OFFICIAL PROGRAMME · ASBK SUPERBIKE
ASBK SUPERBIKE
ASBK SUPERBIKE
Coming into the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship
( WSBK ), Grand Ridge Brewery Australian Round , the Alpinestars Superbike Championship is in a fascinating and potentially gamechanging position .
From round one – ironically at Phillip Island earlier this year – reigning Champion Wayne Maxwell has made defending his Championship unusually difficult , and at times , seemingly impossible . While he was dominant in every session leading into race one on Sunday the 27th of February , not long after the flag dropped , he found himself in the gravel trap at The Hayshed on lap five .
Failing to capitalise on his favourite circuit has proved costly for the former Champion . A resurgent Bryan Staring was rightly brimming with confidence aboard the DesmoSport Ducati Panigale V4R . It became the running joke “ Maxwell is behind by about the length of The Hayshed ”.
Though quiet at Phillip Island , Mike Jones was able to impress himself upon the Championship via outstanding results at Queensland Raceway ( two wins plus an extra point for pole ). Pole plus a win at Wakefield saw Jones just pull ahead from the rest of the field , while Maxwell found himself unable to make a dent in Jones ’ lead .
The Hidden Valley round in Darwin saw Maxwell start to loosen his grip on the title and Jones moved into warm and rightful Championship favouritism . Jones was at his tenacious best on a weekend where the Yamaha was not the preferred machine but still caught the flight south with 70 points in his carry-on luggage , while pole-sitter Maxwell was troubled in races one and three , netting just 53 points on a threerace 76-points-on-offer weekend .
Darwin also saw a joyful and resurgent Penrite Honda Troy Herfoss well involved , taking second overall on his CBR1000RR for a verymuch welcomed return to the ASBK podium , while Staring powered his way to third to keep himself in the top three for the season .
At Morgan Park , the Yamaha R1 was expected to enjoy the tight and bumpy running at the 1.5km circuit . Despite this , Maxwell muscled and wrestled his Boost Mobile by K-Tech Panigale V4R for an unexpected pole and two wins , keeping his Championship hopes alive . He still faces a 29-point deficit with 127 maximum points left in season 2022 . And so here we are , back at The Island for another three-race weekend . It ’ s fair to say that Maxwell has- when upright- been the goto racer at this circuit since 2009 , so expectations are high and with it , the pressure , and at various critical moments this year , team and rider issues have proved costly .
This WSBK round has much intrigue because at round one at Phillip Island , Jones was third overall with both Staring and Cru Halliday ahead of him . Team-mate Halliday saves his best racing for the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit and if Maxwell stays upright and up front for all three races , and some other riders can climb up the order , then the 29-point deficit could be down to single-digits heading into the finale at The Bend .
The Bend , where Maxwell took the double win in 2021 to clinch the title …
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