2019 ASBK Championship looking “The best I’ve ever seen it”- Bayliss
The 2019 Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) is underway, with the Official Launch taking place this morning ahead of Round 1 (February 21 -24) here at Phillip Island, as part of the FIM World Superbike Championship (WSBK) weekend.
Taking to the stage, some of the ASBK’s strongest Superbike competitors and a few dark horses had the opportunity to discuss their championship aspirations for this season.
Here’s some of what the riders had to say:
Wayne Maxwell – Team Suzuki Ecstar Australia
“I’ve obviously known Josh (Waters) for a long, long time and been rivals for a long, long time also so it’s kind of a bit of a different rivalry now that you’re in the same team. Not only have you got to try to beat him but you also want to be the first guy in the team so that becomes difficult.
“I’m just focusing on what I’m doing at the moment… still learning the bike- obviously Josh knows it very well. And hopefully I can contribute to making a decent start, which is better for not only myself but for Josh and the whole team.”
Josh Waters – Team Suzuki Ecstar Australia
“The first round’s always very tough because everyone comes in with a clear head and their aim is to win so it’s always tough, the racing is really good.
“We received new tyres -we’re still with Pirelli but they’ve got a new tyre and that gave me a different feeling but we’ve all experienced that. Wayne didn’t struggle as much as I did (at the test), he did a fantastic job so, it’s going to be a tough weekend and we’ll try our hardest.”
Troy Bayliss – Desmosport Ducati
“We’ll be running the old bike for maybe one or two rounds, at the moment which I’m really really comfortable on, we don’t want to shoot ourselves in the foot. We see all the (Ducati) guys riding in World Superbike on their bikes and they’re all ready… our (new) bikes are basically production bikes and there’s not much stuff available.
“I started in the Australian Superbike Championship back in ‘95… and that’s a long time (ago). When I see how many guys we’ve got lined up along here now and we see how competitive the group is, I think it’s the best I’ve ever seen it.”
Daniel Falzon – Yamaha Racing Team
“My goals for the season are just like last year, stay on the bike, finish up in the top five all the time. “Staying on the bike in this championship means so much, as you saw last year we had some consistent results and didn’t have any DNFs throughout the season and it proved well for our championship.
“We’ve got a good package this year in the Yamaha Racing Team, some new team members, some changes in the team dynamics, really looking forward to getting out there and racing against arguably the strongest Australian Superbike field we’ve seen in a long time.”
Cru Halliday – Yamaha Racing Team
“Being on the Supersport bike all of last year it’s a bit eye-opening to (see) how fast these bikes really are. The test went pretty good for us, this is a track I’m not really very strong at, but we’re chipping away and getting better and better.
“If you look at the line-up of riders it’s not going to be easy all year, and it’s going to make for a great championship so I’m really looking forward to it.
Troy Herfoss- Penrite Honda Racing (reigning ASBK champion and WSBK wildcard)
“It’s a big weekend ahead, just like last year. It’s about getting track time, just getting to know the bike and the tyres, we’re pretty lucky in this championship as we ride a similar tyre. I’m trying to find my feet with (the World Superbike). It’s been a busy few days.
Marcus Chiodo – Penrite Honda Racing
“Moving to the team with Troy (Herfoss) is good, hopefully he can help me this year. Josh (Waters) didn’t really help me last year (laughs)!
“Hopefully Troy can give me a hand, I’m sure he’s willing to!
Max Croker- Mladin Racing Suzuki
“I’m really enjoying it. It’s a new challenge for me, but the Suzuki is definitely a bike that suits me.It’s definitely a bike that’s capable of winning races, as we’ve seen in previous seasons.”
Glen Scott- GSR Kawasaki
“We came back to the championship last year, we found our feet, and we’ve started a little bit slow and steady so hope to change that pretty quickly! But being a one rider team, sometimes things take a little bit longer to find your way.
“(I’m) on the Kawasaki and feeling comfortable now so looking forward to the year ahead.”
Glenn Allerton- Next Gen Motorsports BMW
“We’ll be on the new (BMW) at around Round 3 at Tailem bend, so we’re on the old bike (this weekend). But that’s OK, I’m comfortable with the bike, and for sure excited about that new bike coming.
“It’s exciting things to come for the rest of the year for us.”
Bryan Staring- Kawasaki BCperformance
“We’ve got the new motorbike this year which Kawasaki have supplied us with, the new ZX10RR model, so it’s a bit better engine performance for this season. I think we’ve got a good package and I’m happy with the continuity moving forward to a second year with the same team and the same guys.”
Aiden Wagner – Yamaha
“We had minimal parts and equipment for the test but I think one of the aims is obviously the privateer championship, but I think we can be a strong contender for the ASBK championship. I’d love to put a privateer bike on the podium round-in, round-out.
“A lot of people shot me down before this season started and said I didn’t have it in me, so it would be good to prove those people wrong!”
The first round of the Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championship is this weekend (February 21 -24) at Phillip Island, as part of the FIM World Superbike Championship weekend. For information and tickets, head to www.asbk.com.au.
To keep up with all the action from the weekend, follow the ASBK on Facebook and Instagram.
