Supersport 300 – YMF R3 Cup
Technical checks and compliance
After a very successful weekend for Liam Waters at Morgan Park across the Supersport 300 and YMF R3 Cup categories, the YZF-R3 ridden by Liam subsequently failed post race technical checks.
As a consequence Liam loses all points for the round across both classes, and as the engine was sealed back in March at Phillip Island, and the seals were deemed to be still intact, Liam is also docked points from all the rounds since the season opener.
This is not the first time this has happened recently, as we covered back in March, when two riders were found to be on non-compliant machines and also lost their points. In that case they were found to be running larger throttle bodies than standard, something that takes very little investigation to uncover. We also detailed back then how easy it is to obtain larger throttle bodies, big-bore kits, ceramic gearbox bearings etc. for the YZF-R3. With such well established supply chains already in place, it is easy to see that this has been going on for some time. But cheating the rules has been going on since racing started over 100 years ago, in some eras it was largely seen as just part of the game.
In this latest case it was not something quite so externally obvious as larger throttle bodies, but instead a slotted camshaft sprocket to change the timing and potentially increase performance.
In low powered classes such as these any tiny gain made in mid-range torque can be of much more benefit than a slight increase in top end horsepower, it is the squirt off the turn where any marginal gains can prove highly beneficial. Thus just looking at top speeds through the traps is not a great indication as to the comparable eligibility of the machines, it is but just one indicator, and one that will be more indicative at some tracks than others.
In the case of the Waters family, we again have a case where the parents of a young rider have purchased a previously raced machine from a previous competitor in the class. Then claim they have no knowledge of the modifications, and has said to have been assured the machine was fully compliant and within the technical regulations by the seller.
If being harsh one would say, ‘well they would say that’, and while that might be the case, we choose to take them at their word. But, it doesn’t change the outcome…
There could be many other competitors perhaps unknowingly in the same boat, and most would have had their engines sealed at some point this season, despite them not being examined for compliance. Thus they are caught between a rock and a hard place, as to inspect the machines themselves, or to get a qualified third party to do so, the engine must be inspected in the presence and supervision of a nominated Motorcycling Australia tech official, and if found non-compliant, they will be subject to penalties.
If some amnesty was put in place to allow people to present their machines for inspection as to eligibility, free from penalty, well then that is not only unfair to those that have been penalised, but more importantly, very unfair to those that have been competing on fully compliant machines.
The lesson to be learned here from the unfortunate experiences of others, is that if you buy a previously raced motorcycle, no matter how many assurances are provided by the seller, the onus is on you to either inspect the machine fully yourself in regards to compliance, or if not having the requisite skills to do that yourself, pay a reputable third party engine builder to thoroughly check the machine for compliance.
MCNews.com.au applauds all efforts by Motorcycling Australia to help uphold the integrity of the sport across all categories and disciplines of racing. Some within the organisation are no doubt against the policing of the classes, because of the furore it can bring upon the sport and difficulties it presents to the controlling body, along with added costs, not only to M.A., but also to the riders and teams, but we hope they stay the course and continue to police these issues.
Below is a public statement released by the Waters family. We hope to see them back in the ASBK paddock soon.
Following is a statement by Damian Waters
I would just like to address the circumstances surrounding the recent disqualification of Liam’s bike for breaches of the MA technical rules. This relates to a modified inlet cam sprocket being fitted to the engine that had the potential to give increased horsepower.
Firstly I would like to thank all our friends, supporters and well wishers as well as MA for their understanding during this situation. Understandably Liam is devastated at what has occurred. At no point do we condone any cheating and we support the verdict arrived at by MA and will not contest the penalties applied as it is pretty self evident.
I personally have a lot of frustration and anger about the sequence of events that led to us being in this position. Liam and his team have never supported any cheating or attempted to make any modifications to achieve that result. Compared to previous seasons the closeness of the results and the battles on track at Morgan Park and the other rounds have shown the improved parity of the bikes in 2022. No bikes streaking off to win by huge margins. Anyone who saw the racing at Morgan Park would know that Liam rode his arse off along with the other riders who took the podium positions in what were very exciting and closely contested battles. The computime records reflect that Liam’s bike was nowhere near being the fastest out there and being one of the lightest riders in the paddock plus with this supposed additional horsepower he should have strode away from every other rider and that simply did not occur.
To give some background to those who do not know Liam or our team, we have only been racing a few years and are relative newcomers to the racing scene. However I believe during that time we have shown ourselves to be both fair and enthusiastic ambassadors for the sport. We are a simple father and son team like so many others.
This is an expensive sport and we are not in the financial position to build and develop a bike. The most cost effective solution for us to give Liam a competitive chance to show his developing skills was to buy a competitive bike from the previous season and basically run what we brung. We saw such a bike available December of 2021 and had assurances from the sellers that the bike was totally within the rules and had been built to pass any inspection.
In retrospect it may have been naive to have taken their word for it but that is what we did and I had no reason to doubt that. I have those very same assurances in writing. I relayed to them under no circumstances did I ever want a situation whereby Liam would ever be put in a position where he would be publicly humiliated by being branded a cheater and having to hand back trophies and points.
And yet here we are. Basically our worst nightmare and it happened because we trusted people at their word. As a father I am devastated by what has happened and can only apologise to Liam for turning what was one of the best days in his life into one of the worst. I also apologise to anyone else who may feel we have let them down.
We collected the now disqualified bike at PI at the beginning of the 2022 season and it was sealed by MA at that time as well as still carrying the seal from the previous season. It went straight on the track and the engine has not been opened or touched a single time during the race season apart from oil and filter changes. So any modifications have been made prior to our ownership. The only modification we have done to the bike apart from crash repairs to fairings, rearsets etc was to change out the rear shock.
At this stage we don’t have the funds to build another engine to compete in the last 2 rounds. So if we do not end up attending then rest assured it won’t because we are ashamed and are running away with our tails between our legs. Whatever people wish to believe we know ourselves that we acted with the best of intentions and simply got caught up in the fallout from someone else’s actions.
Regardless, whatever happens from here on we will never be able to recoup the expenses and fix the damage that has been done to our reputation. So we have been left no choice but to just suck it up and move on. If Liam decides he wants to continue racing then I will support him as best I can but after this episode my heart most certainly isn’t in it. If he decides otherwise then I am more than happy to keep all that money in the bank. Again, thanks to all those wonderful people who have sent messages of support. I also understand why some others have wanted to distance themselves from us after what has just transpired. It is through hardships like this that true friends are revealed. Liam is an innocent party to all this and if anyone still feels the need to take it out on our team then please direct it solely at myself.
Damian Waters
