Tom Toparis dominates ASBK Supersport season opener

2019 ASBK
Round One – Phillip Island
Supersport Race One


The opening Supersport race of ASBK 2019 got underway at 0900 this morning under clear skies at Phillip Island in front of a building crowd. Goulburn teenager Tom Toparis had looked the man to beat all weekend and the Yamaha rider got away to an early break while Oli Bayliss, Callum Spriggs and Nic Liminton gave chase.

WSBK Round Phillip Island SS Saturday Rob Mott Tom Toparis
Tom Toparis – Image Rob Mott

Bayliss the new debutante in the class after moving up from Supersport 300 under the new rule that allows suitably proven 15-year-olds to now step up to the vastly different Supersport 600 Championship. Bayliss has Glen Richards in his corner for his first season in the category, the well-known South Australian back from crew chief duties in British Superbike and a lengthy career within the ranks of BSB in various roles. A busy testing schedule leading up to the season has seen young Oli well-prepared for his step up to the heavier and faster category of racing.

WSBK Round Phillip Island SS Saturday Rob Mott Nic Liminton
Oli Bayliss, Nic Liminton – Image Rob Mott

Out front Toparis was streeting the field though, pulling away by more than a second a lap and clearly in a race of his own.

WSBK Round Phillip Island SS Saturday Rob Mott Tom Toparis last corner
Tom Toparis – Image Rob Mott

Behind him Nic Liminton had eased his way past Bayliss but could not break away. The pair traded places over the opening few laps while Callum Spriggs and Ty Lynch kept in touch with them. A couple of second behind that quartet a battle for sixth place was unfolding between Broc Pearson, Jack Passfield and Aidan Hayes.

WSBK TBG WSBKPI PI Nic Liminton Oli Bayliss Calum Spriggs TBG
Nic Liminton, Oli Bayliss and Callum Spriggs – TBG Image

In the closing stages of the race Liminton finally managed to break clear of Bayliss, leaving his younger foe to fight for the final step on the rostrum with Callum Spriggs and at the flag it was the more experienced of the two that got that podium position by a nose, the difference only three-thousandth-of-a-second at the line.

Toparis had backed off in the closing laps but still took victory by more than five-seconds, his pace though was good enough for that to be ten-seconds should he wished to have pushed all the way to the chequered flag.

WSBK Round Phillip Island SS Saturday Rob Mott Tom Toparis Parc
Tom Toparis – Image Rob Mott

Nic Liminton second from Callum Spriggs with Oli Bayliss just missing out on a podium in his Supersport debut. Broc Pearson, Ty Lynch, Aidan Hayes and Jack Passfield rounded out an all Yamaha top eight ahead of Sam Lambert on an MV Agusta while Reid Battye rounded out the top ten on a Suzuki.

WSBK TBG WSBKPI PI SS Race Podium TBG
SBK Supersport 600 Race One Results
Tom Toparis – Yamaha
Nic Liminton – Yamaha +5.495
Callum Spriggs – Yamaha +7.786 – Image TBG

ASBK Supersport 600 Race One Results

  1. Tom Toparis – Yamaha
  2. Nic Liminton – Yamaha +5.495
  3. Callum Spriggs – Yamaha +7.786
  4. Oli Bayliss – Yamaha +7.789
  5. Broc Pearson – Yamaha +8.749
  6. Ty Lynch – Yamaha +9.672
  7. Aidan Hayes – Yamaha +9.692
  8. Jack Passfield – Yamaha +9.869
  9. Sam Lambert – MV Agusta +15.373
  10. Reid Battye – Suzuki +18.363
  11. Dylan Whiteside – Yamaha +24.138
  12. Scott Nicholson – Suzuki +29.365
  13. Rhys Belling – Yamaha +29.367
  14. Chris Quinn – Yamaha +29.605
  15. Luke Mitchell – Yamaha +39.079
  16. John Quinn – Triumph +39.106
  17. Luke Sanders – Yamaha +51.992
  18. Andrew Edser – Kawasaki +52.157
  19. Matt Cranmer – Honda +52.437
  20. Dan Leonard – Yamaha +60.466
WSBK Round Phillip Island SS Saturday Rob Mott Parc
ASBK Supersport 600 Race One Results
Tom Toparis – Yamaha
Nic Liminton – Yamaha +5.495
Callum Spriggs – Yamaha +7.786 – Image Rob Mott

Source: MCNews.com.au

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