ASBK 2015 – Round Three – Australian Superbike Race Two – Wanneroo Raceway
Words and Images by Trevor Hedge – ASBK Wanneroo
Superbikes
Daniel Falzon once scorched off the line, as he did during race one (click that link for race one report), on the JD Racing Yamahaq YZF-R1 but it was Mike Jones the most brave into turn one. Daniel Falzon got the better of him around the back of the circuit to take the lead and declare his determination to take his first ever Superbike race win.
Mike Jones was very quick through the turn 2-3 complex on lap two to close right back on the back of Falzon, both men putting in a 56.4 on their first flying lap but local Kawasaki pilot Cameron Stronach bested them with a 56.394, which to my knowledge is his fastest ever lap of Wanneroo Raceway.
Jones and Falzon both quickened their pace down 56.3 on lap three but Stronach was still only a couple of bike lengths behind. The next lap around though Stronach had to relent from that pace and the leading duo started to pull away from him.
Mike Jones took Daniel Falzon at turn seven with a little over ten laps to run and inched away but a lap later Falzon started to look for a way back past. The determination was certainly there but the grip was not, Falzon really started to slow at half race distance and had to be content to allow Mike Jones disappear into the distance. By the time the last lap board was produced Mike Jones had a full seven-seconds on Falzon and the gap at the chequered flag was 7.4-seconds.
Cameron Stronach took third place, less than two-seconds behind Falzon, and 2.5-seconds ahead of Ben Henry.
Mike Jones- Cube Racing Kawasaki – (1-1) – “Had a perfect win at Morgan Park, and a perfect weekend here at Wanneroo. Got to really thank the Australian Outdoor Living, Cube Racing team for getting the bike working so well, which made it comfortable for me to ride with plenty of confidence. The Pirelli tyre worked really well, I can get so much feel out of them which allows me to continue a quick pace for the whole race, which helps makes it easy for me, and I wasn’t getting tired at all, and stayed consistent. Thanks to everyone that came out and watched us, it’s great to have a good crowd and hope you all enjoyed it.”
Daniel Falzon – JD Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 – (2-2) – “I struggled a little bit with grip from around lap six, really trying to get the power down hard, the wheel was spinning and getting a bit loose quite a few times, had a real big one coming out of the basin and lost a lot of time, that was then I realised this one was not my time to for first place. Mike’s pace was a bit fast this race and we didn’t quite have the set-up as good as did in the first race. That said, we set the fastest lap of the weekend which shows our potential, and once we get some more time on the bikes, and a few more modifications we will be able to up the pace more. Should be dialled in for Symmons Plains and ready to win.”
Cameron Stronach – Kawasaki ZX-10R – (4-3) – “In the first race went a little bit too aggressive on the tyres and I learnt from that for the second race, and managed to finish in third. Very happy, the times we did in the first race and in qualifying, and in the second race have been wanting to achieve in our state races.”
Round 3 Results
1 Mike JONES (QLD) (25,25) 51
2 Daniel FALZON (SA) (20,20) 40
3 Cameron STRONACH (WA) (17,18) 35
4 Anthony McFADDEN (WA) (18,15) 33
5 Ryan HAMPTON (NZ) (16,16) 32
6 Ben HENRY (QLD) (12,17) 29
7 Ralph MAMMOLITI (WA) (14,14) 28
8 Ben STRONACH (WA) (15,13) 28
9 Ashley FLEMING (WA) (13,11) 24
10 Adam SENIOR (WA) (11,12) 23
Overall Championship Standings
1 Mike JONES (QLD) 138
2 Daniel FALZON (SA) 109
3 Ryan HAMPTON (NZ) 91
4 Ben HENRY (QLD) 75
5 Philip CZAJ (VIC) 61
6 Adam SENIOR (WA) 51
7 Chas HERN (VIC) 50
8 Ashley FLEMING (WA) 49
9 Troy HERFOSS (NSW) 45
10 Josh HOOK (NSW) 45
Supersport
As riders prepared for the second of the Yamaha sponsored Supersport class races at round three of the YMF Loan ASBK at Wanneroo Raceway, the dark clouds continued to loom over the 2.41km circuit but were still holding on to their precipitation rather than soaking the circuit.
Brayden Elliott got away from the line well but this time around Aaiden Coote was looking very determined to not let that Phil Tainton tuned Suzuki GSX-R600 get away from him this time around. Coote sticking right on the tail of Elliott throughout the opening laps but it was Alex Phillis who was the fastest man on the first flying lap, a 57.820 to Phillis on the Kawasaki, and he backed that up with a 57.928 on lap three to close right up on the leading duo.
Aaiden Coote got the better of Elliott at turn one and led for almost the entire lap before Elliott put the Suzuki up the inside at turn seven to recover the lead, Alex Phillis tucked in right behind them and about to let them know he wants to fight for the win.
Elliott managed to escape from the clutches of his pursuers on lap five and start pulling away. Likewise Alex Phillis had passed and started to stretch away from Coote who was starting to come under attack from Thyron Van Vuuren and Kane Burns, Sam Lambert also in that group and not out of podium contention.
At half race distance it was Elliott from Phillis, the gap 7-tenths of a second, both men running 58.1s after both dipping into the 57.8s earlier on in the race.
Kane Burns had managed to escape from that gaggle of riders fighting over third place, a buffer of 1.7-seconds over fourth placed Thyron Van Vuuren.
Brayden Elliott retained his composure despite a determined chase from Alex Phillis and went on to take the win by just over a second from the Kawasaki man.
Sam Lambert made a determined late race charge to steal the final step on the rostrum off Kane Burns held on to that podium position to make it a pair of Suzuki’s on the podium.
Brayden Elliott – Hankook Tyres Suzuki – (1-1) –
Alex Phillis – Phillis Racing Kawasaki – (3-2) –
Sam Lambert – Triumph – (2-3) –
Round 3 Results
1 Brayden ELLIOTT (NSW) (25, 25) 51
2 Alex PHILLIS (VIC) (18, 20) 38
3 Sam LAMBERT (NT) (20, 17) 37
4 Kane BURNS (NSW) (16, 18) 34
5 Ryan TAYLOR (VIC) (17, 15) 32
6 Thyron VAN VUUREN (WA) (12, 16) 28
7 Leigh BOUJOS (WA) (15, 12) 27
8 Nicholas LIMINTON (SA) (11, 14) 25
9 Jack TWISSE (WA) (13, 11) 24
10 Aaiden COOTE (VIC/WA) (10, 13) 23
Overall Championship Standings
1 Brayden ELLIOTT (NSW) 115
2 Kane BURNS (NSW) 96
3 Aaiden COOTE (VIC/WA) 79
4 Sam LAMBERT (NT) 65
5 Ryan TAYLOR (VIC) 65
6 Alex PHILLIS (VIC) 62
7 Chris QUINN (NSW) 62
8 Thyron VAN VUUREN (WA) 58
9 Nicholas LIMINTON (SA) 56
10 Michael BLAIR (NSW) 50
