Herfoss and Mitchell ride to record breaking Pirelli Superpole victories at Morgan Park
Round 5 of the 2016 Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul Pirelli continued at Morgan Park Raceway in Queensland today, with crowds pouring through the gates to watch the fastest riders in the country go all out in qualifying.
The Yamaha Motorcycle Insurance Superbikes and Motul Supersport riders had two qualifying sessions to determine their grid positions for when racing kicks off tomorrow, and it was Crankt Protein Honda Racing Team’s Troy Herfoss and JNL Racing’s Luke Mitchell who rose to the occasion, and collected the all-important Pirelli Superpole Awards.
Yamaha Motorcycle Insurance Superbike Qualifying
With Crankt Protein Honda Racing Team’s Herfoss and Yamaha Racing Team’s Wayne Maxwell kick starting their Round 5 campaigns with flying lap times during practice yesterday, when the first qualifying session kicked off at Morgan Park this morning, spectators eagerly watched on as Australia’s fastest men on two wheels went to battle once again.
From the minute bikes hit the track, Herfoss’s top time from yesterday’s practice was beaten by Jon Daniels Racing’s Daniel Falzon, his Yamaha pulling a 1:14.498, but only a lap later, Maxwell retaliated with a 1:14.392.
However, with the Honda team opting to sit back and watch the beginning of the first qualifying session, when they eventually headed out, they were prepared for what needed to be achieved. And achieve is exactly what Herfoss did. After only a single lap on track, Herfoss launched to the top of the times, and by lap four had gone faster again with a flying 1:14.163 lap time, proving that he means business this weekend.
And with that time, Herfoss not only took out the first qualifying session, but became the new Morgan Park qualifying lap record holder. Maxwell wrapped up the session second fastest with his 1:14.392, followed by Falzon in third with a 1:14.498.
DesmoSport Ducati’s Mike Jones was fourth fastest on track in Q1, setting a fast lap of 1:14.752, while Yamaha Racing Team’s Cru Halliday was the only other rider to break in to the 1:14’s, with a 1:14.782. Glenn Allerton and Jamie Stauffer wrapped up the session just outside the top five with the sixth and seventh fastest times respectively.
When the second qualifying session got underway for the Premier YMI Superbikes, the track had heated to 41.5 degrees, and many riders took their time putting down their fast laps.
Despite Yamaha’s Halliday being the fastest rider on track in Q2, the session was relatively uneventful, with only two riders, Halliday and Crankt Protein Honda Racing Team’s Jamie Stauffer bettering their times from this morning.
So when the session wrapped up, it was no surprise to see Herfoss, remain at the top and heading straight in to Pirelli Superpole, joined by Maxwell, Jones, Falzon, Halliday and Stauffer who were the top six riders after times from both sessions were combined.
When riders headed out for Pirelli Superpole the tensions were high, and after only a single lap on track Crankt Protein Honda Racing Team’s Herfoss became the first rider to break in to the 1:13’s with a 1:13.992.
With only ten minutes to put down their fastest times, the race was on for the five other riders to catch Herfoss. But on lap three Herfoss went better again, pushing down his lap time to a lightening fast 1:13.826, while Jones and Maxwell in second and third positions were still recording laps in the 1:14s.
And when Pirelli Superpole wrapped up at Morgan Park today, no other rider on track was able to record a time under 1:14, Herfoss taking his second Pirelli Superpole victory for the year and setting a new qualifying lap record, from Maxwell (1:14.157), followed by Jones (1:14.211) in third, while Halliday, Falzon and Stauffer finished in fourth, fifth and sixth places respectively.
An ecstatic Herfoss spoke directly after collecting his Pirelli Superpole award at Morgan Park this afternoon.
“I am feeling really good after Superpole. I felt like after Perth everyone has factored me out of the Championship a bit, so to come here and show we have the pace feels great,” Herfoss shared.
“We’re in a position now where we have one thing to do and that’s win races, so that actually makes my job a bit easier.
“Having a fresh new track, that is tight, twisty, and bumpy, I knew I needed to take advantage of an opportunity like this. We have given ourselves the best opportunity with pole position to do well tomorrow and the guys at Pirelli and Honda really deserve this.”
Motul Supersport Qualifying
After a drama packed practice for Motul Supersport competitors yesterday, where JNL Racing’s Luke Mitchell and Banham WA Racing’s Sam Clarke went head to head for the fastest lap times, when bikes hit the track for Qualifying today it was a familiar sight with the pair out in front.
After only 15 minutes on track in the first qualifying session, Clarke emerged as the early man to beat, bettering his time from practice yesterday and recording a new qualifying best lap on his second lap with a 1:16.852, leaving the rest of the competitors to chase his tail.
Current World Supersport rider Lachlan Epis who is racing the ASBK for the first time this weekend, wowed the crowds with his lightening fast time in Qualifying 1 (Q1) this morning, setting a 1:16.911, only .059 seconds behind Clarke’s new record. Mitchell was also once again fast in the first qualifying, but marginally off the pace, wrapping up the 25-minute session with the third fastest qualifying time – a 1:17.003.
The remaining riders who all steered their machines to top five times in Q1, was Cube Racing’s Callum Spriggs, and Graffiti Alley Racing’s Troy Guenther who set times of 1:17.081 and 1:17.259 respectively.
With a Pirelli Superpole award up for grabs, in the second qualifying session riders well and truly went all out in a final charge to drive down the lap times.
By only lap five of the final session, Yamaha mounted Mitchell began to put the foot down, setting the quickest time, which he then topped again the lap directly after with a 1:16.493.
And thankfully for the JNL Racing rider, the top of the time sheets is exactly where he stayed. Mitchell’s lap seeing him walk away with a new qualifying lap record, and his first Pirelli Superpole award for 2016 at the conclusion of the 25-minute session.
Despite Clarke’s every effort to better Mitchell’s lightening fast speed, lap 13 in Q2 marked the Supersport Championship leader’s quickest – a 1:16.730, awarding him second position on the grid.
Guenther improved on his time from this morning’s session in Qualifying 2, wrapping up the 25 minutes with the third fastest lap time on track, being a 1:16.760. Epis was unable to match his time from this morning’s session in Q2, and neither was Spriggs, the pair both snatching up fourth and fifth positions on the grid when times were combined.
Yamaha’s Chris Quinn, Ted Collins (Next Gen Motorsport Suzuki), Repsol Triumph’s Mark Chiodo, Ben Blyth (Race Centre) and Robbie Menzies (Kawasaki) all recorded qualifying times inside the Motul Supersport top ten.
JNL Racing’s Luke Mitchell spoke directly after collecting his first Pirelli Superpole award for 2016.
“After yesterday it’s pretty cool to get pole position! Dad and Mum drove home to Yamba to pick up our spare Yamaha YZF-R6 machine and didn’t get back to Warwrick till the early hours of this morning,” explained Mitchell.
“Marty [Dowd] rebuilt the bike this morning, so it’s a fantastic way to repay them all back by delivering them a pole position. I think we are in good shape for the two races tomorrow.
“It’s hard to tell though as everyone steps it up a notch come race time. I’m just really looking forward for tomorrow now.”
Riders and teams in the Yamaha Motorcycle Insurance and Motul Supersport classes will now prepare for tomorrow, when racing kicks off for competitors at Morgan Park Raceway.
For more information on the Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul Pirelli, head to www.asbk.com.au.
For a complete list of results from today’s qualifying sessions, head to www.computime.com.au.
Image – Andrew Gosling/tbgsport
