Slip slidin away… Recapping Superbike race two from a damp SMP

ASBK 2024
Round Two – Sydney Motorsport Park
Australian Superbike Race Two

Cru Halliday chased down the McMartin Ducati duo in the shortened opening bout to take a redoubtable victory ahead of Josh Waters and Harrison Voight. Mike Jones also showed strong late race pace, and if the contest had been run over the full scheduled 13-laps, it could well have been a YRT 1-2. The top four’s fastest laps were all around 1m29.4 to 1m29.5; however, it was Halliday who recorded the fastest lap of the race, a 1m29.453 on lap two.

16-year-old Cam Dunker rode a brilliant race that included a brave turn one pass on Broc Pearson and enough consistency throughout the contest to keep Pearson and Bryan Staring at bay and claim fifth place. Dunker and Pearson both dipped into the 29s during the race, crossing the line less than eight-seconds behind the race winner at the end of the ten-lap distance.

Troy Herfoss missed the opening bout after a fall in warm-up led to a gremlin in the DesmoSport Ducati that was only discovered when he took the grid for race one. The team elected to withdraw him from the race, thus Herf had to watch the opening contest from the sidelines.

Adding further consternation to all as final preparations were underway for the second and final bout of this second round of the 2024 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship, drops of rain were now starting to gently fall at various points around the circuit… This caused the SMP track surface to sheen under lights, which was actually quite a nice sight, unless you planned on hurtling towards turn one at 300 km/h, that is…

Luckily, any serious precipitation stayed in the clouds, and it looked as though we would get underway on what could just about be described as a dry track. The moisture was undoubtedly hanging in the airand the grip characteristics were most certainly going to be different than race one. Riders looked extremely cautious on the warm-up lap, nobody looked to be in any hurry to get back around to the starting grid… We soon knew the reason why, the slight drizzle was back and varying in its intensity, as they lined up on the grid for a race start it was now falling faster than it had all night…  Nonetheless, we were under the starting lights, and the race was set to get underway!

Harrison Voight swept through to the lead at turn one ahead of Broc Pearson, only to then run on at turn two, handing Pearson the lead.

Riders then started to raise their hands, which prompted officials to raise the red flag and send the bikes back to the pits.

The larger teams would already have a spare bike set up with wet or at least semi-wet suspension and electronics in case of this exact predicament. Others, such as Cameron Dunker, our fifth-place finisher in race one, only have one bike at their disposal.

On the upside, though, the rain did not seem strong enough to require a full wet set-up. Pit crews likely just softening up the power delivery, dialling in a bit more compliance into the suspension.

Officials reduced the scheduled 13-lap race distance to ten-laps and declared it a wet race. The longer the delay, the wetter the track was getting…

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Despite the shortened distance, it seemed unlikely that a set of full wets would survive the duration in such conditions, but it was now too wet to run slicks. Riders cautiously felt their way around on the warm-up lap, the track was now wet enough for the tyres to emit water spray.

Troy Herfoss got the best jump off the line to lead the field through turn one. Broc Pearson up to second place, Josh Waters third, Harrison Voight fourth, Cru Halliday fifth, Cam Dunker seventh, Ant West eighth, Mike Jones ninth.

Herfoss and Pearson streeted the field over the first lap, crossing the line more than a second ahead of third-placed Josh Waters. Voight a further three-seconds back in fourth place after having a few moments on that opening lap, and was now starting to come under attack from Cam Dunker.

Herfoss down at turn six!

Waters then up the inside of Pearson into the right-hand hairpin to take the lead. Pearson back through to the lead at the next bend and the pair side-by-side down the chute, crossing the stripe five-seconds ahead of Voight after only two laps!

Glenn Allerton then moved forward to take third place from Voight. Max Stauffer pushed Dunker back to sixth place. Moments later Stauffer slipped past Voight to move further up to fourth. Half a lap later, Stauffer was up to third after dispensing with Allerton and was now the fastest rider on track. However, the leading duo were seven-seconds further up the road with seven laps still to go.

At half-race distance, Waters set a new fastest lap of the race and had a two-second buffer over Pearson. Max Stauffer was inching closer to Pearson, the gap down to under five-seconds. Harrison Voight and Glenn Allerton were in their own private battle over fourth place, but that pair were now being closed on by Arthur Sissis, Cru Halliday, and Bryan Staring. Cam Dunker was now a couple of seconds further behind in ninth place, but with a small buffer over Mike Jones.

With two laps to run, the rain started falling a little heavier, and of course, there was more water on the track simply due to the passage of time. Waters was in command, three-seconds ahead of Pearson.

Max Stauffer was not getting much closer to Pearson, and the DesmoSport Ducati man was looking pretty safe in second. Likewise, Stauffer looked to have enough of a buffer over Voight to be set for a podium finish.  Glenn Allerton went down out of fifth place, which promoted race one victor Cru Halliday up to fifth with just over a lap to run.

Arthur Sissis sixth, Bryan Staring seventh, Cam Dunker eighth with a decent buffer over Mike Jones.

Josh Waters was the clear victor, his buffer over Pearson at the flag just under four-seconds.

Max Stauffer scored his second podium finish in the Superbike category with an intelligent ride to third place, only three weeks after breaking his wrist. Hard.

Cru Halliday fourth after working his way forward and getting the better of Harrison Voight, Bryan Staring and Arthur Sissis.

Another learning experience for young Cam Dunker who again kept a cool head to bag good points. The 16-year-old taking the flag four-seconds ahead of ninth-placed Mike Jones.

Josh Soderland rounded out the top ten ahead of youngsters Paris Hardwick and John Lytras.

Josh Waters the round winner ahead of Cru Halliday and Broc Pearson.

Halliday moves up to second place in the championship, 25.5 points behind Waters.

Voight a further two-points behind in third place but now heads for Europe to contest the European Moto2 Championship that is part of the FIM Junior GP World Championship events.

Broc Pearson catapults his way up the order to fourth place, 38.5 points from the championship leader.

ASBK reconvenes at Queensland Raceway late next month. Five rounds still to go…

Superbike Race Two Results

ASBK Superbike Championship Points

2024 Australian Superbike Championship Calendar

• Round 1: Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC Feb 23-25
• Round 2: Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW Mar 22-23
• Round 3: Queensland Raceway, QLD Apr 26-28
• Round 4: Morgan Park Raceway, QLD Jul 12-14
• Round 5: Phillip Island GP Circuit, VIC Sept 7-8
• Round 6: One Raceway, NSW Oct 4-6
• Round 7: The Bend Motorsports Park, SA Nov 8-10