MotoAmerica has announced that Indianapolis Motor Speedway will begin selling tickets to MotoAmerica Superbikes at the Brickyard event on November 1. The event, round eight of the 2020 MotoAmerica Series, will be held August 21-23 at the Speedway.
Tickets to the MotoAmerica Superbikes at the Brickyard event will be discounted starting on November 1 and will increase in price up until the event. In other words, buy early and save.
The basic ticket package options are as follows: Three-day admission with Sunday reserved seats range from $70 to $115 starting November 1 but will go up to $100-185 on race weekend; three-day general admission will be $45 starting November 1 and will go up to $65 on race weekend. Friday general admission is $20 from now until the event; Saturday general admission is $25 prior to the event and $30 on the Saturday of race weekend. Three-day parking is on a pre-sold basis and will not be sold on race weekend with three days of parking costing $35. Friday only/Saturday only parking is $10 each day with Sunday only parking selling for $20.
Ticket opportunities are plentiful, and more information is available through the Indianapolis Motor Speedway website beginning at 10 a.m. Eastern time on November 1. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit https://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/events/motoamerica/buy-tickets/
“Our fans are excited that MotoAmerica is headed to the Brickyard next year,” said MotoAmerica President Wayne Rainey. “It’s great that they can get their tickets this early, save money, and start making their plans for what we know is going to be an incredible weekend of motorcycle racing and other fan activities. We are working hard on adding a variety of additional activities that we think will make this a unique, don’t-miss event.”
All five of MotoAmerica’s classes will compete at Indianapolis Motor Speedway – Superbike, Supersport, Liqui Moly Junior Cup, Stock 1000 and Twins Cup.
Quartararo leads Petronas Yamaha SRT 1-2 in Sepang practice
Section: Competition
Eighth position on combined Friday times for Miller in Malaysia.
Image: Supplied.
A 1m58.576s in MotoGP FP2 saw Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) smash his FP1 lap record as the Frenchman sits 0.534s clear on day one at the Shell Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix.
His nearest challenge remains teammate Franco Morbidelli with Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) sitting P3, but the Italian is 0.630s off Quartararo’s blistering pace.
Friday saw the premier class get two valuable fully dry sessions under their belt ahead of a weekend forecast of wet weather, so, as is often the case, FP2 was vital in terms of a provisional automatic Q2 place.
LCR Honda Idemitsu’s Johann Zarco was an early improver in the afternoon though, the Frenchman moved himself up to P12, while fellow Honda man Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) – after a bike issue in FP1 – placed himself at the top of the FP2 timing screens.
20 minutes passed by as we saw no movement in the top 10 on the combined standings, but FP2 was hotly contested – 0.1s splitting the top six with 15 minutes to go. After finishing third in the opening session, Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Vinales then set the first sub-two-minute time with 10 minutes remaining.
However, changes to the combined times were forthcoming and it was the Petronas duo who started sending the timing screens red. First, Morbidelli went fastest in FP2 but couldn’t quite beat his time from FP1. It was a different story on the number 20 machine though as a Rookie of the Year was flying.
An unbelievable lap was about to be posted by Quartararo as the 20-year-old went half a second under his own lap record to set Sepang alight. It was an astonishing lap from the Frenchman who had moved the goalposts well out of reach.
Meanwhile, two Italians were improving. Dovizioso and Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) both set personal best times on their final flying laps to claim third and fifth respectively at the end of day one, with Vinales’ FP1 time seeing him claim P4 ahead of his teammate – all four YZR-M1s sitting inside the top five.
Marquez didn’t head out on fresh soft Michelin rubber at the end of the session and didn’t improve on his morning time as the number 93 nestles himself into sixth. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), another rider who set his fastest time in FP1, is just 0.029s off Marquez in seventh.
Closing out what could be a pivotal top 10 was Jack Miller (Pramac Racing), Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) and Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol). The British rider had been displaced by Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) in the dying seconds, before improving on his final lap to leapfrog back past the Italian rookie.
Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Jorge Martin continued his fine form by ending the opening day of Moto2 action fastest. He ended two tenths clear of FP1’s fastest man Tetsuta Nagashima (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) and world championship leader Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS). Nagashima’s teammate Remy Gardner was 13th today.
Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia) took Moto3 Friday honours in Malaysia thanks to a late 2m12.466s in FP2. The Japanese rider heads compatriot Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse), with CIP Green Power’s Darryn Binder rounding out a top three split by 0.258s.
Yamaha’s Halliday sets Friday ASBK benchmark in Sydney
Section: Competition
Newly-crowned champion Toparis unmatched in Supersport practice.
Image: Russell Colvin.
Yamaha Racing Team’s Cru Halliday topped all three sessions at Sydney Motorsport Park on Friday to commence the final round of the 2019 Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK).
Halliday’s eventual best lap-time was a 1m30.486s set in warm conditions during Kawasaki Superbike practice three, edging Wayne Maxwell (Team Suzuki Ecstar) on combined times.
Maxwell was just 0.014s in arrears of Halliday today, in turn closely followed by second of the factory Yamaha’s in Daniel Falzon. The top five was filled by title-leader Troy Herfoss (Penrite Honda Racing) and Mike Jones (DesmoSport Ducati).
Positions six through nine featured Mark Chiodo (Penrite Honda Racing), Bryan Staring (Kawasaki BCperformance), Josh Waters (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Matt Walters (Kawasaki) – each within a second of Halliday atop the time-sheets. Tenth came Glenn Allerton (Maxima BMW) on the brand new S 1000 RR.
Image: Russell Colvin.
In the Motorsports TV Supersport category it was number one plate-holder Tom Toparis (Yamaha) who was easily quickest with a 1m32.655s, a full 1.677s clear of World Supersport 300 regular Tom Edwards (Yamaha). Third was another R6 in Jack Passfield (Yamaha).
Leading the way this afternoon in YMI Supersport 300 was Kawasaki-mounted Senna Agius, his 1m43.455s topping Hunter Ford (Yamaha) and Max Stauffer (Yamaha). Stauffer turned the tables on Ford in the YMF R3 Cup, with Ben Baker third. The bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup top three featured Jacob Hatch, Max Gibbons and Carter Thompson.
On-track action will resume tomorrow, where the final practices, qualifying and the first races of the championship finals are scheduled to take place at Sydney Motorsport Park.
The track temperature was over 54-degrees by the time Superbike FP2 got underway at 1330 this afternoon and as a result many riders failed to improve on the times they had set in FP1. It was still Cru Halliday topping the time-sheets throughout though with a 1m30.823s ahead of Mark Chiodo, the young Penrite Honda rider improving markedly on his FP1 time.
The track temperature had dropped slightly, to 52.7-degrees when riders headed out of pit-lane at 1545 for FP3.
Mike Jones was quick out of the blocks with a 1m31.003s on his first flying lap this afternoon then backed it up with a 1m30.770s on his second circuit, almost good enough to best Halliday’s 1m30.752s from FP1. On his third lap of the session Jones then recorded a 1m30.885s, followed by a 1m31.065s then 1m31.608s followed by 1m31.391s, 1m31.765s and 1m31.362s before then pulling into the pits.
FP1 pacesetter and still leader on combined times Cru Halliday did not leave the pits until halfway through the 30-minute session. Just as Jones returned to the DesmoSport Ducati pit bay.
Daniel Falzon had put in a great 1m31.220s early on in the session and was also back out to try and better it in the second half of the session.
Bryan Staring was also starting to wind up the BCperformance Kawasaki, the Western Australian improved to a 1m31.081s with 12 minutes to go.
Daniel Falzon then dropped in the fastest time of the day thus far, a 1m30.543s to the young South Australian with ten minutes remaining. He then slowed to a 1m33.679s before ramping up again on the next lap where he was under at the first split, slightly outside at the second and then crossed the line to record a 1m30.878s. There were now seven minutes remaining.
Wayne Maxwell kept his power dry until this stage of the game but then announced his presence with a 1m30.500s to take top spot from Falzon.
Five minutes remaining and Daniel Falzon, Mike Jones and Bryan Staring were heading back out on track while Cru Halliday was shaping up for a flyer… Halliday under Maxwell’s marker at the first split, under again at the second and then crossed the line to go P1 on a 1m30.486s.
Then it was Herfoss’ turn to shake things up. A tenth outside at the first split, three-tenths at the second before then pulling back a little time in the last sector to set a 1m30.739s. There were now two minutes remaining… The Penrite Honda man had another crack but failed to improve further.
Mike Jones had used his last laps of the session to try a new shock in the DesmoSport Ducati but ended up preferring the previous set-up. His run of laps earlier in the session very impressive and he put in the largest number of quick laps today.
Thus YRT’s Halliday is the top man for the day ahead of Maxwell, Falzon, Herfoss, Jones, Chiodo, Staring and Josh Waters.
Matt Walters continued his recent hot form to be right on the heels of the factory boys and ahead of Glenn Allerton who rounded out the top ten on the NextGen BMW.
Friday Combined Times
Pos
Name
Bike
Time
1
Cru HALLIDAY
Yamaha YZF-R1
1m30.486
2
Wayne MAXWELL
Suzuki GSXR
1m30.500
3
Daniel FALZON
Yamaha YZF-R1
1m30.543
4
Troy HERFOSS
Honda CBR SP
1m30.739
5
Mike JONES
Ducati FE
1m30.770
6
Mark CHIODO
Honda CBR SP
1m31.020
7
Bryan STARING
Kawasaki ZX10R
1m31.081
8
Josh WATERS
Suzuki GSXR
1m31.321
9
Matt WALTERS
Kawasaki ZX10R
1m31.428
10
Glenn ALLERTON
BMW S RR
1m31.823
11
Damon REES
Honda CBR SP
1m31.885
12
Jamie STAUFFER
Ducati V4R
1m32.110
13
Arthur SISSIS
Suzuki GSXR
1m32.355
14
Alex PHILLIS
Suzuki GSXR
1m32.634
15
Lachlan EPIS
Kawasaki ZX10R
1m32.678
16
Sloan FROST
Suzuki GSXR
1m33.446
17
Ben BURKE
Kawasaki ZX10R
1m33.531
18
Brendan
Suzuki GSXR
1m33.974
19
Dominic DE LEON
Kawasaki ZX10R
1m35.608
20
Matthew TOOLEY
Yamaha YZF-R1
1m36.236
21
Heath GRIFFIN
Suzuki GSXR
1m36.247
22
Nathan SPITERI
Suzuki GSXR
1m36.778
23
Michael EDWARDS
Yamaha YZF-R1
1m36.877
Supersport
It was a very hot FP2 session for Avalon Biddle.Her Cube Racing YZF-R6 burst into flames when she entered pit-lane and she promptly jumped off the machine as fire extinguishers were called to action and thankfully put it out before too much damage was wrought. Still, her crew is left with a lot of work to do.
Despite the hot track temperatures late in the afternoon, Tom Toparis lowered his marker further in FP3, a 1m32.655s only one-thousandth away from Jamie Stauffer’s Supersport lap record from 2008.Tommy has a little way to go for the fastest outright Supersport lap though, that also belongs to Jamie with his 1m32.009s in qualifying on his way to pole in 2008.
Tom Edwards improved dramatically in FP3 to place second in Supersport for the day but his time is 1.7-seconds off Toparis. Still, an impressive outing on the BikeBiz YZF-R6 after a season spent on SuperSport 300 machinery in Europe.
Aidan Hayes was third quickest ahead of Jack Passfield and Callum Spriggs while Broc Pearson was sixth ahead of Nic Liminton and Oli Bayliss.
Pos
Name
Machine
Time
1
Tom TOPARIS
Yamaha YZF-R6
1m32.655
2
Tom EDWARDS
Yamaha YZF-R6
1m34.332
3
Aidan HAYES
Yamaha YZF-R6
134.514
4
Jack PASSFIELD
Yamaha YZF-R6
1m34.603
5
Callum SPRIGGS
Yamaha YZF-R6
1m34.711
6
Broc PEARSON
Yamaha YZF-R6
1m34.736
7
Nic LIMINTON
Yamaha YZF-R6
1m34.933
8
Oli BAYLISS
Yamaha YZF-R6
1m34.954
9
Jack HYDE
Yamaha YZF-R6
1m35.472
10
Richie DIBBEN
Suzuki GSXR
1m35.885
11
Ty LYNCH
Yamaha YZF-R6
1m36.067
12
Rhys BELLING
Yamaha YZF-R6
1m36.081
13
Chris QUINN
Yamaha YZF-R6
1m36.514
14
Dallas SKEER
Suzuki GSXR
1m36.655
15
Brodie MALOUF
Yamaha YZF-R6
1m37.246
16
Luke MITCHELL
Yamaha YZF-R6
1m37.421
17
Callum O’BRIEN
Kawasaki ZX6R
1m37.836
18
Avalon BIDDLE
Yamaha YZF-R6
1m38.322
19
Andrew EDSER
Kawasaki ZX6R
1m38.514
Supersport 300
Senna Agius topped proceedings in Supersport 300 with his 1m43.455s in FP2 good enough to top the overall timesheets ahead of Hunter Ford and Max Stauffer.
2+4 two-day drive/ride event with BMW M cars and BMW Motorrad
BMW Motorrad and BMW M will offer customers the opportunity to take control of high performance BMW two-and four-wheeled vehicles at Phillip Island this December in a world first initiative.
The two-day program will allow customers to experience the rush and improve their skills driving the celebrated BMW M and M Performance line-up followed by riding the BMW Motorrad range including the exhilarating S 1000 RR superbike while receiving expert tuition.
Combining BMW M and BMW Motorrad in this unique initiative also serves as a reminder of the new global association that will see the legendary BMW M brand integrated in packages, parts and the branding of machinery such as the S 1000 RR.
The two-day ride and drive experience program is priced at $1,395 (inc. GST) per person, per day.
Entrants must hold an unrestricted driver’s licence to participate in the BMW Driving Experience program, while participants for the BMW Motorrad Track Experience are required to have at least a Provisional licence and a minimum level of motorcycle protective gear, though this can be provided upon request.
The BMW Driving Experience element includes the following dynamic elements over the course of the day:
Visually assisted lecture on safe driving techniques from the BMW Driving Experience team
Steering technique and seating position
Motorkhana exercise
Paced circuit laps
Hot lap of Phillip Island in a M3 by a BMW Driving Experience instructor
BMW M and M Performance vehicles will be incorporated, with model specifics to be confirmed at the time of booking confirmation.
The BMW Motorrad Track Experience by the eminent California Superbike School allows participants to ride BMW Motorrad product without limits at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit – home of the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix.
Senior instructors will be on hand to provide tuition for riders of all levels.
You can tell there is even more tension in the air than normal here at Sydney Motorsports Park today. The temperature too is rising as the mercury is heading towards the low-mid 30s today, with track temperatures likely to be over 50-degrees at times as this final round of the Motul Pirelli ASBK Championship plays out in Western Sydney.
51-points are up for grabs this weekend in the Superbike category and there are six riders in with a shot at the championship with the top three separated by less than five points.
Troy Herfoss, Wayne Maxwell and Mike Jones are that highest ranked trio but Cru Halliday, Josh Waters and Bryan Staring are still in the race for the title.
With the competition so tight, and the riders and machinery so closely matched, it is not only skill, fitness, bravery, guile and cunning that will decide the outcome, lady luck is also sure to play its part. Riders have fallen in and out of favour with that lady at various times this season and she can be a fickle beast…
Track temperatures had already passed 41-degrees despite the early 1030 start of FP1 and was rising rapidly as a smoky haze cast a grey shadow over Sydney Motorsports Park.
All superbike riders were getting plenty of laps in as they tested tyre longevity, and suspension settings to extend that longevity. With hot conditions also forecast for tomorrow, before a cooler change on Sunday that will bring with it a high probability of heavy showers, it is going to be a very interesting weekend with that weather factor sure to increase the already palpable tension yet further.
YRT’s Cru Halliday set the pace throughout FP1, using his local knowledge to good effect to secure top spot with a m1m30.752s.
Wayne Maxwell got close to that marker later on in the session but was P2 ahead of Troy Herfoss at the chequered flag. The top three all put in 14 laps during the session.
Daniel Falzon was fourth quickest and on the pace with a 1m31.042 ahead of Mike Jones and Daniel Falzon while Josh Waters was seventh.
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time
1
Cru HALLIDAY
Yamaha YZF-R1
1m30.752
2
Wayne MAXWELL
Suzuki GSXR
1m30.790
3
Troy HERFOSS
Honda CBR SP
1m30.980
4
Daniel FALZON
Yamaha YZF-R1
1m31.042
5
Mike JONES
Ducati FE
1m31.206
6
Mark CHIODO
Honda CBR SP
1m31.684
7
Josh WATERS
Suzuki GSXR
1m32.026
8
Matt WALTERS
Kawasaki ZX10R
1m32.140
9
Bryan STARING
Kawasaki ZX10R
1m32.486
10
Glenn ALLERTON
BMW S RR
1m32.518
11
Alex PHILLIS
Suzuki GSXR
1m32.889
12
Lachlan EPIS
Kawasaki ZX10R
1m33.063
13
Damon REES
Honda CBR SP
1m33.071
14
Brendan MCINTYRE
Suzuki GSXR
1m34.210
15
Ben BURKE
Kawasaki ZX10R
1m34.368
16
Arthur SISSIS
Suzuki GSXR
1m34.519
17
Sloan FROST
Suzuki GSXR
1m34.558
18
Jamie STAUFFER
Ducati V4R
1m35.072
19
Dominic DE LEON
Kawasaki ZX10R
1m35.608
20
Heath GRIFFIN
Suzuki GSXR
1m36.345
21
Matthew TOOLEY
Yamaha YZF-R1
1m36.886
22
Nathan SPITERI
Suzuki GSXR
1m37.758
23
Michael EDWARDS
Yamaha YZF-R1
1m37.930
Supersport
In the Supersport ranks the championship has already been decided with Goulburn teenager Tom Toparis crowned at Phillip Island after a faultless year that saw him dominate almost every outing. He looks set to do the same here after setting a 1m33.023s in FP1, 1.7-seconds quicker than the rest of the field…
Second placed Broc Pearson has a 38-point advantage over Nic Liminton thus is in the box seat to claim the #2 plate.
An interesting addition to the Supersport field this weekend is young Tommy Edwards, who has returned from World Supersport 300 duties to chance his hand in stepping up to the 600 Supersport ranks this weekend. He was seventh in FP1 on a 1m35.676s.
Pos
Name
Bike
Time/Gap
1
Tom TOPARIS
Yamaha YZF-R6
1m33.023
2
Jack PASSFIELD
Yamaha YZF-R6
+1.745
3
Aidan HAYES
Yamaha YZF-R6
+1.854
4
Nic LIMINTON
Yamaha YZF-R6
+1.910
5
Oli BAYLISS
Yamaha YZF-R6
+2.149
6
Broc PEARSON
Yamaha YZF-R6
+2.288
7
Tom EDWARDS
Yamaha YZF-R6
+2.653
8
Callum SPRIGGS
Yamaha YZF-R6
+2.729
9
Ty LYNCH
Yamaha YZF-R6
+3.424
10
Brodie MALOUF
Yamaha YZF-R6
+4.223
11
Jack HYDE
Yamaha YZF-R6
+4.323
12
Luke MITCHELL
Yamaha YZF-R6
+4.425
13
Dallas SKEER
Suzuki GSXR
+4.789
14
Chris QUINN
Yamaha YZF-R6
+4.842
15
Rhys BELLING es
Yamaha YZF-R6
+5.048
16
Richie DIBBEN
Suzuki GSXR
+5.283
17
Andrew EDSER
Kawasaki ZX6R
+5.491
18
Avalon BIDDLE
Yamaha YZF-R6
+5.644
19
Callum O’BRIEN
Kawasaki ZX6R
+8.223
Supersport 300
Max Stauffer had looked on course comfortable victory in the Supersport 300 Championship, but in the most recent round at Phillip Island his points margin was eroded by Senna Agius, who has closed to within 16-points of Stauffer. Yannis Shaw topped FP1 this morning ahead of Agius and Hunter Ford while Max Stauffer was sixth.
Pos
Name
Bike
Time/Gap
1
Yannis SHAW
Kawasaki EX 400
1m44.833
2
Senna AGIUS
Kawasaki EX 400
+0.566
3
Hunter FORD
Yamaha R3 321
+0.837
4
Brandon DEMMERY
Yamaha R3 321
+1.013
5
Ben BAKER
Yamaha R3 321
+1.174
6
Max STAUFFER
Yamaha R3 321
+1.413
7
Kyle O’CONNELL
Yamaha R3 321
+1.518
8
Ryan SMITH
Yamaha R3 321
+1.776
9
Luke JHONSTON
Kawasaki EX 400
+1.871
10
John LYTRAS
Yamaha R3 321
+2.641
11
Zylas BUNTING
Kawasaki EX 400
+3.307
12
Peter NERLICH
Kawasaki EX 400
+4.499
13
Laura BROWN
Yamaha R3 321
+4.892
14
Jimmy BROADBENT
Kawasaki EX 400
+5.223
15
Seth CRUMP
KTM RC 390
+5.305
16
Noel MAHON
Kawasaki EX 400
+6.717
17
Matt RINDEL
Yamaha R3 321
+8.586
18
Zak PETTENDY
Yamaha R3 321
+8.799
19
Caleb GILMORE
Yamaha R3 321
+8.875
20
James JACOBS
Kawasaki EX 400
+9.201
21
Harry PARKER
Yamaha R3 321
+9.325
YMF R3 Cup
The YMF R3 Cup has produced a see-sawing contest between Hunter Ford and John Lytras, the two riders swapping the points lead several times over the last couple of rounds. At Phillip Island, Ford scored two wins but Lytras kept his chances alive with a trio of third-place finishes, and is only 13 points behind Ford. Max Stauffer is only a further five-points behind and is still in the game. Ford set the early pace in FP1, topping the session from Stauffer and Demmery with Lytras fourth.
Pos
Name
Machine
Time/Gap
1
Hunter FORD
Yamaha YZF-R3
1m45.020
2
Max STAUFFER
Yamaha YZF-R3
+0.151
3
Brandon DEMMERY
Yamaha YZF-R3
+0.459
4
John LYTRAS
Yamaha YZF-R3
+0.878
5
Ryan SMITH
Yamaha YZF-R3
+0.989
6
Kyle O’CONNELL
Yamaha YZF-R3
+1.192
7
Ben BAKER
Yamaha YZF-R3
+1.518
8
Jacob HATCH
Yamaha YZF-R3
+3.084
9
Patrick BOGNAR
Yamaha YZF-R3
+3.837
10
Archie MCDONALD
Yamaha YZF-R3
+4.239
11
Caleb GILMORE
Yamaha YZF-R3
+4.590
12
Harry PARKER
Yamaha YZF-R3
+5.143
13
Tony SIMS
Yamaha YZF-R3
+5.866
14
Matt RINDEL
Yamaha YZF-R3
+6.048
15
Hunter DIPLOCK
Yamaha YZF-R3
+6.944
16
Zak PETTENDY
Yamaha YZF-R3
+6.963
17
Dominic FLETCHER
Yamaha YZF-R3
+7.535
18
Patrick LI
Yamaha YZF-R3
+2m52.998
DNS
Laura BROWN
Yamaha YZF-R3
-1:45.020
Superbike Masters
The Superbike Masters category appeared earlier in the season at the Morgan Park ASBK round, and encompasses a range of Period 5 (1976-82) and Period 6 (1983-1990) motorcycles.
John Allen leads Alex Pickett by 15-points but it was Aaron Morris who topped FP1 here at SMP this morning by a huge 6.8-seconds after putting in a 1m35.515s on the C&M Motorcycles FZR 1000. Morris did not race with the Superbike Masters at their previous round as he was otherwise engaged riding a NextGen BMW Superbike.
Momentum an advantage to clinching ASBK title believes Herfoss
Section: Competition
Championship leader confident ahead of title-deciding weekend.
Image: Foremost Media.
Reigning champion Troy Herfoss believes his late wave of momentum in the 2019 Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) will be an advantage to clinching successive titles this weekend at Sydney Motorsport Park.
The Penrite Honda Racing challenger holds a slender three-point advantage over Wayne Maxwell (Team Suzuki Ecstar), while Mike Jones (DesmoSport Ducati) is a further 1.5 points behind.
Herfoss has surged into form through the later stages of the series, picking up a round victory and the championship lead at Phillip Island’s penultimate stop earlier this month.
“I’ve been involved in title fights for a few years so I know what to expect, but the pressure will certainly be on this weekend,” Herfoss explained. “The good thing is we’ve been gaining momentum over the last few races.
“The Phillip Island round was above our expectations based on our previous results there – to come away with the championship lead was a surprise, but the way we got the bike working was very positive.
“Wayne and I have been big rivals since my first season at Honda – he’s the guy who’s always been up the front, so it was very satisfying to get one over him at a track where he’s always gone well.
“If it comes down to the last lap of the last race and I need to pass someone to win the championship, you’ll bet I’ll be having a crack.”
Just 25 points separate the top five, with Cru Halliday (Yamaha Racing Team) and Josh Waters (Team Suzuki Ecstar) taking up positions four and five.
Commercial reality the cause of Sydney 2020 ASBK axing
Section: Competition
Exorbitant costs and operational challenges result in a no-show for next year.
Image: Foremost Media.
Sydney Motorsport Park’s (SMSP) absence from the 2020 Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) calendar comes down to commercial realities surrounding the event, according to Motorcycling Australia (MA).
It’s a bitter blow to ASBK competitors and Sydney-based Superbike fans, many of whom have expressed their disappointment on social media since the calendar announcement, and the lone New South Wales-based round will be held at Goulburn’s Wakefield Park Raceway.
Sydney has been on-again, off-again the ASBK championship calendar under MA’s current management structure that was initially established mid-2014 following the troublesome era led by International Entertainment Group (IEG). SMSP has been an inclusion on the 2016, 2017 and 2019 schedules, but was absent in 2015 and 2018. It’s been cut again for 2020.
It’s understood that while MA’s ASBK management team continues to evolve its cooperative arrangements with a range of circuits and associated event promoters in a bid to make the series as cost-effective as possible, SMSP has proven a more difficult task. There is also a share of operational challenges that include limitations in utilising the series’ customary Racesafe medical services.
This weekend’s finale, which sees the premier class go down to the wire in a thrilling way to cap-off the season, is anticipated to run at a loss for series organisers regardless – the Sydney venue renowned to be more difficult in attracting spectators when compared with alternate circuits that the ASBK visits more regularly.
“From ASBK management’s point of view, the opportunity to attend Sydney Motorsport Park in 2020 wasn’t possible due to a number of factors,” ASBK operations manager Simon Maas explained to CycleOnline.com.au.
“It’s mainly the cost of hiring the venue and the operational costs associated with the round, but we are enthusiastic to return there in 2021 and hope to be able to build a stronger relationship with Sydney Motorsport Park.”
Representatives from SMSP declined to make comment on the matter when contacted by CycleOnline.com.au this week.
Yamaha Racing Team factory rider Cru Halliday, who is from South West Sydney in Camden, will have an increased supporter-base on location this weekend as he vies for the 2019 crown. SMSP will be his best chance yet of chalking up a victory for this season, so to see it dropped next year comes as ‘a bit of a joke’ in his opinion.
“When I saw the calendar, straight away I saw Sydney wasn’t on it and it’s a bit of a joke, to be honest,” Halliday commented. “It’s one of the best tracks that we’ve got in Australia – even GPs used to race at Eastern Creek – and for whatever reason, they’re not going there. I think they need to get past whatever politics are going on there.
“We’re going to tracks like Morgan Park where, we saw this year with Glenn Scott, that if you tuck the front at turn three you’re into the wall. You’re not going to have that at Sydney and the entry list numbers speak for themselves. It’s disappointing, but what do you do?”
Instead, the 2020 ASBK calendar will maintain a full seven-round calendar for the Superbike category, including a two-plus-four event alongside the Supercars at Barbagallo Raceway in Western Australia. The remaining championship classes including Supersport and Supersport 300 are to be reduced to six rounds in total from next season.
Gibbons and Thompson selected for 2020 Asia Talent Cup
Section: Competition
Oceania Junior Cup regulars make the 12-rider cut.
Image: Supplied.
Oceania Junior Cup contenders Max Gibbons and Carter Thompson have made the 12-rider selection for the 2020 Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup.
Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia once again played host to the selection event, and following inscriptions on Tuesday and a day of track action to assess the new crop of hopefuls, 12 young riders from across Asia and Oceania have been selected to join the grid – as well as five reserve riders.
This year’s selection event saw drier skies than last year, allowing the young hopefuls maximum track time to show what they’ve got. Nearly 90 riders were put through their paces throughout the day around Sepang Go-Kart track, before the Selection Committee made their final decisions in the afternoon.
The committee, led by Talent Promotion director Alberto Puig, selected riders from Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Thailand, the Philippines, Japan and Turkey to either join the grid next year or be on the reserve list.
The Oceania Junior Cup, which runs alongside selected ASBK rounds, is also part of the Road to MotoGP program, with the Asia Talent Cup offering the next step for Australians Gibbons and Thompson.
Motorcycles Tested By Trevor Hedge Images by BMW and TH
In the almost 100-year lineage of BMW motorcycles, nothing underlines the brand as well as the Boxer engine. Right from the start, this somewhat ungainly flat-twin design, born from industrial roots as a portable power-plant, has been the foundation of almost every significant generation of BMW motorcycle.
As engine design has moved with the times we have gone to four-valves in the ‘Oil-Head’ generation of the 90s, to the ‘Hex-Head’ counter-balanced iteration launched in 2004. Twin-cams came to the Boxer in 2009 and with it the pinnacle of the final oil-head generation in the delectable 128-horsepower HP2 Sport.2012 saw the debut of the new 1170cc water-cooled generation and this year has seen the introduction of a relatively simple form of variable valve timing, ‘ShiftCam’. Increases in both bore and stroke sees the Boxer now displacing 1254 cc.
Of course more than a few of these changes have been effectively forced on BMW by ever tightening emissions regulations, this latest generation Boxer is ready for Euro5 and beyond. Some decry these restrictions, but effectively it has forced motorcycle manufacturers to increase the frequency of their engine development cycles and us riders are the winners. We generally get more power, more torque, smoother running and better fuel economy.If only noise wasn’t part of the restrictions then we would really be winners from every angle!
Generally it is the GS side of the BMW range that seems to get all the attention. That makes sense I guess as the Gelände/Straße is their biggest seller globally by a handsome margin. It is easy to forget that the Boxer can also be had in more tarmac focussed models such as the luxury R 1250 RT touring machine, the sports-touring R 1250 RS and the naked R 1250 R.
BMW Motorrad Australia recently staged a two-day strop in Queensland to showcase the charms of the new ShiftCam equipped R 1250 R and RS. Plying me with motorcycles and sunshine by day, washed down with beer and wine of an evening. How thou suffer for my art…
I had been intrigued to see if I could feel the transition between the different camshaft lobes but to be honest, I couldn’t.The system sounds really complicated but in reality it is pretty damn simple. A servo motor simply slides the inlet camshaft along from one lobe, designed for low-end torque, smooth low speed running and reduced emissions, to another lobe that has a higher ramp rate along with more valve lift and duration.Best of both worlds.The real magic is in the trickery that makes this transition imperceptible.
BMW ShiftCam Explained
BMW have done a better job of it than I thought possible and the Boxer charges harder up top than ever before, 136 horsepower at 7750 rpm and 143 Nm of torque at 6250 rpm. That is 10 per cent more twist than the 1262 cc Ducati Testastretta donk that also boasts variable valve timing.
But the BMW is deceptive, and never really feels ‘that’ strong up top. That’s pretty common in these days of fly-by-wire throttles that seem to hide a few of the horses somewhere, simply due to the smoothness of the power delivery. Still, to my mind the biggest benefits from the new engine are found in the basement.
The Boxer has always had pretty sizeable balls, but they were a bit fluffy off the bottom. The ShiftCam power-plant is not only better endowed, but has more urgency right from the first stroke, before thrusting stronger and lasting longer right past the 7750 rpm climax and up into the 9000 rpm red-zone.
The accompanying dyno chart seems to show it shifting lobes around 5000 rpm, but it is not a static pre-determined transition point on the road.ShiftCam transition takes place somewhere between 4500 and 5600 rpm, depending on throttle opening, gear selection and a few other parameters.
BMW ShiftCam Dyno Chart
The more impressive top end power does show itself in the upper gears, when really dialling it on exiting fast sweeping bends. The stronger top end also makes holding gears longer more enjoyable than before. But I still say that the new engine is most impressive in the way it fuels so beautifully off the bottom. I have always quite liked the bottom end of the Boxers over the past decade or so, but now the shudder is gone, the fluffy throttle response is no more and the engine feels so much more potent and responsive to throttle openings at low RPM.
And to be honest, in the real world that is where you are going to spend most of your time, short-shifting. Especially if your bike has the optional Gear Shift Assist Pro. If you wanted to be spending all your time higher up in the rev range then you would be better off with Motorrad’s S 1000 R or S 1000 XR four-cylinder machines rather than the Boxer twins.
Both the R 1250 R and 1250 RS get the impressive 6.5-inch full colour TFT instrumentation, complete with the Bluetooth functionality that is slowly filtering down to the entire BMW range.
Bluetooth pairing to your phone allows for simple navigation prompts to be displayed on the screen along with your current music selections, which can then be navigated through via the intuitive BMW Multi-Controller wheel on the left bar. It’s a great system, but not quite up to the outright brilliance of the Apple Car Play style functionality which has now started to appear on a few motorcycles. Forgive the quality of the image below, but I thought it more important to show the system out in real world use, complete with dust, than use a brochure style image.
The R model I rode had the optional Riding Mode Pro that includes yet another lay-out for the instrumentation that I quite liked. Along with a more conventional tachometer presentation it also displays lean angle measurements, levels of traction control intervention and maximum braking pressure for that particular ride. The inside areas of the bar charts show the readings in almost real time as you ride, the outside values are your maximums during that entire ride. 47-degrees was 10 less than I have registered at the track on an S 1000 RR, but I did manage to max out the traction control table by pulling a few skids on the dirt. Small things, small minds and all that.
Less than perfect road surfaces and Michelin Pilot Road 4 rubber though were not a good enough combination to max out the brake pressure readings before ABS intervention cut in thus I failed to clock the game on that score. The brakes themselves are radially mounted Brembo four-piston calipers gripping 320mm disc rotors up front. A twin-piston caliper clamps a similarly generously sized 276 mm rotor at the rear. BMW do brakes very well indeed, there is nothing to complain about here and the lean-angle sensitive ABS is tuned nicely. Bumpy roads and touring rubber are always going to provide the limits of braking performance, not the stoppers themselves.
The accompanying BMW App has plenty of functionality and is the best proprietary phone app I have yet sampled. These are screenshots from my phone that I paired with the machines I rode on the launch, to give you a brief example of the functionality. Even pre-planned GPX files can be entered into the app, although I didn’t get quite that far into it during my time with the bikes.
While the R and RS follow Boxer traditions in regards to engine configuration and single-sided Paralever shaft drive syste,they eschew the BMW Duolever or Telelever front ends in favour of a conventional set of inverted cartridge forks, adjustable for both pre-load and rebound damping.
The latest generation dynamic electronic suspension adjustment (ESA) system can be had as part of the ‘Touring Package’ and as it says on the box, the system provides adjustments at the touch of a button or automatically on the fly.It does a great job of isolating the rider from any kidney punches as they start to happen, responding in milliseconds to any big hits. When you want maximum comfort then just soften things up and enjoy the magic carpet ride. Ride height is also automatically adjusted as the machine senses the onboard load and sets itself up to suit, no intervention from rider required. Mint.
The steering head angle is identical between the bikes but the R 1250 R runs 15m more trail and a 15mm shorter wheelbase.The actual numbers are a 62-3-degree steering head angle for both, 126.6 mm of castor on the R versus 110.8 mm on the RS. Adding further confusion though is that BMW seemed to have their own system of arriving at their numbers compared to every other motorcycle manufacturer, so don’t get too lost in the digits.
On the road the difference is quite telling though as I find the R turns quite sweetly and holds a line well, while the RS steers a little lazily in comparison.
Different seating and bar positions also play their part but I felt as though I wanted to be more forward on the RS, when it came time to attack a set of bends with vigour.If you had a non ESA equipped RS it would be an interesting experiment to drop the forks through the triple clamps 10mm further, in order to see if that sharpened the steering enough to be worth bothering about. Can’t imagine that’s possible with an ESA equipped bike though… But both bikes have oodles of stability to spare and are also fitted with steering dampers.
For the record, I still think the Duolever equipped K 1300 R is the best front end for the road ever to grace a BMW motorcycle.
The touring part of the equation is well taken care of on both machines due to amenable riding positions and the fact that vibes are almost non existent in regular riding scenarios.The seats on both the R and RS are well sculpted and provide great support. The standard perches are 820 mm from terra firma, but options exist to push that down to a remarkably low 760 mm.
According to BMW, both bikes tip the scales around 240 kilograms, which makes them sound like right porkers. But all the weight is down low, thanks to the Boxer layout, and they really do feel as though they are a good 30 kg lighter than those figures suggest. Seriously, there is no way I would have picked them as being that heavy, as they actually feel relatively light.
As we have come to expect from BMW, the option lists are endless… BMW Australia have tried to make this easier in recent years by only bringing in fairly high-spec’ base machines, and then collating separate option packages that cater to different tastes. The good news for the R and RS is that all Australian delivered machines come with the ‘Comfort Package’ which includes heated grips, tyre pressure monitoring and a chrome exhaust.
The optional ‘Touring Package’ adds Dynamic ESA, Keyless Ride, Cruise Control, Pannier mounts, luggage grid and a centre-stand. Navigation preparation for the Garmin supplied BMW Navigator is also included, but with the bluetooth functionality of the dash providing navigation prompts, and the problems with the latest generation Navigator, I can’t really see the point. Without the optional Navigator unit mounted the cradle, it is pretty bloody ugly with the mount just hanging in the breeze right in the riders eye-line. I would remove it.
The ‘Dynamic Package’ then adds Gear Shift Assist Pro, Riding Mode Pro, Daytime Riding Lights and white LED indicators. Riding Mode Pro enables a rider to more specifically tailor the bike set-up to suit themselves, and also scores that extra tasty instrumentation mode. Gear-Shfit Assist Pro pretty much means you can forget to use the clutch for 80 per cent of your riding. The gearbox also works well without it, and is so much smoother than BMW gearboxes of old. Likewise any jacking reaction from the drive-shaft under acceleration is long dead and buried in the dustbin of history.
As you would expect, BMW Integral ABS and traction control systems are standard across all models, even in base specification, as are two riding modes. Hill Start Control is an unexpected addition to the standard specification though, and automatically applies the brakes for hill starts. That’s something that might come in very handy if fully loaded or riding two-up.
The naked R 1250 R is, predictably, slightly cheaper than the RS with a base entry price of $21,265, compared to a $22,565 starting point for the R. Add a couple of grand to each of those pricing labels by the time you ride it out of the showroom though.
By the time you get up to the Sport, Exclusive or Spezial variants of the machines, the ride away prices start to nudge their way towards 30 grand. However, you are getting a whole lot of motorcycle with pretty much every bit of top-end tech available in motorcycling. And compared to what you pay for an American cruiser….
You also have a motorcycle ready to tour Australia in comfort, particularly in RS guise thanks to its extra protection from wind-blast. Both have shaft drive and every rider aid known to man while retaining a light enough feel and agility that belies the scales.
Both are capable of carrying two people in comfort complete with panniers loaded. A lot of motorcycles that claim to have touring credentials have poor carrying capacities, sometimes being officially rated for payloads under 180kg. That is a couple of average Aussie humans dressed in riding gear and boots, before they even put an empty pannier on the bike….The R and RS Boxer duo are rated for 220 kg payloads and really give the impression of sturdiness in their very business-like Germanic way of going about business. As though you could ride them into a brick wall, pick them up, dust them off, and continue on your way.
Another ace up the sleeve of the BMW machines is their now industry leading standard three-year warranty, which can be extended further, for a price. If maintenance costs are your worry there also pre-paid service packages that can cover you for the first three years and 30,000 kilometres, or five years and 50,000 kilometres, to add a little extra peace of mind. I think this is a great approach by BMW and the longer standard warranty period is a massive boon for the customer. However, I do think the kilometre limits on the servicing packages are a little stingy.
I prefer the sweeter steering of the R, and if choosing a bike for shorter hops and back-roads brawling then it would be my pick of the two. However, if doing a lot of long haul riding in all weather, then the extra practicality of the faired RS would win the day. Both though have extensive integrated luggage systems and when optioned up as such can carry as much luggage as full dress touring bikes.
Either of them would make a fantastic daily commuter to work, while then offering enough performance and versatility to go for mountain strops on the weekend, or even a full loop around Australia if you are lucky enough to break away from the grind for that long!
To many, unless its a Boxer, it’s not a ‘real’ BMW… And this is by far the best iteration of the Boxer yet.