2024

Jones snares pole position to keep the heat on Waters

By MA Media 0

Yamaha top gun Mike Jones’ second pole position of the season has come at just the right time as round six of the 2024 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul (ASBK) continued at One Raceway in Goulburn today.

With the Queenslander lagging behind arch-rival Josh Waters (McMartin Racing Ducati) in the Pirelli Superbike battle, Jones not only scored a bonus point for pole position but he’s now in prime position to push hard from the front in Sunday’s two 20-lap races around a circuit where passing opportunities are at a premium.

Jones will be joined on the front row by Friday fast man Broc Pearson (DesmoSport Ducati) and precocious teen Cameron Dunker (Penrite Racing Yamaha), followed by Waters, Max Stauffer (Penrite Racing Yamaha) and Anthony West (Addicted to Track Yamaha).

One Raceway put on a crowd-pleasing Saturday, with Red Bull Ampol Racing driver Broc Feeney front and centre as he cut laps in his 2022 Holden Commodore and current Chevrolet Camaro as well as taking ASBK ambassador Chris Vermeulen for a hot lap.

Broc was also joined on circuit by his former Superbike-racing dad Paul aboard a Kawasaki Z900 – the brand synonymous with his racing career in the 1980s.

Saturday was also huge on other fronts with a Superbike legend calling it a day, the circuit officially reopened, and Archie McDonald (Stop and Seal Yamaha) turning Michelin Supersport qualifying into a personal benefit.

Race and Road Supersport 300, ShopYamaha R3 Cup and the bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup also began their race programs at the new Goulburn motorsport hub.

ONE RACEWAY RESULTS

Sunday’s schedule will include a massive pit walk, the ASBK Trade Alley, autograph sessions with ASBK ambassadors Garry McCoy, Chris Vermeulen and Steve Martin, and pillion rides for lucky competition winners.

To purchase tickets for One Raceway, click here. Tickets will also be available at the gate.

The Superbike top guns in qualifying: (L to R) Broc Pearson, Mike Jones and Cameron Dunker

Pirelli Superbike
Jones has now trimmed Waters’ lead to 28pts in the Pirelli Superbike standings after powering his Yamaha Racing Team YZF-R1M to the top spot.

Jones now holds the new best lap around One Raceway thanks to his 58.839, while Pearson (58.953) was the only other rider to sneak under the 59-second mark.

“The wind picked up a bit today, but once you are in the zone it’s not so much of a problem,” said Jones, who’s the only rider in the field to taste previous Superbike success at the venue. “And once qualifying comes around it’s all about flicking the switch and getting on with it.

“I’ve done some longer runs over the weekend so I’ll hope we’ll have strong pace in the races. I’m looking forward to some great battles.”

It is Jones’ 14th pole position in the Superbike class, and will be his 32nd front row start.

Chris Vermeulen (left) and Broc Feeney before taking to One Raceway

Meanwhile, Dunker’s third spot (59.098) was a massive six spots better than his previous best Superbike qualifying effort as his rookie season continues to reach new heights. He pipped Waters (59.222) for the final spot on the front row, while Stauffer (59.318) and West (59.340) were fifth and sixth.

Cru Halliday (Yamaha Racing Team, 59.341) continues to grit his teeth after a bone-crunching highside on Thursday practice, while Glenn Allerton (GT Racing BMW, 59.365), Bryan Staring (MotoGo Yamaha, 59.458) and John Lytras (Yamaha, 59.736) completed the top 10 – all within one second of Jones’ benchmark.

Race one on Sunday will be held at 11:30am.

Mike Jones turned the wick up on his Yamaha in a stellar qualifying performance

Michelin Supersport
Qualifying for the Michelin Superport class remained true to Friday’s practice form guide, with Stop and Seal Yamaha duo McDonald and Jack Mahaffy to start from the front row of the grid in Sunday’s two races, to be joined by Hayden Nelson on the BC Performance Racing Kawasaki.

It was 18-year-old McDonald’s first pole position in Supersport, and he did it with 0.6 seconds to spare over Mahaffy on a layout where he could be very hard to contain – especially if he takes maximum advantage of pole position.

The next four spots on the 16-rider grid are filled by Yamahas – Tom Bramich, championship leader Jonathan Nahlous, Jake Farnsworth and Olly Simpson – with Brandon Demmery (Kawasaki), Sean Condon (Yamaha) and Glenn Nelson (Yamaha) completing the top 10.

Nahlous holds a 20pt (201 to 181) lead over Simpson, followed by Farnsworth (169), Bramich (166) and McDonald (165).

Archie McDonald’s practice and qualifying form has been flawless

Race and Road Supersport 300
The opening Race and Road Supersport 300 race at One Raceway was a typically tight and tough affair, with championship leader Josh Newman edging out fellow Kawasaki rider Casey Middleton for his fourth victory of the year. Jordan Simpson (Yamaha) was third.

With previous closest rival and polesitter Valentino Knezovic (Yamaha) crashing out of contention, Newman extended his lead to 33pts (303 to 270) over Harrison Watts, who finished fifth in race one. Knezovic is now third on 267pts, but remains in the championship hunt with five races – and a maximum of 125pts – still up for grabs.

Reigning Superbike Masters champion Keo Watson (Kawasaki) was fourth – as well as setting the inaugural lap record of 1:07.021 – with Watts and Calvin Moylan (Kawasaki) right on his hammer.

Sixteen riders finished, with Jesse Stroud (Yamaha) and Oscar Lewis (Yamaha) also crashing – but unlike Knezovic they didn’t remount. Knezovic finished 14th.

Two races on Sunday will round out the program.

Josh Newman (#17) leads the pack in Race and Road Supersport 300

ShopYamaha R3 Cup
Race one in the ShopYamaha R3 Cup as a nail-biter, with Will Nassif the winner from Jordan Simpson, Valentino Knezovic and polesitter Jesse Stroud.

The quartet cleared out from the balance of the pack, with John Pelgrave just getting the better of William Hunt for fifth.

Knezovic maintains his series lead on 88pts from Stroud (82) and Simpson (71).

There will be two more races on Sunday.

Will Nassif gets the job done in the R3 Cup opener

bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup
Yet another clinical victory for the increasingly indomitable Hunter Corner in the bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup, who won the five-lapper by over three seconds from closest title rival Ethan Johnson.

Phoenix O’Brien and Connor Lewis flashed across the finish line in third and fourth, with Rossi McAdam and Nikolas Lazos fifth and sixth.