F1/F2 recap from St. George MCC Summer Nights Round Two

MOTUL Summer Night Series hosted by St. George MCC
Sydney Motorsport Park – Gardner GP Circuit
Round Two – Pirelli Unlimited F1 and F2

Words by Nick Edards, Images by Half Light & RbMotoLens

The second round of ST. George Motorcycle Club’s MOTUL Summer Nights Series 23/24 (aka SNS04) graced a warm and humid Sydney Motorsport Park, on Saturday, January 13.

Spectator turn out for round two was simply magnificent. What other club event can boast current and past national title winners on the track, along with international superstars like Mat Mladin and Troy Corser giving encouragement and tips to riders in the pits.

Going into the evening’s racing, with qualifying kicking off at 5:30 pm, some competitors had already spent the day honing their race prep at a public track day and with daytime temps in the mid-30’s, there were some weary faces even before the racing got underway.

The event followed the well-established three-class format with qualifying and three scheduled sprint races per class. Time is tight, track action must end at or before 2230 so delays can cause race distances to be reduced, or, if absolutely necessary – races at the back end of the dance card to be cancelled.

Pirelli Unlimited (Superbikes) and AMA Warehouse 600 (Supersport) both have F1 and F2 categories. F1 and F2 share track time, F1 is for international and national grade racers, F2 is for clubbies. The AGV Unlimited F3 category, which gets the track to itself, is for clubbies not expected to break 1:40sec lap times.

This report will cover Pirelli Unlimited F1/F2. The race report for AGV Unlimited and AMA Warehouse 600 F1/F2 will follow later in the week. Round One Pirelli Unlimited race reports can be found here:

• Round One Report: F1/F2 recap from St. George Summer Nights series opener (link)
• Round One Report: Supersport & F3 round ups from St. George Summer Nights opener (link)

Pirelli Unlimited F1 was stacked with talent.

Harrison Voight (McMartin Racing Ducati V4R), Max Stauffer (Dr Mak GTR Motostars YZF-R1M), and Jake Farnsworth (Worth Race Developments Yamaha YZF-R1M) had topped the table at Round One and were back for more.

Josh Brookes (Livson FHO Racing BMW M1000RR) was also back and looking to make up lost ground after dropping points at the previous round.

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The ASBK contingent were out in force with current ASBK champion Troy Herfoss making his first race outing on the DesmoSport Ducati since taking on a testing role with them, having parted ways with Penrite Honda at the end of his title-winning season. DesmoSport lead rider Broc Pearson (#11 DesmoSport Ducati V4R) was also on deck wearing his new #11 plate.

Cru Halliday (YRT), always a strong runner at Nights races, was another welcome addition alongside former ASBK champion Mike Jones (YRT).

It’s quite an achievement for a lil ol’ club race to attract that level of interest from the top teams and riders in the country.

In all, there were 13 riders in F1, including St George MCC club stalwarts Josh Soderland, Paris Hardwick and Michael Edwards, who are also competing in ASBK again this year.

In the F2 category, coming away from Round One, Chris Dunne (Damarc Civil Motoworks Ducati V4) was on top of the table with a healthy 14-point lead over Timmy Griffith (BCPerformance Kawasaki ZX10R).

Carlos Rendon (Pest Killer Sydney Ducati V4), Scott Gardner (ART Yamaha R1) who wasn’t present at Round Two, and Leanne Nelson (West Sliders Yamaha R1) filled out the top five F2 places.

And so to the track…

Pirelli Unlimited F1 and F2 Qualifying

Pirelli Unlimited F1 qualifying was red-flagged early when Josh Soderland’s Ducati blew a new oil line and while Josh pulled up the bike as soon as he was aware of the problem, safety dictated a thorough track check for possible oil before track action could resume. As it turned out there was no oil down, Soderland’s belly-pan ensured the oil leak was largely contained.

Halliday once more demonstrated his talent under lights taking pole, the only rider to go under the 1m30sec mark, carding a 1m29.8790.

Second spot on the grid went to Harrison Voight, who’d scored a perfect three-from-three at Round One, this time around the youngster qualified just two-tenths of a second behind Halliday.

Less than one-second split pole from sixth spot on the grid (Brookes), with Herfoss, Jones and Stauffer holding third through fifth. Herf seemed to get the hang of the V4 pretty quickly, his lap time less than half a second off Halliday’s mark.

Leanne Nelson was quickest of the F2 contingent posting a 1m35.2300, a one-tenth of a second margin over Carlos Rendon with Dunne, Griffith and Vincent Nicolosi (Yamaha R1) all within half a second of her mark.

Nelson’s time was good enough to give her eleventh on the grid, a reflection of there being such a strong F1 line-up ahead of her.

Qualifying Results

Race One

In Race One, F1, Voight led off the line but Halliday was all over his back wheel, keeping the pressure on and eventually able to get past on his way to the race win by two-tenths.

So quick was Halliday and Voight’s pace that Brookes, in third and recovering from a poor start, was three-seconds back by the flag.

The fastest lap of the race went to Halliday with a 1m29.4940.  The only other riders to dip into the 29s during that opening encounter were Voight and Mike Jones, who came home in fourth.

In his first race on the Ducati Herfoss came home some 12-seconds adrift of Halliday, but half-a-second ahead of his team-mate Pearson.

Pirelli Unlimited F2 saw Griffith and Dunne, the main protagonists in the class at Round One, pick up where they left off.

Griffith took the class win and 11th overall on track from Dunne by nearly two-seconds, after a small mistake by Dunne in Turn Two late in the race.

Rendon, Rees and Nelson were all within four seconds of Griffith at the flag.

A special call out goes to dedicated club man Andrew Burley who came off at 200 km/h+ in Turn One, making a mess of his race bike and subsequently requiring surgery for some arm injuries. We’re pleased to report he’s already home and we wish him well and hope to see him back on track soon. Summer Nights wouldn’t be the same without him.

Race One Results

Race Two

MOTUL St George Summer Nights runs a progressive grid, so qualifying only sets grid position for Race One. The finishing position in Race One sets the grid position for Race Two, and then the finishing position in Race Two sets the grid position for the third and final race of the evening.

Halliday wasn’t able to apply the same pressure to Voight in Race Two, instead he had his hands full with team-mate Mike Jones – the YRT duo crossing the line in third and fourth spots, just three-hundredths of a second separating them.

Out in front, it was Josh Brookes’ turn to make Voight work hard for the win. While Brookes was able to take the lead briefly, the Ducati man was able to get the edge and take the win by half-a-second.

Voight’s 1m29.836 was the best lap time in the race, Brookes the only other rider in that second contest to record a 29.

Herfoss scored another fifth place with his best lap four-tenths quicker than he managed in the opening bout. Herf’s best lap was nearly a second quicker than Pearson’s, showing the value the ex-Honda man will bring to the team in his testing role.

Griffith scored another eleventh overall and the F2 class win and what a monster win it was, seven-seconds ahead of Simon Rees (Castle Hill Motorcycles Kawasaki ZX10RR) in second, with Ryan Masri (RMac Solutions P/L BMW HP4) third. Rendon and Nelson all scoring good points in the top five positions in the class. Less than two-tenths separated Rees from Rendon.

Chris Dunne, strong in Race One, crashed out of Race Two on lap six and wouldn’t reappear for Race Three.

Race Two Results

Race Three

A number of delays through the evening compressed the schedule and led to the cancellation of an AGV Unlimited class race, but all three Pirelli Unlimited races were able to run, albeit with a shortened third race to meet the legislated curfew.

Halliday was out of the final contest with a mechanical issue after three laps.  Voight and Brookes running up front with Mike Jones in hot pursuit.

Voight took the win by half-a-second over Brookes.  Jones was only a couple of tenths from Brookes at the flag.

Herfoss nearly managed to stay with them, crossing the line two-seconds behind Voight, but almost seven-seconds ahead of Pearson.

Voight took the fastest lap in that final encounter with a 1m29.668.  Brookes, Jones and Herfoss also in the 29s.

F2 saw Griffith take yet another 11th overall and first in class, gapping Rendon, who had Rees right on his tail, by two-tenths. Nelson and Masri took fourth and fifth.

Race Three Results

Overall Round

After three-from-three in Round One, Harrison Voight probably would have liked to maintain a perfect Pirelli Unlimited F1 record at Round Two but Halliday’s Race One win robbed the youngster of a perfect score.

Voight’s second place and two wins gave him a 12-point win for the meeting ahead of Brookes.  Jones, Herfoss and Pearson in second through fifth. Halliday’s DNF in Race Three meant he was only able to take seventh for the night.

In F2, Griffith would have been far more satisfied with this results at Round Two, after a patchy outing in Round One. Three from three gave him the win with Rendon some 20-points back after taking one each of second, third and fourth-place finishes.

Rees finished on equal points with Rendon, also off the back of second, third and fourth-place finishes. Nelson and Masri were separated by just one-point in fourth and fifth.

As part of the end-of-meeting presentations, all the volunteers, without whom race meetings would not be possible, get to stand (or sit) tall on the podium where they get a well-deserved round of applause from the assembled racers, crew and spectators and one lucky volunteer scores a pair of Mongrel Boots. Josh Brookes took the time to shake every one of the volunteer’s hands as they came off the podium. Class.

Points totals going into Round Three sees Voight, unsurprisingly, heading F1 on a massive 145-points, 48-points ahead of Jake Farnsworth, who had just missed out on top-five finishes in all round two races.

Brookes, in third, is just two points off Farnsworth.  Stauffer and Lytras in fourth and fifth.

In F2, Chris Dunne’s DNF in race two and DNS in race three means he drops down the points table to fourth ahead of round three. Griffith holds top spot on 131-points, a 23-point lead over Carlos Rendon. Nelson, Dunne and Masri hold third through fifth.

See further below for rider quotes from round two.

Pirelli Unlimited F1 Round 2 Overall

Pirelli Unlimited F2 Round 2 Overall

Pirelli Unlimited F1 Standings

Pirelli Unlimited F2 Standings

Quotes

Harry Voight #29 – Unlimited F1

“Another great night, competing in round two of the St George Summer Night Series. There was a lot more competitive riders that showed up and it was great getting alongside them. Race 1 I had a battle with Cru fighting for the win and learnt some little things off him that I was able to try and improve for the other two races. A big thank you to everyone involved in St George Motorcycle Club and the flag marshals. And McMartin Racing for another opportunity on the V4R.”

Josh Brookes #25 – Unlimited F1

“This second round had a stacked grid so I knew the competition was going to be strong.  I found the track to be a little slick in qualifying and I think it was due to the track temp still being quite high after the heat of the day.

“Race 1 I got a poor start and had to make some passes and was gifted a few too. Third place finish was ok but I was more annoyed at distance leaders had pulled from me.  Race 2 was better, Jake made some changes to engine brake and Iap times were closer to where I was expecting to be. I did take the lead for a moment when Harrison made a mistake but just didn’t have enough to speed to hold him back.

“Jake made some more changes to the bike for the final race and I was preparing for a good fight but the race was shortened and I had no chance to challenge for the lead. Second in the race and second overall is good we can hopefully make some improvements to the bike and be faster at the next round.”

Mike Jones #46 – Unlimited F1

“It’s been great to kick off the new year with a night of racing at the Summer Night Series! It’s such a great event, I had a lot of fun getting back into the racing groove and used the opportunity to refine the bike setup. I’ll plan to be back for another night of awesomeness soon!”

Troy Herfoss #1 – Unlimited F1

“I want to say thank you to Ben Henry and his Desmo Sport Ducati team for giving me the opportunity to ride a top class Superbike, I enjoyed the night a lot. Also a big thanks to St George motorcycle club for another great night racing and riding with great people.”

Tim Griffith #18 – Unlimited F2

“A hot and humid SMSP and an interrupted qualifying session saw me feeling pretty rusty on the bike as re a shakedown for both the ZX-10R and I. Race 1 ended in a nice tussle for outright track position with Chris Dunne and Paris Hardwick where Paris and I capitalised on a small error on Chris’s part on the final lap into two.

“Race two was a fairly lonely affair after a good start and getting a front row seat to Paris’ dirt tracking out of the final corner on lap one.

“A shortened race 3 started well, but unfortunately a late false neutral into turn 2 meant I dropped a couple of seconds and had another fairly lonely run to the line. Three wins out of three in F2 Unlimited has seen us take a nice lead in the series on another cracking SMSP night race event. Hopefully we can continue the momentum into the first double header in two weeks time. Big thanks as always to my team in the garage and our sponsors Bcperformance, Southern Scape Projects, Kenma Australia and TAG Avionics for keeping the fires lit. Cheers also to St George MCC and the Orange Army who without them, none of this would even be possible!”

Carlos Rendon #36 – Unlimited F2

“Another round of great racing! So nice to participate in a race with so many international riders. The competition is getting exciting and I am feeling more prepared. We were able to hold some great battles out there. Excited to chase the title for the F2 Class in the Summer series. Many thanks to all the marshals and club for putting this event together. Everything as always went really smooth. I encourage all the community to come along and embrace this event and take part in the night. Lots of fun to be had for all those motor enthusiasts.”

Simon Rees #322 – Unlimited F2

“I didn’t enter the first round of the Summer Night Series and so I came into Saturday night with hardly any preparation and had no expectations other than to have a bit of fun on track with some mates. To get a decent result was just a bonus to what was already an awesome evening of racing. A big thanks to those few mates who helped in the garage to make the night a bit easier.

“The St George Summer Nights are the best and most well-run events anywhere. It was great to see so many people out watching Club Racing and see the event so well supported. A huge thank you to the St George Motorcycle Club and all the officials and flaggies who volunteer their time so we can go racing. Looking forward to the next one.”

Leanne Nelson #52 – Unlimited F2

“It was great to be a part of the St George Summer Night Series for another round. The level of racing was incredible and there was a real buzz in the pits. It was great to see so many there spectating and enjoying the racing. My highlight of the night was having multiple AMA Champion, Matt Mladin and  two time World Superbike Champion, Troy Corser, drop by my garage to say hello and share their knowledge and offer a few tips.”

Rounds One and Two were both single-night affairs. Rounds Three and Four wrap the series up but these are both run over two nights.

Next up, Round Three, Australia Day weekend with racing on Friday and Saturday. We’ll be there looking forward to the stars shining brightly on and off the track…

MOTUL Summer Night Series hosted by St George MCC

• Round Three: Friday 26^th/Saturday 27^th January
• Round Four: Friday 9^th/Saturday 10^th February