ASBK Set For Bumper Weekend at Queensland Raceway
The mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship Presented by Motul (ASBK) is set for a fast-paced, action-packed weekend of racing as the ASBK Championship heads north to Queensland for the first of two rounds in the sunshine state.
After a history-making round for ASBK at Sydney Motorsport Park under lights, the championship heads to a revamped Queensland Raceway which is full of updated facilities to welcome the ASBK paddock as we once again hit the reset button on our form guide for 2023 so far.
A simple layout on paper, the infamous ‘paperclip’ is anything but. The circuit is notoriously hard on brakes and front tyres, with three of the six turns per lap, providing three hard braking zones for the riders. There is no doubt this track will throw up a few surprises by the time the final chequered flag is waved on Sunday afternoon.
This is an event not to be missed as Queensland fans get their first taste of the fast and furious ASBK superbikes here at Queensland Raceway starting tomorrow. Tickets are on sale now with action getting underway at 9:00am: Buy your tickets here!
If you can’t make it to Queensland Raceway, we have still got you covered, check out our comprehensive guide on how to watch and follow all of the action with our Official ASBK Event Program.
Download the Official ASBK Event Program!
Alpinestars Superbike
Despite everyone’s best efforts, Josh Waters and McMartin Racing with K-Tech left Sydney Motorsport Park with a clean sweep of all races and in fact taking top step in everything apart from AMX Superstores Pole Position which went to Yamaha Racing Team’s Cru Halliday. However, we head to a very different type of circuit at Queensland Raceway when racing returns to daylight hours.
Gone are the Grand Prix style circuits for the middle part of our calendar as riders must now adapt to the tight and twisty circuits and bar to bar racing.
Last time out at Queensland Raceway it was a dominant performance from 2022 Champion Mike Jones aboard his Yamaha R1 M. A perfect weekend for the local boy with an AMX Superstores Pole Position to go with back-to-back race wins in dominant fashion. After a forgettable weekend under lights in Sydney for the reigning champ, he’ll be looking to bounce back and kickstart his title defence from 62 points back.
The spotlight will be on the boys in blue this weekend as at both Phillip Island and Sydney Motorsport Park, it has been Jones’ teammate Cru Halliday who has arguably been the closest to stopping the runaway Waters freight train at the front of the field. The #65 was cruelly denied an opportunity to attack Waters for the win after an unlucky timed red flag in race one at Sydney. Speak to Cru yourself in the paddock and he’ll tell you openly that he feels he is in the best form of his career at the moment, time will tell if he and Yamaha can channel that form into a breakthrough win.
We can’t move on from Yamaha without mentioning Arthur Sissis and Unitech Racing, who will miss this round due to injury. We wish Arthur well in his recovery and look forward to seeing the ‘King of the lightning start’ return to the grid fit and healthy hopefully in Darwin.
Troy Herfoss (Penrite Honda), Glenn Allerton (GT Racing BMW) and Bryan Staring (MotoGO Yamaha) have been glued together at both rounds thus far and we’d be surprised if this isn’t the case this coming weekend. The trio have had some titanic scraps for the podium in 2023, most recently in an epic battle for the podium at Sydney which saw an opportunistic Herfoss score a well-deserved podium after the recent hard work of the Penrite Honda team. Speaking to ASBK after Sydney, Herfoss was confident he and machine had made forward progress from The Island, talking positively about a return to Queensland Raceway and a different style of circuit to implement setup tweaks they have made to the Fireblade.
Staring and MotoGO Yamaha were the biggest improvers from Phillip Island to Sydney. For an outfit that had very little lead time prior to the start of the season, rider, team and bike have gelled quickly to move the outfit forward into regular podium contention. Staring has strong form at Queensland Raceway after a front row start and podium in race two last year, should he and the team make another step forward, the rest of the field will be on notice as the #67 is going places fast.
There are many other stories throughout the rest of the Alpinestars Superbike grid. Hometown rounds for some, returning to the paddock for others and no shortage of storylines leading into what is sure to be an exciting round three of the 2023 season.
Michelin Supersport
The gap has closed at the top of the table after round two in Michelin Supersport. Championship leader, Ty Lynch leads the championship on consistency and cunning. When others haven’t taken their opportunities to strike, Lynch has gritted his teeth and has ensured he continues to take the chequered flag in each and every race to keep banking valuable championship points.
A story of Michelin Supersport coming out of Sydney was that of young Cameron Dunker and his breakthrough victory. He has shown glimpses of pace and is adapting well to the Yamaha YZF-R6. Dunker put on an absolute clinic with a cool head to pick up his first victory in the middleweight class in just his second race meeting. The 2022 Supersport 300 and R3 Cup Champion is just 19 points back from the championship lead heading into this weekend, does he dare to dream big?
An exciting storyline is the return of Aidan Wagner and Marcus Chiodo to the Michelin Supersport class this weekend. Both are experienced superbike campaigners and are sure to throw the cat amongst the pigeons and add another complexity to this already highly interesting grid of young talent.
Supersport 300 and Yamaha Financial Services R3 Cup
Two racers stood above the rest at Sydney Motorsport Park – Brandon Demmery and Cameron Swain didn’t put a foot wrong, finishing on the podium in all three races. They broke away from the field under lights to signal their intentions as championship front runners for 2023.
Queensland Raceway has significantly more time on full throttle than Sydney Motorsport Park, and riders will need to adapt to the different layout at QR. Rewind the clock back twelve months here at Ipswich and upwards of the top ten riders were in contention heading to the final lap with Glenn Nelson and Cameron Dunker sharing overall class victories.
Now there is just 26 points separating Demmery in first to Brodie Gawith in fifth. A DNF this weekend can have championship changing consequences with the standings separated by so few points. With quality riders entered for ASBK round three, it is extremely difficult to pick who will come out on top across the three races and take the weekend’s victory and the potential championship lead. One thing we know for sure, is every lap will be as exciting as the first.
bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup
The glare of the spotlights of the inaugural Sydney night race for ASBK didn’t distract the youngest competitors of the paddock. Series debutant Riley Nauta took a stunning pole position and Ella McCausland became the first female to qualify on the front row of a bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup race.
Putting together a championship challenge in OJC demands consistency. With the competition incredibly high, every point matters when the riders are all on the same equipment.
Haydn Fordyce and Valentino Knezovic proved to be the most consistent at round two. With both riders on the podium for two of the three races for the round which leaves them first and second in the championship with a modest seven point buffer back to Riley Nauta in third.
A rider to keep an eye on is Ella McCausland. Remember that name as you sit trackside or tune into the ASBK broadcast this Sunday. Crossing the line first in the race ahead of her competitors, sadly she was relegated down the field post-race due to a penalty, losing the opportunity to be OJC’s first female winner. Will that record making moment come at Queensland Raceway? Only time will tell.
We recommend you get yourself trackside as Queensland Raceway offers a full view of every corner and every lap – An experience not possible at any other stop on the ASBK calendar, it is a spectator’s delight. Combined with the hottest on-track racing and tonnes of off-track activities for the fans, QR is the place to be.
WATCH ASBK THIS SUNDAY
LIVE TV
Sunday Broadcast 1.00pm – 4.00pm AEST
- SBS Sport
- Stan Sport
- Sky Sports NZ
LIVE STREAM
Sunday Broadcast 9.30am – 12.30pm AEST
INTERNATIONAL (Check your local guides)
- Eurosport
- MotorVision Europe
- FMI TV
For more information on the 2023 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship Presented by Motul season, stay tuned to the ASBK website and social pages:
Official Calendar for the 2023 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul (ASBK)
