Maxwell Dominates ASBK Superbike Practice Day

Yamaha Motorcycle Insurance (YMI) Superbike class rider, Victorian Wayne Maxwell (Yamaha Racing Team, YZF-R1) displayed phenomenal pace throughout all three Friday practice sessions at Hidden Valley Raceway, Darwin, NT. The Yamaha mounted rider established himself over the field and posted the fastest time of the day for the Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul Pirelli (ASBK).

With the tropical heat and strong sun beating down on the pristine Hidden Valley Raceway circuit, all eyes were on the premier Australian Superbike class to see which rider could establish himself as the front-runner in today’s practice sessions ahead of the all-important Qualifying sessions tomorrow. Maxwell’s time to beat was 1:06.040, set in the third and final Practice session of the day.

Despite posting the fastest time of the day, Maxwell is sure to come under pressure for the upcoming qualifying sessions and races. Plenty of other riders showcased impressive lap times close behind the Yamaha mounted rider.

South Australian Daniel Falzon (JD Racing, Yamaha YZF-R1) was in second position on the timesheets after a blistering 1:06.275 also set in P3.

With an encouraging time of 1:06.389, there was very little in it for Mildura (VIC) man Josh Waters (Team Suzuki ECSTAR, GSXR-1000R) who finished the third practice session only a hare’s breath off Falzon’s time.

Yet another category success story is that of Cru Halliday (Yamaha Finance, Yamaha YZF-R1) with his lap time of 1:06.813 posted just before taking an off road excursion in the latter stages of the final Practice.

To round out the top five it would be Bryan Staring (Crankt Protein Honda Racing, Honda CBR1000SP2) with a 1:06.834 on board the brand new machine.

Top Ten YMI Superbike Provisional Friday Practice  Results

1  Wayne MAXWELL (Yamaha Racing Team, YZF-R1) 1:06.040
2  Daniel FALZON (JD Racing, Yamaha YZF-R1)   1:06.275
3  Josh WATERS (Team Suzuki ECSTAR, GSXR-1000R)1:06.389
4  Cru HALLIDAY (Yamaha Finance, Yamaha YZF-R1) 1:06.813
5  Bryan STARING (Crankt Protein Honda Racing, Honda CBR1000SP2)  1:06.834
6  Robert BUGDEN (Kawasaki BCperformance, Kawasaki ZX-10R) 1:06.857
7  Troy HERFOSS (Crankt Protein Honda Racing, Honda CBR1000SP2) 1:06.999
8  Corey TURNER (YRD Exhaust Prof, Yamaha YZF-R1) 1:07.072
9  Beau BEATON (Racers Edge Performance, Ducati Panigale 1199)  1:07.142
10 Glenn ALLERTON (Yamaha Racing Team, YZF-R1) 1:07.217

Stay tuned to live timing on asbk.com.au to see whether Maxwell can maintain his brilliant speed in tomorrow’s qualifying sessions, scheduled at 10:55 AM (ACST) for Qualifying One and 2:50 PM for Qualifying Two.

Tickets for Round 4 Hidden Valley Raceway in Darwin are now available for purchase online. Snap up your tickets today by clicking here!

Can’t make it to the track? Then make sure you watch the ASBK, Sunday on channel SBS at 2:30 PM AEST or Live Stream on asbk.com.au from 10:30 AM AEST.

Follow Us: Stay up to date with all the latest news and updates from the ASBK from Round 4 at Hidden Valley Raceway by liking ASBK on Facebook, following the @asbk on Instagram and checking out the ASBK website here.

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