ASBK Supersport Symmons Plains Report
Words and images by Trevor Hedge
ASBK Supersport Race One
Brayden Elliott had qualified on pole in Supersport but fellow Suzuki pilot Kane Burns was almost matching the pace of the Tumut based championship leader. 20 points separated that pair heading into this round so despite Elliott’s run of form Burns is clearly still in the title hunt.
The start was delayed after local rider Robert Carnicelli fell heavily through the fast kink on the back straight.
When the lights went out both Suzuki men got off the line very well, Elliott’s front Dunlop clawing the air as it reared up off the line as the 14-rider field streamed towards turn one for the first of the 17 lap distance.
Mason Coote ran off the circuit early on in the race and rejoined at the back of the field.
The race quickly settled into a two-rider affair, Elliott and Burns pulling away to the tune of a second a lap. Burns went quickest with a 57.09 early in the race then Elliott responded with a 56.983.
Sam Lambert had been running in third place staving off the advances of Chris Quinn but a problem with the Triumph saw the Darwin rider pull into pitlane after six laps.
On lap ten Burns upped his pace again with a 56.663 and both riders started reeling off a string of 56-seconds laps in succession. That 56.66 quicker than Elliott’s pole time from yesterday.
Then with five laps to go Elliott ran wide at turn two and Burns pounced to take the lead for the first time this year. Elliott’s misdemeanour cost him seven-tenths of a second but a lap later the series leader had pared that back to only two-tenths, and the following lap he took the lead back. Burns was having none of it and tried to out-brake Elliott heading into the final double left but Elliott held his nerve and proved to have the measure to still enter the turn in front. Elliott has been tested under fire plenty of times this season in the rival Swann Australasian series, but today marked the first time he was to have his mettle tested in the ASBK series.
Burns challenged Elliott at the final braking marker on the penultimate lap but when it mattered on the final lap he really left it late to squeeze those Suzuki Brembos and this time Elliott did not have an answer. The Port Macquarie rider taking his first Supersport victory in fine fashion.
ASBK Supersport Race One Results
- Kane Burns
- Brayden Elliott 0.157
- Chris Quinn 19.31 secs
- Aaiden Coote 21.73 secs
- Thyron Van Vuuren 29.50 secs
- Nicholas Liminton 36.34 secs
- Cam Russell 38.87 secs
- Mason Coote 50.07 secs
- Jason Spencer + 1 lap
- Toby Honeychurch + 1 lap
ASBK Supersport Race Two
Contention on the grid again this afternoon. Brayden Elliott put his hand up seemingly with some sort of problem which caused the starters a momentary delay and confusion but the field was away soon enough and it was Elliott that led the field through turn one as Burns and Quinn gave chase.
This time around it was looking unlikely that Burns was going to stick with the series leader, Elliott had a 1.6-second lead after only three laps. After another three laps that gap was out to almost three-seconds.
Aaiden Coote was in an unchallenged third place but behind him a group of four was being waged between Mason Coote, Sam Lambert, Thyron Van Vuuren and Chris Quinn.
Brayden Elliott went on to take a clear victory by over 11-seeconds ahead of Burns who in turn came home in second place with a four-second buffer over Aaiden Coote. Chris Quinn won that battle for fourth place by 3-hundredths of a second, much to Sam Lambert’s obvious frustration.
Brayden Elliott leaves Symmons Plains with only one more point over Kane Burns than what he started with, the gap 20 points.
ASBK Supersport Race Two
- Brayden Elliott
- Kane Burns 11.3 secs
- Aaiden Coote 15.9 secs
- Chris Quinn 19.24 secs
- Sam Lambert 19.27 secs
- Mason Coote 19.2 secs
- Thyron Van Vuuren 22.7 secs
- Nicholas Liminton 30.1 secs
- Toby Honeychurch 61.33 secs
- Mark Chiodo + 1 lap
- Jason Spencer + 1 lap
ASBK Supersport Round Four Points
- Brayden Elliott 46 points
- Kane Burns 45 points
- Aaiden Coote 35 points
- Chris Quinn 35 points
- Thyron Van Vuuren 30 points
ASBK Supersport Championship Points
- Brayden Elliott 161 points
- Kane Burns 141 points
- Aaiden Coote 114 points
- Chris Quinn 97 points
- Thyron Van Vuuren 88 points
- Nicholas Liminton 84 points
- Sam Lambert 65 points
- Ryan Taylor 65 points
- Alex Phillis 62 points
- Michael Blair 50 points
