Morgan Park double for Maxwell to pull 11-points back on Jones

ASBK 2022 – Round Five
Morgan Park – Superbike Race Two Report

It was a brutal opening 16-lap encounter this morning that saw Wayne Maxwell reduce Mike Jones’ championship lead to 34-points. Maxwell took a point for pole yesterday, and five more points than Jones this morning with his race one victory.

The key to that victory was a great start and fast opening laps by the defending champion, while Jones was caught up behind his team-mate Halliday for way too long. Jones almost got the better of Maxwell on the final lap, after chasing him down, but Maxwell held on.

Herfoss had rounded out that race one podium, but was eight-seconds behind the leading duo. He didn’t look comfortable on the bike and was completely shattered after the race. This place is real hard work on a Superbike even when not trying to compensate for deficiencies stemming from earlier accidents that really hurt him through all the left-hand sequences here. Herf’ made no secret about just how hard it had been and how much he wanted the laps to run out. That said, he was on the podium and only half-a-second a lap over race distance behind Maxwell and Jones…

Cru Halliday had good early pace only for a mistake at half race distance to prove costly. That fall cost him more than 30-seconds but he recovered to still bag decent points.

Broc Pearson came from quite a long way behind DesmoSport Ducati team-mate Bryan Staring in the opening stanza to close him down, pass him and then pull out 2.5-seconds on his vastly experienced team-mate. That was some statement by the 21-year-old Supersport champ and will have him absolutely fizzing ahead of this next 16-lap encounter. On the other hand, Staring will be looking to find more pace to try and challenge for a podium, he didn’t look too comfortable over the bumps out there and certainly didn’t show his best. 

Glenn Allerton was the highest finishing BMW ahead of a fast-starting Lachlan Epis, but it was Epis that held the early race lead before making a mistake that saw him run off the circuit and lose a huge amount of time. Epis though had lapped three-tenths faster than Allerton during the race and will be hoping for a mistake free race in this one. 

Epis is of the opinion he got punted by Maxwell in the opening race. In reality he left the door wide open, Maxwell slotted through it. Epis then didn’t correct his inputs to allow for what was always going to happen once he opened the door wide enough for half the field to ride through, and as a result ran off the circuit. That was down to him. 

Arthur Sissis didn’t manage one of his trademark hole-shots this morning so will be out to make amends for that while Jed Metcher will be looking for more speed.  The fastest laps of Sissis and Metcher were not far off, but over the full 16-lap race distance is where they were suffered. 

And the lights go out!

Mike Jones took the lead ahead of Maxwell and Staring in turn one, this time around the championship leader has got the start he wanted, what can he do from here…? Epis fourth, Halliday fifth, Herfoss sixth, Pearson seventh, Sissis eighth, Allerton ninth. 

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A 1m17.747 from a standing start for Jones, that was faster than four riders had managed on a flying lap during qualifying… 

Maxwell was sticking with Jones and Staring was looking a lot more comfortable this time around.  That top three were already breaking away.  Maxwell looked quite comfortable behind Jones and in no rush to try and get back past him, content to conserve his rubber…If not careful though Staring would plonk his DesmoSport Ducati between them and that might force his hand…

Troy Herfoss had got the better of Epis after putting in a stunning 1m12.771, just outside his own lap record and more than half-a-second quicker than anyone else on track across that fourth lap. His streak of pace continued on the next lap, quicker again next time around and in no time he was all over the back of Staring and ready to challenge for third… The Penrite Honda man had put in a soft rear for this one as a bit of a gamble as the track temperature dropped away. 

Broc Pearson had also got past Epis and was now up to fifth and running a pace that matched the front runners, however, by now he was already 2.5-seconds behind the race leader.

Maxwell made his move on Jones at the end of the main straight with ten laps to go. Two turns later Herfoss relegated Staring to fourth. Game on!  Another few turns in and Herfoss was up to second after passing Jones! Herfoss was now being slowed by Maxwell, his next lap nine-tenths slower than his previous as he maintained station behind the Boost Mobile Ducati. 

As the pace slowed a little up front, Pearson started closing on that leading quartet… He was now only a second behind DesmoSport Ducati team-mate… 

Troy Herfoss took the lead with seven laps to go. Mike Jones then pushed Maxwell further back to third.  Then Jones through to the lead at the chicane. Pearson was now only bike lengths behind and looked set to join the battle up front in the closing laps…

Jones then started to eke out a small lead. Maxwell back up to second but Jones had now dropped into the 12s for the first time, a 1m12.891 to stretch his lead out to almost a full-second. 

Maxwell managed to pull a couple of tenths back on Jones the next time around to stay in the game for a potential win. Herfoss was still third but was now more than a second behind Maxwell and was starting to closed down by Staring and Pearson, his soft rear now far past its best and now a hindrance rather than the help it had been earlier on. 

Maxwell continued to reel in Jones, the gap down to three-tenths with three laps to go.  Staring and Pearson then pushed Herfoss back to fifth, but the Penrite Honda man had more ten-seconds in hand over sixth placed Cru Halliday. 

Two laps to run and Maxwell was all over the back of Jones, while three-seconds further back Pearson was looking for a way past Staring to secure a foot on the podium. 

Last lap board and Maxwell right on the ducktail of the YRT machine… Maxwell has a go in to the tight right after the bridge but has to pull out of it….  Through the back section Maxwell lined him up and made a pass, that pushed Jones off line a little and over some big bumps that put him out of the seat and that meant Maxwell takes the win and the perfect round score, pole position and two race wins to put himself well and truly back in the championship hunt. 

That’s huge for the championship and I have to say, quite unexpected here at Morgan Park.

Broc Pearson chased Bryan Staring home and if it was not his team-mate, the youngster might have forced the issue further in order to score a podium, but did not want to do anything stupid and followed Staring home to the flag. A stunning debut for the Supersport champ on the Ducati, it really looked as though his long and lanky frame might have been an advantage here in manhandling the Ducati around this circuit. 

Troy Herfoss took the flag in fifth, five-seconds behind the DesmoSport Ducati duo, but seven-seconds ahead of Halliday, the YRT #65 just holding off Allerton to the line by a hundredth of a second.  This track really not suiting Herfoss as its continuous series of right-handers really hampers him due to the hip injuries he suffered last year in Darwin. Herf’ is probably looking forward to Phillip Island more than he ever has before… 

Anthony West doing much better in this one to come home eighth ahead of Arthurs Sissis while Jed Metcher rounded out the top ten ahead of Lachlan Epis and Max Stauffer. 

That’s a big round for Wayne Maxwell and the Boost Mobile Ducati crew, especially after almost zero testing laps here. The gap to Jones now narrowed down to 29-points… 

Many were saying the championship was Mike’s to lose… But now it is much more wide open and the remaining tracks on the calendar one would expect to be more favourable to the Ducati. If he finishes second to Maxwell in every race left this season Jones will still be champ, but now there is far less room for safety if their is any sort of hiccup in his campaign.

The same of course goes for Maxwell, who can afford not even the slightest mistake if he is to go into the final race of the season with a real chance of retaining his title. But there is a fair amount of time and racing between then and now. ASBK does not reconvene until November, in conjunction with the WorldSBK Championship round at Phillip Island, followed by the championship finale in South Australia the following weekend. 

The MotoGP support races at Phillip Island in October are non-points scoring rounds that are not part of the Australian Superbike Championship, but will be an important and high profile test bed ahead of the penultimate ASBK round the following month.  But it is also, of course, a potential injury risk should things go wrong, so there is also that gamble too… 

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