The opening round of the 2014 AirRoad Australian Superbike Championship provided some thrilling motorcycle racing action at Queensland Raceway today.
NextGen Motorsports Glenn Allerton won the opening round of the Australian Superbike Championship, after taking victory in Race 1 ahead of Crazy Dog Kawasaki’s Mike Jones and K&R Hydraulics Kawasaki’s Mathew Harding.
With a late thunderstorm drenching the circuit, the final Superbike race was abandoned due to the extreme weather conditions.
Allerton also took a clean sweep of the EVO Unlimited class but came under fire from a reinvigorated Phil Lovett, who set the fastest lap time of the final race.
Lovett diced with Allerton over the final laps, the veteran racer passing the BMW rider before being passed back on the final lap.
While disappointed that the final Superbike race was abandoned Allerton said he had enjoyed the weekend.
“It was disappointing that we couldn’t run the final Superbike race but there was just too much water on the track,” Allerton explained.
“I had really good weekend and we made a lot of gains. I am sure the spectators enjoyed it, as there was some great racing across all the classes.
“Now we need to keep the ball rolling as we prepare for Darwin. I am really looking forward to that event especially as we will race alongside V8 Supercars,” Allerton concluded.
Defending Australian Supersport Champion Daniel Falzon took a clean sweep of today’s Supersport races. The South Australian took a convincing win the opening encounter, but faced strong opposition from pole sitter Aiden Wagner and Callum Spriggs in Race 2.
The final 17-lap race, which was reduced to 15 laps after a red flag four laps in, also saw the start of the inclement weather that brought a premature end to the day.
“That final Supersport race was awesome, it was so close between myself, Aiden and Callum,” Falzon said.
“It started to get really windy out there which was upsetting the bike a bit and took me a little while to get a handle on
“We came here to defend the title and we have come away with the lead so I couldn’t be happier it is exactly where we want to be,” Falzon added.
Queensland schoolgirl Tayla Relph provided the upset of the day, proving consistency is the key to the top step of the dais.
Relph, who finished the four Moto3/125 races third claimed the overall round win after Lachlan Kavney and Callum Barker both failed to finish races across the weekend.
Craig White stormed to victory in the combined Production /Formula 400 class but it was Western Australia’s Jessica Derrin who took the round win in the 250 Production class.
The next event sees the Australian Superbike and Supersport championships head to Darwin’s Hidden Valley on June 21-22.
Top Ten Australian Superbike Championship Standings – Round 1 Queensland Raceway
1. Glenn ALLERTON (NSW) BMW, 262. Mike JONES (QLD) Kawasaki, 203. Mathew HARDING (NSW) Kawasaki, 184. Phil LOVETT (NSW) Kawasaki, 175. Ben NICOLSON (VIC) BMW, 166. Linden MAGEE (QLD) BMW, 157. Adam SENIOR (WA) Suzuki, 148. Josh CUMMING (QLD) Yamaha, 139. Mitch PAYNTER (QLD) Kawasaki, 1210. Romain ANFOSSO (QLD) Honda, 11
Top Ten Australian Supersport Championship Standings – Round 1 Queensland Raceway
1. Daniel FALZON (SA) Yamaha, 502. Aiden WAGNER (QLD) Yamaha, 413. Callum SPRIGGS (QLD) Yamaha, 364. Chris QUINN (NSW) Yamaha, 345. Brenton HYDE (NSW) Yamaha, 326. Kane BURNS (NSW) Suzuki, 287. Mitch LEVY (NSW) Yamaha, 278. Cam RUSSELL (VIC) Yamaha, 249. Anthony QUINN (NSW) Yamaha, 2410. Callum ALDERSON (VIC)Yamaha, 22
Top Ten EVO Unlimited Championship Standings – Round 1 Queensland Raceway
1. Glenn ALLERTON (NSW) BMW, 1012. Phil LOVETT (NSW) Kawasaki, 783. Mathew HARDING (NSW) Kawasaki, 744. Ben NICOLSON (VIC) BMW, 685. Michael McMILLAN (QLD) Aprilia, 646. Michael JEFFERY (NSW) Yamaha, 537. Richard ELLIS (VIC) BMW, 488. Jason IVLOVIC (SA) Suzuki, 469. Murray CLARK (QLD) Suzuki, 4510. Chris PERINI (NSW) Ducati, 43
Australian Moto 3/125 Championship Standings- Round 1 Queensland Raceway
1. Tayla RELPH (QLD) Honda, 722. Lachlan KAVNEY (QLD) Honda,713. Callum BARKER (QLD) Honda, 704. Ted COLLINS (VIC) Honda, 685. Benjamin LEONARD (QLD) Moriwaki, 616. Sarah FAIRBROTHER (QLD) Moriwaki, 607. Mitch KAVNEY (NSW) Honda, 598. Matt BARTON (VIC) 40
Mike Jones Report
Brisbane’s Mike Jones has taken second outright in the opening round of the Australian Superbike Championship at Queensland Raceway that saw the cancellation of the second and final race for the category on Sunday afternoon. In just his third race meeting in the category, Jones impressed many by matching times with his factory backed opposition riders.
Mike was able to continue his impressive introduction to the higher powered Superbike category, using home track experience to secure second in both qualifying and Superpole sessions on Saturday. In what has been a busy season to date with a heavy emphasis on testing and development, Jones is happy with his progress to date.
“I thoroughly enjoyed riding the Crazy Dogs Kawasaki ZX10 at Queensland Raceway this weekend. I’m excited with the result and happy with my performance. Being only my third race meeting on the Superbike, it’s been great to gain further experience and develop my skills,” Jones said.
Despite missing the Saturday morning practice session, Mike was able to capitalise on his experience around the famous ‘paperclip’ circuit to impress in the two qualifying sessions. Being the feature category of the weekend, Mike would be faced with his first ever 17 lap race on the Superbike. The Queensland rider credits his strong performance not only to his own preparation but to his strong support team trackside at the event.
“I had some bike difficulties early on Saturday morning which meant I missed the first practice session. Fortunately though, my home circuit advantage helped and I made an impressive effort in Superpole. The seventeen lap race on the Superbike was a first for me and I surprised myself with my performance. I remained calm and smooth for the entire race and was pumped with the second place result. In addition to that, my best lap time was under the Prostock lap record, proving the XXX Rated Race Suspension can make a standard rear shock work well,” Jones added.
A monsoonal downpour prior to race two prevented the completion of the race meeting with the officials deeming the track to be unsafe to race on. Although Jones is experienced in all conditions at the track, he respected the decision of the race officials and admits his home event provided a welcome opportunity to mix with those that make his racing possible.
“It was slightly disappointing that the second race was not run in the wet weather. I knew I had a good chance as a week prior I spent a full day gaining wet weather practice on the circuit. In saying that though, it was fantastic to catch up with local supporters and sponsors which included the team at Link International, A1 Race Paint, Race Art, Easy Vac, and Superbike Supply. I thank all of my sponsors for their support and I’m glad to have given them a successful weekend,” Jones concluded.
Mike Jones’ next event will be round two of the 2014 Swann Insurance Australasian Superbike Championship at Mallala Motorsport Park, South Australia from May 16-18.
