Wayne Maxwell wins Winton ASBK Superbike opener

2019 Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championship

Winton – Round 5 – Sunday 

Kawasaki Superbike Race One

Mike Jones put down the fastest ever lap around Winton by a motorcycle to secure pole position on Saturday afternoon to claim what could prove to be a vital championship point if this series goes down to the wire. After this fifth round at Winton the series moves to Phillip Island for the penultimate contest in early October, before the championship decider at Sydney Motorsports Park over the first weekend in November.

Wayne Maxwell and Cru Halliday have showed good form all weekend and complete the front row. Daniel Falzon headed the second row alongside Mark Chiodo and Josh Waters.

Herfoss went down the road twice on Saturday. The second fall was due to a problem with a replaced brake master cylinder/lever that saw the defending ASBK Superbike Champion left with no front brake as he hurtled towards turn ten.

A scary incident for Herfoss and one that cost him dearly, leaving him way down the grid in 12th place. The Penrite Honda man had a successful morning warm-up that buoyed his spirits ahead of today’s 16-lap Superbike opener.

As the riders formed up on the grid they were on a track that for the first time all weekend actually had a ‘little’ bit of temperature in it.

Wayne Maxwell got a great run off the line but a wheelie cost him a little and allowed Mike Jones to take the lead into the esses for the first time. Arthur Sissis, as always, got a brilliant start to fire through to third place ahead of Falzon and a determined looking Bryan Staring.

Cru Halliday had not started well but early on lap two he was on the back of Falzon and looking to challenge for fourth place. Herfoss was now up to eighth place.

Halliday took fourth place from Falzon early on lap three and set out after Sissis who had maintained that third place over the opening few laps.

Maxwell set a new race lap record on lap two, a 1m20.221s besting the 1m20.365s set by Jones on the same lap. The pace was not maintained on lap three and the gap between the pair was just under half-a-second with 13 laps to run. 

Maxwell made his move into the esses over the back of the circuit early on lap four. Jones returned serve later on that lap to regain the lead.

Mark Chiodo had a tumble at turn nine.

Wayne Maxwell again made a move at the back esses to take the lead once more. Jones has so much more drive onto the main straight but the Suzuki comes on strong in the top end and Maxwell squeezed Jones a little before they tipped into turn one with ten laps to run to maintain the race lead. Jones also seemed to display an advantage on the entry in to the final double right-hander every lap, a fact that he might try to keep hidden from Maxwell until that final run to the chequered flag….

Troy Herfoss had moved up to fourth place and with nine laps to run was now all over the back of Cru Halliday. 

Mike Jones took the lead into turn one as the race broached the halfway mark. Maxwell tried to follow Jones into the final complex of turns and went in way too deep, again highlighting the advantage Jones has in that final sector of the circuit. Maxwell gathered it up but lost a couple of tenths in the process. The Suzuki man then clawed that ground back over the course of the following lap.

Maxwell took the lead yet again on the entry to the esses over the back of the circuit, forcing Jones to sit the Ducati up a little as Maxwell gets in up the inside before they drop the bikes on to the right-hand side of the tyre.  

Troy Herfoss moved up to third place with four laps to run but the Yamaha man was not going to give up easily.

Maxwell dropped in a 1m20.633s lap to eke away from Jones on that lap. With three laps to run Maxwell now had a full-second advantage over Jones. The Ducati man had run out of grip in the closing stages of the race. 

Maxwell’s advantage at the last lap board had gone out to 1.5-seconds and the Suzuki man had the clear advantage and Jones would have to settle for second place.

Troy Herfoss managed to break away from Halliday to secure the final step on the rostrum in a great ride from 12th on the grid. 

Kawasaki Superbike Race One Results

Kawasaki Superbike Championship Points

Motorsports TV Supersport Race One

Reid Battye led the field through the esses as the opening Supersport bout got underway but poleman Tom Toparis squeezed underneath him at the apex of the exit of the esses, that forced Battye a little wide off the racing line. The Suzuki man held the throttle on but his trajectory took him out to a dirtier part of the circuit where his rear tyre then slid luridly and catapulted Battye over the bars in an old-fashioned high-side, his GSX-R600 tumbling behind him. The stricken bike then caused a chain reaction which skittled yet more riders and bikes, leaving what used to be the old Winton start-finish line resembling a war zone that had just been smashed with incendiaries!

Amazingly all the riders were up and okay, a lucky escape from what could have been a truly nasty state of affairs. Nic Liminton copped the brunt of it and did not make the re-start, nor did Battye.

At the re-start it was Toparis that led the field away as Broc Pearson, Ty Lynch and Oli Bayliss gave chase.

Toparis’ confidence on the cool track and cool tyres was clear from the off. Through the tight back section of the track his pursuers looked a little on tenterhooks but Toparis just pitched the bike on its side and the difference was telling.

Oli Bayliss looked to have more faith in his front tyre than Broc Pearson and squeezed through to take second place late on the second lap.

Bayliss streaked away from Pearson and over the course of the third lap pulled back more than half-a-second on Toparis. An awesome 1m23.602s more than a full-second quicker than his qualifying lap, and only a tenth off Toparis’ pole lap. Just when it looked as though he was going to really cause Toparis some problems the fire looked to go out on the Cube Racing YZF-R6. While negotiating the esses, and now almost within lunging distance of Toparis, Bayliss pulled off the racing line with machinery problems. The youngster understandably distraught at his fate but he is a resilient character and when it comes to racing the 16-year-old is already a very much focused racer and will be buoyed with his improved pace and hot to trot for the second Supersport race later in the day.

The early exit of Bayliss robbed us of what looked as though it would be a great battle and Toparis could then simply cruise to victory without having to take any risks.

Broc Pearson a clear second place and benefitting greatly from the absence of Bayliss, Liminton and Battye as that quartet are battling for second place in the Supersport category. A 20-point score for Pearson while Bayliss, Liminton and Battye take no score enough to propel Pearson up to second place in the championship with an eight-point buffer over Liminton.

Ty Lynch took the final spot on the rostrum with a handy advantage over Dallas Skeer who took fourth place by a nose over Aidan Hayes. Avalon Biddle was a somewhat lonely sixth ahead of Chris Quinn and Jack Passfield.

Motorsports TV Supersport Race One Results

Motorsports TV Supersport Championship Points

YMF R3 Cup Race Two

Hunter Ford capitalised on his pole position to lead the field away but Max Stauffer quickly moved into the lead but early on lap to Hunter Ford and Luke Johnston pushed Stauffer back to third place. In that early leading group was also Brandon Demmery, Locky Taylor and Zac Levy.

The tussle between those six riders continued through the race and it was Hunter Ford that took the victory by a nose over Max Stauffer with Brandon Demmery completing the podium a few bike lengths behind that duo.

YMF R3 Cup Race Two Results

YMF R3 Cup Points

YMI Supersport 300 Race Two

Yannis Shaw was the early race leader ahead of Max Stauffer and Seth Crump. Crump gazumped Stauffer to move up to second place and on the second lap pushed past Shaw to take the race lead on the KTM. 

Shaw took the race lead back with six laps to run and Hunter Ford then pushed Crump further back to third. Ford then took the race lead with five laps to run. Brandon Demmery had been marching his way through the field and by half-race distance had tagged on to the back of that leading group. 

It was a great tussle all the way to the line but it was the Bridgestone shod 400 Kawasaki ridden by Yannis Shaw that got to the chequered flag first while Hunter Ford pipped Brandom Demmery out of second place by a nose at the line.

YMI Supersport 300 Race Two Results

bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup Race Two 

Angus Grenfell was off like a scalded cat and quickly streaked away to a handy lead over Archie McDonald. Left to tussle over the remaining step on the rostrum was Tom Drane, Glenn Nelson, Carter Thompson and Marianos Nikolis.

With three laps to go McDonald looked to have thought his second position was a little too safe and was closed down by the pursuing pack. Drane was through to second place with a lap and a half to run and adding further insult were Glenn Nelson and Jacob Roulstone who also pushed past McDonald on the final lap.

Grenfell a clear and undisputed victory by four-seconds while Tom Drane was the best of the rest in second while Glenn Nelson rounded out the podium.

bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup Race Two Results

Sidecar Race Three Results 

2019 Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championships Calendar

• Round 6: Phillip Island GP Circuit, VIC – 4-6 October 2019
• Round 7: Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW – 1-3 November 2019

Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championship Standings