ASBK Back with a Bang as Champion Waters Goes Fastest in P1
22 February, 2018
Josh Waters (Team Suzuki ECSTAR, GSX-R1000R) kicked off the 2018 Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul Pirelli (ASBK) season in strong form, after topping the opening free practice session within the YMI Superbike Class. Up to 50 Superbike machines have entered for this weekend’s racing, the most in the modern era. The return of Troy Bayliss (Desmosport Ducati, 1299 Panigale R FE) also got off to a great start with the second fastest time.
YMI Superbike
The YMI Superbike Practice One threw up plenty of intrigue as the reigning YMI Superbike Champion, Waters blasted his way to the top of the time sheets. Waters’ title defence couldn’t have started better. The fastest time of the day for Waters was a 1:32.798.
Waters commenting; “It was a great result, but of course it’s only practice! I still had the same feeling as the final round of the 2017 season. Phil Tainton and the team have done a brilliant job to improve the bike for this first practice. I hope to keep this up for the remaining days. There’s still areas for improvement so we’ll keep pushing.”
Coming up in second place was none other than three time WorldSBK Champion Bayliss, showing a massive improvement from testing. The result has putting smiles on the faces of ASBK fans everywhere. Bayliss and his Desmosport Ducati could be in for a chance of fighting towards the top of the Qualifying timesheets for tomorrow, as he registered a very competitive 1:33.410.
Bayliss sharing; “It was a good first session and we’ve made changes to the Panigale to make it handle a lot better. I’m looking forward to more sessions tomorrow. If I can find more time in the areas where I’m struggling, I think we can up the pace even further.”
Up next in third position was last year’s Round 1 winner Daniel Falzon (Yamaha Racing Team, Yamaha YZF-R1M). Falzon managed to win three YMI Superbike races back in 2017 at Round 1 and is well in contention to fight for victory in 2018. As a newly appointed Yamaha Racing Team Factory rider, Falzon posted a time of 1:33.657.
2016 YMI Superbike Champion Troy Herfoss (Penrite Honda, Honda CBR1000RR SP) set the fourth fastest time, followed by Yamaha enforcer Wayne Maxwell (Yamaha Racing Team, Yamaha YZF-R1M) in fifth.
YMI Superbike gets back on track at 9:00 AM for Practice Two on Friday. Qualifying takes place at 13:40.
YMI Superbike Thursday Practice Top Ten Times
1. Josh WATERS (Team Suzuki Ecstar Australia, Suzuki GSX-R1000R) 1:32.798
2. Troy BAYLISS (Desmosport Ducati Ducati Panigale FE) 1:33.410
3. Daniel FALZON (Yamaha Racing Team, Yamaha YZF-R1M) 1:33.657
4. Troy HERFOSS (Penrite Honda, Honda CBR1000RR SP) 1:33.662
5. Wayne MAXWELL (Yamaha Racing Team, Yamaha YZF-R1M) 1:33.665
6. Glenn ALLERTON (NextGen Motorsports, BMW S1000 RR) 1:33.876
7. Michael JONES (Allsite Concrete Cutting, Kawasaki ZX-10R)
8. Michael BLAIR (Yamaha, Yamaha YZF-R1) 1:34.177
9. Bryan STARING (Kawasaki BC Performance, Kawasaki ZX10R) 1:34.344
10. Matt WALTERS (Swann Insurance Superbike, Kawasaki ZX-10) 1:34.471
Australian Supersport
Tom Toparis (Cube Racing, Kawasaki ZX6R) was fastest for Thursday’s Australian Supersport practice session on his Kawasaki machine. Young Toparis will be pulling double duty this weekend, as he will also be competing as a wildcard in the WorldSSP class this weekend. Toparis lapping ‘The Island’ with a 1:37.515.
Toparis saying after the session; “Of course it’s good to be quickest again. It’s also great to get back into it after my crash the other day. We are just sorting out the difference from the WorldSSP bike to my ASBK Supersport 600, so it’s interesting to see. I think we are looking good heading into tomorrow and hopefully we can work it all out. We ended up fastest, so I am feeling really good going into tomorrow.”
Up next was Yamaha Factory rider, Cru Halliday (Yamaha Racing Team, Yamaha YZF-R6) who rode the brand new YZF-R6 with great skill, posting a 1:37.536 to just miss out on the top position.
Giuseppe Scarcella (BCPerformance Junior Team, Kawasaki ZX6R) enjoyed his debut for the BCpeformance Junior Team. Scarcella once again joins ASBK, after a stint in WorldSSP last year. The Kawasaki rider managed a 1:38.615.
The top five was completed by Brendan Clarke (Champions Ride Days Race Team, Kawasaki ZX-6R) and Nic Liminton (Yamaha YZF-R6).
Fans can catch the Australian Supersport class at 8:20 AM for Free Practice Two, Qualifying will take place at 14:05 in the afternoon.
Australian Supersport Thursday Practice Top Ten Times
1. Tom TOPARIS (Cube Racing, Kawasaki ZX6R) 1:37.515
2. Cru HALLIDAY (Yamaha Racing Team, Yamaha YZF-R6) 1:37.536
3. Giuseppe SCARCELLA (BCPerformance Junior Team, Kawasaki ZX6R) 1:38.615
4. Brendan CLARKE (Champions Ride Days Race Team, Kawasaki ZX-6R) 1:38.636
5. Nic LIMINTON (Yamaha YZF-R6) 1:38.713
6. Max CROKER (Mat Mladin, Suzuki GSX-R600) 1:39.663
7. Damon REES (Carl Cox Motorsports, Honda CBR600RR) 1:39.875
8. Broc PEARSON (Yamaha YZF-R6) 1:40.425
9. Aidan HAYES (Cube Racing, Kawasaki ZX-6R) 1:40.501
10. Rhys BELLING (LXI Racing, Yamaha YZF-R6) 1:40.910
Australian Supersport 300
It’s a new era for the Australian Supersport 300 class with Australia’s best road racing talent rising through the ranks, and 2018 looks like it will be no exception to the rule. This year the ‘Up To’ and ‘Over’ classes are no more, with all models battling it as one unified class.
Despite a red flag coming out during the session that halted preceding’s, Oli Bayliss (Cube Racing, Kawasaki Ninja 300) kept a cool head and posted a 1:49.931 to come out fastest.
Tom Bramich (Nolan Helmets, Yamaha YZF-R3) was on top for the majority of the session, but Bayliss managed to set a late lap to shoot to the top of the timesheets. Bramich setting a 1:50.390.
Coming up in third position was young gun, Locky Taylor (LTR Racing, Yamaha YZF-R3) with his time of 1:51.261.
Harry Khouri (Acid Racing, Yamaha R3 321) and Jarred Brook (KTM Australia, KTM RC 390) completed the top five.
Action resumes for the Australian Supersport 300 at 8:40AM tomorrow morning for the second practice with Qualifying at 13:20PM.
Australian Supersport 300 Top Ten Provisional Times
1. Oliver BAYLISS (Cube Racing, Kawasaki Ninja 300) 1:49.931
2. Tom BRAMICH (Nolan Helmets, Yamaha R3 321) 1:50.390
3. Locky TAYLOR (LTR Racing, Yamaha YZF-R3) 1:51.261
4. Harry KHOURI (Acid Racing, Yamaha R3 321) 1:51.286
5. Jarred BROOK (KTM Australia, KTM RC 390) 1:51.456
6. Zac LEVY (Puma RV’s Yamaha YZF-R3) 1:52.633
7. Ben BRAMICH (GOWMoto, KTM RC 390) 1:52.731
8. Luke POWER (Angel Wings, Kawasaki Ninja 300) 1:52.841
9. Seth CRUMP (Rock Oil, KTM RC 390) 1:52.928
10. Hunter FORD (Ford Brothers Racing, Yamaha R3 321) 1:53.052
YMF R3 Cup
Over in the YMF R3 Cup which joins the Australian WorldSBK Round as a support category this year, former Australian Moto3 Champion, Bramich was fastest managing to set a blistering 1:51.571.
Bramich saying; “For sure the bike is going well, we are using the same settings as we did at Phillip Island for the test the other week and we are building on our pace and hopefully tomorrow we can go faster. We still have a further Australian Supersport 300 practice session to come before qualifying.”
In second was rising star Locky Taylor, lodging a time of 1:51.601. Third was the son of former Australian Superbike Champion Jamie Stauffer, Max. Stauffer showing plenty of promise and adapting well to his YZF-R3 machine with a 1:52.116.
2017 podium placer Laura Brown (WNR, Yamaha YZF-R3) set the fourth fastest time, followed by Harry Khouri (Acid Racing, Yamaha YZF-R3) to round out the top five.
The YMF R3 Cup action will resume at 8:00AM, with Qualifying concluding tomorrow’s action at 16:25.
YMF R3 Cup Top Ten Provisional Times
1. Tom BRAMICH (Nolan Helmets, Yamaha YZF-R3) 1:51.571
2. Locky TAYLOR (LTR Racing, Yamaha YZF-R3) 1:51.601
3. Max STAUFFER (Chris Watson M-cycles, Yamaha YZF-R3) 1:52.116
4. Laura BROWN (WNR, Yamaha YZF-R3) 1:52.667
5. Harry KHOURI (Acid Racing, Yamaha YZF-R3) 1:52.873
6. Zac LEVY (Puma RV’S, Yamaha YZF-R3) 1:53.930
7. Travis HALL (Yamaha YZF-R3) 1:54.104
8. Troy RYAN (Taree Motorcycles, Yamaha YZF-R3) 1:54.335
9. Hunter FORD (Ford Brothers Racing, Yamaha YZF-R3) 1:54.464
10. Callum O’BRIEN (BANHAMS WA, Yamaha YZF-R3) 1:54.567
It all concludes a very interesting day at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit for Thursday practice. Stay tuned to all ASBK channels to see who comes out on top for Qualifying sessions tomorrow.
2018 ASBK Calendar
Round 1- WSBK, Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC February 22 – 25
Round 2- Wakefield Park Raceway, Goulburn NSW March 16 – 18
Official ASBK Test, The Bend Motorsport Park, Tailem Bend, SA April 3-4
Round 3- The Bend Motorsport Park, Tailem Bend, SA April 19 – 22
Round 4- Hidden Valley Raceway, Darwin NT June 28 – 1 July
Round 5- Morgan Park Raceway, Warwick QLD August 17 – 19
Round 6- Winton Motor Raceway, Benalla, VIC September 7 – 9
Round 7- Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC October 12 – 14
More, from a press release issued by Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit:
Bayliss straight back to front-running business
It’s like he has never left. He may be 48 years old, but three-time world superbike champion Troy Bayliss made a sensational return to the professional road racing ranks at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit this afternoon.
In the first practice session ahead of this weekend’s opening round of the 2018 Yamaha Motor Insurance Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) at Phillip Island, the Ducati-mounted Bayliss completed the 30-minute session second on the ladder behind defending Australian champion Josh Waters (Suzuki).
In the process, Bayliss not only carved 0.5 seconds off his best time from a recent Phillip Island test session, but he also finished ahead of riders such as former national superbike champions Wayne Maxwell (Yamaha), Troy Herfoss (Honda), Glenn Allerton (BMW), Bryan Staring (Kawasaki) and Mike Jones (Kawasaki).
Clearly relishing his return to the same patch of tarmac where he was such a powerhouse in the world superbike (WorldSBK) ranks, Bayliss, Taree-bred but now based on the Gold Coast with his family, is embarking on his first ASBK campaign since way back in 1997 when he was fresh-faced 27-year-old. He finished second overall that season, before heading overseas to find stardom in world superbikes and MotoGP.
Bayliss has reunited with his old employer Ducati to make his return to the professional ranks, and he hasn’t cut any corners to give himself the best chance of success.
“I’ve dropped down about six kilos and been living like a monk,” said Bayliss. “The beers are gone and, although I’ve done a lot of work to get in the best shape I can, I find myself back in ASBK with the best field the championship has ever seen.
“Everyone wants to win, and I didn’t come here to ride around.”
ASBK will be the major support class at the season-opening round of the 2018 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, with 50 per cent of the field half Bayliss’ age!
Bayliss retired from WorldSBK at the end of 2008 after a total of 52 wins and three titles (2001/2006/2008) but returned for a two-round return cameo in 2015 to replace an injured rider in the Ducati factory team.
Since then he’s still been active on race tracks around the country – mainly under the guise of fast-tracking the promising career of his teenage son Oli, who races in the supersport 300 class – but it’s another thing riding a 200 horsepower superbike at speed.
“I’m doing everything I can to ride the Ducati,” said Bayliss. “But I don’t know what it is – the bikes seem to be getting higher these days! They are easier to get off and harder to get on to!
“I’m certainly not the man I used to be, but I am going to give it a nudge and hopefully I can run up the front with these guys.”
Practice for ASBK continues tomorrow, with a race on Saturday followed by two more on Sunday supporting the world superbike season-opening battles.
WorldSBK: fans are in for a treat
Ducati factory rider Chaz Davies believes the “fans are in for a treat” when the 2018 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, Yamaha Finance round, begins at Phillip Island this weekend.
The reigning world No. 2 says a combination of rider and team changes plus new technical rules makes for a heady mix.
“I think we had some good races last year, but this year there will be some barnburners – especially when the reverse comes into play for race two,” Davies said at today’s pre-event press conference.
“Also, in 2017 some riders were able to go to the front and clear off, but I don’t think it will be quite like that this year. There’s a lot to look forward to.”
Davies finished second in both of last year’s Phillip Island WorldSBK races behind arch-rival and world champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki), and the pair is preparing to renew hostilities – with gun riders like Tom Sykes (Kawasaki), Eugene Laverty (Aprilia), Loris Baz (BMW), Jordi Torres (MV Agusta), Michael van der Mark (Yamaha), Sam Lowes (Yamaha) and Leon Camier (Honda) also coming out to play.
WorldSBK practice begins tomorrow, with Aussies Wayne Maxwell (Yamaha), Troy Herfoss (Honda) and Daniel Falzon (Yamaha) in the 22-rider WorldSBK field, and there’s also a local triumvirate in world supersport: Anthony West (Kawasaki), Tom Toparis (Kawasaki) and Lachlan Epis (Kawasaki).
Tickets available at Ticketek or at gate. Gates open 8am with three day passes given FREE Paddock Admission. Children 15 and under free. For further information go to www.worldsbk.com.au
More, from a press release issued by DesmoSport Ducati:
COMEBACK BECKONS FOR DESMOSPORT DUCATI’S BAYLISS
DesmoSport Ducati’s Troy Bayliss will make his anticipated comeback to the Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) this weekend at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in Victoria, a decade after capturing his third world championship and announcing his retirement from racing.
Bayliss formed the factory DesmoSport Ducati team with co-owner and team manager Ben Henry ahead of the 2016 season, but will return to the race-track himself for a full season of hard-fought ASBK competition aboard the 1299 Panigale R Final Edition.
“There’s a lot of excitement for this weekend, which is a lot different to the last time I raced as a replacement at Ducati in WorldSBK during 2015,” Bayliss said. “This time I’m coming in prepared and it’s over the course of a full season in the ASBK. We’re here now at Phillip Island for the first round and it’s going to be interesting.
“You could say this is our first real practice, because I haven’t done a lot on the bike, but I’m feeling good and the DesmoSport Ducati team’s been great. I’m looking forward to getting on-track throughout the weekend – especially in front of some old friends and bosses! – and I’ve had a nice reception, so the aim is to be competitive and see where we end up from there.”
Henry, who is himself a former national-level racer, will lead the DesmoSport Ducati program once again as co-owner with Bayliss in 2018, also joined by renowned crew chief Paul Free this season. It’s a recipe that will provide the Queensland-based organisation its best chance of success since being launched a couple of seasons ago.
“The test we had here a few weeks ago was a positive one,” Henry recalled. “There were no major surprises for me and I believe we did pretty good. We have tested since then at Morgan Park and everything went well and is moving forward. Most importantly, Troy is happy and we’ll see what happens come the weekend and see where we end up.
“If we can finish in the top five, that would be a really good way to start the year or if we can leave this weekend with a podium finish, I would be ecstatically happy. I don’t expect to win, because the field is so tough and it would be a big call to win here at the moment. It would be the dream, but currently, if we can score a podium finish, we would be over the moon.”
After posting the 10th-fastest time in official testing in January, Bayliss immediately improved in this afternoon’s opening session by going P2 on the time-sheets with a 1m33.410s – half a second quicker than he posted at the test.
The 2018 ASBK begins between 22-25 February at Phillip Island, alongside the opening round of the Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) in which Bayliss was crowned champion of in 2001, 2006 and 2008.
Like DesmoSport Ducati on Facebook, Follow @desmosportducati on Instagram and visit www.asbk.com.au for further information. Cube Performance Centre also has an exclusive DesmoSport Ducati section on its website, available to view at www.asbk.com.au
More, from a press release issued by Cube Racing:
CUBE RACING CHARGES INTO 2018 SEASON AT PHILLIP ISLAND
The youthful Cube Racing team will commence the 2018 Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) season this weekend at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC, entering the Supersport division with Tom Toparis, as well as the Supersport 300 category with Oli Bayliss.
Goulburn-bred title-challenger Toparis will be focused on his national Supersport bid in which he was quickest in pre-season testing, while also lining up as a wildcard in the Supersport World Championship (WorldSSP) opener. He was 17th in the official WorldSSP test this week after posting an impressive 1m35.490s lap-time.
“We are learning so much doing the WorldSSP wildcard,” Toparis said. “Things from other teams and there are so many things we are learning, which is helping this weekend and obviously we can take it into the future on the other bike. It’s going to be a big weekend for sure, with plenty of track time, so I’m just looking forward to getting out there again in race-mode – the Cube Racing team and I are good to go.
“Together as a team we are all learning things, which has to be good for us. I’m sure the learning is not going to stop, as we still have four more days of riding ahead of us. In terms of the ASBK series, it’s a long season with 15 races in total across seven rounds, so the target is to get away from Phillip Island with a solid overall finish, then we’ll assess where we are after that.”
After finishing fourth in the Up To 300 Supersport championship last season, talented 14-year-old Oli Bayliss will be back for more in 2018 and is eager to capitalise on the lessons learned in his rookie campaign. He will be a regular toward the front of the tight-knit pack this year.
“It should be a good weekend, testing went well and we’re pretty confident coming into Phillip Island,” Bayliss said. “I’ll be aiming for P1 in the races, although top three would be great as well. I’m really looking forward to this season.”
Cube Racing team owner and manager Ben Henry is excited to work with both Toparis and Bayliss for a second full season, also assisting Aidan Hayes once again in the Supersport field throughout the year to come. It’s shaping up as a strong season ahead for the Queensland-based squad.
“We went really well in testing, which left us really happy for a few reasons,” commented Henry. “One of the pros from the test for me was the fact I don’t get to spend a lot of time with Tom, so it was good to spend some time with him and that probably helped him. I believe we did really well and he did a PB, so you can’t ask for too much more than that.
“In terms of the Australian championship, I expect Tom to finish on the podium. I never expect anyone to win because it’s just not the way it is, but I do expect him to finish on the podium and that is the first goal for us this season.
“For Oli, he is in a funny spot. He is not getting any smaller and the bike is not getting any faster, so it is at its limits and Oli is riding really well. Like Tom, if Oli were to put the bike on the podium that would be fantastic. I know he is keen to win here and he’s definitely good enough, but for sure, expect to see him on the podium. If he were to win I would be over the moon!”
Opening practice was staged this afternoon at Phillip Island, with Toparis topping the Supersport ranks and Bayliss leading the way in Supersport 300, setting up a top weekend ahead for the Cube Racing team.
Like Cube Racing on Facebook and visit www.asbk.com.au for further information. Cube Performance Centre also has an exclusive Cube Racing section on its website, available to view at www.asbk.com.au now.