2023

ASBK classes delicately poised heading into bumper Phillip Island round

By MA Media 0

After a mid-season hiatus, the 2023 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship, presented by Motul, thunders back into life at the famed Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit this weekend (October 27-29).With brilliant weather on the horizon for both competitors and spectators, it will be a packed 16-race program featuring not only the five regular ASBK classes – Alpinestars Superbike, Michelin Supersport, Supersport 300, Yamaha Finance R3 Cup and bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup – but also the return of the bullocking Sureflight Superbike Masters category for immaculately prepared machines manufactured between 1973 and 1990 – some which became instant classics.There will also be a static display of ex-racing exotica over the last five decades, and some of them – such as an RC30 in the hands of multiple Aussie Superbike champion Malcolm Campbell – will be wheeled out for parade laps on Saturday and Sunday, too. Yep, a massive amount to see and do…

READ AND/OR DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL DIGITAL PROGRAM HERE

Jones and Herfoss during their brilliant front-running battles at Morgan Park

Alphinestars Superbike previewIntrigue abounds across all the classes, including in the premier Alpinestars Superbike where Troy Herfoss (Penrite Honda CBR1000RR-R SP) holds all the championship momentum after winning six of the last seven races and gaining the ascendancy from early-season pacesetter Josh Waters (McMartin Racing with K-Tech Ducati V4R).However, Herfoss’ recent successes certainly haven’t been about putting the opposition to the sword, with the last Morgan Park Raceway round a case-in-point where he was involved in two towering battles with Mike Jones (Yamaha Racing YZF-R1M) before greeting the chequered flag in both races, with Glenn Allerton (GT Racing M 1000 RR) completing the trifectas.Jones, the defending champion, is now primed for a last-ditch tilt at the title over the final two rounds – The Bend Motorsport Park (SA) hosts the grand final from December 1-3 – while Waters has won the last eight national-level Superbike races at the Victorian circuit but has had some injury concerns to overcome since Morgan Park after being caught up as collateral damage in practice for the Suzuka 8 Hours world endurance race. Could that bring Waters back to the field?The championship is still delicately poised, with Herfoss 14pts (262 to 248) in front of Waters, followed by Jones (202), three-time champion Allerton (196) and Cru Halliday (Yamaha Racing YZF-R1M, 177).Max Stauffer (GTR MotoStars YZF-R1M) and fellow Yamaha riders Anthony West (Addicted to Track), Bryan Staring (MotoGo) and Arthur Sissis (Unitech Racing) will also be in the mix at Phillip Island, as well as Broc Pearson (DesmoSport Ducati V4R) and Ted Collins (Livson Racing M 1000 RR).There’s also extra spice with Goulburn’s Tom Toparis (Cube Racing YZF-R1M) back from a stellar season in the UK to contest Superbike (and Michelin Supersport) at Phillip Island. Toparis finished third in the 2023 British Supersport Championship, while also back from the UK is Jacob Hatch who finished ninth in the British Junior Superstock Championship. He will partner West in the Addicted to Track Superbike team.The Alpinestars Superbike category will have three unofficial practice sessions on Friday followed by timed practice and qualifying on Saturday and two 12-lap races on Sunday.

Waters en route to a Superbike clean sweep at Phillip Island’s round one

Michelin Supersport previewIn 2023, the Michelin Supersport Championship has boasted the largest number of entries in several years and the on-track intensity has reflected how much the level has lifted.Heading into the penultimate round, South Australian Oli Simpson (Simpson Crash Yamaha YZF-R6) has a 13pt lead over rapidly emerging 15-year-old Cameron Dunker from Kurri Kurri (NSW).In only his second meeting on the GTR MotoStars YZF-R6, at Sydney Motorsport Park, Dunker created history by becoming the youngest race winner in the 30-year history of the class. He backed that up with another win and pole position at Queensland Raceway and added another victory at Morgan Park in July.Early season points leader Ty Lynch (Unitech YZF-R6) is just 4pts adrift from Dunker in third spot, and he’s returning to a happy hunting ground after winning the opening round at Phillip Island in late February.The fly in the ointment could be Toparis, who has no championship considerations to worry about and knows the fast way around Phillip Island. There could be some pyrotechnics coming our way!

Dunker (#3) and Simpson have been hard at it all year in Michelin Supersport

Supersport 300 previewThe Supersport 300 class will, as usual, produce three crackerjack races with a 99 per cent chance that all races will be decided by less than a second and the winner won’t be known until the final few metres of the race.Brandon Demmery (Race DNA Yamaha YZF-R3) leads Cameron Swain (Caboolture Yamaha YZF-R3) by just 2pts with Marcus Hamod (Motocity YZF-R3) a further 9pts behind in third.Swain was peerless at the last round, taking pole position and three from three. And after his recent ‘school’ excursion to Europe which saw him finish on the podium during an R3 Cup cameo, he will take a vast load of confidence out of that learning into the round. Demmery has been extremely consistent, finishing in the top three at the past three rounds, while Hamod has also freshly returned from an R3 excursion in Europe. He broke through for his first wins at Queensland Raceway and is keen to add to his tally.Fast fact: Since 2018, the average winning margin across 25 Supersport 300 races at Phillip Island is just 1.13sec. Yep, the racing is bonkers!Yamaha Finance R3 Cup previewThe two leading protagonists in the Australian Supersport 300 Championship – Brandon Demmery and Cameron Swain – also are on top of the Yamaha Finance R3 Cup but the positions are reversed as Swain leads Demmery by 10pts with Brodie Gawith 7pts away in third.Extremely tight finishes are a theme at every round. It’s pulsating to the extreme, with riders often relegated from first to 10th in one corner and visa-versa at the next. It’s a case of blink and you’ll miss it.This weekend’s triple race treat will produce more of the same.

Swain (foreground) and Gawith in close Yamaha YZF-R3 company

bLU cRU Oceana Junior Cup previewAfter last weekend’s Phillip Island MotoGP where the bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup was the support class, the youngsters who range in age from 11-16 years old will be well primed to continue their on-track antics. The GP crowd was enthralled with the talents of these rising stars. As we head into the penultimate round, Bodie Paige has a handy 20pt lead over Archie Schmidt, while the battle for third place heading has 10pts covering Haydn Fordyce from John Pelgrave.And there are plenty more just behind ready to pounce.The OJC is the nursery of the future and, like junior programs in the past, has produced riders who are now on the world stage. In the vein of all sports that if you start ‘em young, the world is your oyster. Many of these kids will find pearls instead of oysters.

OJC action from Morgan Park

Sureflight Superbike Masters previewThe Sureflight Superbike Masters will also make a welcome return to the fold for the first time since round two at Sydney Motorsport Park.And the response from the classic racing community has been emphatic, with a total of 42 riders making the Island pilgrimage to compete across the four Period 5 (bikes manufactured between 1973 and 1982) and Period 6 (1983-1990) classes.Brad Phelan (Katana, P5 Unlimited), Troy Corser (TZ750, P5 F1), Robert Young (Ducati 888 P6 Formula 750) and Keo Watson (Yamaha FZR1000, P6 Formula 1300) lead the respective Superbike Masters classes.The level of intensity will then ratchet up at Phillip Island, with South Aussie international David Johnson (Suzuki Katana), Scott Campbell (RC30), Denis Ackland (Z1000), the evergreen Albert Tehennepe (Kawaski Harris) and Ryan Taylor (GSX-R1100) among the new additions from the round two protagonists.