t chase down unfortunately. The night was a hit, 10 races for spectators to watch plus three qualifying sessions all done in four hours it was an action packed night and we are planning on more action in Round 2!”

Jack Passfield and Aiden Hayes – IPONE 600 – St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021

Special mention goes to Brian Bolster (Sydney West Riders, Well Sprung OZMC Leathers SV650) whose line around Turn 1 on Lap 1 of Race 2 was wide. Really wide. Like ‘what the hell is this green stuff underneath me?’  wide. Bolster had found himself on the outside going through T1 when the rider to his inside had a small moment.

This pushed him wide and he took evasive action on to the grass. Onboard footage confirms that he didn’t back off and re-joined the track before T2 without losing a place. Bolster finished the race in 14th and the evening in 12th and laid down his fastest lap, of 1:43:0400, in the third race. On an SV650. Respect.

Brian Bolster – P600

“Riding my SV650 against the 600s presents many challenges, namely in top speed differences, but also opportunities to work on my riding, like corner entry and mid corner speed. Race two presented me with a new challenge: high speed gardening! I got a decent start, managing to pass a few 600s off the launch. The run into Turn 1 saw a lot of bikes bunching up, so I took the wide outside line to avoid the melee. Unfortunately a few riders ran wide avoiding water and I was forced wider. I decided taking to the dirt was a better option than wet ripple strips and exited the track at 140-ish. Turns out the dirt was reasonably dry, I managed to keep it upright, and after a brief look to make sure it was safe to do so, I re-entered the track just after the 50m board. I was able to tip into a clear spot on the racing line and continue with my race like nothing happened. It was bloody exciting I’ll tell you that much…”

Brian Bolster - IPONE 600 - St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021
Brian Bolster – IPONE 600 – St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021

IPONE 600 Results/Standings

Pos Rider Bike R1 R2 R3 Total
1 JACK PASSFIELD R6 20 25 25 70
2 AIDAN HAYES YZF-R6 25 20 20 65
3 SIMON REES ZX6 17 18 18 53
4 DARRAGH MURPHY CBR 18 16 17 51
5 TIMOTHY HUNT DAYTONA 16 13 15 44
6 JAMES KEAN ZX6-R 13 14 16 43
7 CARL KITSON R6 15 17 6 38
8 CAMERON PRENTICE ZX6R 9 12 13 34
9 SIMONE BOLDRINI YZF-R6 10 8 14 32
10 TRENT KILNER R6 12 10 9 31
11 JAMES MCINTYRE YZF-R6 14 15 0 29
12 BRIAN BOLSTER SV650 7 7 12 26
13 JOHN HORE GSX-R600 8 5 11 24
14 ALISTAIR KNIPE ZX6R 3 9 10 22
15 CHRISTOPHER DUNNE R6 11 11 0 22
16 MATTHEW SODERLAND DAYTONA 6 4 8 18
17 DANIEL DESA PESIC R6 5 6 4 15
18 ROMEO ARMONE R6 0 3 5 8
19 DAVID BOURNE ZX6 0 0 7 7
20 WILLIAM BINKS GSXR 0 2 3 5
21 ANTHONY GEORGE YZF-R6 4 0 0 4
22 STUART MACLEAN GSXR 0 0 2 2
23 SARAH BATTEN DAYTONA 0 1 1 2
24 CHRISTIAN ROSSI ZX6R 2 0 0 2
25 DAVID CAO MT07 1 0 0 1

St George MCC Pirelli Summer Night Series Round 2

Looking ahead to Round 2 on December 17 the usual suspects will be back for another round of fun under lights and, as mentioned earlier, some more of the ASBK regulars will be on deck. It’s a real buzz for the club guys to have some of the top riders in Australia on board even if the talk after the races is mostly about them disappearing into the distance.

The St George Summer Night Series returns for Round 2 – Jack Passfield

As of the time of writing, St George MCC are expecting Glenn Allerton, Josh Waters, Cru Halliday and Oli Bayliss to join Yanni Shaw for Round 2 of the Series.

This will be one of the last chances to see Oli Bayliss before he heads off to Europe to start his World Supersport adventure with Barni Racing on the V2 Panigale.

Oli Bayliss rode the V2 for the first time last week at The Bend, and this weekend will race it for the first time

Oli’s progress in the last few years from Supersport 300 through Supersport and then to Superbikes, scoring his first Superbike win at Darwin, has been phenomenal and it will be fantastic to see a competitive Australian presence in the WorldSBK arena again. St George Pirelli Summer Series Round 2 will be the first time he’ll be racing on the V2 bike.

Hussein Ayad – AGV Unlimited – St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021

The series takes a break over the Xmas period and resumes in the New Year with Round 3 of the series on January 8, and the final round on January 28. All at Sydney Motorsports Park and all under lights.

Mick O’Brien – St George MCC

“Summer Night racing is back. Just a shame that the climate still thinks it’s spring. The series is again proving very popular with riders and spectators and truly forging itself into a series that will one day be recognised across the country as a series riders want to be part of. Thank you to Pirelli Tyres Australia, AGV Helmets and IPONE Oils for supporting the series and the riders. Each brand brings something different to the nights and we are excited to see such formidable brands and the growing IPONE brand using this series to showcase their products. It was great to see Round 1 continuing the close racing from lasts year’s series. The short format ensures close racing and plenty of on track action for all to admire. With the added commentary keeping all up to speed from corner to corner with the gap fillers that the two Ronnie’s would be proud of. With the ASBK series finished, we’ve already seen up to 10 of the best established and up and coming racers best join us for Round 2 on December 17. So make sure you get on out to the track with qualifying starting at 6.30pm to see some spectacular action and watch Oli Bayliss’s first race meeting on the V2 Ducati.”

Zsolt Veres – AGV Unlimited – St George Summer Nights Round 1 2021

Bel Kyle – Flaggie

“Flagging at night certainly has more challenges than daytime, mostly with visibility. Throw in some on and off drizzle rain and it certainly increases those challenges. The racers did a great job in the conditions, with very few incidents. It’s still great fun flagging no matter what the weather is doing, and where else can you get that close to the action?”

2021 Pirelli Summer Night Series at SMSP Round 1 Gallery

Source: MCNews.com.au

Broc Pearson talks Superbike switch for 2022

Broc Pearson stepping up to Superbike with 727 Moto


The 2021 Motorsports TV Supersport Championship was one of the most closely fought titles in recent history which was decided at the finish by .050 of a second going to Broc Pearson, a rider who has overcome some horrendous injuries in recent years and nearly gave the sport away.

The different between being champion, or not, was the close on Sunday… Image RbMotoLens

Pearson celebrated his 21st Birthday and Championship title on the weekend after what was an edge of the seat event for the Queenslander at the Grand finale of the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship, presented by Motul, at South Australia’s The Bend Motorsport Park.

Broc Pearson – 2021 Australian Supersport Champion – Image RbMotoLens

We caught up with Pearson to discuss his year, his move into Superbikes in 2022 with the 727 Moto Team, and his first test session with the new team on the Yamaha R1 earlier this week at The Bend.

Broc Pearson testing on Monday – Image RBMotoLens

The Queensland team Jed Metcher rode for this year will be rebranded to 727 Moto for 2021 and expanded to two riders which includes Pearson, and are well on their way to becoming one of the biggest privateer teams in the Superbike paddock.

Adding to the fire power of the team is the recruitment of some MotoGP and ASBK heavy weights including former Valentino Rossi and Desmosport Ducati mechanic Brent Stephens, former Team Honda Racing chief Paul Free, and Yamaha Racing Development’s, Stewart Winton, who has worked with Metcher this year and previously with BSB Champion Josh Brookes, among many others.

Pearson had been testing earlier in the year at Morgan Park on a Yamaha Superbike and it was the same one he tested on with this week at The Bend, but unfortunately some gremlins with the machine meant he could only complete several laps.

Broc Pearson rode the 727 Moto YZF-R1 at The Bend on Monday – Image RbMotoLens

Congratulations on your Championship win but no rest for the wicked.

Broc Pearson: “Look I started a new job a few weeks ago and probably could have asked for the day off but I’m heading straight to work now.”

You’ve had a few days for the Championship win to sink in, how do you feel?

Pearson: “It was kind of different as I had to ride on Monday. So I was off to bed early Sunday night, and then I had a few drinks with the team on Monday night, but I had to go to bed early to get up at 4am as I had to get a flight home, and then head to work.

Broc Pearson – 2021 Australian Supersport Champion – Image RbMotoLens

“It will be nice to sit down tonight with my girlfriend and family and chill out and have a chat.

“Just now it feels like I’m not carrying any weight on my shoulders, as for the last month, every time I roll out the door to ride by my bike or go to the gym, and since Wakefield I’ve put in so much work in, but the last month has really impacted me mentally as it (the Championship) was on my mind.”


You would have had to be careful to make sure you didn’t crash your push bike or tear a muscle at the gym?

Pearson: “The last week I did no gym work because I didn’t want to carry weights in case I pulled something, and then on my push bike I did everything indoors on my trainer in case I fell off my bicycle to ensure I didn’t have any injuries or wounds going into the last round.

Broc Pearson on the 600 at The Bend – Image RBMotoLens

“On Tuesday morning I said to my mechanic, Hayden, who was flying with me five days ago when I left that same airport, and my head was buzzing and I was thinking about every possible scenario for the weekend. This morning at the same airport I had no stress and nothing on my mind, it was so nice to come home and drop my guard.”

What were your thoughts as you crossed the line on Sunday?

Pearson: “I tried to be a bit strategic in that second race and it kind of worked but until I crossed the line I just, I couldn’t believe I had done it.

“Heading into the weekend I was obviously fastest, I qualified on pole and from the outside you could have thought he’s got this in the bag, but with such a minimal points difference between us, there was just no room to take some air, it was far from being over.

Broc Pearson on the YZF-R6 at the Bend – Image RBMotoLens

“After that first race it was hard, I don’t know how many times Supersport has been that close going into the last race, but there was only one point going into it and it was stressful, but I found ways to motivate myself.

“When I crossed the line, I didn’t know what to think, because I had always wanted that day, and when I crossed, I the thought well I got to set myself a new goal now, because the last three years this has been my goal.

“I have a goal for what I am aiming for at one time and this was my goal for the weekend, and I achieved that. I was beside myself with how happy I was.”


Now you have a new goal, you were obviously out testing with the new Superbike team on Monday.

Pearson: “It was the bike I was testing in Queensland earlier this year, but we’ve got some new bikes we will have organised for next year.

Broc Pearson at The Bend on Monday – Image RbMotoLens

“To be honest with you, we had some mechanical issues all day, I did four laps, and it didn’t work out the way I wanted to, maybe that was just how the ball was to roll for the day.

“It gave me a little bit of breathing room anyway as its big to come off winning the championship and then get back into something the next day.”

It must be exciting for you to be going into a new team with Jed Metcher, and there are some big hitters in your new team amongst the crew in Brent Stephens, Paul Free and Stewart Winton?

Pearson: “It’s always good to have guys in your corner who know what they are doing, and at the end of the day it brings confidence to a rider, and when a rider has confidence that is when they are at their best. And that’s what I’ve been able to feel at the moment with my team because I feel at home with it.

“With those guys in my corner, I know I will be able to carry that confidence into next year as I’ve already gone quite fast on a superbike, so I don’t doubt myself at all.”


Is 2022 still considered a learning year for you next year do you expect to be competitive from the get-go?

Pearson: “Look it’s going to be a learning year. I’m going to be going to tracks on a superbike I have never rode one at, I’ve only ever really rode the Superbike at Morgan Park, and yesterday then added a few at The Bend, but I only did four laps.

Supersport Champ Broc Pearson moves up to Superbike in 2022 and was testing a YZF-R1 with his new team on Monday at The Bend

“So its going to be learning year, I don’t expect to come in and use that as an excuse, but I’m going to be ready to go.

“I have good guys around me, I believe I can be competitive right away, I don’t mean I expect to win races, but if I roll out and win a race next year that will be awesome.

“But my goal next year will be to land on the podium and, if I can, then I set myself a goal to start winning.

“There is a lot to do, and those guys out there are obviously the best in Australia and obviously with Jack (Miller) coming back on the weekend showed how high the level is, so I don’t expect anything, just take one thing at a time.”


You and Max Stauffer stepping up into Superbikes with experienced guys that have been around in the class for some time, how do you feel about being the new blood in the class?

Pearson: “The good thing that I have done in the past couple of months in testing is prove that I can ride a Superbike, and that gives me confidence going into the year and knowing that I can somewhat ride at a high level.

Broc Pearson – Image RbMotoLens

“In regard to guys like Herfoss and Maxwell, they’ve got a lot of experience on the bike and at tracks, riding a superbike to them is like jumping on the lounge for most guys, they are at home on them, and I’m not at home on a superbike yet.

“When I ride, I still struggle, even though I’m fit and strong, I don’t have that bike fitness to ride one for 14 laps, because you need to be able to be at home on them and feel like its your bike, and I don’t feel that at the moment, and I need to ride it more.

“It will be interesting to see what Max does and I wish him all the best, and I hope he can run at the front, as at the end of the day anyone turning up to the track can be rewarded. Hopefully it’s a good year for everyone and I can just tick off some boxes on the way.”

Take us back to the last few years, at one stage you thought about giving the sport up after you banged yourself up and smashed yourself to pieces a few times, can you clarify that in your mind now that your glad you didn’t give up and achieved what you set out to achieve three years ago.

Pearson: “Even before the weekend I was glad that I have developed into who I am as a person, and for my fitness, I’m super fit and super healthy and that’s why I didn’t give up and I am where I am now. I’m very fortunate that I stayed committed.

Pearson headed into the 2021 Australian Supersport Championship with an eye on the title after returning from injury

“The first accident, even though that was the most difficult as I almost died, I had a lot of mental issues from it, and I struggled a lot, but I was always determined to race again. I knew I was determined to race again and would face some anxiety and racing was going to be difficult, but I was young.

A huge crash at The Bend in 2017 set a young Pearson on a long road to recovery

“I didn’t really come back to who I was, but it was the second accident that really tested me as I spent a long time trying to get fit and get going again, and then as soon as I came back, I broke my back again and then I was just over it.

“I was in Adelaide hospital by myself, and my team went back home to work, and I was just in the hospital thinking, why am I doing this. For a few weeks afterwards I was pretty done. I couldn’t be bothered dealing with consequences I was going to face in the future, so I had a bit of time off, didn’t read anything bike related and didn’t pick up the phone or look at bike related things for a while.

Broc Pearson has certainly ridden a rollercoaster of ups and downs in recent seasons – This picture from 2017 was taken after suffering two broken legs, multiple breaks to his back, a broken shoulder and other minor injuries in a training crash.

“Then my natural day to day like life things continued where I got back on pushbike, and then I went to the gym and started improving, then walking again, and then I got back on the bike. But that was mentally the toughest one, as I was over it.”


Because of your success over in Asia did you expect to continue that when you came home to race?

Pearson: “No, I started to not rate myself as high as the other riders were and that was the problem, it was the consequences of the accidents that I started to think maybe I have to settle and realise I’m not the rider I can be.

“But then when Covid hit last year, it gave me a little time to clear my head, ride the bike a little bit and have some fun rather than concentrate on racing. That was probably a turning point for me, as I didn’t have to worry about racing, and I naturally started going faster.

“Last year I got my rods taken out of both my femurs a month before the first round at Phillip Island, but no one I spoke to had had rods taken out of both femurs, so then I had them out, and I could barely walk, fit into my suit, so I had a horrible round at the Island, similar to what Herfoss is going through now. You don’t have movement and can’t ride. I then had an electronics problem in April and broke my collar bone.”

Because COVID hit, you were able to just go back to enjoying riding on the weekends and fully recover?

Pearson: “Exactly, I did some riding with Oli (Bayliss) last year and he was going really fast on the 600 and I got to a point where I started going faster and things were clicking, and I turned up to Wakefield and I won a race. Then I was like okay maybe I am back and can start picking myself up.

“Over Christmas I did a lot of work mentally and physically and from the test and that point onwards I had a good run. I’ve been able to carry that confidence to where I am now, and I’m very glad about what I’ve achieved.”


Tell us about your friend Oli Bayliss, you are obviously close, you train together, he is off to World Supersport and he has praised you from the weekend what impact has he had on you?

Pearson: “Me and Troy (Bayliss) get along quite well, and Oli is one of my best mates, and sometimes when Oli doesn’t want to get out of bed I go cycling with Troy. It’s a good relationship and friendship I have with them. Troy has been very supportive of me, and he had an accident earlier this year and we built a bit of a relationship through that as I had been through a similar thing.

“With Oli we are real big rivals, but we are good mates. We push each other a lot in good ways, we hate losing to each other. It’s like competing against your brother it’s the last person you want to lose to.

Oli Bayliss – Image RbMotoLens

“We have our disagreements, it’s what makes us stronger riders, I help him in some ways, and he does me. Oli is one of a kind. He has something in him and the ability to switch on, I didn’t have that switch that you can click, I’ve learnt a few things off him, he’s mentally strong.

“At the end of the day I’m envious of what he is doing, he is my good mate and I want to see him do well, but I’m grateful I’ve had some years training with Oli, and if he switches on in Europe, finds his feet and mojo, he is going to do really well and turn heads.”


You are still only 21 and have raced overseas in Asia. Do you still have ambitions to race overseas, to race in WorldSBK or MotoGP?

Pearson: “You need to set goals one step at a time, and I don’t have any future plans to go to Europe yet, or any anything like that, but by all means I would love to, but I have to try and work in with what suits me right now and I believe for me that is to get on a Superbike, and if I can race against the best guys in Australia and maybe some time soon be one of the best here, then it is going to be the best way I can get to Europe.

For now the focus will be on the ASBK Superbike class

“Rides don’t just fall into your lap, if I can go to Europe one in the future by all means, but its not going to be next year, right now I have to win an Australian Superbike Championship and I’ve got a bit of work to do before I can achieve that.”

Pearson’s 2021 Supersport Championship title was won with numerous lap records. A win and second place at the Winton season opener, pole position, a win and second place at Wakefield, and pole position, a third place and a spectacular victory at the Grand Finale at the Bend to finish on 135 points with Tom Edwards second on 129 points, and Max Stauffer rounding out the top three on 116 points.

Broc Pearson with Max Stauffer – Image RbMotoLens

2021 Motorsports TV Australian Supersport Championship Points

Pos Name Total
1 Broc PEARSON 135
2 Tom EDWARDS 129
3 Max STAUFFER 116
4 Scott NICHOLSON 91
5 Dallas SKEER 90
6 Luke POWER 63
7 John LYTRAS 61
8 Jack PASSFIELD 58
9 Tom BRAMICH 55
10 Timothy LARGE 50
11 Aidan HAYES 47
12 Rhys BELLING 42
13 Noel MAHON 40
14 Mitch KUHNE 30
15 Luke MITCHELL 24
16 Matthew LONG 23
17 Jack HYDE 23
18 Ben ANGELIDIS 21
19 Joel TAYLOR 17
20 Billy VAN EERDE 15
21 Harrison VOIGHT 14

Source: MCNews.com.au

Thompson brothers on mend after tough weekend at The Bend

Carter & Hudson Thompson on the mend after rough weekend at The Bend


ASBK racing brothers Carter and Hudson Thompson have been released from hospital following their accidents at the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship, presented by Motul.

Carter had looked like he’d be taking the challenge to Yamaha Finance R3 Cup and Dunlop Supersport 300 points leader Ben Baker this weekend after he qualified first in the Yamaha Finance R3 Cup and second in the Supersport 300 class.

Carter Thompson – Image by RBMotoLens

Carter has been a stand-out talent in the Australian Superbike Championship for the past three years having won the 2019 bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup, and being crowned 2020 R3 Cup champion.

He has also raced in the Asia Talent Cup where he has been successful, and will next year race in the European Talent Cup with the AGR Racing Team.

Carter Thompson

Carter kicked off his weekend with a fourth in race 1 of the R3 Cup. However in the first Supersport 300 race while leading he crashed an turn 14 on lap 4 but walked away from the accident.

Race 2 of the R3 Cup saw Carter have a major crash on lap 2 turn 13 with the race red flagged and Carter requiring medical assistance.

He was taken to Murray Bridge Hospital and then later transferred to North Adelaide’s Women’s and Children’s Hospital where he was diagnosed with a broken right collarbone and severe concussion before being released.

Hudson Thompson

Hudson, who debuted in the Oceania Junior Cup this year, finished fifth in race 1, and scored the fastest lap time of race 2 with a time of 2:34.794 before he crashed at turn 6 on lap 4 in a pack of riders.

Hudson Thompson

Nathan Thompson, his father, first feared he had broken his left ankle, but said it appears he has suffered ligament damage and was released from hospital Sunday night. Nathan said he believed that Carter’s initial impact with the circuit was the cause for the collarbone injury.

Nathan Thompson

“It’s been a tough weekend, they are feeling sore and sorry for themselves,” and that Hudson’s accident was just racing accident with no one to blame. “Thankfully Hudson’s ankle isn’t broken but he can’t weight bare on the ankle, and it looks like major ligament damage. He’s hobbling around here on crutches and looks like he’s going to be okay.

“Carter’s crash was pretty big, he remembers everything up until half a lap before the crash and is in good spirits with a broken collarbone and pretty severe concussion, so we will pop down to Westmead Hospital to make sure there is no dramas. He hit pretty hard initially and the bike is nearly a write-off. Thankfully his helmet did its job, but there are a few big cracks in it.”

Carter Thompson in action at The Bend before the fall – Image RbMotoLens

Source: MCNews.com.au

Cameron Swain talks bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup success

Cameron Swain – OJC Champ 2021


At four-years-old Cameron Swain had a crash on his brand-new Yamaha PW50 and hung up his boots swearing he wouldn’t ride again. Fast forward nine years and he is Australia’s latest motorcycle racing rising star and hot property, winning last weekend’s 2021 bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup title after what can only be described as the perfect season.

Unlike recent OJC recruits, the 13-year-old from Queensland didn’t come from a dirt track or motocross background, he ventured into racing on a Metrakit 80, eventually going through the North Coast Road Racers and MotoStars Junior program run by former Australian MotoGP rider, OJC and GTR MotoStars Team Coach, Damian Cudlin.

Swain’s 2021 season over three rounds and nine races of a COVID interrupted mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship, presented by Motul, saw him amass a super impressive six wins, two second places and one third – the only OJC rider to podium at every race, had never crashed in two years, and won the 2021 title by 56 points.

Cameron Swain – Image by RBMotoLens

His small build and raw talent, as the youngest competitor in the field, was noticed immediately in 2020 from the opening round the at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit where he battled with the front runners finishing in sixth place. No mean feat as the OJC competition is intense and often with three-quarters of the field covered by only a second or two.

Swain would finish the 2020 Championship in fourth place, a year in which he learnt the importance of race-craft and suspension set-up.


Cameron Swain – Image by RBMotoLens

Cameron Swain: “At the end of last year, we had a bad set-up all weekend and we were talking to Oceania Junior Cup Technical Manager Trevor Manly, as at that time as people were telling us the set-up was right, but I was struggling all weekend. I had a look at the front runner’s suspension set-up and made those changes and I ended up on the podium. I discovered it was all about suspension, pre-load, ride height, not just about riding. People think it just comes down to the good rider, but if you have crap settings its never going to work.”

Swain said his father Jason was always on the phone to Manly, searching for answers for the right set-up.

Swain: “We would be at Morgan Park all the time and I’d get into tyre slides, and we would call Trevor and he would tell us what to do. Also, Joe Salter from Ride Dynamics who is a suspension tech, and rider coaching was helping me a lot. We would call him and or Trevor and they would tell us what to change and we just kept on improving.”

Cameron Swain at the 2021 OJC opener at Wakefield Park – Image RbMotoLens

Swain admits he also needed to make adjustments to his riding style if he was to compete at the front of the pack 2021.

Swain: “Joe is not a bad rider himself and Stephanie Redman also helped with coaching advice. I needed to improve on the way I tipped in into the corner, where I looked through the corner, and my braking into a corner. I learnt how to use less brake to have more speed into the corner, as I’d brake late and really hard, but I’d lose too much speed and slow down in the corners. It was really Trevor who helped us sort out the forks and how they should be, in particular spring rates and fork height, and we have pretty much set that and stuck to it for the whole year. Between the two of them we found this awesome set-up.”

Cameron Swain leads the Oceania Junior Cup – Image RbMotoLens

The OJC class is where riders not only learn the importance of suspension, ride heights, health and fitness, but also the importance of slip-streaming to not only qualify well, but also to utilise it on track to win races.

For Swain however, he was often qualifying on clear track away from other riders, something he preferred, and which helped him qualify at the top, and start the races from the front row.

Swain: “The way I did it (to win the title) on my own was pure corner speed, they would use less corner speed and they would catch me on the straights slip-streaming, but because I gained my speed on the corners where they would lose so much, they couldn’t gain on the straights.”

Cameron Swain and Hayden Nelson at Wakefield Park – Image Neil Cameron

Swain admitted he didn’t think at the start of the year he would be crowned a Champion.

2021 ASBK Championshi – Image RbMotoLens

Swain: “But I was on the podium at every race, and it felt great getting the photos on the straight with the other champions Wayne Maxwell (Superbike), Broc Pearson (Supersport), and Ben Baker (Supersport 300 and R3 Cup), as it was always a dream. I saw Carter Thompson (2019 OJC and 2020 R3 Cup Champion) do it and I was working my hardest to get there, I knew I had a good shot at it this year and I knew this was the year to pull it out. It is pretty good; I got the most podiums and victories and for me this was more exciting to me.

2021 Oceania Junior Cup Champion – Cameron Swain – Image RbMotoLens

“Beating Carters records as he is a pretty big name at the moment is a cool thing. I teared up on the in lap, I still had that feeling where I wanted to win that race but wrapping it up with two races to go was just awesome as the next two races, I could just go for it and not worry about crashing. The emotions kicked in on the in lap, thinking about the whole year, and when I came and hugged Dad and a good mate of mine Johnny Lytras and Aaron, it was pretty cool.”

Camern Swain – 2021 Oceania Junior Cup Champion – Image RbMotoLens

While the ASBK season is over, the Swain clan now turn their attention to 2022, and it seems Cameron is hot property with a number of Supersport 300 and R3 Cup teams, as well as teams from the British Talent Cup that are interested in the young man’s talents.

Cameron Swain – Image by RBMotoLens

Swain has big dreams and plans for the future and hopes to one day make it to MotoGP.

Pos Name Total
1 Cameron SWAIN 208
2 Ryan LARKIN 152
3 Levi RUSSO 137
4 Harrison WATTS 121
5 Nate O’NEILL 121
6 Hayden NELSON 112
7 Varis FLEMING 108
8 Hudson THOMPSON 96
9 Riley NAUTA 83
10 Marcus HAMOD 81
11 William HUNT 80
12 Toby JAMES 74
13 Valentino KNEZOVIC 73
14 Jack FAVELLE 71
15 Nikolas LAKUSIC 48
16 Bodie PAIGE 47
17 Tate McCLURE 45
18 Sam DRANE 40
19 Elijah ANDREW 39
20 Lachlan MOODY 38
21 Teerin FLEMING 36
22 Rikki HENRY 35
23 Oliver SKINNER 29
24 Cameron RENDE 21

Source: MCNews.com.au

YRT test on Pirelli and evaluating MoTeC for 2022

YRT commence testing for ASBK 2022

It is fair to say it has been difficult going for the Yamaha Racing Team this season in the Australian Superbike Championship.

Cru Halliday finished second in the 2020 ASBK Championship on Pirelli rubber, but it is fair to say it was a struggle for him to secure third place in 2021.

Cru Halliday and YRT tested on Pirelli rubber at The Bend on Monday

The 33-year old Yamaha stalwart managed two podium finishes during season 2022 and that third place in the championship was a somewhat surprising result considering their general lack of speed in 2021.

Cru Halliday and YRT tested on Pirelli rubber at The Bend on Monday

Cru stayed on the bike in every single race to bag points and raced to a position generally higher than he had manage to qualify.

Some have put their performance deficit down to their Dunlop rubber in 2021, others cite deficiencies with their electronics package in comparison to the latest Ducati and Honda kit, or a comparative lack of power compared to the competition. YRT are still entirely positive towards Dunlop as a brand, and mentiond to MCNews.com.au that as the season progressed they certainly got on their game and took all feedback on board, but the decision has been made to run Pirelli in 2022.

Jamie Stauffer
Jamie Stauffer – Australian Superbike Champion – 2006 & 2007

Whatever the reason, it is now almost 15 years since Yamaha last won a #1 plate in Australian Superbike. Jamie Stauffer did the double across both the Superbike and Supersport categories in 2006, and then won the Superbike Championship again in 2007, but since then it has been relatively lean period for Yamaha in the Superbike category.

ASBK Winton Jamie Stauffer Dan
Jamie Stauffer leading brother Dan at Winton in 2007 – Both were present at The Bend on the weekend, Jamie with son Max racing Supersport 300, while Dan Stauffer was swinging a few spanners for DesmoSport Ducati

There is no doubt that the Ducati Panigale V4 R has dramatically moved the performance goal-posts, as has the latest SP Fireblade and ZX-10RR to some extent, however Yamaha has dominated elsehwere across the globe with the YZF-R1. The World Superbike, British Superbike and MotoAmerica Championships this year were all won by Yamaha riders.

In Australian Superbike our motorcycles are effectively more standard than most Superstock series around the world and it is fair to say that in standard trim the YZF-R1, while as evocative as ever, and despite some recent improvements, has not moved forward at the pace of the competition. The R1 has been nipped, tucked and tweaked, but essentially it is still a six-year-old platform.

Australian Superbike rules do open up to allow a MoTeC ECU in 2022, with some functionality restricted via a controlled firmware.

After Ducati runners have recently spent 25k per bike to kit each of their machines with the WorldSBK spec’ Marelli systems, and Penrite Honda also spent significant coin in obtaining the factory level electronics, it seems unlikely that either of them will switch to the MoTeC system in 2022, as they will be allowed to continue using their current package.

Likewise the BMW teams will most likely stick with their comparatively quite affordable factory electronics kit, as the MoTeC system does not have enough inputs to cater for the shift-cam system on the M 1000 RR.

The BCperformance Kawasaki squad had a nightmare trying to get their electronics package to offer any sort of consistency this season, and there is little doubt their poor showing off the back of those problems was a factor in Kawasaki withdrawing their support.

Cru Halliday getting a feel for the latest Pirelli rubber at The Bend on Monday – Image RbMotoLens

YRT have had nothing like that level of electronic problems, their bikes have been reliable, Halliday did finish every race after all, however it does seem as though their package is essentially outdated in comparison to what both the Ducati and Honda teams are currently running. Thus they are not only evaluating the switch from Dunlop back to Pirelli here at The Bend, but in the new year are also expected to test more with a MoTeC ECU, which they had already began doing some evaluation work with this season behind the scenes. When Superbike rules were more open in a previous era, the team did run MoTeC, so there is some knowledge about the system already within the team.

YRT boss John Redding told MCNews.com.au that they would continue to ride and develop motorcycles back to back between the current system and the MoTeC ECU, and that they would race which ever proved faster. He also remarked that whatever it took to give their riders the best equipment possible, it would be done.

Arthur Sissis was in fantastic form on his Unitech Racing YZF-R1 at The Bend – Image RbMotoLens

While local privateers Arthur Sissis and Daniel Falzon were almost 10 km/h down on top speed when not in the slipstream, compared to most of the field, they did show stunning qualifying pace on the weekend at The Bend and looked on course for potential podium results if not for both suffering misfortunes on Sunday. Both were on Pirelli rubber and both are expected to be on the grid in 2022. Although, Daniel did some significant injuries in a crash on the weekend that will likely put their preparations on hold for the foreseeable future.

Daniel Falzon (right) qualified on the front row at The Bend – Image RbMotoLens

Thus obviously the R1 can still be competitive, but it does seem as though there is just a little bit missing in order to complete the package and challenge for the Superbike title.

Cru Halliday getting a feel for the latest Pirelli rubber at The Bend on Monday – Image RbMotoLens

That said, Halliday did finish second in 2020 on Pirelli, and third in 2021 on Dunlop, so they can’t be that far off. However, I think Halliday has perhaps not received as much credit as he is due for those results.

Cru Halliday on the podium at Winton early this year – Image RbMotoLens

There will also be more Yamaha Superbikes on the grid next year. The Queensland based team Jed Metcher rode for this year is going next level in 2022. The team will be rebranded under a new 727 Moto banner and expand to two riders, as 2021 Australian Supersport Champion Broc Pearson makes the step up to Superbike with the team.

Broc Pearson was testing on Pirelli rubber at The Bend on Monday – Image RbMotoLens

The new 727 Moto Team have also recruited some top flight technical staff to the team for 2022 as Paul Free, Stewart Winton and Brent Stephens will all be working hard behind the scenes to try and ensure that both Jed and Broc have the most competitive mounts possible. Jed is a proven hard charger and will step his preparations up with the team in the new year. It is going to be a big budget effort the likes of which we probably haven’t seen from a privateer squad since the Trinder brothers shook things up with their Bio-Magnetic Therapy Team almost 20 years ago.

Supersport Champ Broc Pearson moves up to Superbike in 2022 and was testing a YZF-R1 with his new team on Monday at The Bend

Young Max Stauffer will also be on a YZF-R1 in 2022. After finishing third in the Australian Supersport Championship this season, Max will step up to Superbike in 2022 on a YZF-R1 prepared by his dad Jamie with the aid of Heath Griffin and Damian Cudlin.

Veteran Anthony West may also go around again on a better prepared YZF-R1 than he had this year and youngster Luke Jhonston will hopefully also continue to make progress.

And then of course we get to the question of who will be the second rider in the official Yamaha Racing Team alongside Cru Halliday in 2022?

Mike Jones was widely tipped to take that seat at YRT after the departure of Aiden Wagner, but Mike’s choice not to receive the COVID-19 vaccination saw him not able to compete at the Bend on the weekend with DesmoSport Ducati, and thus the two-time champ was also unable to test this week alongside Cru at The Bend.

Scuttlebutt in the pits across the weekend suggested that Mike has now perhaps reconsidered that decision in the light that it would essentially make him unemployable as a racer in 2022. At the moment it seems to be a case of ‘watch this space’, but Mike is expected to test with YRT at Morgan Park this weekend and at this stage is expected to join Cru Halliday at YRT for season 2022.

Source: MCNews.com.au