Mark Chiodo Secures Fastest Motul Supersport Practice Lap Time at Morgan Park

Day one of the Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul Pirelli (ASBK) kicked off in fine form for the Motul Supersport class. Morgan Park Raceway in Queensland delivered a spectacle when it came to fast lap times for the ASBK’s middleweight 600cc class. Mark Chiodo (Repsol Gas Racing, Triumph 675 R) soared to the top, with the fastest time of the day in class. Practice Three was declared after 24 minutes, due to a red flag.

The field of Motul Supersport riders wasted no time to take to the track for the purpose of posting lap times and collecting race data. Chiodo was the rider of the day on his Triumph Daytona in Practice Three, lapping the raceway with a 1:15.815. The lap time beating the previous record set by Tom Toparis (Cube Racing, Kawasaki ZX6R) at the Official ASBK Test two weeks prior.

Chiodo finished ahead of Kiwi rider Damon Rees (Tony Rees Motorcycles, Honda CB600RR). Rees suffered an unfortunate fall in the final practice session, which in turn caused a red flag and had the session declared early. Rees was a tenth off Chiodo’s best time with a 1:15.924.

The third fastest would be ASBK mainstay, Chris Quinn (Coopers HXR Yamaha YZF-R6) to complete the top three. Quinn’s fastest lap was a 1:16.301. Finishing in fourth was Nic Liminton with a lap time of 1:16.374.

Current Supersport class Championship leader, Ted Collins (NextGen Motorsports, Suzuki GSX-R600) completed the top five with a 1:16.602, a significant gap to the front. Despite a lack of pace on Friday, Collins will no doubt be one of the favorites for Sunday’s racing.

Chiodo looks a likely force to be reckoned with for tomorrow’s qualifying sessions. It will be fascinating to see whether he can translate Friday’s pace into a pole position tomorrow.

Practice Two was heavily affected by a passing shower, causing riders to have to switch to wet weather tyres.

Qualifying One (Q1) for the Motul Supersport Championship is scheduled for 10:05 am (AEST) local time on Saturday, with Q2 due to take place at 1:40 pm (AEST).

Top Ten Motul Supersport Provisional Friday Practice Results
1 Mark CHIODO (Repsol Gas Racing, Triumph 675 R) 1:15.815
2 Damon REES (Tony Rees Motorcycles, Honda CB600RR) 1:15.924
3 Chris QUINN (Coopers HXR Yamaha YZF-R6) 1:16.301
4 Nic LIMINTON (Race Center, Yamaha YZF-R6) 1:16.374
5 Ted COLLINS (NextGen Motorsports, Suzuki GSX-R600) 1:16.602
6 Sam CONDON (Bikebiz, Yamaha YZF-R6) 1:16.722
7 Tom TOPARIS (Cube Racing, Kawasaki ZX6R) 1:16.722
8 Sam MULDOON (Proworx Racing, Kawasaki ZX6R) 1:16.849
9 Mason COOTE (Aark Racing,Yamaha YZF-R6) 1:17.808
10 Cambridge OLIVIER (Sydney West Riders, Yamaha YZF-R6) 1:17.822

                                Round 5 Morgan Park Raceway Program

To access the digital program, simply click on the photo below. If you wish to download the program to take it on the go, sign up and create an ISSUU account.

Stay up to date with all the latest news and updates from the ASBK by liking ASBK on Facebook, following the @asbk on Instagram and checking out the ASBK website here.

Can’t make it to the track? Then make sure you watch the ASBK, this Sunday on channel SBS at 1pm AEST or Live Stream from 9:30am on asbk.com.au.

Tickets for Morgan Park Raceway in Queensland are now available for purchase online. Snap up your tickets for Round 5 today by clicking here!

2017 Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship Presented by Motul Pirelli Calendar:
Round 5                                           Morgan Park Raceway,      QLD 25-27 August
Round 6                                           SMSP Eastern Creek,        NSW  8-10 September  
Round 7    Spokes.com.au presents Phillip Island Circuit,    VIC 6-8  October

Pictured: Mark Chiodo at Morgan Park Raceway
Courtesy TBG Photography