Jones powers to Superbike double at Queensland Raceway

Yamaha pilot Mike Jones has returned to his searing best with a double victory in the Alpinestars Superbike class at round three of the 2024 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul (ASBK).

Once the 30-year-old gets into the groove, he’s extremely hard to contain, and so it was again today at Queensland Raceway as he waltzed to easy victories in both 16-lap Superbike races on his Yamaha Racing Team YZF-R1M.

His perfect scorecard – which also included a bonus point for pole position – saw him move up two spots in the seven-round championship race. He’s now third on 112.5pts, behind Josh Waters (McMartin Racing Ducati, 144.5) and his teammate Cru Halliday (115).

“It was a perfect weekend for me, and I can’t thank the Yamaha Racing Team enough,” said Jones.

“We had a really good test leading up to this round, but with such stuff competition nothing is ever a given.

“I hope we provided great entertainment for the fans, and I’m now looking forward to continuing my strong form in the next round at Morgan Park.”

Second overall in round three was Max Stauffer (Penrite Racing Yamaha), ahead of reigning Alpinestars Superbike champion Troy Herfoss (DesmoSport Ducati).

Stauffer was a revelation, nailing the holeshot in both races on his way to 2-3 results, while Herfoss finished with a 4-2 scorecard just a week after returning from racing commitments in America.

Related:

• Jones sets Queensland Raceway alight in ASBK Superbike qualifying

Alpinestars Superbike race one
Stauffer scored the holeshot from the front row and held the lead until lap eight before Jones took over the running after setting a new lap record of 1:07.434 during his reign-in mission – a whopping 0.4 seconds under Bryan Staring’s 2022 benchmark. And just to reinforce that he was in a hot zone, Jones then uncorked a near identical 1:07.437 on the very next lap…

After making short work of Stauffer and with clear air in front of him, it was then a matter of how far for Jones as he greeted the flag by nearly 2.5 seconds for his first win since the Morgan Park round of the 2023 championship.

“I was a little bit nervous at the start when I saw Stauffer take off, but I was able to find some extra speed to close the gap,” said Jones.

“It was still a really tough race, but it’s great to get back on the winner’s list as it’s been a while since we’ve had some success.”

With Stauffer ensconced in second, the battle for third was tight for most of the 16-lap journey between ASBK legends Herfoss, Waters and Glenn Allerton (GT Racing BMW) – a total of nine Superbike titles between them.

Allerton eventually fell into the clutches of Haliday with a few laps remaining, while the arm wrestle between Herfoss and Waters boiled down to the very last turn.

Herfoss then slowed after his bike began running out of fuel, and that was enough for Waters to slip past his long-time rival to extend his 2024 podium stretch to six races.

Halliday, Allerton, Broc Pearson (DesmoSport Ducati), Anthony West (Addicted to Track Yamaha), Arthur Sissis (Stop & Seal Yamaha) and Staring (MotoGo Yamaha) completed the top 10.

Alpinestars Superbike race two
This time Jones hit the front with more haste, passing Stauffer on lap three. Even though Stauffer and then Herfoss kept Jones’ Yamaha in sight for most of the journey, the end result was always inevitable with the #46 Yamaha holding all the aces.

Jones defeated Herfoss – who had swept past Stauffer on lap nine – by nearly three seconds, with Stauffer third from Waters, the very impressive Sissis, Halliday, Allerton and Staring.

Pearson and 16-year-old rookie Cameron Dunker (Penrite Racing Yamaha) saw out the top 10, with the race ending badly for local star West after he crashed at turn four on the final lap.

Ahead of the next round at Morgan Park Raceway from July 12-14, the top three in the championship – Waters, Jones and Halliday – are followed in the standings by Stauffer (98pts), Pearson (97.5) and Herfoss (84).

Jones was also seriously fast at Morgan Park in 2023, can the Yamaha rider make it two round wins in a row? It could certainly be a season-defining round for a number of riders in what has already been a fascinating championship.