Maxwell sets midday pace at P.I.
Michael Blair was again the first Superbike rider out of pitlane when it opened for FP2 at 1140 this morning where despite overcast skies and a cool breeze, the 30-degree track temperature was now 10-degrees warmer than the morning session.
Mike Jones is here riding one of Callum Spriggs’ ZX-10R machines and headed the session early on. The Queenslander is not going to be competing in ASBK this year and expects to announce his overseas campaign shortly.
Troy Bayliss had headed out of pitlane but quickly returned with a minor mechanical gremlin but headed out again with 15-minutes remaining in the 30-minute FP2 session. Unfortunately Bayliss was soon back in pit-lane with a leaking tank breather again the culprit. The DesmoSport Ducati headed out of pit-lane again a few minutes later which saw a fired up Bayliss drop in a 1m36.03 on his first flying lap of the session, quickly followed up by a 1m35.586 which was the best the three-time WorldSBK Champ could manage in what proved a frustrating session where he did not improve on his best time recorded in the morning FP1 session.
Wayne Maxwell and Josh Waters were the first men into the 1m33s, a 33.396 to the YRT man and a 33.531 to Suzuki’s defending champion.
That 1m33.396 proved good enough for Maxwell to top that FP2 session with Waters remaining second when the chequered flag came out at 1210.
Troy Herfoss backed up his FP1 topping 1m34.213 with a 1m34.074 in FP2 to finish FP2 third quickest on the Penrite Honda.
New YRT signing Daniel Falzon was narrowly behind in fourth place with a 1m34.086 ahead of NextGen BMW’s Glenn Allerton.
Mike Jones ended the session with a best of 1m34.215 on the Sprigg’s Kawasaki to again finish the session as the fastest ZX-10R rider.
ASBK 2018 Test – FP2
- Wayne Maxwell – Yamaha 1m33.396
- Josh Waters – Suzuki 1m33.531
- Troy Herfoss – Honda 1m34.074
- Daniel Falzon – Yamaha 1m34.086
- Glenn Allerton – BMW 1m34.145
- Mike Jones – Kawasaki 1m34.215
- Michael Blair – Yamaha 1m34.389
- Matt Walters – Kawasaki 1m34.859
- Bryan Staring – Kawasaki 1m35.022
- Troy Bayliss – Ducati 1m35.586
- Jamie Stauffer – Ducati 1m35.672
- Ted Collins – BMW 1m35.942
- Callum Spriggs – Kawasaki 1m36.003
- Mark Chiodo – Suzuki 1m36.193
- Aaron Morris – Yamaha 1m36.351
NB: For reference, the current ASBK lap record is 1m32.274 set by Wayne Maxwell on a Suzuki in October, 2013.
