Herfoss sizzles to claim pole position in ASBK finale

Troy Herfoss is determined to make his Honda swansong a fairytale after unleashing a towering qualifying performance in round seven of the 2023 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship, presented by Motul.

The Queenslander turned up the wick on his Penrite Honda CBR1000RR-R in the second Alpinestars Superbike qualifying session at The Bend, and the spoils were spectacular: the first rider to go under the 1m50s bracket at the world-class 4.95km circuit.

Peerless across every measure, but with championship rival Josh Waters (McMartin Racing with K-Tech Ducati V4R) alongside him on the front row the celebrations will be short and sweet for Herfoss before he galvanises himself for tomorrow’s two 11-lap races.

Michelin Supersport is also delicately poised, with returning internationals Harrison Voight and Tom Toparis leading the qualifying charts ahead of the three riders vying for the championship: Olly Simpson, Cameron Dunker and Ty Lynch.

Two races also await the Supersport cohort tomorrow, while three of the other SBK classes – Yamaha Finance R3 Cup, Supersport 300 and bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup – are already in competition mode but remain ‘live’ rubbers.

Only one 2023 champion was crowned today: Keo Watson in the popular Sureflight Superbike Masters class.

Tickets are still available for Sunday’s racing at The Bend via www.asbk.com.au, but if you’re watching from home or in transit there are live streaming and TV options galore so you don’t have to miss a minute of the action.

THE BEND RESULTS

ALPINESTARS SUPERBIKE

Pole position was a just reward for Herfoss who had been consistently brisk in all four practice sessions. But even the wiliest of ASBK pundits probably wouldn’t have believed the extraordinary work he produced in qualifying with his amazing 1m49.889s lap.
 
Herfoss says it was one of the highlights of his career.
 
“I have never done a qualifying lap that good,” the ebullient 36-year-old said. “I was hoping I could do a 1:49 but I didn’t think it would actually happen. I know it was just qualifying but it’s the most fun I’ve had in one minute and 49 seconds in my life!

“It’s a pretty emotional weekend and I want to finish it off in the best possible way and work out what I want to do after that.”
 
Herfoss’ pole-sitting time was 0.409s ahead of Waters (1:50.298), followed by Cru Halliday (Yamaha Racing Team YZF-R1, 1:50.312), Max Stauffer (GTR Moto Stars YZF-R1, 1:50.550) and Mike Jones (Yamaha Racing Team YZF-R1, 1:50.688).
 
Glenn Allerton (GT Racing BMW M 1000 RR, 1:50.881) will complete row two tomorrow, with Bryan Staring (MotoGo YZF-R1, 1:51.265), South Australian Arthus Sissis (Unitech Racing YZF-R1, 1:51.274) and Anthony West (Addicted to Track YZF-R1, 1:51.325) on row three.
 
Race one will be held at 11:00am (ADCT) tomorrow, and race two at 2:45pm (ADCT). Will it be a third Superbike title for Herfoss, or number four for Waters?

MICHELIN SUPERSPORT

It’s the overriding Michelin Supersport question: will the riders making ASBK cameos – Voight and Toparis the two standouts – make tomorrow pleasure or pain for the championship aspirations of Dunker, Simpson and Lynch?

We’ll get a more definitive gauge in the opening nine-lap race tomorrow, where last year’s double winner Voight (Voight Construction Yamaha YZF-R6) will start from pole position after setting the new best lap around The Bend – 1:54.618. Toparis (Cube Racing Stop & Seal YZF-R6, 1:54.770) and Simpson (Simpson Crash YZF-R6, 1:54.825) are right on Voight’s hammer, so we’re unlikely to see a runaway winner – it’s going to be a tight affair.

Meanwhile, Dunker (GTR Moto Stars YZF-R6, 1:55.322), the championship leader, knows what final round pressure is all about, and he’ll start from grid position No. 4 alongside Lynch (AMR Sports YZF-R6, 1:55.571) and Harry Khouri (Addicted to Track YZF-R6, 1:57.851) – another Aussie expat back in town for the ASBK finale.

All 20 riders qualified.

SUPERSPORT 300 AND YAMAHA FINANCE R3 CUP

After a forced restart following an Abbie Cameron crash which brought out the red flag, the racing in the Supersport 300 opener was as tight as ever before boiling down to a three-way fight between Cameron Swain, Brodie Gawith and Marcos Hamod.

And that’s how they finished in a blanket finish, with Swain victorious by just 0.013s to move into the title lead by 9ts over Hamod.

The Yamaha Finance R3 Cup produced more Swain magic as he claimed the spoils from Gawith, while Hamod just held out Henry Snell and Jordan Simpson for third.

Swain also holds sway in R3 Cup by 9pts, with two races remaining in each class.

BLU OCEANIA JUNIOR CUP

Polesitter Archie Schmidt won race one in the bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup after a nail-biting finish saw him execute a perfectly timed pass on Jake Paige on the last turn.

The pair, in a very unusual OJC scenario, cleared out from the main pack, with Rikky Henry finishing in a lonely third before the pack tightened up.

Schmidt also set a new lap record of 2:30.941 in a brilliant OJC outing. He now has a 9pt lead over Bodie Paige, who was fourth in race one.

SUREFLIGHT SUPERBIKE MASTERS

The Sureflight Superbike Masters grid was stacked with Aussie racing legends: three-time MotoGP winner Garry McCoy Yamaha TZ750), Isle of Man Classic TT winner David Johnson (Suzuki Katana) and dual World Superbike champion Troy Corser (Yamaha 0W01).

However, most of today’s plaudits went to Watson (Yamaha FZR1000), who was rewarded with champion-designate status after a brilliant season.

Johnson and Watson shared the wins on Saturday, with the former forced to start from pitlane in race two due to his late arrival on the grid from racetrack commentary duties! A first time for everything….

Watson and Ryan Taylor (Suzuki GSX-R1100) completed the podium in race one, and in race two McCoy was runner-up ahead of Taylor. McCoy had earlier fluffed the race one start on the big two-stroke before slicing his way back to fourth.

Meanwhile, Corser had braking gremlins in both races but managed to make the finish line in the second.

Waters and Herfoss dominate practice to set the scene for a thrilling ASBK finale

The grand final of the 2023 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship, presented by Motul, began at The Bend today, with the Superbike battle between arch-rivals Troy Herfoss and Josh Waters already in hyper mode.

Waters (McMartin Racing with K-Tech Ducati V4 R), locked on an unprecedented Alpinestars Superbike tie with Herfoss (Penrite Honda CBR1000RR-R), only annexed top spot in the final few minutes of the third practice session – and in the process set a new best-ever lap around the expansive South Australian circuit, eclipsing Wayne Maxwell’s previous mark from 2021 by 0.66 seconds.

Herfoss, after being the pacesetter for all but two minutes of day one, was second, while South Australian Olly Simpson (Yamaha YZF-R6) was the top gun in Michelin Supersport as that class also goes down to the wire on Sunday.

In fact, all the ASBK classes remain up for grabs in the most spectacular finale to the championship on record and, with more brilliant weather forecast across the weekend, there’ll be no excuses or potential spoilers: it’ll all come down to speed, guile and flair on the racetrack.

Tickets for The Bend ASBK grand final are still available online, and general admission ticket holders on Saturday will also receive free entry into racing under lights at the circuit’s recently inaugurated drag strip.

Can’t make it to the Bend on Saturday? SBS On Demand will have you covered with live and exclusive live streaming of all the qualifying and race action, starting at 10:20am and concluding at 5:30pm (ACDT).

FRIDAY PRACTICE RESULTS

ALPINESTARS SUPERBIKE

The anticipation in the Alpinestars Superbike class has started early, thanks to Waters’ withering late burst of speed taking him to the top of the timesheets over Herfoss, followed by Max Stauffer (GTR MotoStars YZF-R1).

Waters uncorked a 1:50.454 on his final flyer, while Herfoss (1:50.604) was the only other rider in the 51-second bracket after producing a consistent body of brilliant work across all three practice sessions.

The scene has been set: the championship leaders are well and truly in the zone, with the fervour and excitement to only increase as practice morphs into qualifying and then Sunday’s two 11-lap races.

“It was a good Friday for us across the three sessions,” said Waters. “We were chipping away all day and changed a lot of everything – including the suspension.

“Just look at the lap times for me and Troy and you can tell something’s important on our minds! It’s great for all the people following the championship.”

Herfoss said he took a conservative approach to day one, despite his sizzling times and timesheet-leading tempo. It was all about methodical work rate.

“We just worked slowly through a few electronic things, as well as a small chassis change in the third session,” said Herfoss, who will part ways with the Honda team after the final round.

“We are so close and trying to work with the grip levels as they change. A really solid day, and I felt really comfortable on the bike.

“It looks like Josh and I are a little bit ahead of the field at the moment, but you know racing: other riders can wake up on Saturday and be fast so I’m definitely keeping things in perspective.

“I just can’t wait for racing to get underway – it’s exciting.”

Herfoss and Bryan Staring (MotoGo YZF-R1) share the record for the most Superbike wins around The Bend with three each, ahead of Jones (one). 

Stauffer (1:51.105), emboldened by his breakthrough Alpinestars Superbike podium at Phillip Island, again upstaged more seasoned riders with his third spot in practice, ahead of Yamaha Racing Team duo Cru Halliday (1:51.193) and defending champion Mike Jones (1:51.537).

Anthony West (Addicted to Track YZF-R1, 1:51.546) was sixth ahead of Arthur Sissis (Unitech Racing YZF-R1, 1:52.156), while Glenn Allerton (GT Racing M 1000 RR) – defending third place in the championship – was back in 11th place and will have to find more speed in qualifying to work himself back into calculations.

MICHELIN SUPERSPORT

Simpson (1:54.840) pushed hard from the outset in Michelin Supersport practice, with this weekend’s grid strengthened by a number of young Aussie internationals returning home for ASBK cameos.

Simpson held onto top spot despite last year’s winner Harrison Voight (YZF-R6, 1:54.866) finishing the day strongly.

Simpson is 14pts adrift of Cameron Dunker (GTR MotoStars YZF-R6, 1:55.660) in the championship, with the latter third in practice from Tom Toparis (Cube Racing Stop & Seal YZF-R6, 1:55.674) and Hayden Nelson (Cube Racing YZF-R6, 1:55.800).

South Australian Ty Lynch (AMR Motorsports YZF-R6, 1:56.370), just 2pts behind Simpson and the third cog in the thrilling championship battle, also kept his powder dry in sixth position.

SUPERSPORT 300 AND YAMAHA FINANCE R3 CUP

It’s all set up for a nerve-wrecking finale in both classes, with main contenders Brodie Gawith, Cameron Swain and Henry Snell all lurking at the top of the timesheets, with Bradon Demmery also in the hunt as well.

There are 75pts up for grabs in each class across the weekend, starting with the opening races tomorrow afternoon – which can both be seen on SBS On Demand!

BLU CRU OCEANIA JUNIOR CUP

More top guns at the very top with one and two in the series, Archie Schmidt and Bodie Paige, the stars of practice.

Schmidt, from Mount Barker in the Adelaide Hills, has been a revelation all year with his fast and aggressive riding, and he’ll look to complete a stellar year with a title victory on Sunday.

Schmidt can’t slip up though, as Paige will be there to pounce only being 1pt in arrears, while Hayden Fordyce is third – the only other realistic contender.

SUREFLIGHT SUPERBIKE MASTERS

It didn’t take long for Garry McCoy to remind us why he is a three-time MotoGP winner, qualifying on pole position in his Sureflight Superbike Masters cameo – the diminutive Queensand fulfilling a long-held ambition to ride a Yamaha TZ750.

He will start from pole position after going 0.3 seconds faster than 2022 The Bend winner David Johnson (Suzuki Katana), with series leader Keo Watson (Yamaha FZR1000) third. Ryan Taylor (Suzuki GSX-R1100) will also looking to keep pace with the top three in the four five-lap races.

Reigning champion Tommy Bridewell joins Honda with title-defending ambition

In a clear statement of intent, Honda Racing UK is thrilled to announce that 2023 Bennetts British Superbike champion Tommy Bridewell will race for the factory-owned Honda team in 2024.
 
Joining Honda after achieving his lifetime ambition of championship glory, Tommy, now a 16-times race winner combines forces with Honda and the new 2024 Fireblade to mount his title defense. He is eager to put together back-to-back championship-winning seasons and become the first to win consecutive titles on different manufacturers. He arrives with a wealth of experience, a winning mentality and title-raising ambition, but also, his series-winning number 1 plate which will sit proudly at the front of his CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP.
 
Tommy’s arrival in the team sees him spearhead a three-pronged assault on the Superbike championship alongside his already-signed teammates, Andrew Irwin and Dean Harrison. Carefully constructed pre-season preparations lie ahead for the team before official testing begins in the new year ahead of the season opener in sunny Spain at the Circuito de Navarra on 20-21 April.

#1 Tommy Bridewell

I am so excited to join such a prestigious brand, it is every rider’s dream to ride for Honda at some point and to bring with me the number 1 plate is just fantastic. The timing feels right, I have achieved my championship goals and now I am entirely focused on defending the title. I am coming here to Honda to do just that, to win another championship. I have always made my decisions on instinct and I always follow my gut, the opportunity here at Honda is something that I have always wanted to do and it was an easy decision to make. I’ve chosen to come to Honda as I feel this is the best team to help me defend my championship. Getting to ride a new bike is also really motivating and I am proud to run the number 1 plate for next season. 

Team Manager Havier Beltran

Tommy is an enormously exciting rider and I am delighted to welcome him to Honda Racing UK. His achievements in the 2023 season showcased his exceptional talent and I firmly believe that his addition to our team will contribute significantly to our pursuit of success. I am certainly not alone in saying that I cannot wait to see what he is capable of achieving on our new Fireblade. Our target in 2024 is clear, we are going racing to win and to fight for the title.

Neil Fletcher – Head of Motorcycles, Honda UK
 
“To combine forces with a rider of Tommy’s calibre highlights Honda’s intentions for the 2024 season and I am thrilled to warmly welcome him into the fold. I am immensely proud that he has signed with Honda and honoured that he has decided to run the number 1 plate on his Fireblade next year. His ambitions for 2024 entirely align with our own and I am excited to begin this next chapter in Honda’s racing story. I believe that alongside Andrew and Dean in Superbike, Jack on the 600 and John, Dean and Nathan on the roads, Honda now has one of its strongest rider line-ups of recent years.”