2020

Double Win for Herfoss in Penultimate Superbike Round

Troy Herfoss has clean-swept the penultimate round of the Kawasaki Superbikes at the grand finale of the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship, presented by Motul, at Wakefield Park, winning both today’s 18 lap races.

On his Penrite Honda, Herfoss was engaged in combat with championship leader Wayne Maxwell (Ducati) in the early stages of Race 1, the two riders swapping positions several times before Herfoss stamped his authority during the second half of the race.

“Usually I’d be so stoked with a win, but at the moment it’s not good enough for me to win the championship if Wayne keeps coming second,” Herfoss said.

Maxwell kept Herfoss honest for the duration of the race, crossing the line 0.7s behind his rival.

“I knew if Troy got clear air, he would be super-consistent, so when he passed me I tried to fight back straight away,” Maxwell said.

“I probably could have fought back again, but he was too strong.

Glenn Allerton finished third, the three-time champion making a welcome return to the podium aboard his BMW.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve actually raced these guys; it was good to get in behind them and see what their strengths and weaknesses were,” Allerton said.

“Throughout the break, we’ve worked hard to be in this position where we can fight for race wins.”

Bryan Staring finished fourth in Race 1 ahead of Cru Halliday, who ran wide early in the race while attempting a pass on Staring at Turn 8. Aiden Wagner was sixth ahead of Mike Jones, while Josh Waters fell to eighth with brake issues; Arther Sissis and Jed Metcher completed the top 10.

Herfoss again won Race 2, but swapped positions with Maxwell on several occasions. The defining moment occurred when Maxwell attempted a move for the lead into Turn 2, but ran wide on the exit and lost several bike-lengths to Herfoss.

“That was a really difficult race – Wayne had a lot of speed and we couldn’t break him, he’s always such a tough competitor,” Herfoss said.

“It’s back to the drawing board tomorrow but all I can do is finish at the front and keep the pressure on.”

Allerton again finished third, keeping the Yamaha of Cru Halliday at bay for the entire race, while Mike Jones, Aiden Wagner, Josh Waters, Arthur Sissis and Bryan Staring rounded out the top 10, Staring losing some places late in the race with an off-track excursion at the final corner.

Heading into tomorrow’s final two races of the 2020 season, Maxwell holds an advantage of 17 points over Herfoss, with a total of 51 points on offer.