Swann Superbikes SMP Friday Report

Swann Superbikes 2016 – Round One – Sydney Motorsports Park

Friday Report by Trevor Hedge

Matt Walters led the field through turn one from pole position as Swann Australasian Superbike Championship kicked off at Sydney Motorsports Park with the opening Superbike bout getting underway at 1520 this afternoon, just as a few light spots of rain had started to fall around the circuit.

Ben Burke made it a Kawasaki 1-2 in the early stages of the race and that pair started to pull away from their pursuers as the laps clocked over. By half race distance the leading pair had 2.6-seconds over third placed Robbie Bugden, who had made his way past by Paul Byrne, Beau Beaton and Michael Blair after getting a shocker of a start.

Ben Burke put in a 1m31.98 on lap four in his quest to chase down Walters and set up a final tussle for the win but it was Walters that held on for the win by two-tenths of a second. Bugden lost a lot of time on the final lap, presumably because of some problem, and was nearly taken by Blair but Bugden held on to make it an all Kawasaki podium.

SuperbikeRace One Results

1. Matt Walters – Kawasaki
2. Ben Burke – Kawasaki +0.207
3. Robbie Bugden – Kawasaki +6.77
4. Michael Blair – Yamaha +6.88
5. Beau Beaton – Ducati +7.82
6. Paul Byrne – Honda +8.71
7. Brendan McIntyre – Suzuki +25.72
8. Liam Wilkinson – Yamaha +31.04
9. Evan Byles – Kawasaki +32.06
10. Dane Purcell – Kawasaki +43.14
11. Dominic De Leon – Kawasaki + 44.22
12. Matthew Harding – Kawasaki +48.83
13. Brad Swallow – Kawasaki +49.01
14. Aaron Breese – Aprilia +69.94
15. Daniel McCarthy – BMW +70.09

Superbike Race Two

After rain fell at Sydney Motorsports Park late this afternoon the schedule was rejigged around the rain and the second Superbike got underway at 1830 on a damp track. The majority of the field started the seven-lap race on slicks, Brendan McIntyre and Dominic De Leon the only two riders to take the gamble on slicks.

Early on in the race that gamble looked to have perhaps not paid off, but De Leon was faring much better than McIntyre in the opening laps, running in eighth place with four laps to run and less than ten-second behind race leader Matt Walters. McIntyre was improving and was up 12th place at the same point.

At the front of the field race one victor Matt Walters had his hands full fending off the advances of Ben Burke as Robbie Bugden and Paul Byrne gave chase from a little further back.

Byrne put in a new fastest lap of the race on the penultimate lap to close on Bugden but it was the Kawasaki rider that held on for the final spot on the podium.

Line honours went again to Matt Walters, by three-tenths of a second over Ben Burke.

SuperbikeRace Two Results

1. Walters
2. Burke +0.32
3. Bugden +0.80
4. Byrne +1.57
5. Blair +7.20
6. Byles +9.90
7. Beaton +14.11
8. De Leon +14.67
9. Purcell +15.04
10. Ivkovic +19.66
11. Swallow +19.67
12. McIntyre +19.91
13. McCarthy +51.22
14. Harding +55.46
15. Binks +56.03
16. Wilkinson +58.86

Superbike Friday Points

1. Matt Walters 50
2. Ben Burke 4
3. Robbie Bugden 40
4. Michael Blair 34

Supersport Race One

Kyle Buckley ran away with the Supersport opening bout while Mitch Levy and Mark Chiodo battled all the way to the wire for second place, Levy eventually getting that gong by two-hundredths of a second over Chiodo.

Supersport Race One Results

1. Buckley
2. Levy +4.72
3. Chiodo +4.74
4. Olivier +10.66
5. Carlsson +10.75
6. Knight +10.96
7. Muldoon +16.38
8. Masri +31.50
9. Spinks +35.46
10. Bourne +40.26
11. Shipp +40.82
12. Gibb +49.56
13. Russell +58.33
14. Thearle +64.99
15. Louqhnan +90.98

Supersport Race Two

The second Supersport race was held on a damp but drying track but the change in conditions did not halt the progress of Kyle Buckley. The Queenslander pulled away from the field almost immediately and despite the best efforts of Sam Muldoon to chase him down Buckley took the win by 2.3-seconds while Cambridge Olivier rounded out the podium ahead of Mitch Levy.

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Mark Chiodo made hard work for himself by jumping the start and scoring a 15-second penalty for his indiscretion, the Victorian was on the podium in the opening encounter but could not repeat that performance in the second race. Chiodo is benefitting this season from having Garry House and Geoff Winzer helping to prepare his Triumph Daytona 675, and the turn around in form has been stark. Chiodo could be a dark horse for the Supersport title this season if he can stay on the bike and out of trouble.

Buckley though takes the 50-point haul for the round while Levy took a well earned 40-points and Cambridge Olivier took third for the round on 38 points.

Supersport Race Two Results

1. Buckley
2. Muldoon +2.27
3. Olivier +10.10
4. Levy +16.05
5. Knight +35.32
6. Spinks + 36.88
7. Carlsson +36.93
8. Chiodo +52.11
9. Russell +1 lap
10. Feely +1 lap

Ninja 300

Jimmy Broadbent dominated the opening Ninja 300 bout on a wet track this evening at Sydney Motorsports Park. Yannis Shaw, Douglas Bloomer and Robert Penman to fight it out for the remaining spots on the rostrum. It was Bloomer though that put in a scorcher of a lap in the tricky conditions to almost close down the five-second gap to Broadbent in a surprise rearguard action! Third place went to Sam Condon who also finished strongly to pass Penman, Farrel and Shaw in the closing stages of the race.

Ninja 300 Race One Results

1. Broadbent
2. Bloomer
3. Sam Condon
4. Penman
5. Farrell
6. Shaw
7. Pat Condon
8. Pickering
9. Dawes
10. Chapman

Ninja 300 Race Two

The second race was held on a damp but drying track and it was again Broadbent the early leader but this time around Sam Condon, Douglas Bloomer, Jack Dawes and Yannis Shaw went with him. Less than a second covered that top five as the race reached half distance.

Jack Dawes moved into the race lead after half race distance and managed to open up a couple of bike lengths over Broadbent over the course of the next lap.

Yannis Shaw set a new fastest lap of the race on the penultimate lap and moved past Bloomer and Condon before setting his sights on Broadbent. Dawes upped his pace on the final lap to stretch away from Broadbent and take the win. Broadbent had his hands full with Shaw throughout the last lap but managed to hold on to second place.

Ninja 300 Race Two Results

1. Dawes
2. Broadbent +0.83
3. Shaw +0.90
4. S Condon +1.81
5. Bloomer +4.78
6. Ford +24.95
7. Rogers +32.47
8. Sellen +35.61
9. Farrell +35.77
10. Lanyon +38.79

Formula Oz

Simon Galloway took out the opening Formula Oz race by half-a-second over Steve McLeod and Lucas Vitale.

Steve McLeod dominated the second bout of the day, which was staged on a damp track. The BMW rider took the chequered flag 3.5-seconds ahead of Simon Galloway. Evan Byles rounded out the podium 2.2-seconds further behind Galloway.

Michael McMillan won the day overall with 44-points ahead of Rick Wilkinson on 41-points.

Pro Twins / Nakedbike

Beau Beaton dominated the opening Pro Twins races on the Irving Vincent 1600 ahead of the Aprilia RSV4 of Michael McMillan and the Triumph Daytona of Ben O’Connor.

The second bout took place on a wet track at 1725 this evening. Many competitors chose not to compete in the damp conditions and Rick Wilkinson was the benefactor and completely dominated proceedings to take a clear win over McMillan and Draper.