Tag Archives: bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup

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

Swain and Larkin share the spoils in final OJC races

While the bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup title was run and won yesterday by Cameron Swain, there was no rest for Australia’s youngest riders in races 2 and 3 of the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship, presented by Motul.

The Oceania Junior Cup has provided sensational action not just over the weekend but all year.

Every session has provided handlebar-to-handlebar action throughout Friday’s practice, yesterday’s qualifying and first race where 13-year-old Queenslander Swain claimed his maiden Championship title after a dominating performance this year.

Ryan Larkin won yesterday’s first race from Swain and Nate O’Neill.

Race 2 started with the usual Oceania Junior Cup fury as Swain, Larkin, Sam Drane, Ryan Larkin, Nate O’Neill, Hudson Thompson, Harrison Watts and Levi Russo jostled for position on the opening lap at the front of the pack.

With riders sometimes four-wide going into corners battling over the same patch of bitumen on lap 4, it was Thompson who came off second best crashing out of the race. Pending any appeals, Hayden Nelson was later relegated 3 positions as he was deemed to have caused the crash causing the red flag

The race was declared with Swain taking top spot, Drane 2nd and Larkin in 3rd.

Race Two was declared with Swain taking top spot, Drane 2nd and Larkin in 3rd – Image by Optikal
Pos Name Bike Time/Gap Speed
1 Cameron SWAIN Yamaha YZF-R15 7m50.558 134
2 Sam DRANE  Yamaha YZF-R15 +0.058 136
3 Ryan LARKIN Yamaha YZF-R15 +0.110 134
4 Hayden NELSON Yamaha YZF-R15 +0.244 135
5 Nate O’NEILL  Yamaha YZF-R15 +0.321 139
6 Harrison WATTS Yamaha YZF-R15 +0.527 141
7 Levi RUSSO Yamaha YZF-R15 +0.883 138
8 Rikki HENRY Yamaha YZF-R15 +6.520 139
9 Marcus HAMOD Yamaha YZF-R15 +8.733 134
10 Varis FLEMING Yamaha YZF-R15 +8.757 135
11 William HUNT Yamaha YZF-R15 +8.940 140
12 Cameron RENDE Yamaha YZF-R15 +9.404 138
13 Bodie PAIGE Yamaha YZF-R15 +9.455 142
14 Valentino KNEZOVIC Yamaha YZF-R15 +9.519 141
15 Teerin FLEMING Yamaha YZF-R15 +9.716 139
16 Toby JAMES Yamaha YZF-R15 +17.155 132
17 Lachlan MOODY Yamaha YZF-R15 +21.354 133
18 Elijah ANDREW Yamaha YZF-R15 +52.319 132
DSQ Hudson THOMPSON Yamaha YZF-R15 +0.492 142
DSQ Jack FAVELLE Yamaha YZF-R15 +1 Lap 92

Race 3 would see Larkin jump out in front the pack with Watts, Swain, O’Neill, Nelson and Levi Russo hot on his tail.

Marcus Hamod would crash on lap 2 as he was attempting to stay with the front bunch.

The battle continued at the front with riders swapping positions as often as corners came up.

On lap 4 Larkin managed to gain a small gap on the pack as they diced amongst themselves.

On the final lap Larkin had a 0.828 lead on the chasing pack which was enough of a gap for him to take victory as Swain, Nelson, and Russo battled to the line, with Swain finishing 2nd and Nelson 3rd.

OJC Round Podium – Ryan Larkin, Cameron Swain and Hayden Nelson – Image RbMotoLens
Pos Rider Machine Behind Top
1 Ryan LARKIN Yamaha YZF-R15 13m00.565 136
2 Cameron SWAIN Yamaha YZF-R15 +1.128 138
3 Hayden NELSON Yamaha YZF-R15 +1.580 139
4 Harrison WATTS Yamaha YZF-R15 +1.810 143
5 Levi RUSSO Yamaha YZF-R15 +3.971 141
6 Teerin FLEMING Yamaha YZF-R15 +14.072 142
7 Rikki HENRY Yamaha YZF-R15 +14.180 143
8 Valentino KNEZOVIC Yamaha YZF-R15 +14.338 141
9 Varis FLEMING Yamaha YZF-R15 +14.597 142
10 Bodie PAIGE Yamaha YZF-R15 +14.668 142
11 Sam DRANE Yamaha YZF-R15 +15.087 142
12 William HUNT Yamaha YZF-R15 +15.193 143
13 Cameron RENDE Yamaha YZF-R15 +27.115 139
14 Jack FAVELLE Yamaha YZF-R15 +32.969 140
15 Toby JAMES Yamaha YZF-R15 +37.503 138
16 Lachlan MOODY Yamaha YZF-R15 +52.994 135
17 Elijah ANDREW Yamaha YZF-R15 +54.182 140
DNF Nate O’NEILL Yamaha YZF-R15 +1.472 142
DNF Marcus HAMOD Yamaha YZF-R15 +2 Laps 141
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

2022 bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup to boast full grid

2022 bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup


The 2022 bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup will field the brightest young talent from Australia and New Zealand in 2022, in the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship, presented by Motul.

In its fourth year, the bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup, Motorcycling Australia’s junior road race academy, has already catapulted riders into international competitions such as the Asia Talent Cup, Red Bull Rookies Cup, European Talent Cup and the Moto3 Junior World Cup.

WSBK Rnd Phillip Island RbMotoLens OJC Pits Bikes
bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup – Image by RBMotoLens

Officially supported by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), FIM Oceania and recognised by Dorna Sports sl, as part of the Road to MotoGP program, the OJC program is already proving to be the international springboard it was intended to be.

The bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup provides some of the most spectacular racing in the world. Next year, a full grid of 20 riders has been confirmed who will ride the new race prepped 2022 Yamaha R15 V3.

The 2022 season will see nine new riders debut with the return of 11 riders from the bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup 2021 year.

OJC Round RbMotoLens start Race
bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup – Image by Rob Mott

The youngest rider joining the paddock is Hunter Corney from Gowrie Junction, Queensland, who will just scrape in on the 11-year-old cut off, with the eldest newcomer 15-year-old Cameron Rende from Could Creek, South Australia. New Zealander Nixon Frost, an 11-years-old from Lower Hutt, and 15-year-old Western Australian Abbie Cameron from Cardup, are just some of the new talent that will be racing in the OJC in 2022.

Riders competing in the 2022 Championship are provided with a race-prepped Yamaha R15, leathers, helmets, boots and glove, transportation of bikes, pre-event service of bikes, technical support, spare parts budget, and OJC team uniform.

bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup Rnd Carter Thompson Sun
bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup

Riders competing in the 2022 Championship will receive full technical support from the OJC technicians and elite coaching to help develop their bike skills and technique, health and fitness, sportsmanship, and off-track activities such as fan and media engagement.

2022 bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup Line-Up

Name Hometown/State
Abbie Cameron Cardup, WA
Alexander Codey Bowral, NSW
Bodie Paige Hope Island, QLD
Cameron James Rende Could Creek, SA
Elijah Andrew Marayong, NSW
Harrison Watts Cashmere, QLD
Hudson Thompson Charmhaven, NSW
Hunter Corney Gowrie Junction, QLD
James Weaver North Gosford, NSW
John Pelgrave Woodend, QLD
Lachlan Moody Mt Louisa, QLD
Levi Russo Narellan, NSW
Marcus Hamod Bulli, NSW
Nixon Frost Lower Hutt, New Zealand
Ryan Larkin Gonn Crossing, VIC
Sam Drane Forbes, NSW
Teerin Fleming Beaconsfield, VIC
Toby James HMAS Cerberus, VIC
Valentino Knezovic Ryde, NSW
William Hunt Mulgoa Rise, NSW

Source: MCNews.com.au

Elijah Andrew enjoying switch from MX to Oceanic Junior Cup

bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup


One look at a bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup race video was all it took for Elijah Andrew to make the switch from motocross into the youngest feeder category of road racing.

bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup – Image RbMotoLens

Until this year, the 11-year-old from Marayong, NSW, had never ridden a road bike, but had competed in motocross and Minikhana since the age of four where he started on a PW50 before progressing to a KTM 50, KTM 65, Husqvarna 65 and a Husqvarna 85.

Since joining the bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup aboard the factory prepped Yamaha YZF-R15, he hasn’t looked back.

Elijah Andrew

“My dad showed me a video of an Oceania Junior Cup race and he asked me if I wanted to do it one day and I said yes and he signed me up straight away. It was very hard at first, I had to learn the bike, the riding style, the gears and the handlebars, as it was the opposite of what I was used to on a dirt bike. I wasn’t sure how I was going to go, but I went really good.”

Elijah Andrew – ASBK bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup

Elijah’s first weekend on track, Round 2 of ASBK at Winton Motor Raceway, may have been a learning experience but he impressed straight away, smashing his lap times by more than 30 seconds from the first time on track to the end of race weekend.

Elijah’s goal for the year was to score a top ten finish in the Championship.

At Round 3, at Wakefield Park Raceway, he not only improved his lap times in every session but scored his first top ten finish – a ninth – in race 2 at Wakefield.

“My goal was to at least get a top 10 finish this year, but I already got a top ten finish. I was really excited as I started 17th and finished 9th so I was really happy about that.”

Oceania Junior Cup – Image Rob Mott

Elijah is ecstatic with his move to Motorcycling Australia’s junior road racing academy – the Oceania Junior Cup.

“I love racing bikes really fast and its great because the Oceania Junior Cup bikes are all the same. You make new friends and I enjoy working with the mechanics on how to set up the bikes better and working with our coach Damian Cudlin. I’m excited to learn a new track each time I go out. You get to ride really fast, talk with your friends as well as make new friends.”

He hopes to one day replicate the success of his own heroes, ASBK Champions Desmosport Ducati’s Mike Jones and Boost Mobile with K-Tech’s Wayne Maxwell.

“I met Mike at the official ASBK marshals barbecue and talked to him at Wakefield. I will definitely do OJC next year and eventually I want to go into MotoGP and win a MotoGP Championship.”

WSBK Rnd Phillip Island RbMotoLens OJC Pits Bikes
ASBK bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup – Image by RBMotoLens

It was Elijah’s Dad Noel – himself a road and recreational dirt bike rider – that got him interested in the sport of motorcycling.

“It’s really good to have Dad supporting me, he teaches and helps me a lot. Big thanks also to Motorcycling Australia and ASBK for putting this championship on and to all our sponsors.”

Away from racing Elijah keeps himself busy with scouts, gymnastics and riding his mountain bike to keep fit and healthy when he isn’t attending school at St Andrews Primary in Marayong.

Elijah is definitely a rider to watch in the bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup as part of the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship, presented by Motul.

Elijah Andrew – ASBK bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup

For those interested, the opportunity to join the bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup in 2022 is now open.

Expressions of interest for riders to compete in the 2022 bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup are open for riders aged between 11 and under 16.

The OJC provides 20 riders with identical race machines, and victory comes down to a rider’s ability to get the most out of themselves and their Yamaha YZF-R15.

The focus of the OJC program is the development of junior riders, both on and off-track, providing riders with the skills and knowledge about training, nutrition, media and bike skills.

Expressions of interest for 2022 are now being accepted online at the ASBK website (here).

Source: MCNews.com.au

11-year-old Hudson Thompson learning with OJC and making his mark

Hudson Thompson set for Oceania Junior Cup campaign


Hudson Thompson, younger brother of ASBK two-time Champion Carter, has some big shoes to fill, as the 2021 bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup debutant paves his future in the sport.

Hudson Thompson

Racing is definitely in the genes of the Thompson family, with older brother Carter, the 2019 Oceania Junior Cup and 2020 YMI R3 Cup Champion, and is this year competing in both the Dunlop Supersport 300 and Yamaha Finance R3 Cup, as well as the Asia Talent Cup.

Hudson, the 11-year-old from Charmhaven on the NSW Central Coast in his first year in the Championship, already has people in the Australian Superbike Championship, paddock talking about his ability and skill and are predicting a bright future in the sport.

Hudson, who initially wasn’t keen on motorcycles, has come through the dirt track ranks, getting into the sport aged 7 after watching his older brother ride.

From riding a KTM 50 on dirt track to joining the MotoStars training academy, run by former MotoGP rider and Oceania Junior Cup Official Coach, Damian Cudlin, Hudson made his debut this year in the Ocean Junior Cup.

Damian Cudlin

“Being compared to Carter all the time wouldn’t be easy, but sharing a household with him does have its advantages – he has a great training partner and they push each other a lot. Hudson is certainly a very talented rider in his own right, and when he’s happy and feeling good, he can be very, very fast. Having coached him for a long time now, I think once he gets a taste of the podium in OJC, he’ll be there all the time. I’m looking forward to seeing that, and where he can take it from there.”

ASBK Rnd SMP RbMotoLens OJC WU Pit Lane FinalRnd
Oceania Junior Cup – Image RbMotoLens

After two rounds of competition, Hudson sits in sixth place in the Championship on 80 points and is only six-points away from breaking into the top three. An impressive result for a rider who spent little time on track in 2020 because of COVID-19 and only rode the Oceania Junior Cup factory prepped Yamaha YZF-R15 for the first time at Round 2, Winton Motor Raceway this year.

While he dreams of one day following in the footsteps of his heroes Damian Cudlin and Jack Miller, for now he is just concentrating on meeting goals he has set for himself this year and is pleased with his first two round results.

Hudson Thompson

“I was a bit nervous because it was my first ever race on a big track and it had a lot of Aussie title stars there too. I was just happy I got through it and didn’t crash. I’ve improved a heap and think I have done really good so far. I expected to be in the top ten this year, but I didn’t really expect to be going this well early in the season. It’s a pretty tight championship and I hope to finish in the top 5 by the end of the year and to get some podiums. I definitely think that’s achievable, but I just have to work hard.”

Hudson Thompson

In between rounds Hudson keeps himself busy with plenty of walking, running, and mountain biking to stay fit. Hudson is also a big fan of the Oceania Junior Cup program.

“I like how it teaches race craft and how there is a coach and mechanics always there for us and they give us heaps of knowledge. We are all really close, but on the track you have to be a bit selfish to get the positions you want. There are a lot of different types of riders in the OJC and different skills, I feel like OJC is a very good tool for us to get a lot of knowledge about racing.”

Hudson has already mapped out his racing future with another year in OJC, before he wants to tackle the Asia Talent Cup which he hopes will open doors on the way to a MotoGP ride one day.

Expressions of interest to compete in the 2022 bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup are now open for riders aged between 11 and under 16, and can be accessed here (link).

The OJC provides 20 riders with identical race machines, and victory comes down to a rider’s ability to get the most out of themselves and their Yamaha YZF-R15.

Riders receive race weekend technical and coaching support on how to get the best out of their Yamaha and themselves.

Full racing gear is supplied including OJC signature leathers by Ricondi, team uniform, helmets, boots and gloves.

The focus of the OJC program is the development of junior riders, both on and off-track, providing riders with the skills and knowledge about training, nutrition, media and bike skills.

2021 ASBK Championship Calendar (Updated)

  • Round 1 Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC February 18-21 Cancelled
  • Round 2 Winton Motor Raceway, Benalla, VIC March 12-14
  • Round 3 Wakefield Park Raceway, Goulburn, NSW April 16-18
  • Round 4 Hidden Valley Raceway, NT – Supercars 2+4 (Superbikes only) June 18-20
  • Round 5 Morgan Park Raceway, QLD August 20-22
  • Round 6 The Bend Motorsport Park, Tailem Bend, SA September 23-26
  • Round 7 Wakefield Park Raceway, Goulburn, NSW October 15 – 17 *
  • Round 8 Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC November 5-7 *

Source: MCNews.com.au

Oceania Junior Cup confirmed for 2020 Aussie MotoGP & WSBK rounds

bLU cRU OJC joins Australian 2020 MotoGP & WSBK rounds


It’s been announced by MA that Australia’s bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup will join the 2020 Australian World Superbike and MotoGP championship rounds, both held at Phillip Island in the new year, giving the young up and coming racers an opportunity to show their talent on the world stage.

OJC Round RbMotoLens start Race
bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup – Image by Rob Mott

Officially recognised by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) and Dorna Sports sl as part of the Road to MotoGP program, after only one season the Motorcycling Australia Australian Junior Road Race Academy initiative has secured a spot at the two international events, alongside four Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) rounds for its 2020 calendar.

The Oceania Junior Cup will kick off in 2020 at the Official ASBK Pre-Season test at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit (January 29-30), before the season starts in earnest at the WorldSBK at Phillip Island (February 27).

ASBK Testing OJC Phillip Island Rob Mott Bikes Oceania Cup
bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup – Image by Rob Mott

Next the Juniors will travel to Wakefield Park in Goulburn alongside the ASBK for Round 2 over the March 27-29 weekend, followed by a mid-year test at Morgan Park in Queensland held July 28-29, before Round 3 at the same venue on August 7-9.

Winton will hold Round 4, over the September 11-13 weekend, with Round 5 returning to Phillip Island in early October, followed by the season closer in late October, with Round 6 to run October 23-25, alongside the MotoGP.

Motorcycling Australia Operations Director, Martin Port, said the addition of OJC to the WorldSBK and MotoGP calendar, was further evidence of the success and worldwide recognition of the academy.

ASBK Testing OJC Phillip Island Rob Mott Bikes Oceania Cup Leathers
bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup – Image by Rob Mott
Martin Port – MA Operations Director

“It’s an understatement to say the inaugural season of OJC has exceeded our expectations – with lap records, ridiculously close racing, the show has simply been world class. Then to have had the opportunity to send our OJC kids to the Red Bull Rookies Cup and the Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup (IATC) selection events, with the only two new Aussie recruits into the IATC coming from the OJC, we couldn’t be prouder. Now, thanks to the vision from the Australian Grand Prix Corporation (AGPC) and PI SBK Pty Ltd, to invest in Australian Junior Road Racing, the OJC will show case its racing future at two of Australia’s largest international motorcycle racing events. What MA have produced this year in terms of junior rider development and action-packed racing under the Road to MotoGP program has been recognised by both the WorldSBK and MotoGP events, so we are very proud of that.”

Craig Fletcher – Australian Grand Prix Corporation General Manager

“The Oceania Junior Cup is such a wonderful program and we’re excited to see the young talent shine for the first time on the world stage supporting the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix on one of the most celebrated MotoGP circuits in the world come October 2020.”

ASBK Testing OJC Phillip Island Rob Mott Bikes Oceania Cup
bLU cRU Oceania Juniors Cup
David Bennett – Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, General Manager

“We’re thrilled to add the bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup to the Motul FIM Superbike World Championship, Yamaha Finance Australian Round at Phillip Island in 2020. This is a great opportunity for the next generation of Australian riders to showcase their talent on the world-stage and it’s fantastic to see Motorcycling Australia create such an exciting talent pathway that will hopefully see an Australian rider in the Superbike World Championship in the future.”


2020 bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup Calendar

  • Pre-Season Official Test – Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC 29-30 Jan
  • Round 1 – WorldSBK – Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC 27 Feb-1 Mar
  • Round 2 – Wakefield Park Raceway – Goulburn, NSW 27-29 Mar
  • Mid-Year Official Test – Morgan Park Raceway, QLD 28-29 Jul
  • Round 3 – Morgan Park Raceway – Warwick, QLD 7-9 Aug
  • Round 4 – Winton Motor Raceway, Benalla VIC 11-13 Sep
  • Round 5 – Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, Cowes VIC 2-4 Oct
  • Round 6 – MotoGP Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, Cowes VIC 23-25 Oct

Source: MCNews.com.au

2020 bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup rider applications open

2020 bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup


Registrations of interest are now open for the 2020 bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup (OJC), which will run alongside the Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK).

Riders aged between 11 and under 16 as of 1st of January 2020 are all encouraged to apply for next years series, following a highly successful season of racing in 2019.

bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup Preview RC
2020 bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup returns in 2020 – Image by Russell Colvin

This year’s OJC racing has been a bell ringer, with riders learning about race craft and racing in general, plus bike set-up thanks to a full deck of technical support at the track, including Öhlins support. Riders also learn the art of dealing with media, health and nutrition and much, much more.

Also included are the Yamaha YZR-R15’s, all the riding gear, such as the AGV helmets, TCX boots, Ricondi leathers and gloves. Finally, motorcycle transport and all entries will be covered throughout the 2020 season.

BLU CRU Oceania Rookies Cup
bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup riders have a Yamaha R15 and gear provided as part of the program fee
Martin Port – Motorcycling Australia Operations Director

“Thanks to all our partners in helping to get the bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup off the ground, we now have a road racing academy to help the younger generations to go all the way to world championship competition, if that’s where they want to head in the future. With the Oceania Junior Cup, you simply turn up and go racing. In the process you learn everything you need to know to succeed in the sport. So, I encourage all riders to apply.”


Supported by the FIM and endorsed by Dorna’s Road to MotoGP program, the OJC has a clear progression plan for it riders to feature in the Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup and the Red Bull Rookies Cup.

ASBK Rnd Wakefield RbMotoLens restart
bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup

To register interest and for more information regarding the 2020 bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup applications, head to the Australian Superbike Championship website at https://www.asbk.com.au/about-asbk/oceania-junior-cup/ (link). Registrations of interest close October 11, 2019.

Source: MCNews.com.au

Thompson claims Broadford Junior Cup win from Grenfell & Drane

bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup Round 2

Carter Thompson claims the round win

Images by Rob Mott, RbMotoLens


The bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup head to Broadford for Round 2 over the weekend, with Carter Thompson winning the round on a countback following three races. Carter Thompson, Agus Grenfell and Tom Drane all finished the weekend on 56-points, with Marianos Nikolis and Jacob Roulstone completing the top five, both on 42 points.

OJC Round RbMotoLens Round Podium Carter Thompson Angus Grenfell Tom Drane Fizzy drink
Carter Thompson, Angus Grenfell and Tom Drane claim top honours at Round 2

Saturday kicked off with Cros Francis topping qualifying with a 1:12.029 enough for pole, while Kiwi Cormac Buchanan and Jacob Roulstone completed the front row. Angus Grenfell head the second row from Carter Thompson and Jacob Hatch.


Oceania Junior Cup Race 1

Race 1 on Saturday saw Roulstone emerge in first position followed by Grenfell from the start, as Thompson made up two places to slot into third. Francis couldn’t capitalise on his pole position as he was bundled back to fourth, but in a perfect example of the hard-fought nature of the Oceania Junior Cup Francis had catapulted to the lead by the end of the second lap. Tom Drane also made his way up to the lead group of six.

OJC Round RbMotoLens Jacob Roulstone
Jacob Roulstone

The field largely held station until lap four where the arguing over the lead began, with the lead group of six going hammer-and-tongs into turns one and two, each rider fighting to be last of the late-brakers.

OJC Round RbMotoLens Jacob Roulstone Cormac Buchanan Angus Grenfell
Jacob Roulstone, Cormac Buchanan and Angus Grenfell

Lap six and Wakefield Park winner Thompson had really hit his straps, passing Grenfell for the lead. The racing was tight right down through the order, with the field splitting into three major ‘trains’ of riders. The top six were really showing their class as the leaders built up a ten second lead from the chasing field.

OJC Round RbMotoLens Carter Thompson
Carter Thompson

As the leaders reached for the finish line the lead group of six was covered by just over half a second, with Drane taking the honours from Francis who backed up his overall second place from Wakefield Park admirably.

OJC Round RbMotoLens Glenn Nelson Jacob Roulstone
Glenn Nelson and Jacob Roulstone

Roulstone finished fourth and Thompson, looking dangerous in the closing laps, was bundled back to fifth. Glenn Nelson rounded out the top six.

OJC Round RbMotoLens Cros Francis
Cros Francis

Race 1 Top 10

  1. Tom DRANE
  2. Cros Francis
  3. Angus GRENFELL
  4. Jacob ROULSTONE
  5. Carter THOMPSON
  6. Glenn NELSON
  7. Jacob HATCH
  8. Marianos NIKOLIS
  9. Alex KENWORTHY-JONES
  10. Zak PETTENDY

Oceania Junior Cup Race 2

The opening race of Sunday closely mirrored the day before, with a number of ‘trains’ forming and competition fierce all the way up and down the field. A lead group of four emerged off the start, with Jacob Roulstone, Cros Francis, Grenfell, and Glenn Nelson battling for the lead through most of the race.

OJC Round RbMotoLens start Race
bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup at Broadford

The chasing pack was led by Saturday winner Tom Drane who settled into fifth off the start, ahead of Cormac Buchanan and Alex Kenworthy-Jones. By lap six Drane had broken away from the second group and was looking to tag onto the back of the leaders, building a gap over the chasing pack now led by Thompson.

OJC Round RbMotoLens crash Jacob Roulstone Cormac Buchanan Angus Grenfell
Jacob Roulstone, Cormac Buchanan and Angus Grenfell

At the finish it was Roulstone a mere fifteen hundredths ahead of Francis, still looking for his maiden victory in the Oceania Junior Cup despite a second place overall at Wakefield Park. Grenfell also reprised his third place from Race 1, finishing three tenths off the win to round out the podium.

OJC Round RbMotoLens Angus Grenfell
Angus Grenfell

Glenn Nelson in fourth just missed out on the podium by under a tenth of a second, while Drane in fifth couldn’t quite bridge the gap to the leaders by the time the chequered flag came out. Thompson led the rest of the field home in sixth, more than four seconds further back.

OJC Round RbMotoLens Cros Francis Jacob Roulstone
Cros Francis and Jacob Roulstone

Race 2 Top 10

  1. Jacob Roulstone
  2. Cros Francis +0.156
  3. Angus Grenfell +0.312
  4. Glenn Nelson +0.388
  5. Tom Drane +0.708
  6. Carter Thompson +5.515
  7. Cormac Buchanan +5.675
  8. Alex Kenworthy-Jones +5.981
  9. Marianos Nikolas +6.335
  10. Reece Oughtred +6.617

Oceania Junior Cup Race 3

Roulstone once again decided to put his stamp on the race early, leading the field across the line to begin lap one, with Buchanan in second and Grenfell completing the leading group of three, with Drane, Reece Oughtred and Nelson pursuing a second further back.

OJC Round RbMotoLens start Race
bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup Race 3

Buchanan’s running at the front didn’t last long, unfortunately, as he fell at turn two on lap two, bringing out the red flag.

OJC Round RbMotoLens start Race
bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup

The race was subsequently shortened from twelve to ten laps and the field lined up again to take the restart. After the restart Grenfell took the lead ahead of Nelson. Francis was the big benefactor from the red flag, making his way back to third ahead of Roulstone and Oughtred.

OJC Round RbMotoLens Reece Oughtred
Reece Oughtred

The battle at the front of the field raged intensely as the riders tried to make the most of their second-chance opening laps, with the lead group expanding to include almost half the field in the first four laps. When the action did settle down a little, Roulstone worked his way back to the front, with Nelson hot on his heels. Francis managed to hold down third from Oughtred and Thompson.

OJC Round RbMotoLens Glenn Nelson
Glenn Nelson

Lap six and the field had bunched back up at the front with Thompson overtaking for the lead ahead of Nelson, and Oughtred finding his way past Francis. Roulstone was back in fifth and Grenfell in sixth. Race 1 winner Drane was stuck back in ninth.

OJC Round RbMotoLens Jacob Roulstone
Jacob Roulstone

On lap nine the riders made their way down through the esses on the approach to the penultimate corner, and in the squeeze Francis and Thompson appeared to make contact.

OJC Round RbMotoLens crash Jacob Roulstone Cormac Buchanan Angus Grenfell
Jacob Roulstone, Cormac Buchanan and Angus Grenfell

Francis was sent into a low-side and in the following chain reaction Roulstone and Nelson also crashed. The red flag went out once again and the race was declared, with Thompson awarded the victory ahead of Grenfell, Oughtred, Marianos Nikolis, Archie McDonald, and Drane.

OJC Round RbMotoLens crash Glenn Nelson Jacob Roulstone Cros Francis
Nelson, Roulstone and Francis were all involved in the Race 3 crash

Race 3 Top 10

  1. Carter Thompson
  2. Angus Grenfell +0.235
  3. Reece Oughtred +0.468
  4. Marianos Nikolas +1.089
  5. Archie McDonald +1.134
  6. Tom Drane +1.559
  7. Max Gibbons +12.020
  8. Jai Russo +12.090
  9. Hunter Diplock +12.208
  10. Zakary Pettendy +12.559
OJC Round RbMotoLens Round Podium Carter Thompson Angus Grenfell Tom Drane
Carter Thompson, Angus Grenfell and Tom Drane on the Round 2 podium

Oceania Junior Cup Round 2 Overall Top 10

  1. Carter THOMPSON – 56
  2. Angus GRENFELL – 56
  3. Tom DRANE – 56
  4. Marianos NIKOLIS – 42
  5. Jacob ROULSTONE – 42
  6. Cros FRANCIS – 40
  7. Reece OUGHTRED – 39
  8. Archie McDONALD – 34
  9. Alex KENWORTHY-JONES – 33
  10. Glenn NELSON – 32

Round 3 of the 2019 bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup takes place at Morgan Park Raceway, Warwick, Queensland, 5-7 July 2019.

Source: MCNews.com.au

Full Saturday run-down from Wakefield Park ASBK

2019 ASBK – Round Two
Wakefield Park Saturday Wrap


Australian Superbike qualifying has a new look for season 2019. A MotoGP style Saturday morning ‘Timed Practice’, ahead of a split qualifying session in the late afternoon. With 24 Superbike entries this weekend that meant that the fastest nine in the 35-minute Saturday morning session go straight through to ‘Q2’, while the slowest half of the grid fight it out first in Q1. With both of those sessions limited to only 15-minutes. Friday times have no bearing on today’s proceedings.

ASBK Rnd Wakefield RbMotoLens Mike Jones SBK
Mike Jones and the ASBK Superbike field head out of pit-lane – Image by Rob Mott

Troy Herfoss had been quickest on Friday with a 57.455 and the reigning champion did not join the circuit on Saturday until more than halfway through the 35-minute ‘Timed Practice’ session. His first flying lap at full pelt though was good enough to rocket past his competitors and top the timesheets, a 57.444. Herfoss then returned to the pits, his spot in Q2 almost certainly assured.

ASBK Rnd Wakefield RbMotoLens Troy Herfoss SBK
Troy Herfoss – Image by Rob Mott

Cru Halliday also left it until late in the session to secure his spot in Q2, second quickest on 57.602 ahead of Mike Jones, who is standing in for Troy Bayliss this weekend on the DesmoSport Ducati, and put in a 57.647.

ASBK TBG ASBK Round Wakefield Park Mike Jones TBG
Mike Jones – TBG Image

Daniel Falzon was fourth quickest ahead of Ecstar Suzuki duo Wayne Maxwell and Josh Waters.

ASBK TBG ASBK Round Wakefield Park Daniel Falzon TBG
Daniel Falzon – TBG Image

Aiden Wagner had a major tumble yesterday and is battling back up to full speed, a 58.320s his best after putting in an incredible 25-laps during the Saturday morning session. Wagner had been baulked by a number of riders that were let out of pit-lane in front of him on Friday, something that should not have happened, and was apologised for by M.A. officials. Wagner was left with one almost completely destroyed YZF-R1 as a result, a hefty blow to his privateer team finances. Wagner himself is also a bit battered and bruised but his injuries should hopefully not hold him back tomorrow as he sets out to defend his championship lead.

ASBK TBG ASBK Round Wakefield Park Aiden Wagner
Aiden Wagner – TBG Image

Bryan Staring was the fastest Kawasaki, and leading Dunlop runner, in P8, ahead of Glenn Allerton. The BMW man the final rider to automatically garner a spot in Q2. New Zealand’s Damon Rees rounded out the Saturday morning ‘Timed Practice’ top ten.

ASBK Rnd Wakefield RbMotoLens Matt WALTERS SBK
Matt Walters – Image by Rob Mott

Those from P10 back, would start the Q1 session, from which the top three then have the option of also joining the Q2 session. However, no extra tyres are allocated for these riders. Thus unless they had found a lot of speed in that session, they might be unlikely to put wear on their tyres, at the risk of questionable gains when put in the Q2 mix with the fastest nine.

Saturday Superbike Timed Practice Results

  1. Troy Herfoss – Honda 57.444
  2. Cru Halliday – Yamaha 57.602
  3. Mike Jones – Ducati 57.647
  4. Daniel Falzon – Yamaha 57.666
  5. Wayne Maxwell – Suzuki 57.812
  6. Josh Waters – Suzuki 58.091
  7. Aiden Wagner – Yamaha 58.320
  8. Bryan Staring – Kawasaki 58.386
  9. Glenn Allerton – BMW 58.444
  10. Damon Rees – Honda 58.665
  11. Matt Walters – Kawasaki 58.716
  12. Alex Phillis – Suzuki 58.729
  13. Glenn Scott – Kawasaki 58.916
  14. Mark Chiodo – Honda 59.013
  15. Lachlan Epis – Kawasaki 59.057
  16. Ted Collins – BMW 59.301
  17. Arthur Sissis – Suzuki 59.346
  18. Sloan Frost – Suzuki 59.415
  19. Brendan McIntyre – Suzuki 60.004
  20. Phil Czaj – Aprilia 60.728
  21. Will Davidson – Yamaha 61.194
  22. Michael Edwards – Yamaha 61.740
  23. Hamish McMurray – Kawasaki 61.885
  24. Paul Van Her Heiden – BMW 62.860

Superbike Qualifying

The Q2 session for the slower half of the Superbike field got underway on schedule at 1445 as rain still threatened, but somehow managed to just keep slipping past Wakefield Park Raceway. The track temperature though had dropped a few degrees, down to 31-degrees celsius for the qualifying sessions. Many teams also had a wet-bike ready to roll, just in case the heavens did open at an inopportune time.

ASBK TBG ASBK Round Wakefield Park Markus Chiodo TBG
Mark Chiodo – TBG Image

Mark Chiodo was keen to make progress, a 58.796 immediately lowering his own marker from this morning and the quickest time set by the group of 15-riders taking part in Q1. That was until the half-way point of the 15-minute session, when Glenn Scott dropped in a 58.744 to push Chiodo back to P2.

ASBK Rnd Wakefield RbMotoLens Alex PHILLIS SBK
Alex Phillis – Image by Rob Mott

Alex Phillis then gazumped them both with a 58.658, only for a matter of seconds though before New Zealander Damon Rees shot to the top with a 58.443s. Phillis then bettered him on the next lap to go back on top with a 58.386.

Matt Walters went out with a new rear bag and shot to the top with a 58.279. That time stood to the flag to make it a Walters, Phillis, Rees top three. That trio earning the right, should they choose, to join the fastest nine riders from this morning in another 15-minute session, Q2, after a 15-minute break.

The rain somehow managed to stay just outside the circuit when the timers started on the final 15-minute Q2 session that would decide the grid for Sunday’s 2 x 20-lap races.

Mike Jones was the first rider out of pit-lane and set a 57.910 on his first flying lap, then backed it up with a 57.865, followed by a 57.638.

ASBK TBG ASBK Round Wakefield Park Mike Jones TBG
Mike Jones – TBG Image

Daniel Falzon had been in second place behind Jones for almost the entire first half of that session, before the South Australian ran off the circuit. He eventually rejoined the circuit and continued to circulate, without returning to pit-lane, getting straight back down to business.

ASBK Rnd Wakefield RbMotoLens Daniel FALZON
Daniel Falzon – Image by Rob Mott

With six-minutes remaining Troy Herfoss, Cru Halliday and Wayne Maxwell exited pit-lane for their final time attack. Provisional pole-sitter Mike Jones had also been in the pits, but re-joined the circuit with less than five-minutes to run.

ASBK Rnd Wakefield RbMotoLens Wayne MAXWELL SBK
Wayne Maxwell – Image by Rob Mott
It was on!

Cru Halliday dropped in a 57.138, followed by Maxwell on 57.190. That 57.138 by Halliday a new fastest ever motorcycle lap of the Wakefield Park Raceway. Herfoss dropped in a 57.429 to move up to P3, demoting Jones to P4. The reigning champion then improved further to 57.223, but remained P3.

Pole position to Cru Halliday!

Cru Halliday will start from pole position when the opening 20-lap Superbike race gets underway at 1140. Halliday also scores a championship point for that pole position which moves him onto 56-points, strengthening his second place in the championship standings behind series leader Aiden Wagner on 71-points.


Superbike Qualifying Results / Grid

  1. Cru Halliday – Yamaha 57.138
  2. Wayne Maxwell – Suzuki 57.190
  3. Troy Herfoss – Honda 57.223
  4. Mike Jones – Ducati 57.638
  5. Daniel Falzon – Yamaha 57.698
  6. Josh Waters – Suzuki 57.805
  7. Aiden Wagner – Yamaha 57.904
  8. Matt Walters – Kawasaki 58.009
  9. Bryan Staring – Kawasaki 58.226
  10. Glenn Allerton – BMW 58.260
  11. Alex Phillis- Suzuki 58.386
  12. Damon Rees – Honda 58.443
  13. Glenn Scott – Kawasaki 58.564
  14. Mark Chiodo – Honda 58.796
  15. Lachlan Epis – Kawasaki 58.864
  16. Ted Collins – BMW 59.100
  17. Sloan Frost – Suzuki 59.155
  18. Arthur Sissis – Suzuki 59.282
  19. Brendan McIntyre – Suzuki 59.775
  20. Phil Czaj – Aprilia 60.339
  21. Will Davidson – Yamaha 60.780
  22. Michael Edwards – Yamaha 61.544
  23. Hamish McMurray – Kawasaki 62.263
  24. Paul Van Der Heiden – BMW 62.385

Supersport 600

Oli Bayliss wrecked one of his Cube Racing YZF-R6 machines in morning qualifying. Along with Reid Battye, and Broc Pearson, Oli had found some more speed this morning, and were all pressing hard to try and close the gap to Supersport benchmark setter Tom Toparis.  That trio still needed to find another half-a-second to get on terms with Toparis, but in Q1 they had managed to close the gap to half of what it was on Friday.

ASBK Rnd WakefieldPark Sat Supersport Oli Bayliss Crash
The Cube Racing crew were left with some work to do after Oli lost the front at turn nine in Q1.

The second 25-minute qualifying session got underway just after 1330, as rain loomed on the horizon. Riders had complained of a dirty track after QP1, due to dirt washed across the circuit during the heavy rain of Friday afternoon. It should have cleaned up a little after the other sessions had been on track. With the threat of rain hanging over their heads, competitors were eager to see if conditions had improved.

ASBK Rnd Wakefield RbMotoLens Tom TOPARIS SS
Tom Toparis – Image by Rob Mott

Tom Toparis dropped in a 59.638 to lower his morning marker. That time still a lot slower than those has recorded during testing here in the lead up to this round, but as good as he could manage on a track that was not offering up all that much grip.

ASBK TBG ASBK Round Wakefield Park Broc Pearson TBG
Broc Pearson – TBG Image

Broc Pearson then went second quickest with 15-minutes remaining in the session. A 60.049 displacing Reid Battye out of that second spot.

Toparis then went out again and dropped in 59.399, further stretching away from his competitors. Broc Pearson then became the only other rider to record a sub-minute lap, a 59.882 to the young Queenslander. Toparis though kept banging in lap after lap in the mid 59s, underlining his race pace advantage over his competitors.

ASBK Rnd Wakefield RbMotoLens Tom TOPARIS
Tom Toparis – Image by Rob Mott

Supersport Qualifying Results

  1. Tom Toparis – Yamaha 59.399
  2. Broc Pearson – Yamaha 59.882
  3. Reid Battye – Suzuki 60.130
  4. Oli Bayliss – Yamaha 60.188
  5. Nic Liminton – Yamaha 60.477
  6. Ty Lynch – Yamaha 60.824
  7. Rhys Belling – Yamaha 61.070
  8. Aidan Hayes – Yamaha 61.110
  9. Dallas Skeer – Suzuki 61.212
  10. Chris Quinn – Yamaha 61.443
  11. Sam Lambert – MV Agusta 61.506
  12. Andrew Edser – Kawasaki 61.684
  13. Jack Passfield – Yamaha 61.717
  14. John Quinn – Triumph 62.827

Supersport 300

Qualifying was extra important for the YMI Supersport 300 category today. The short Wakefield Park circuit only has 34 grid spots allocated, yet there were 38 entries for the category, meaning that the slowest four would miss the cut and not get to race.

After recently turning 15, Max Stauffer is really starting to come of age. A race win late last season, followed by two race wins and the round win at the Phillip Island season opener last month, and today young Max set the fastest ever Supersport 300 lap of Wakefield Park to claim pole position.

ASBK Test Wakefield TDJimagesDay Jamie Max Stauffer
Max Stauffer with dad Jamie, one of Australia’s most successful domestic road racers with two Australian Superbike Championships to his name, along with an Australian Supersport Championship – TDJ Image

Supersport 300 Qualifying Results

  1. Max Stauffer – Yamaha 65.536
  2. Ben Baker – Yamaha 66.114
  3. Zac Levy – Yamaha 66.144
  4. John Lytras – Yamaha 66.195
  5. Locky Taylor – Yamaha 66.211
  6. Hunter Ford – Yamaha 66.217
  7. Travis Hall – Yamaha 66.285
  8. Harry Khouri – Yamaha 66.405
  9. Brandon Demmery – Yamaha 66.435
  10. Yanni Shaw – 400 Kawasaki 66.475

Supersport 300 Race One

Underlining the popularity of the Supersport 300 category was the number of 600 Supersport competitors, and majority of the ASBK Superbike competitors, all lining the pit-wall to watch the start of the opening ten-lap race of the weekend.

Max Stauffer capitalised on his pole position to get away to an early break over Baker, Levy, Taylor, Lytras and Khouri. Harry Khouri was in fact the first one to break last year’s race lap record for the category, a 66.562.  Only to bested on the next lap by Ben Baker who lowered the benchmark to 66.029 to catch and overhaul Max Stauffer.

Zac Levy then pulled a big out-braking move on Stauffer to push the championship leader back to third place. Stauffer got him back quickly, as a seven-rider freight train of junior two-wheel psychopaths commenced battle good and proper.

John Lytras then lowered the lap record to 65.974, pushing himself up to third place as Max Stauffer took the battle for the lead back up to Ben Baker. Lytras though had other ideas, pushing past Stauffer to take second place.

Two laps later Lytras then stole the lead from Baker as they approached the last lap board. Baker got him right back, Stauffer was still right in that mix too.

ASBK TBG ASBK Round Wakefield Park SSR Stauffer TBG
Max Stauffer wins the Supersport 300 opener by a nose – TBG Image

The Kurri Kurri youngster got the tactical advantage though on the run out of the final turns to put in his fastest lap on that final circuit. Stauffer taking victory by a nose over Baker, while Lytras rounded out the podium.

ASBK TBG ASBK Round Wakefield Park Stauffer A
Supersport 300 Race One Results
Max Stauffer – Yamaha
Ben Baker – Yamaha +0.069
John Lytras – Yamaha +0.208 – TBG Image

Supersport 300 Race One Results

  1. Max Stauffer – Yamaha
  2. Ben Baker – Yamaha +0.069
  3. John Lytras – Yamaha +0.208
  4. Zac Levy – Yamaha +1.090
  5. Locky Taylor – Yamaha +1.594
  6. Harry Khouri – Yamaha +1.940
  7. Travis Hall – Yamaha +1.975
  8. Brandon Demmery – Yamaha +10.012
  9. Senna Agius – 400 Kawasaki +10.022
  10. Tristan Adamson – Yamaha +14.975
  11. Seth Crump – KTM +15.631
ASBK TBG ASBK Round Wakefield Park Stauffer Baker Lytras A
Supersport 300 Race One Results
Max Stauffer – Yamaha
Ben Baker – Yamaha +0.069
John Lytras – Yamaha +0.208 – – TBG Image

YMF R3 Cup Qualifying Results

  1. Max Stauffer 65.555
  2. Ben Baker 65.664
  3. John Lytras 65.791
  4. Locky Taylor 66.089
  5. Zac levy 66.168
  6. Hunter Ford 66.230
  7. Harry Khouri 66.583
  8. Brandon Demmery 66.598
  9. Travis Hall 66.633
  10. Kyle O’Connell 67.255

YMF R3 Cup Race One

Max Stauffer had taken pole position in the YMF R3 Cup category and started with Ben Baker and John Lytras alongside him on the front row. That trio had also finished in that order in the opening Supersport 300 race earlier in the day.

In this bout though Ben Baker managed to loft the front off the line and clashed with Max Stauffer but the two youngsters stayed upright to lead the field through turn one for the first time as Lytras, Levy, Taylor and Ford gave chase.

After reviewing the start-line footage though the officials handed Ben Baker a 10-second jump-start time penalty. That 10-seconds to be added to his final race time, despite him tussling for the lead on track with Lytras and Stauffer.

Locky Taylor, Hunter Ford and Harry Khouri also still had their hat in the ring for a possible podium as the race broached the halfway stage of its eight-lap distance.

Max Stauffer though had the smarts on his competitors to do it once again and took victory by five-hundredths-of-a-second over Ben Baker with John Lytras rounding out the podium ahead of Hunter Ford. Once that ten-second penalty was applied though Hunter Ford moved forward place to take up a step on the rostrum, as Baker was demoted to ninth place.

YMF R3 Cup Race One Results

  1. Max Stauffer
  2. John Lytras +0.052
  3. Hunter Ford +0.588
  4. Locky Taylor +0.713
  5. Harry Khouri +1.083
  6. Zac Levy +1.0337
  7. Travis Hall +1.494
  8. Brandon Demmery +4.379
  9. Ben Baker +10.050 (10-second penalty)
  10. Luke Johnston +13.142
  11. Mitch Kuhne +15.455
  12. Zylas Bunting +15.506
  13. Tristan Adamson +17.693
  14. Jacob Roulstone +19.116
  15. Reece Oughtred +29.815
  16. Keegan Pickering +34.197
  17. John Blenkin +38.096
  18. Ryan Smith +39.582
  19. Kyle O’Connell +39.617
  20. Kristian Agostini +46.310

bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup

The 2019 bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup is bursting into life for the first time ever at Wakefield Park this weekend in what is the opening round for the new junior Road Race academy.

All riders are on a control spec’ Yamaha YZF-R15, and are serviced and transported between the rounds by Yamaha Australia. Before each round all the bikes are run on the dyno to ensure parity, a proper controlled category.

The bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup features a field of ambitious young riders looking to become the first to claim an Oceania Junior Cup round, and make an initial claim for one of the five positions in the 2019 Asia Talent Cup Selection Event, and a potential place in the 2019 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Selection Event.

Staking that first claim today was Cros Francis when he topped the opening qualifying session by over half-a-second from Carter Thompson and Glenn Nelson.

Rain was threatening on the horizon as the riders exited pit-lane for the final 15-minute qualifying session at 1405 on Saturday afternoon. Late in that Q2 session pacesetter Cros Francis went down at turn two but was up and okay.

Few riders managed to improve on their morning markers. The only riders in the top ten to impove their standings was Angus Grenfell who moved up to P5, and Max Gibbons who moved up to P7. Thus Cros Francis takes the inaugural bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup pole position.

bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup Qualifying Results

  1. Cros Francis 75.747
  2. Carter Thompson 76.378
  3. Glenn Nelson 76.521
  4. Jacob Roulstone 76.836
  5. Angus Grenfell 77.037
  6. Lucas Quinn 77.247
  7. Max Gibbons 77.424
  8. Marianos Nikolis 77.444
  9. Tom Drane 77.739
  10. Jacob Hatch 77.992
  11. Reece Oughtred 78.095
  12. Archie McDonald 78.244
  13. Zak Pettendy 78.308
  14. Cormac Buchanan 78.312
  15. Jai Russo 78.715

bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup Race One

No sooner were they underway than we had a red flag situation with after Max Gibbons went down at turn two, and was in an unsafe position.

We were quickly underway again with Jacob Roulstone and Glenn Nelson the early pacesetters throughout the opening lap.

Carter Thompson then took the lead on lap three as Roulstone, Nelson, pole-sitter Cros Francis, and Angus Grenfell gave chase. Nelson the fastest youngster on lap three, a 66.542. Marianos Nikolis though bettered that benchmark on the penultimate lap with a 66.094 to move up to fifth place.

11-year-old Carter Thompson the first ever race winner in the bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup.

bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup Race One Results
  1. Carter Thompson
  2. Glenn Nelson +0.079
  3. Cros Francis +0.159
  4. Jacob Roulstone +0.226
  5. Marianos Nikolis +0.453
  6. Angus Grenfell +0.729
  7. Tom Drane +4.927
  8. Cormac Buchanan +11.541
  9. Jai Russo +11.819
  10. Zac Pettendy +12.102
  11. Reece Oughtred +12.356
  12. Archie McDonald +13.086
  13. Lincoln Knight +24.885
  14. Tom Connors +32.287
  15. Hunter Diplock +36.152
  16. Jamie Port +36.840
  17. Varis Fleming +36.884
  18. Alex Kenworthy-Jones +38.006
  19. Patrick Bognar +38.061
  20. Dominic Fletcher +38.144
  21. Toby James +59.573

Sidecars Race One

Three-wheelers make up part of the ASBK action this weekend in Goulburn with the Horsell Consulting backed sidecar category making their first appearance for the year.

The Suzuki powered LCR outfit of Howard Ford and Lee Menzies started the opening eight-lap bout from pole position but it was Western Australians Jero Joyce and Corey Blackman tussling it out up front with the Corey/Danyon Turner outfit when the opening race got underway just after midday.

As the race wore on the WA duo eventually managed to break clear from the pack and score a 1.5-second victory. The Turners just managed to stave off a late race attach from Steve Bayliss and Aaron Wilson to claim second.

Sidecars Race One Results

  1. Joyce/Blackman
  2. Turner/Turner +1.525
  3. Bayliss/Wilson +1.853
  4. Ford/Menzies +5.993
  5. Brown/Sheldrick +18.564
  6. Clancy/Dawson +19.702
  7. Alton/Clancy +21.628
  8. Edis/Schluter +21.905
  9. Reynolds/Warne +38.532
  10. Underwood/Ford +39.309

Sidecars Race Two

Corey and Danyon Turner won the second Sidecar bout but Joyce and Blackman set a new lap record on their way to second place, a 65.336.

Sidecars Race Two Results

  1. Turner/Turner
  2. Joyce/Blackman +1.451
  3. Bayliss/Wilson +7.429
  4. Clancy/Bonney +13.732
  5. Ford/Menzies +17.731
  6. Alton/Clancy +26.219
  7. Collins/De Angelis +32.635
  8. Brown/Sheldrick +34.042
  9. Reynolds/Warne +46.840
  10. Underwood/Ford

Source: MCNews.com.au

Troy Herfoss tops ASBK Friday practice at Wakefield Park

2019 ASBK
Round Two – Wakefield Park
Friday Wrap


The YRT pairing of Daniel Falzon and Cru Halliday topped FP1 at Wakefield Park in dry and warming conditions under a cloudy sky. A gnat’s whisker separated the pair at the top, a 58.075 to Falzon and 58.093 for Halliday. Next best in the opening session was Mike Jones on the DesmoSport Ducati, standing in for the injured Troy Bayliss. Maxwell and Herfoss were P4 and P5 respectively.

YRT had tested here privately in the lead up to this round, electing not to join the rest of the field during the official ASBK Test here earlier this month. At that test it was Wayne Maxwell atop the timesheets with a 57.659, heading Herfoss’ 57.728. But talk was that Mike Jones had actually gone a couple of tenths quicker again, but did not have a transponder fitted to net an official time.

Aiden Wagner suffered a hefty tumble in FP1 here this morning, knocking himself and his machine around quite heavily. Wagner was P6 in the opening session ahead of Bryan Staring, Glenn Allerton and Josh Waters while Matt Walters rounded out the FP1 Top Ten.

ASBK TBG ASBK Round Wakefield Park Aiden Wagner
Aiden Wagner – TBG Image

FP2 got underway at 1340 this afternoon and just as riders were really start to get down to business, a red flag put a temporary halt to proceedings. Sash Savin had gone down at turn two on his BMW and needed to be moved to safer ground.

ASBK Rnd Wakefield RbMotoLens Sash Savin SBK
Sash Savin – Image Rob Mott

Cru Halliday was the first rider to dip into the 57s when the action got underway again just before 1400. A 57.916 to Halliday, who this year makes his return to Superbike after dominating the 600 Supersport category last year for YRT. Shortly after his team-mate joined him in that bracket, a 57.919 to Falzon, making it a YRT 1-2 at the top with 14-minutes remaining in the 30-minute Superbike FP2 session.

Falzon then upped the game further, the young South Australian dropping in a 57.757 to top the charts.

Herfoss then put in a 57.846 to go P2, splitting the YRT men. A couple of minutes later Herfoss then shot to the top with a 57.455. Maxwell then went P2 with a 57.754, pushing the YRT duo back to P3 and P4.

A red flag then came out just as the session was coming to a close. Ted Collins crashed coming out of the last turn and pitched his BMW over the pit wall! The young Queenslander walked away fine, but it was one very spectacular and unprecedented accident…


Wayne Hepburn – NextGen BMW

“Ted was on a really good lap. We had our own sector splits, which he was about to drop a second and a half off his previous lap time. He simply asked too much of the bike on the exit of the last turn, which he admitted to. This resulted in Ted having a big highside. The Maxima BMW S 1000RR went over the fence, which was pretty spectacular. Thankfully, Ted was able to walk away from it uninjured which is the main thing. Unfortunately, this is motorcycle racing and these things happen. As I said, Ted is fine. The team has a bit of work to do to get him going again. I don’t believe we will get him going for the final session this afternoon, but we’ll have him right for tomorrow. Ted was doing everything which he was asked to do. However, he just got a little bit enthusiastic.”

ASBK Wakefield Park Ted Collins Loop
Ted Collins machine ended up over the wall and in pit-lane! – Image Russ Colvin

The fastest recorded motorcycle lap time around Wakefield Park was a 57.182 set by Maxwell last year, will we see that beaten later this afternoon…?  We thought that might be eclipsed later this afternoon in FP3 but then came the thunder and lightning! A massive downpour soaked the circuit shortly after 1500, and we would see no further quick times set today.

ASBK Wakefield Friday Wet
Teams scrambled to get the gear away from the cavalcade of water, and their power cables etc. to dry ground as the drains at the circuit failed to cope with the downpour

ASBK Superbike Friday Combined Times

  1. Troy Herfoss – Honda 57.455
  2. Wayne Maxwell – Suzuki 57.754
  3. Daniel Falzon – Yamaha 57.757
  4. Cru Halliday – Yamaha 57.916
  5. Mike Jones – Ducati 58.116
  6. Josh Waters – Suzuki 58.193
  7. Alex Phillis – Suzuki 58.676
  8. Aiden Wagner – Yamaha 58.677 (FP1)
  9. Bryan Staring – Kawasaki 58.699
  10. Damon Rees – Honda 58.760
  11. Matt Walters – Kawasaki 58.839
  12. Glenn Scott – Kawasaki 58.889
  13. Glenn Allerton – BMW 58.916
  14. Ted Collins – BMW 59.417
  15. Sloan Frost – Suzuki 59.425
  16. Lachlan Epis – Kawasaki 59.432
  17. Mark Chiodo – Honda 59.435
  18. Arthur Sissis – Suzuki 59.807
  19. Brendan McIntyre – Suzuki 60.455
  20. Phil Czaj – Aprilia 61.079
  21. Will Davidson – Yamaha 61.509
  22. Michael Edwards – Yamaha 61.734
  23. Hamish McMurray – Kawasaki 62.640
  24. Paul Van der Heiden – BMW 63.360
  25. Sash Savin – BMW 63.752

Supersport 600

Local Goulburn lad Tom Toparis dominated the season opener at Phillip Island, and was obviously be out to do the same this weekend in front of his home crowd.

There were a few young fellas out to try and stop that happening though. Oli Bayliss and Nic Liminton both on the early pace, a 61.238 to Toparis versus a 61.529 to Bayliss. Those times were expected to tumble in FP2 though, and that they did. Only a few minutes into FP2 though Nic Liminton stopped on track with a mechanical failure and the session was red flagged to check for any oil on the track. Oil was duly found and we had quite a delay while the track was cleaned. Liminton took no further part in FP2.

When action recommenced it was Oli Bayliss setting the pace. At 15-years-old, Oli is making fast progress and the team have been working very hard in the lead-up to this first year in Supersport to give him the opportunity to shine, and it is a chance he is grabbing with both hands. His level of commitment, as can be seen in this great shot by Rob Mott, can certainly never be questioned.

ASBK Rnd Wakefield RbMotoLens Oli BAYLISS
Oli Bayliss using all the track this morning at Wakefield Park – Image by Rob Mott

Times quickly started to drop further, Toparis the first man to dip under the magic minute mark, a 59.507 with ten minutes to go, a clear declaration of his intentions to dominate on home turf. And, it must be said, he does look in almost untouchable form. For the best of the rest to challenge him, they either need to make a significant step up, or Toparis needs to put a foot wrong.

The Supersport lap record was set here last year by Cru Halliday at 59.050s, will Toparis best it this weekend…?

Supersport 600 Friday Combined Times

  1. Tom Toparis – Yamaha 59.507
  2. Oli Bayliss – Yamaha 60.471
  3. Broc Pearson – Yamaha 60.565
  4. Reid Battye – Suzuyki 60.635
  5. Ty Lynch – Yamaha 61.060
  6. Nic Liminton – Yamaha 61.666 (FP1)
  7. Aidan Hayes – Yamaha 61.675
  8. Rhys Belling – Yamaha 61.736
  9. Chris Quinn – Yamaha 62.039 (FP1)
  10. Dallas Skeer – Suzuki 62.157
  11. Sam Lambert – MV Agusta 62.184
  12. Andrew Edser – Kawasaki 62.756
  13. Jack Passfield – Yamaha 62.848
  14. John Quinn – Triumph 64.501

Supersport 300

In the Supersport 300 ranks it was Max Stauffer setting the pace from Harry Khouri, both riders under the existing lap record.

Brandon Demmery returns to racing this weekend after that horrifying crash in the MotoGP support events at Phillip Island in 2017. Those injuries included a double compound fracture of the Tibia and Fibia, a compound fracture of the Femur, numerous break in his Pelvis, a broken right wrist, a torn bladder and an incredible amount of bruising. He was ninth in FP2 this morning at Wakefield Park and ended the day 11th on combined times.

Supersport 300 – Friday Combined Times

  1. Max Stauffer – Yamaha 66.306
  2. Harry Khouri – Yamaha 66.478
  3. Ben Baker – Yamaha 66.572
  4. Zac Levy – Yamaha 66.677
  5. Travis Hall – Yamaha 66.828
  6. Hunter Ford – Yamaha 66.834
  7. Locky Taylor – Yamaha 66.844
  8. John Lytras – Yamaha 66.916
  9. Laura Brown – Yamaha 67.021
  10. Senna Agius – Kawasaki 400 67.110
  11. Brandon Demmery – Yamaha 67.313
  12. Yanni Shaw – Kawasaki 400 67.460
  13. Seth Crump – KTM 67.602
  14. Kyle O’Connell – Yamaha 67.626
  15. Luke Johnston – Yamaha 67.684
  16. Mitch Kuhne – Yamaha 67.746
  17. Zylas Bunting – Yamaha 67.887
  18. Tristan Adamson – Yamaha 68.090
  19. Callum O’Brien – Kawasaki 68.345
  20. Bronson Pickett – Yamaha 68.927

Sidecars

Three-wheelers join the ASBK action this weekend in Goulburn with the Horsell Consulting backed sidecar category making their first appearance for the year.

The LCR outfit of Steven Bayliss and Aaron Wilson were the pacesetters today with a 67.243.  The lap record for the category here at Wakefield Park is 65.309, and is expected to fall this weekend.

Sidecar Friday Combined Times

  1. Bayliss/Wilson 67.243
  2. Ford/Menzies 68.211
  3. Joyce/Blackman 68.431
  4. Collins/DeAngelis 68.831
  5. Alton/Clancy 69.346
  6. Clancy/Bonney 69.655
  7. Edis/Schluter 71.766
  8. Clancy/Dawson 72.035
  9. Underwood/Ford 72.313
  10. Turner/Turner 73.920
  11. Judd/Spanknebel 74.932

YMF R3 Cup Friday Combined Practice Times

  1. Stauffer 66.208
  2. Lytras 66.368
  3. Baker 66.762
  4. Hall 66.829
  5. Taylor 66.932
  6. Brown 67.212
  7. Khouri 67.263
  8. O’Connell 67.338
  9. Ford 67.339
  10. Johnston 67.832
  11. Demmery 67.849
  12. Kuhne 68.042
  13. Levy 68.098
  14. Bunting 68.111
  15. Adamson 68.305
  16. Pickett 68.723
  17. Oughtred 68.754
  18. Roulstone 69.726
  19. Smith 69.996
  20. Agostini 70.217

bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup

The 2019 bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup roared into life for the first time ever at Wakefield Park today for the opening round of the new junior Road Race academy.

The bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup features a field of ambitious young riders looking to become the first to claim an Oceania Junior Cup round, and make an initial claim for one of the five positions in the 2019 Asia Talent Cup Selection Event, and a potential place in the 2019 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Selection Event.

bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup Friday Combined Times

  1. Cros Francis 76.569
  2. Carter Thompson 77.043
  3. Jacob Roulstone 77.425
  4. Angus Grenfell 78.097
  5. Reece Oughtred 78.154
  6. Max Gibbons 78.241
  7. Archie McDonald 78.528
  8. Lincoln Knight 78.541
  9. Marianos Nikolis 78.563
  10. Zak Pettendy 78.840
  11. Glenn Nelson 78.887
  12. Jai Russo 78.897
  13. Tom Drane 78.946
  14. Jacob Hatch 79.207
  15. Lucas Quinn 79.399
  16. Hunter Diplock 80.570
  17. Alex Kenworthy-Jones 81.350
  18. Tom Connors 81.351
  19. Cormac Buchanan 82.048
  20. Varis Fleming 83.170

Source: MCNews.com.au