Tag Archives: Max Croker

Wayne Maxwell tops timesheets at Wakefield ASBK Test

2019 ASBK Official Test
Wakefield Park – March 4-5, 2019

By Trevor Hedge – Images by TDJ Media


While Wayne Maxwell showed some stellar speed at the Phillip Island season opener, including surprising himself with victory in race one, when I spoke to him during the weekend he said the Suzuki still didn’t feel like ‘his’ bike, and that he was still far from fully comfortable.

ASBK Round TBG WSBKPI PI Wayne Maxwell TBG
Wayne Maxwell was clearly emotional after winning the opening race of ASBK season 2019 at Phillip Island – TBG Image

This week, alongside many of the ASBK regulars present for an official two-day test at Wakefield Park, Maxwell got to turn plenty of laps on the Team Suzuki machine to further familiarise himself with the GSX-R1000R. 

ASBK Test Wakefield TDJimages Wayne Maxwell
Wayne Maxwell

Today Maxwell got familiar enough to top the two-day test with a best of 57.659. That was today’s official benchmark by a slender margin over Troy Herfoss’ 57.728. 

ASBK Test Wakefield TDJimages Troy Herfoss
Troy Herfoss

More importantly the test gave Maxwell enough time to experiment with different settings on the machine, and to learn more about what affect those changes had on the bike. This will arm him with more knowledge to give better feedback to the team throughout each session from hereon in, as the season progresses.

ASBK Test Wakefield TDJimages Wayne Maxwell
Wayne Maxwell

Max Croker air-lifted to hospital

Unfortunately though another Suzuki rider was made very uncomfortable today. Young Max Croker crashed heavily and was air-lifted to hospital. There it was confirmed that he has broken the same collarbone that he broke last year, from which he only had the plate removed from about four months ago. The more worrysome injury is to his hand, where early indications suggest that multiple breaks have been sustained that will leave him on the sidelines for some time.

ASBK Test Wakefield TDJimages Max Croker
Max Croker

He is currently waiting to see a hand specialist before any treatment plan and prognosis can be made. Team owner Mat Mladin rang in to tell us that they will support Max the best they can on his road to recovery, and when he is ready to go again, his Mladin Racing Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 and all the team support will be waiting for him. 

ASBK Test Wakefield TDJimages Max Croker
Max Croker

ASBK Test Wakefield TDJimages Aiden Wagner
Aiden Wagner

Aiden Wagner put in a 58.067 to end the second day third quickest on the time-sheets ahead of Josh Waters.

ASBK Test Wakefield TDJimages Josh Waters
Josh Waters

Alex Phillis stopped the clocks at 58.896 ahead of Lachlan Epis who with a 59.964 was the final rider to lap under the minute mark.

ASBK Test Wakefield TDJimages Alex Phillis
Alex Phillis

Was Mike Jones actually quickest today….?

One rider missing the test, while recovering from surgery after being injured at round one, was none other than Troy Bayliss.  With TB laid up after surgery and wanting to rest up in order to have a fighting chance of some good results when ASBK returns to Wakefield Park to race in a few weeks time, DesmoSport Ducati recruited Mike Jones for testing duties aboard the 1299 Panigale R Final Edition.

ASBK Test Wakefield TDJimages Mike Jones
Mike Jones

The recently turned 25-year-old turned up on a K&R Hydraulics backed ZX-10RR for the season opener at Phillip Island where he scored a best of second place, and a fourth overall for the round.  That’s a pretty good scorecard by anyone’s standards.

Jones of course is no stranger to Ducati machinery and took little time get back in the groove. The team elected to not run a transponder, thus no times were registered on the circuit timing system, but talk around the paddock suggested that Jones might have actually undercut Maxwell by two-tenths-of-a-second to end the day fastest, unofficially at least…

ASBK Test Wakefield TDJimages Mike Jones
Mike Jones

DesmoSport Ducati were not originally planning to attend this test and actually have the track booked for next Wednesday. But after Troy’s injury they decided to attend anyway and put Mike on the bike. They will test again next week and have now opened up an opportunity for other interested parties to join them on track at that test.

Mike Jones will ride the bike again next week and unless Troy’s hand gets a hurry-on in its strength and dexterity, Jones might actually ride the 1299 Panigale R Final Edition at the race here at Wakefield Park later this month.

ASBK Test Wakefield TDJimages Mike Jones
Mike Jones
What is YRT’s form like heading to Wakefield Park…?

The Yamaha Racing Team also tested at Wakefield Park recently but their pace is an unknown. Likewise, how will the Kawasaki and the Dunlop challenge via Bryan Staring fare around the tricky Wakefield Park layout? 

We will have to wait until the weekend of March 24 when the second round plays out around the 2.2-kilometre Wakefield Park circuit, situated on the outskirts of Goulburn between Sydney and Canberra. See you there!


ASBK Test Times – Wakefield Park – March 5th
Pos Rider Bike Time
1 Wayne Maxwell Suzuki GSX-R1000R 0:57.659
2 Troy Herfoss Honda Fireblade 0:57.728
3 Aiden Wagner Yamaha YZF-R1 0:58.067
4 Josh Waters Suzuki GSX-R1000R 0:58.563
5 Alex Phillis Suzuki GSX-R1000 0:58.896
6 Lachlan Epis Kawasaki ZX-10R 0:58.964
7 William Davidson Yamaha YZF-R1 1:01.151
8 Aidan Hayes Yamaha YZF-R6 1:01.426
9 Rhys Belling Yamaha YZF-F6 1:01.468
10 Reid Battye Suzuki GSX-R600 1:05.756
11 Mitch Kuhne Yamaha YZF-R3 1:05.995
12 Max Stauffer Yamaha YZF-R3 1:06.138
13 Seth Crump KTM RC390 1:06.957
14 Kyle O’Lonnell Yamaha YZF-R3 1:07.906
15 Tom Connors Yamaha YZF-R3 1:11.189
16 Ben Angelidis KTM RC390 1:11.384
17 Marianos Nikolis Yamaha YZF-R15 1:16.755
18 Jacob Hateh Yamaha YZF-R15 1:19.389
19 Lincoln Knight Yamaha YZF-R15 1:20.520

Wakefield Park Map

Lap Records
Wakefield Park Best Lap Wayne Maxwell – Yamaha – 2018 FP – 57.182s
Wakefield Park Race Lap Record Troy Herfoss – Honda – 2016 – 57.540s
2019 ASBK Championship Points Standings
Pos Name Machine PTS
1 Aiden WAGNER Yamaha 71
2 Cru HALLIDAY Yamaha Racing Team, Yamaha 55
3 Josh WATERS Team Suzuki ECSTAR Australia, Suzuki 50
4 Mike JONES K& R Hydraulics, Kawasaki 49
5 Bryan STARING BCperformance, Kawasaki 48
6 Troy HERFOSS Penrite Honda Racing, Honda 41
7 Wayne MAXWELL Team Suzuki ECSTAR Australia, Suzuki 40
8 Glenn ALLERTON Next Gen Motorsports, BMW 40
9 Daniel FALZON Yamaha Racing Team, Yamaha 32
10 Ted COLLINS Next Gen Motorsports 31
11 Matt WALTERS Kawasaki Australia, Kawasaki 30
12 Glenn SCOTT GSR, Kawasaki 28
13 Max CROKER Mladin Racing, Suzuki 27
14 Mark CHIODO Penrite Honda Racing, Honda 24
15 Alex PHILLIS Team Suzuki ECSTAR Australia, Suzuki 19
16 Arthur SISSIS Suzuki 18
17 Sloan FROST FILTA NZ, Suzuki 12
18 Damon REES Tony Rees Motorcycles, Honda 11
19 Lachlan EPIS BCperformance, Kawasaki 10
20 Phillip CZAJ Eco Light Up, Aprilia 8
21 Ryan YANKO Force 8 Contracting, Ducati 3
22 David BARKER Kawasaki 1
23 Matt TOOLEY Phillip Island Ride Days, Yamaha 1

Source: MCNews.com.au