Maxwell Makes his Move as Allerton takes command of ASBK
The third stop on this year’s Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) calendar was at Sydney Motorsport Park and it was a red letter day for the Yamaha Racing Team (YRT) with Wayne Maxwell dominating the day with the perfect 1-1 scores ahead of team mate Glenn Allerton with 2-2 results.
From the moment the bikes hit the track on Saturday, the pace was a clear indication that all three riders were going to be hard to lock down and beat around the 3.93km Gardner GP Circuit. Wayne Maxwell topped the qualifying time sheets just ahead of team mate, Glenn Allerton with Cru Halliday lurking in fifth place.
Racing proved what timed qualifying produced with Maxwell and Allerton clearly the class of the field. The pair produced some world class racing as they shadowed each other for the entire length of race one while rain was the only thing to separate the duo in race two.
Race one saw Maxwell take command of the twelve lap race after hitting the lead at turn two and from there was never headed. He fought off several attacks from Allerton as he held his nerve under extreme pressure from Allerton who was all over the back tyre of Maxwell.
As they charged onto the front straight at SMSP, Maxwell tucked in and managed to cross the finish line just .219seconds ahead of his team mate. Cru Halliday came back from a couple of mistakes to claim fourth and make it an impressive 1-2-4 finish for the YRT crew.
Race two was held in inclement weather, the first rain affected race of the season but no-one, including Allerton, had an answer for Maxwell as he just bolted away at the front winning by a massive 14.110sec from Allerton. It was again another 1-2 finish for Yamaha.
Unfortunately, the wet weather proved a little more difficult for Cru Halliday who doesn’t have the experience in the slippery conditions as his team mates. Halliday slipped back to 13th place in race two, electing to keep his machine on two wheels and gain some championship points.
Wayne Maxwell
“I was really enjoyed the weekend, especially race two,” Maxwell said. “I felt very relaxed. The Yamaha R1M was fantastic and working really well. What can I say, you have days where everything just clicks and you have days where it doesn’t. The challenge is anyone can win on a good day, it’s trying to win on a bad day. We proved that at Wakefield Park that we could win on a bad day and today we have proved that we can win on a really good day.
“I have to say a massive thanks to the whole Yamaha Racing Team and my mechanic, Warren [Monson]. The entire team are working really well together, and the results at the track are really showing. I’m just the guy that gets to take the celebrations. Yes I do my part and I have to give feedback and so on. However without the good people around you and the good product that they supply you, which is the Yamaha R1M, you can’t win races.”
Glenn Allerton
“Second place today was a great result for myself and the Yamaha Racing Team,” Allerton said after race two. “To get a one-two in both races and the overall is fantastic. I felt like I could have won the first race, however, Wayne was just too good and didn’t make a mistake all race long.
“The second race was really difficult conditions. It was wet, then it was starting to dry out. Wayne and I were racing at a pretty good pace at the start. During the race I had a few big moments, so I decided to back it down a little bit. Wayne was pushing on, but I knew to consolidate second place was a smarter option.”
Cru Halliday
“This weekend wasn’t the best that I have had. We had good dry pace in race one, however in race two I did struggle,” said Halliday. “I just wasn’t really confident to push in the race. I found myself outside the top ten. By then I knew I couldn’t push any harder, so I just said to myself – just stay on and bring the Yamaha R1M home and collect points for the championship. Some days you have bad days and this was one of them.”
John Redding – Team Manager
“Wayne was good on the track, both wet and dry and Glenn has consolidated his position in the championship so it was a terrific day for the team. I’m sure they and the whole team are very happy with the whole weekend. Congratulations to the whole team as they have all worked really hard this weekend.”
From Sydney Motorsport Park, the Australian Superbike Championship now makes the 3,934km long haul to the west to Barbagallo Raceway which will take place on 3-5 June.
Round Three Results – Sydney Motorsport Park
ASBK- Superbikes
1st Wayne Maxwell (YRT) 51
2nd Glenn Allerton (YRT) 40
3rd Mike Jones 36
4th Jamie Stauffer 32
5th Troy Herfoss 30
8th Cru Halliday (YRT) 25
Championship Standings after Round Three
1st Glenn Allerton (YRT) 133
2nd Wayne Maxwell (YRT) 131
3rd Troy Herfoss 125
4th Mike Jones 93
5th Ben Burke 85
6th Cru Halliday (YRT) 77
7th Daniel Falzon (YRT Supported) 70
8th Brayden Elliott 67
9th Michael Blair (YRT Supported) 66
10th Matt Walters 61
