Josh Waters scores perfect Superbike trifecta at Phillip Island

MotoGP 2022 – Round 18 – Phillip Island
Saturday Support Class Race Three Reports/Results

Superbike Race Three

Josh Waters might have only been a last-minute ring-in for the MotoGP support races, standing in for Wayne Maxwell on the Boost Mobile Ducati V4 R, but he won on debut in a close finish on Friday, before then dominating the second race here on Saturday afternoon. Not only that, he broke the Australian Superbike lap record in the process…

Bryan Staring seemed to have great early pace in the two first bouts, but then looked to be struggling to get the DesmoSport Ducati to hook up off the turns as the race progressed. The team changed front springs to a softer rate ahead of this final bout.

Both YRT riders demonstrated the pace to run with Staring’s Ducati, but they had no answer for the combination of the Boost Mobile Ducati V4 R and Josh Waters here earlier this afternoon.

Troy Herfoss showed much better pace today than yesterday, but he ran very wide on lap six and lost a swag of time, there was no coming back into the battle from there. On the upside, Herfoss had set his fastest ever lap here at Phillip Island, a 1m32.396 almost matching the best today of Halliday, Staring and Jones, but still more than half-a-second off the new lap record set by Waters.

It is fair to say there were some fired up Superbike riders out for redemption and aiming to get the better of Waters in this final bout of the weekend. There might be no ASBK Championship points on offer, but these boys still really, really, want to win… Will Waters douse their fires once again…?

There was drama before the race event started though with Mike Jones collecting a bird on the warm-up lap.

Bryan Staring launched the DesmoSport Ducati hard out of the second row but it was Josh Waters that led them through turn one.

Staring tried to take Waters at turn two but had to pull out of the move. Jones third, Halliday fourth and Herfoss fifth. Metcher right with them again at this early juncture.

Great drive from Waters out of turn ten saw him get a jump on them entering the next fast left-handers to get a small buffer over Staring before they headed down the chute. Metcher ran wide early on lap two which saw him lose touch with the group.

A little slip by Waters through Hayshed next time around allowed Staring to inch closer once again, Jones was right there also. Again though Waters gets the squirt off the following turns to pull away from his pursuers once again through that latter third of the circuit.

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Cru Halliday was looking to challenge his YRT team-mate Mike Jones on the entrance to turn four but Jones held on to that third place.

Josh Waters was inching away as the race progressed, but he wasn’t leaving them in his wake as quickly as he had in race two.

The top quartet were all running consistent low 1m32s, but that was a pace Herfoss couldn’t match and he had lost touch with that leading group. Fifth placed Herfoss was starting to come under a concerted attack from Metcher.

The gap at half-race distance between Waters and his pursuers was now out to 1.6-seconds.  Cru Halliday was up to second place but the battle was very much on for that second place between Cru, Mike Jones and Bryan Staring.  Halliday went from fourth to second only a few corners into that lap after getting in too deep at turn four, as he strived to stay ahead of the DesmoSport Ducati.

With four laps to run they were already negotiating lapped traffic but thankfully they all got through the first of them safely.

The battle over second place was really heating up, but with Staring, Halliday and Jones tripping each other up, Waters was out on his own, reeling off more 1m32s. With three laps to run Waters had a four-second buffer over his pursuers.

Lapped traffic slowed Waters on his next lap, the Boost Mobile Ducati rider was baulked and lost over a second in the process that saw his lead trimmed back to under three-seconds.

Cru Halliday went up the inside of Staring at turn two as they started the final lap. They were going to encounter more lapped traffic before the end of this one… Halliday and Staring swapping positions once again… Halliday looked to have enough of a buffer by Hayshed to keep Staring at bay this time around…

Halliday does exactly that, a hard fought second place to the YRT man. Staring third and Mike Jones fourth.

Ten-seconds further back Herfoss just managed to stave off the advances of Jed Metcher to secure fifth place.

Out front at the chequered flag though was that man Josh Waters once again.

A solid trifecta for Waters on his debut with Boost Mobile Ducati and I think it might be safe to say we might expect to see him on that bike for ASBK 2023…

Superbike Race Three Results

Superbike Event Points

OJC Cup Race Three Results

OJC Cup Event Points

OJC Cup Series Points

Phillip Island MotoGP Schedule