Tag Archives: Phillip Island ASBK

Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News

Halliday tops Thursday at PI | Toparis fastest Supersport

Leave a comment

2020 ASBK Round 1 – Phillip Island

Thursday Roundup

With Chris Plumridge

Round 1 of the 2020 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship kicked off today at Phillip Island as a huge weekend of motorcycling gets underway on MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship weekend.

Practice sessions for Kawasaki Superbike, Motorsports TV Supersport, and YMI Supersport 300, and two practice sessions for the Oceania Junior Cup all got underway under overcast conditions.

Cru Halliday came out on top in Kawasaki Superbike, whilst Tom Toparis and Harry Khouri took Supersport and Supersport 300 respectively. Fastest in the Oceania Junior Cup was Angus Grenfell.

Kawasaki Superbike

Cru Halliday (Yamaha Racing Team, Yamaha YZF-R1) emerged fastest in Kawasaki Superbike, the fastest of a red-flag interrupted session with a 1:32.500. On a track where the Yamaha rider hasn’t been as strong as he would like in the past, Halliday starts the season marginally ahead of his rivals Wayne Maxwell (Boost Mobile Ducati V4R, 1:32.610), Josh Waters (JW Racing Suzuki GSXR1000, 1:32.973) and YRT teammate Aiden Wagner (1:33.563).

Cru Halliday

“It’s a little bit surprising, I wasn’t hitting the lines I wanted to be, but I’m still doing faster times than I did in the test. We are on the 2020 bike, and I think I’m just gelling with it. It feels really comfortable to ride, the power’s a lot better, and the bike gets off the corner a lot faster than the ’19 model- I think that’s where we were lacking a lot last year. It’s only FP1, you know all the other boys are going to be on it tomorrow, but it’s a good way to start the weekend.”

WSBK TBG WSBK Round Phillip Island Cru Halliday TBG

WSBK TBG WSBK Round Phillip Island Cru Halliday TBG

Cru Halliday – Image by TBG

Despite regularly running at the front last year, Halliday’s lack of a race win in 2019 ultimately proved fatal to his championship chances. Could this be the weekend he finally breaks through for a victory?

Cru Halliday

“If it’s not this weekend, it’s got to be this year. You always have the announcers saying ‘Halliday hasn’t got a race win’ and at first I didn’t really care because I was up there in the points, but when I start to fall back behind in points I started to get a bit frustrated hearing it – you don’t want to hear about a factory rider still without a race win. Hopefully this year we can get more than one!”

Motorsports TV Supersport

Many in the Supersport field will be glad to see the back of Tom Toparis (Benro Racing Yamaha YZF-R6) when he heads to Europe to contest the European rounds of the World Supersport Championship, as he left the field in his dust once again today to emerge fastest in Free Practice 1 with a 1:36.609.

However many of those competitors may have had a hand in Toparis’ session-topping performance, after Toparis crashed his bike last Sunday in testing.

Tom Toparis

“Really last-minute we got a Yamaha (to use this weekend) and, on Sunday I crashed it… pretty much wrote it off! So I borrowed parts from half the paddock to get it together for this weekend! We have no spares, no anything, we’re just here to ride I’m so grateful for everyone who’s helped us get here, and now it’s just a little bit of prep before we go overseas next week.”

WSBK TBG WSBK Round Phillip Island Tom Toparis TBG

WSBK TBG WSBK Round Phillip Island Tom Toparis TBG

Tom Toparis – Image by TBG

In second spot was an impressive Oli Bayliss (Cube Racing Yamaha YZF R6) with a 1:36.937. He’s free of his World Supersport duties for today and can concentrate on ASBK, but it will be interesting to see if the youngster can maintain the frenetic pace of his double-duty weekend. Jack Passfield (Stay Upright Yamaha YZF R6) maintained his good form from pre-season testing to finish third fastest with a 1:37.775, he will be one to watch this year.

Australian World Supersport 300 rider Tom Edwards (Bikebiz Yamaha YZF R6, 1:39.360), making a guest appearance in the ASBK before returning to Europe, was sixth fastest.

YMI Supersport 300

Harry Khouri (Addicted to Track Yamaha YZF R3) topped the timesheets in Supersport 300, the only rider in the 1:48s for the session with his time of 1:48.643. He finished ahead of Luke Power on the Kawasaki Ninja 400 (Proworx, 1:49.791) and Luke Jhonston (Proworx Kawasaki Ninja 400, 1:50.596).

WSBK TBG WSBK Round Phillip Island Harry Khouri TBG

WSBK TBG WSBK Round Phillip Island Harry Khouri TBG

Harry Khouri – Image by TBG

Edwards’ World Supersport 300 ParkinGO Kawasaki teammate, Italian Filippo Rovelli joins the ASBK this weekend along with Edwards. He is campaigning the ParkinGO/BCperformance Kawasaki Ninja 400, and finished the session fifth fastest.

bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup

Bookending the ASBK sessions for today were two practice sessions for the Oceania Junior Cup, with a number of new riders joining the familiar faces from the class of 2019. The youngsters showed plenty of improvement between the two sessions, with lap time differences from the first session to the second in the order of three to four seconds for many riders.

Victorian Angus Grenfell was quickest on the number 36 Yamaha YZF R15 (2:12.986) ahead of New South Welshman Cameron Dunker who joins the program this year (2:13.352). Third was the returning Marianos ‘Nos’ Nikolis sporting the famous number 46 (2:13.688) ahead of NSW’s Tom Drane (2:14.219) and Queenslander Lucas Quinn (2:14.660).

Round 1 of the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship continues tomorrow with Qualifying for the Oceania Junior Cup commencing at 8:25am.

The first session for Kawasaki Superbike kicks off with Timed Practice at 9:05 on Friday, and World Superbikes hit the track for the first time this weekend at 10:30 for their first practice session of the weekend.

2020 ASBK Round 1 Results – Thursday

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News

Aiden Wagner talks returning to ASBK in 2019

Leave a comment

MCNews catches up with Aiden Wagner

The rider that had everyone’s tongues wagging with his strong performance over the two days of the recent test at Phillip Island was Aiden Wagner. The 25-year-old Queenslander makes a return to Australian domestic racing after three ill-fated years overseas and overcoming injuries sustained in the process.

ASBK Testing SB Phillip Island Rob Mott Aiden WAGNER Wheelie
Aiden Wagner at the recent ASBK Official Test – Image by Rob Mott

He looks like he means business, as in a very talented bunch he was second fastest, splitting the pair that came second and third in the title last year in Wayne Maxwell and Troy Bayliss, on an R1 that he claims has a completely standard engine – at the moment.

Before he head overseas, Aiden was a fierce competitor in the Supersports class with strong results in 2013 when he finished seventh in the class although he didn’t compete in the final round.

Aiden Wagner
Aiden Wagner at Imola in 2015

In 2014 he finished in the top three of the championship and did a Wild Card ride at the Australian Moto2 Grand Prix with the MarcVDS Team before he headed to the Supersport World Championship in 2015 with the CIA Landlords Insurance Honda Team, alongside Englishman Gino Rea. He finished 20th with best results of three 13th places and two 14th places.

Aiden Wagner - Image by Russell Colvin
Aiden Wagner at Phillip Island in 2016 with GRT Racing – Image by Russell Colvin

In 2016 he moved to the GRT Racing team on an exotic MV Agusta but maybe a bit too exotic as it was a season plagued with problems that yielded 26th overall for nine points.

His best result was a 10th at his home race at Phillip Island and things looked promising but from then on progress stalled with a 15th at Burinam and a 14th at Misano his only other points scoring races in what was a challenging season in the pit box.

For 2017 he signed again for the WSS, this time back on a Honda with the Gemar Team Morini. A 14th at Phillip Island was followed by an eighth place at the next round in Thailand.

Aiden Wagner - Image: Beegee Images
Aiden Wagner in 2017 – Image: Beegee Images

From the outside things looked to be on the up after finishing 17th at the next round at Aragon, but by round four at Assen in the Netherlands the relationship was all over and Wagner came home soon after.

Since his return to the Land Down Under he has been having some repairs to his body, which he described as ‘falling to bits’ following Europe.

With an extensive rehabilitation successfully behind him and a good team around him Wagner adds another spicy ingredient to an already mouth-watering combination of talent to fight out the championship.

MCNews.com.au caught up with him at the test.

Aiden Wagner Interview

MCNews: Are you surprised with what you’ve done with the last couple of days?

Aiden Wagner: Yea, I had pretty high hopes coming into it. A lot of people wrote me off after going overseas and the results overseas were not that great. But I always knew I had gained experience doing that, as bad as some of the bikes were. So I always knew we could be fairly strong, I knew we could probably go for the privateer cup, but I still wanted to maybe go for the championship and fight for podiums really. So it’s good to be right up the pointy end, not just above the privateers. We’ve got more left in the bike yet. It’s a fully standard motor, so we know we’ve got little bits and pieces to make up 10ths here and there.

ASBK Testing SB Phillip Island Rob Mott Aiden WAGNER
Aiden Wagner – Image by Rob Mott

MCNews: Has this refocused your ambition for the year?

Aiden Wagner: Definitely, I’ve had a couple of reconstructive surgeries and just sat at home. I started riding the motocross bike, and started impressing a few people on that, with lap times and what not, with what I was doing on the motocrosser. So I thought well, bike fit, body fit, might as well throw a leg back over and came together with Lambridge Transport, and thanks to mum and dad and everyone who helped me get back on the bike. I’ve got a few good people in my corner helping me. Adrian Monty is in my corner on the suspension, and with the guys in my corner we’re making leaps and bounds. So definitely focused back for the whole championship.

Aiden Wagner - Image by GeeBee
Aiden Wagner, pictured in Sepang 2016- Image by GeeBee

MCNews: So what happened in Europe?

Aiden Wagner: A lot of the time I was diagnosing problems for the main rider, and the issue with my bike, when a part would fail they would unbolt the part from the main rider’s bike and bolt it onto mine and he’d get the new part. So I tried to stick with it for as long as I could, but it just came to a head, where we just weren’t making any progress for a couple of seasons, just in the same sorta positions.

ASBK Testing SB Phillip Island Rob Mott Aiden WAGNER
Aiden Wagner #28 – Expect to see podiums from him, privateer or not…

Also my shoulder and knee were falling to bits, so we thought pull the pin, get those fixed. I’ve had a couple of little calls, but nothing promising. Especially with the depth of the ASBK paddock now, in the Superbike class there’s quite a few fast guys up the front, so racing back home is a lot more interesting and a lot more fun. So as long as we’re enjoying it on the bike, we’ll be strong and competitive for the whole season.

MCNews: So you’re happy with the weekend?

Aiden Wagner: Very happy with the weekend, I know we’re only going to go forwards. Races aren’t won in the one weekend, have to make it through the whole season and stick to the black stuff. But you know, from what we’ve shown already, we’ve put together a pretty strong package and got some good guys that are making the bike really ridable for me.

ASBK TBG FebTest PI Aiden Wagner TBG
Aiden Wagner – Image by TBG

The first round of the Australian Superbike Championship will be held alongside the opening round of the Superbike World Championship at Phillip Island 22-24 February.

Kawasaki Superbike – Phillip Island Test – Merged classification
  1. Wayne MAXWELL (VIC) Suzuki GSX-R EL R 1:32.312
  2. Aiden WAGNER (QLD) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:32.451
  3. Troy BAYLISS (QLD) Ducati Panigale FE 1:32.631
  4. Josh WATERS (VIC) Suzuki GSX-R EL R 1:32.676
  5. Daniel FALZON (SA) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:32.784
  6. Troy HERFOSS (QLD) Honda CBR RR SP 1:32.984
  7. Bryan STARING (WA) Kawasaki ZX10RR 1:33.181
  8. Cru HALLIDAY (NSW) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:33.211
  9. Glenn ALLERTON (NSW) BMW S RR 1:33.614
  10. Mike JONES (QLD) Kawasaki ZX10RR 1:33.786
  11. Mark CHIODO (VIC) Honda CBR RR SP 1:33.934
  12. Arthur SISSIS (SA) Suzuki GSXR RL7 1:34.018
  13. Max CROKER (NSW) Suzuki GSX-R 1:34.171
  14. Sloan FROST (VIC) Suzuki GSX-R 1:34.427
  15. Ted COLLINS (VIC) BMW S RR 1:34.494
  16. Alex PHILLIS (VIC) Suzuki GSXR 1:34.536
  17. Lachlan EPIS (NSW) Kawasaki ZX10RR 1:34.735
  18. Glenn SCOTT (NSW) Kawasaki ZX10RR 1:35.128
  19. Ryan YANKO (QLD) Ducati 1299 1:36.468
  20. Phil CZAJ (VIC) Aprilia RSV4 RFW 1:36.617
  21. Patrick LI (VIC) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:37.891
  22. Heath GRIFFIN (NSW) Suzuki GSX-R 1:39.054
  23. Murray CLARK (QLD) BMW S RR 1:39.123
  24. Scott TUDDENHAM (VIC) Suzuki GSX-R 1:39.467
  25. Will DAVIDSON (NSW) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:39.819

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News

Oli Bayliss and the switch to Supersport 600

Leave a comment

Oli Bayliss joins the Supersport field for 2019

By Mark Bracks

There will be plenty written about Oli Bayliss this year as he debuts in the 600cc Supersport Championship. As reported in our extensive Supersport wrap, at the end of the recent ASBK two-day test young Bayliss was third fastest. A remarkable effort considering his tender years.

ASBK TBG FebTest PI Oli Bayliss TBG
Oli Bayliss – Image by TBG Sport

So how did those close to him reckon he went? We spoke to his famous father Troy, and also his new Crew Chief, mentor and as he says ‘new Dad’, the vastly experienced Glen Richards.

Richards has been around race tracks and paddocks for decades and brings a wealth of experience with him as a rider, mechanic, crew chief, rider advisor and mentor.

First up Troy Bayliss

MCNews: How do you rate Oli’s first days on the bike.

Troy: Ollie has now had six days on the bikes and he’s been impressive, getting better and better, and he hasn’t scathed one yet. He’s absolutely loving it, so I’m sure he’s going to learn a lot come the first race. No one wants to show him anything on track, he’s done it all by himself.

ASBK Testing SB Phillip Island Rob Mott Troy BAYLISS
Troy Bayliss – Image by Rob Mott

“The only time he’s been with anyone was with me, at Morgan Park to do a few laps. But that’s it, you don’t believe what anyone here in this paddock tells you… You do not. Unless you’re talking to me, I’ll tell you the truth. You have to work it out for yourself, and he’s going to have to work a lot of things out when it comes to the first race. But he’s having a great time, we’re looking forward to seeing how the season goes.”

Glen Richards on Oli Bayliss

MCNews: And Glen can you explain your role with Oli and how it came to be?

Glen Richards: “I’m the new dad now, aren’t I, I’m Oli’s dad! I’m doing quite a few jobs really. I’m looking after Oli, as in a crew chief role, obviously in a small team it’s a hand on job, compared to where I was a crew chief in BSB in the last few years. I’ve got one extra set of hands in Jonno at the track, so there’s two of us. I enjoy that side, I like being hands on, I’m just trying to do the best job I can, in giving Oli as much experience from my point of view, which is obviously always going to be a little bit different to his dad’s.

Oli Bayliss R Glen Richards
Oli Bayliss will work with Glen Richards for ASBK season 2019

“Ben [Henry] back at the workshop has done a fantastic job and got the engines working well, Troy has been flat out helping me build the bikes, we only started building the bikes less than a month ago. We’ve done quite a bit of testing now and Oli has done 37s first time – he did 37.4s and last time he was racing he was doing 49s on the a 300, so he’s having a massive steep learning curve. All credit to him, he’s chipped away at it, bit by bit, got faster and faster, as the testing has gone on, so I’m well impressed with his attitude and his ability to work through a little program of testing. At 15 years of age I think it’s amazing really.

ASBK TBG FebTest PI Oli Bayliss TBG
Oli Bayliss – Image by TBG Sport

“I helped Alex Lowes with many things, I did three years in WorldSBK and at that stage I had retired from racing, but was still riding the Suzuki as a test rider, and helping Alex at race meetings. After three years of that it was one of those things, he was sort of moving forward with his career, and I wanted to be a bit more hands on, on the bikes, so I became a crew chief in the BSB, where I was working purely on the motorbike with Jake Dixon. Again that was a little team and I really enjoyed that but now I’m back in Australia and I didn’t know what I was going to do, but I spoke to Troy about helping out with Ollie and so far what we’ve done the last month has been a massive job to build two bikes and test, you know in a month, but we’ve done it. Like I said there’s a very good base, with Cube Racing, and the help that Troy has around him, an easy thing to do, to set the 600 team up really.”

Oli Bayliss R Troy Glen
Oli Bayliss, Glen Richards and Troy Bayliss
Supersport Combined Practice Times
2019 ASBK PI Test
  1. Tom TOPARIS (NSW) Yamaha YZF-R6 1:35.295
  2. Nicholas LIMINTON (SA) Yamaha YZF-R6 1:37.273
  3. Oli BAYLISS (QLD) Yamaha YZF-R6 1:37.492
  4. Broc PEARSON (QLD) Yamaha YZF-R6 1:37.588
  5. Reid BATTYE (NSW) Suzuki GSX-R 1:38.134
  6. Sam LAMBERT (NT) MV Agusta F3 1:38.142
  7. Aidan HAYES (NSW) Yamaha YZF-R6 1:38.496
  8. Scott NICHOLSON (VIC) Suzuki GSX-R 1:39.013
  9. Ty LYNCH (SA) Yamaha YZF-R6 1:39.136
  10. Ryan TAYLOR (VIC) Yamaha YZF-R6 1:39.182
  11. Rhys BELLING (VIC) Yamaha YZF-R6 1:39.591
  12. Jack PASSFIELD (NSW) Yamaha YZF-R6 1:39.657
  13. Luke MITCHELL (NSW) Yamaha YZF-R6 1:39.776
  14. Chris QUINN (NSW) Yamaha YZF-R6 1:39.782
  15. Luke SANDERS (VIC) Yamaha YZF-R6 1:40.723
  16. Andrew EDSER (NSW) Kawasaki ZX6R 1:40.831
  17. Dallas SKEER (SA) Suzuki GSX-R 1:41.012
  18. Daniel LEONARD (VIC) Yamaha YZF-R6 1:44.081

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News

ASBK Supersport 300 | R3 Cup | Juniors Cup | Form guide

Leave a comment

2019 ASBK Supersport 300
YMF R3 Cup
Oceanic Juniors Cup

With Mark Bracks
Images by TBG and Rob Mott

Mark Bracks gives MCNews.com.au the inside scoop on the Supersport 300, R3 Cup and Oceania Juniors Cup categories, following their appearances at the official ASBK test at Phillip Island last weekend.

ASBK TBG FebTest PI Seth Crump TBG
Seth Crump topped the weekend’s testing on his KTM

YMI Supersport 300 & YMF R3 Cup

Early signs at the test for the Supersport 300 and R3 Cup were that there hasn’t been too many departures from the ranks in 2019.

24 riders participated at the test, but by the time the race action happens in a few weeks the grids will swell to have nearly 40 riders vying for position.

ASBK TBG FebTest PI Tom Bramich TBG
Tom Bramich was in attendence, but testing his WSBK machinery and not counted in the official time sheets

Two that did leave are Tom Bramich who is off to compete in the Supersport 300 World Championship in Europe, while Oli Bayliss steps up to the Supersport 600 class. Apart from these two, the class will have a lot of the same players for the year racing with the same insane intensity that we have become accustomed to.

ASBK TBG FebTest PI Seth Crump TBG
Seth Crump

Honestly, no. It will probably be more intense and competitive, as each year the action rises to another level. Casting an eye over the entry list there is no doubt it will be a dynamite season.

ASBK TBG FebTest PI Harry Khouri TBG
Harry Khouri

This year also oversees the introduction of the Kawasaki Ninja 400 to the category, albeit with some limitations, primarily of which are the restrictions on suspension changes for the 400, compared to the more extensive hardware based suspension tuning allowed for the smaller capacity Yamaha YZF-R3, Ninja 300 and KTM 390.

ASBK TBG FebTest PI Locky Taylor TBG
Locky Taylor

Tom Bramich was at the test but was not included in the official times as he was testing a Ninja 400 that he will use in the Supersport 300 World Championship in Europe this year. The bike he will race for Carl Cox Motorsports is allowed a lot more extras than what is allowed in the corresponding category here, so Tom was out getting accustomed to a Kawasaki and the extras that come with it.

ASBK TBG FebTest PI Tom Bramich TBG
Tom Bramich

The ever improving Seth Crump was fastest over the two days, but again, testing times mean little as every one of them are contantly improving their riding skill. His usual combatants were there in attendance including 2018 GP Juniors Cup Champion Max Stauffer, Locky Taylor and Harry Khouri.

ASBK TBG FebTest PI Max Stauffer TBG
Max Stauffer

One interesting note is that BCPerformance Kawasaki have drafted in one of Australia’s fastest lady racers in Tayla Relph, who joins the team alongside West Australian Callum O’Brien. Relph is one of the most determined and gutsy competitors you’ll find and has deepened her intensity and determination since joining the ranks of the 300s after a number of years racing a Moto3 machine.

ASBK TBG FebTest PI Tayla Relph TBG
Tayla Relph

O’Brien, another one of the graduates of the GP Juniors meanwhile is a very quiet unassuming young kid who knows what he wants and goes about the task with a minimum of fuss but a truckload of determination. Watch him come of age as a rider under the tutelage of the BCPerformance Team.

ASBK TBG Rnd Morgan Park Callum OBrien TBG
Callum O’Brien

As for Tayla now that she has a professional team environment around her, she may well take that little extra step to be a regular on the podium.

ASBK TBG FebTest PI Tayla Relph TBG
With Ninja 400’s allowed in the class, limitations include having to use standard suspension

Adding spice to this already ultra-competitive line-up will be Senna Agius and Ben Baker, who both competed in the Asia Talent Cup last year. Their seasons were compromised by injury but both will gleefully jump into this cauldron of young talent and no doubt put to use their experiences of the competition with the best youngsters of Asia last year.

ASBK TBG FebTest PI Senna Agius TBG
Senna Agius
Supersport 300 & R3 Cup combined testing
  1. Seth CRUMP (QLD) KTM RC 390 1:49.249
  2. Locky TAYLOR (QLD) Yamaha R3 321 1:49.429
  3. Senna AGIUS (NSW) Kawasaki Ninja 400 1:49.581
  4. Max STAUFFER (NSW) Yamaha R3 321 1:49.617
  5. Callum O’BRIEN (WA) Kawasaki Ninja 400 1:49.939
  6. Luke POWER (VIC) Yamaha R3 321 1:49.939
  7. Zac LEVY (QLD) Yamaha R3 321 1:50.109
  8. Ben BAKER (NSW) Kawasaki Ninja 300 1:50.823
  9. Harry KHOURI (NSW) Yamaha R3 321 1:50.829
  10. Zylas BUNTING (NSW) Yamaha R3 321 1:50.917
  11. Kyle O’CONNELL (QLD) Yamaha R3 321 1:51.117
  12. Peter NERLICH (VIC) Kawasaki Ninja 400 1:51.179
  13. Bronson PICKETT (WA) Yamaha R3 321 1:52.840
  14. Tayla RELPH (QLD) Kawasaki Ninja 400 1:52.952
  15. Jesse WOODS (TAS) Yamaha R3 321 1:53.055
  16. Cameron AGOSTINI (NT) Honda CBR 300 1:54.575
  17. Joseph MARINIELLO (VIC) Yamaha R3 321 1:55.758
  18. Jeremy CZMOK (VIC) KTM RC 390 1:57.141
  19. Hayden STIFF (NSW) Kawasaki Ninja 300 1:57.247
  20. Kristian AGOSTINI (NT) Yamaha R3 321 1:57.706
  21. Lachlan O’BRIEN (NT) Yamaha R3 321 2:00.319
  22. Ben ANGELIDIS (ACT) Yamaha R3 321 2:00.537
  23. Andrew DE KUYPER (VIC) Kawasaki Ninja 300 2:04.298
ASBK TBG FebTest PI Cater Thompson TBG
Carter Thompson

bLU cRU Oceania Juniors Cup

ASBK Testing OJC Phillip Island Rob Mott Bikes Oceania Cup
bLU cRU Oceania Juniors Cup

The weekend also saw the debut of the Oceania Juniors Cup for the young tackers. All on Yamaha YZF-R15s, the series is a step forward from the GP Juniors Cup with Motorcycling Australia taking over the running, and already it has shown great promise with over 25 riders turning up for the turn-key competition series.

ASBK Testing OJC Phillip Island Rob Mott Bikes Oceania Cup
bLU cRU Oceania Juniors Cup

It harps back to the very early days of production racing where a rider (or families in this case) pay an amount for the year which includes bike, riding gear, bike transport and all the rest, with the bikes being transported by MA and Yamaha.

ASBK TBG FebTest PI Max Gibbons TBG
Max Gibbons

Turn up. Pick an ignition key. Go race.

It’s going to be hard to recognise the young racers as all bikes and leathers are identical so it will be subtle markings like numbers – that normally are hard to decipher at the distance, as well as helmet design that will identify them to the masses of onlookers that will witness their antics during the year.

ASBK Testing OJC Phillip Island Rob Mott Bikes Oceania Cup
bLU cRU Oceania Juniors Cup

Keep an eye out for names like Glenn Nelson, Angus Grenfell, Max Gibbons, Cros Francis, Reece Oughtred, Marianos Nikolis, Tom Drane, Zak Pettendy and Jamie Port. All will no doubt become part of an ever growing list of, ‘Names for the Future’.

ASBK TBG FebTest PI Archi McDonald TBG
Archie McDonald
Oceania Juniors Cup combined testing
  1. Max GIBBONS (QLD) 2:14.735
  2. Carter THOMPSON (NSW) 2:14.835
  3. Archie McDONALD (NSW) 2:14.897
  4. Cormac BUCHANAN (NZ) 2:14.957
  5. Angus GRENFELL (VIC) 2:15.082
  6. Cros FRANCIS (NSW) 2:15.202
  7. Glenn NELSON (QLD) 2:15.486
  8. Lucas QUINN (QLD) 2:15.668
  9. Jamie PORT (VIC) 2:15.681
  10. Alex KENWORTHY-JONES (NSW) 2:15.890
  11. Marianos NIKOLIS (NSW) 2:16.201
  12. Jai RUSSO (NSW) 2:16.352
  13. Reece OUGHTRED (VIC) 2:16.379
  14. Tom DRANE (NSW) 2:16.389
  15. Hunter DIPLOCK (NSW) 2:16.410
  16. Jacob HATCH (QLD) 2:16.515
  17. Zak PETTENDY (NSW) 2:18.255
  18. Tom CONNORS (NSW) 2:21.324
  19. Varis FLEMING (VIC) 2:21.506
  20. Dominic FLETCHER (NSW) 2:24.868
  21. Patrick BOGNAR (VIC) 2:25.186
  22. Toby JAMES (VIC) 2:25.215
  23. Lincoln KNIGHT (NSW) 2:29.342
  24. Pyper KENT (WA) 2:40.984
  25. Natalie BARBATI (VIC) 3:22.274
ASBK Testing OJC Phillip Island Rob Mott Bikes Oceania Cup
bLU cRU Oceania Juniors Cup

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News

Glenn Allerton talks tyres & ASBK 2019

Leave a comment

Glenn Allerton is a three-time Australian Superbike Champion and along with Josh Waters would love to claim a fourth, however the last two years have been fraught with well documented injuries for GA.

He is now fully recovered and ready to launch a major assault on the 2019 title. This year he has the new BMW HP4 coming to the Next Gen Motorsports team and they have also switched to Dunlop tyres.

Glenn Allerton Interview

MCNews: First test for the year, is it your first hit-out that you’ve been on the bike, or have you been testing like some of these other guys?

Glenn Allerton: “We’ve been to Wakefield about a week ago, and were still trying to make up our mind with which tyres to go with, between Pirelli and Dunlop. Basically we just want to go with whatever gave the best chance of winning we can get. We had a really good test, I did a bloody competitive race run there, that would have been racing for the win versus what we had printed off as the race time there, and we were fast. I felt really comfortable on the Dunlops, which is why we decided to go with them, because the feeling is really good, and they’ve got some new stuff.”

ASBK Testing SB Phillip Island Rob Mott Glenn ALLERTON
Glenn Allerton – Image by Rob Mott

MCNews: Nothing to do with the fact you’re racing in the Asian Championship and there’s Dunlops there?

Glenn Allerton: “At this point in time, we’re not actually racing in the Asian Championship, so I don’ really know what’s going on, we haven’t made up our mind as we have some budget problems for Asia. At this point, it’s on hold, so I don’t know what’s going to happen with that. I’ll have to wait and see what the boys come up with. It’s a tough situation, that one, because they committed, and then the budget sort of got changed a bit and now we’ve got to scramble to try and make something happen. But the tyres are a lot different over there, to what we have here, so it’s really difficult to even compare. Riding on the tyres they have there and then the Dunlops we have here… It’s as different as between Dunlops and Pirelli’s here, they are that much different. The diameters are different and everything, the grip level is different…”

ASBK Testing SB Phillip Island Rob Mott Glenn ALLERTON

“So we had a really good test there at Wakefield, and we haven’t changed that much really, we’ve just come down here and actually ridden on the tyres that Dunlop have for Phillip Island, but we seem to be going pretty good. I expected some teething problems, as there’s a few diameter differences with the tyres, and while Dunlop has some new stuff coming, that’ll be here after Round 1, we’ve just got to try at the moment. We’re a little bit in the phase of trying to set the bike up for the tyres that they currently have, but we already know that the tyres that are coming are a step better again. We know we’ve got a good setting, good feel with those tyres at the moment, so we’re just trying to make do with what we’ve got available for Phillip Island, because this place is so hard on tyres.”

MCNews: With the Dunlops traditionally as it gets hotter, they work better. Today got hotter but the wind got up?

Glenn Allerton: “The wind definitely got up, earlier in the day I was always in sixth gear in the straight, and sometimes in that last session I was only getting to fifth gear, and not even getting sixth gear. Which is a pretty good indication of how much the wind is pushing you. I’ve had some struggles today, with the front brakes, I had problems all mornings and just with the feel being different every time we move the front brake lever. We’re trying to get on top of that with some different pads and different material. We’re going to change the discs, and figure out what combination is going to work, because the front brake pressure is always feeling odd. And then we had a couple of other issues along the way, today wasn’t smooth sailing, but I kind of knew we were going to be in this situation of chasing our tail a little bit, with the se-tup. Just because of how different the tyres we have to run here are, the shape and the diameter, they are a lot different to the other ones we tested on at Wakefield.”

ASBK Testing SB Phillip Island Rob Mott Glenn ALLERTON
Glenn Allerton – Image by Rob Mott

MCNews: So Dunlop have done something similar to Pirelli with the bigger tyre?

Glenn Allerton: “I think what’s actually happened with Dunlop is they are actually going the other way with the new tyres, they are smaller in the rear, whereas Pirelli are going bigger. Our bike works really good on the small tyre and that’s the direction we’ll be going in. It’s not a small tyre, it’s still a 200 series, it’s just a different shape. Not quite as big as the tyre we have to use here. So the bike handles really good on that tyre and that combination is awesome. The outlook for the year is great, but we’ve just got to get through this first round. The start of the season is going to be like that for us – as we’re still on the old bike, we do have some new parts coming, we’ve just got fresh engines coming basically.”

MCNews: You’re not on the HP4 are you?

Glenn Allerton: “No, this bike that I’ve got here, it’s done some kays, the one I’ve been testing I believe is a 2016 model, the team has had it for quite a long time. We’re just getting through this weekend and the race, with some fresh motors. The outlook is actually good with the new bike and at that point, Dunlop will have the new tyres.”

Glenn Allerton was still recovering from injury at Morgan Park - Image by Russell Colvin
Glenn Allerton – Image by Russell Colvin

MCNews: When is that expected?

Glenn Allerton: “The possibility to race it could possibly be Round 2, but none of the kit racing parts will be available like the wiring harness, the ECU, and all the suspension, which won’t probably be here until Round 3 at Tailem Bend. So we’ll definitely be on it at Tailem Bend, but I’m hoping we can make some stuff happen, and get it to Wakefield, but we’ll have to wait and see.”

MCNews: And the biggest difference from Pirelli to Dunlop, what have you got to adapt to?

Glenn Allerton: “Well it used to be the front tyre, but the new Dunlop front tyre is really good so it’s a lot softer than what they currently had, and it gives you a lot of confidence. Just the rear tyre is a lot bigger than the Pirelli, the new Pirelli is bigger again, so maybe they are around the same size, but the one we’ll race on here at Phillip Island is quite big. It’s changed the geometry of the bike, so we’re trying to adjust it to suit.”

ARRC Test Day Superbike Glenn Allerton NextGen
Glenn Allerton (right), and the Next Gen Motorsports BMW squad

The first round of the Australian Superbike Championship will be held alongside the opening round of the Superbike World Championship at Phillip Island 22-24 February.

Kawasaki Superbike – Phillip Island Test – Merged classification
  1. Wayne MAXWELL (VIC) Suzuki GSX-R EL R 1:32.312
  2. Aiden WAGNER (QLD) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:32.451
  3. Troy BAYLISS (QLD) Ducati Panigale FE 1:32.631
  4. Josh WATERS (VIC) Suzuki GSX-R EL R 1:32.676
  5. Daniel FALZON (SA) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:32.784
  6. Troy HERFOSS (QLD) Honda CBR RR SP 1:32.984
  7. Bryan STARING (WA) Kawasaki ZX10RR 1:33.181
  8. Cru HALLIDAY (NSW) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:33.211
  9. Glenn ALLERTON (NSW) BMW S RR 1:33.614
  10. Mike JONES (QLD) Kawasaki ZX10RR 1:33.786
  11. Mark CHIODO (VIC) Honda CBR RR SP 1:33.934
  12. Arthur SISSIS (SA) Suzuki GSXR RL7 1:34.018
  13. Max CROKER (NSW) Suzuki GSX-R 1:34.171
  14. Sloan FROST (VIC) Suzuki GSX-R 1:34.427
  15. Ted COLLINS (VIC) BMW S RR 1:34.494
  16. Alex PHILLIS (VIC) Suzuki GSXR 1:34.536
  17. Lachlan EPIS (NSW) Kawasaki ZX10RR 1:34.735
  18. Glenn SCOTT (NSW) Kawasaki ZX10RR 1:35.128
  19. Ryan YANKO (QLD) Ducati 1299 1:36.468
  20. Phil CZAJ (VIC) Aprilia RSV4 RFW 1:36.617
  21. Patrick LI (VIC) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:37.891
  22. Heath GRIFFIN (NSW) Suzuki GSX-R 1:39.054
  23. Murray CLARK (QLD) BMW S RR 1:39.123
  24. Scott TUDDENHAM (VIC) Suzuki GSX-R 1:39.467
  25. Will DAVIDSON (NSW) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:39.819

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News

Mike Jones on his hopes for season 2019

Leave a comment

Mike Jones talks 2019 with MCNews.com.au

Mike Jones, 2015 Australian Superbike Champion, has been a familiar face at previous pre-season tests in the past few years before venturing overseas.

This year he was again in attendance at the recent ASBK Test session at Phillip Island, onboard a Kawasaki ZX-10R on loan from Matt Harding.

Jones has committed to doing the opening round of the ASBK at Phillip Island but, unlike the last three years, has no immediate plans beyond that in regards to where he will be racing for season 2019.

We caught up with him over the weekend for a brief chat.

Mike Jones Interview
Phillip Island, Official ASBK Test 2019

MCNews: First up what were you doing here?

Mike Jones: I’m having a ride around, I’m doing the ASBK test here in preparation for Round 1 of the ASBK. That’s the plan at the moment.

ASBK TBG FebTest PI Mike Jones TBG
Mike Jones at Phillip Island in 2018 – Image by TBG Sport

MCNews: So what happens after Round 1 in two weeks time?

Mike Jones: Not too sure, haven’t got anything solid yet, I’m still looking at options overseas as I don’t currently have anything right now. So that’s the position I’m in.

MCNews: You’ve been pretty up and down since you won the championship in 2015.

Mike Jones: I won the Australian Championship 2015 then raced for Desmosport Ducati 2016, and that was a tough year. The Ducati was new to the whole team so we had, I spose you’d say, teething problems. That made things quite tough, but we showed some potential there on the Ducati and Troy helped me get a ride with the Aruba.it Ducati team in the European Superstock 1000 Championship in 2017, I had a reasonable year there. For a year racing in Europe, I was fifth overall in the Championship, which was a pretty solid overall effort.

Mike Jones
Mike Jones in the FIM Stock 1000 Championship in 2017

“Then with the Superstock 1000 championship being discontinued it meant I was looking for a ride elsewhere, so then I changed completely to a different manufacturer, different tyre, different team, different tracks, so everything was brand new again, and I still finished fourth overall in the Spanish Championship. So while it may seem up and down, it’s still been progressing upwards in my opinion, and I feel like I’ve been showing some strong results over there, on the podium in Europe and Spain, that for me has been pretty good.

RFME Spanish Speed Championship Rnd Aragon Mike Jones A

“Right at the moment I’ve come to a point where, it seems like a lot of the teams are really struggling for budget and asking the riders for budget, so trying to get the budget together is the most difficult thing right now. Especially because I’ve been in the position where I haven’t really had to bring budget to a team, so I’m not really prepared for that.”

MCNews: So the first question they ask is how much money have you got?

Mike Jones: “And my answer is I have nothing, as I’ve been paid enough to live, but not enough to go racing with your team.”

MotoGP Phillip Island Mike Jones GP AN
Mike Jones at the 2018 Australian MotoGP round – Image by AJRN

MCNews: Is it looking more and more that you’re going to be doing ASBK?

Mike Jones: “Yeah, it seems that way right at the moment. Racing in the Australian Superbike Championship, but I’m still looking and trying to race overseas.”

MCNews: Where’s the strongest option at the moment?

Mike Jones: “Probably Asia at the moment, I’m looking in Asia and it might be possible, there’s possibly something there.

ASBK Testing SB Phillip Island Rob Mott Mike JONES
Mike Jones at the Phillip Island Official ASBK Test – Image by Rob Mott

McNews: And what about the two days here?

Mike Jones: “I had a good weekend, we’re riding KNR Hydraulics Kawasaki, one of Matt Harding’s bikes, so it’s a first time for me today on that bike, and we tried a bunch of different stuff for geomoetry and suspension, a few small electronic changes, but we made progress all day. I started to get comfortable on the bike, so it’s been a really good first day and I feel like if we continue on this path, with the progress we’re making, there shouldn’t be any reason I can’t be competitive at the first round here.”

MCNews: All the best in whatever you do mate, it would be good to see you mixing it up down here.

MJ: “You never know!”

The first round of the Australian Superbike Championship will be held alongside the opening round of the Superbike World Championship at Phillip Island 22-24 February.

Kawasaki Superbike – Phillip Island Test – Merged classification
  1. Wayne MAXWELL (VIC) Suzuki GSX-R EL R 1:32.312
  2. Aiden WAGNER (QLD) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:32.451
  3. Troy BAYLISS (QLD) Ducati Panigale FE 1:32.631
  4. Josh WATERS (VIC) Suzuki GSX-R EL R 1:32.676
  5. Daniel FALZON (SA) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:32.784
  6. Troy HERFOSS (QLD) Honda CBR RR SP 1:32.984
  7. Bryan STARING (WA) Kawasaki ZX10RR 1:33.181
  8. Cru HALLIDAY (NSW) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:33.211
  9. Glenn ALLERTON (NSW) BMW S RR 1:33.614
  10. Mike JONES (QLD) Kawasaki ZX10RR 1:33.786
  11. Mark CHIODO (VIC) Honda CBR RR SP 1:33.934
  12. Arthur SISSIS (SA) Suzuki GSXR RL7 1:34.018
  13. Max CROKER (NSW) Suzuki GSX-R 1:34.171
  14. Sloan FROST (VIC) Suzuki GSX-R 1:34.427
  15. Ted COLLINS (VIC) BMW S RR 1:34.494
  16. Alex PHILLIS (VIC) Suzuki GSXR 1:34.536
  17. Lachlan EPIS (NSW) Kawasaki ZX10RR 1:34.735
  18. Glenn SCOTT (NSW) Kawasaki ZX10RR 1:35.128
  19. Ryan YANKO (QLD) Ducati 1299 1:36.468
  20. Phil CZAJ (VIC) Aprilia RSV4 RFW 1:36.617
  21. Patrick LI (VIC) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:37.891
  22. Heath GRIFFIN (NSW) Suzuki GSX-R 1:39.054
  23. Murray CLARK (QLD) BMW S RR 1:39.123
  24. Scott TUDDENHAM (VIC) Suzuki GSX-R 1:39.467
  25. Will DAVIDSON (NSW) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:39.819

Source: MCNews.com.au