Mike Jones takes pole at Morgan Park with lap record

2019 ASBK
Round Four – Morgan Park

Images by TBG and Rob Mott

Wayne Maxwell was quickest on Friday at Morgan Park and was again atop the timesheets after Saturday mornings ‘Timed Practice’ session.

Under a new qualifying format for ASBK this season the Saturday morning session is dubbed ‘Timed Practice’, and it is the times from this session that decided the nine riders that automatically qualify for the Q2 session.

The riders from tenth back in the Timed Practice session had to fight it out in a Q1 session, with the top three in that session then being promoted into Q2, making for a final 12-rider tussle over the first four rows of the grid that which took place this afternoon at Morgan Park.

Some of those riders that had missed the cut for guaranteed promotion through to Q2 included Mark Chiodo and Alex Phillis who just missed the cut. Arthur Sissis, Damon Rees, Lachlan Epis and Brian Houghton were the other riders that made up the six riders to battle it out in Q1 to see which three of them would then get to take part in the Q2 session. With yesterday’s accident ruling Glenn Scott out of proceedings we were down to only 15 Superbike riders.

Mark Chiodo, Alex Phillis and Arthur Sissis were the trio that proved quick enough in Q1 to earn their promotion through to the Q2 session.

The big surprise in the morning practice session had come via the pace of Aaron Morris. Standing in for the injured Glenn Allerton, Morris was third quickest this morning, just behind Cru Halliday and outright pace-setter Wayne Maxwell.

Mike Jones though was the first to dip into the 1m12s this weekend when he smashed out a 1m12.958s lap early in the session.

Daniel Falzon had done few laps in the morning practice session, as he saved his tyre for this Q2 session. The young South Australian’s tactics looked to have paid off as with four-minutes remaining in Q2 he was, provisionally, on the front row.

Cru Halliday though then dropped in a 1m13.13s lap to push Falzon off the front row, and Maxwell back to P3. On the following lap Halliday then went one better on the next lap to put the YRT machine on pole.  Mike Jones had just bettered his own time down to 1m12.92 but seconds later Halliday demoted him to P2 after recording a 1m12.855s.

Jones though was not to be out-done, coming straight back at Halliday with a 1m12.609s to set a new Morgan Park Superbike lap record.

Championship leader Troy Herfoss had been nowhere for much of the session but timed his run well in the end to secure P4 on the grid in the dying moments of the session. Bryan Staring and Daniel Falzon complete that second row.

Josh Waters heads row three alongside Aaron Morris and Matt Walters while Mark Chiodo rounds out the top ten.

Superbike Qualifying Results

Supersport Qualifying

Tom Toparis had looked unbeatable this weekend but late in the final qualifying session young South Australian Nic Liminton set fire to that theory after dropping in a 1m15.176 to steal pole positon. Still half-a-second off Cru Halliday’s stunning 1m14.609s lap record from last year, but good enough to top the time-sheets today.

Toparis was second quickest ahead of Reid Battye, Callum Spriggs with Oli Bayliss the only other rider in the 1m15s. Bayliss crashed his #1 bike in the opening session and was forced to qualify on his spare machine.

Corey Turner will round out that second row while Broc Pearson heads row three ahead of Chris Quinn and Dallas Skeer.

Supersport Qualifying Results

Supersport 300 Qualifying

Senna Agius took pole position in the YMI Australian Supersport 300 class by a country mile this afternoon at Morgan Park.

Kawasaki 400 mounted Agius dropped in a 1m22.959 to best the field by almost a full-second ahead of Yamaha YZF-R3 pilots John Lytras and Zac Levy.

Supersport 300 Qualifying Results

Supersport 300 Race One

Senna Agius capitalised on his pole position to lead the field away with John Lytras giving chase. That pair quickly broke away from the field.

Callum O’Brien went down at turn four on the opening lap while Harrison Voight retired to pit-lane early in the race.

Agius eventually broke away from Lytras and by half-race distance the Kawasaki 400 rider had a solid buffer over the Yamaha YZF-R3 competitors that were giving chase.

The most formidable of those in this race was Lytras, but even he had no answer for Agius this afternoon, and was left to watch the Kawasaki romp away to a convincing six-second win. Agius and Lytras now on 154-points apiece and equal third in the championship.

Hunter Ford rounded out the podium ahead of Harry Khouri.

Championship leader Max Stauffer came home fifth after winning a battle to the line with Zac Levy and Brandon Demmery.

Supersport 300 Race One Results

Superbike Masters Qualifying

Veteran road race John Allen showed that age had not wearied his competitive bug as he piloted a TZ750 Yamaha around Morgan Park to a best of 1m20.893s.

It was not quite enough for pole though as Allen was bettered in the final moments of qualifying by young Alex Pickett on an FZR1000.

Superbike Masters Qualifying Results

Superbike Masters Race One

Alex Pickett streaked away from pole position as John Allen gave chase. Darren Lark took a tumble at turn four on the opening lap, while Gregory James fell at the same corner on lap two, both riders were unhurt.

The wily old fox that is John Allen got that TZ750 well and truly wound up on lap two to get the better of Alex Pickett. Allen picked up his pace further on the next circuit with his first 1m19s lap of the weekend, a 1m19.677s.

Pickett had no answer for the speed of Allen and was left to ride a somewhat lonely race to second place while Murray Clark had a similarly solo run on his way to third.

YMF R3 Cup Qualifying

John Lytras topped YMF R3 Cup qualifying ahead of Hunter Ford, Max Stauffer, Harry Khouri and Brandon Demmery.

The QP2 session saw quite a few fallers.  Ben Baker crashed heavily at turn 12, Travis Hall had a tumble at turn six and Hunter Diplock went down at turn three.

YMF R3 Cup Qualifying Results

YMF R3 Cup Race One

It was an exciting tussle for the lead throughout the eight-lap YMF R3 Cup bout late on Saturday afternoon at Morgan Park.

John Lytras had his nose in front for much of the race but it was only every by a nose. Hunter and Harry Khouri were withing touching distance for the first half of the race while Max Stauffer and Brandon Demmery chased them from a few bike lengths behind.

Hunter Ford took charge up front as the race entered its second half but then as they started the last lap the order was shaken up with Lytras back in front and being chased hard by Zac Levy. This pair actually managed to break away from Ford a little on the final lap and at the chequered flag it was Levy from Lytras by 0.014 of a second, with Ford rounding out the podium ahead of a fast finishing Brandon Demmery and Harry Khouri.

YMF R3 Cup Race One Results

bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup Race One Results

bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup Qualifying Results

BODY

Standings to be updated (TBC)