2021

2021 Championships are decided – hear from all the top riders

Perfect weather again blessed the fans, riders and organisers as the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul finale at The Bend saw close fought racing and champions crowned in all classes.

Alpinestars Superbike
Race One

1 Wayne Maxwell – Boost Mobile Racing with KTech / McMartin Racing Ducati Panigale V4R

Just a near flawless performance again from the 2020 champ who clearly had eyes on the 2021 trophy and got it done. With Herfoss further back and Allerton nipping on his heels, Maxwell put the distractions of the round aside to take the win and nail that third title- his second in a row.

When ASBK TV host Kate Peck noted Wayne was the first to go back to back since Jamie Stauffer, he wondered aloud if that meant he was now going to go bald. It was a needed moment of hilarity after what was a tense first race.

2 Glenn Allerton – Maxima Racing Oils BMW

The evergreen Allerton showed that the M1000RR is capable of running with the seemingly unstoppable Maxwell/Ducati combination. With Herfoss finishing 7th, the two were now on equal points with a single race left in the season.

3 Cru Halliday – Yamaha Racing Team

After running wide early and losing a host of spots, the restart and a more focused rider got the finish he wanted. With a lot of time off the bike, this was an outstanding result for 33 year old Halliday.

Jack Miller was taken out by an apologetic Aiden Wagner, and the MotoGP Ducati racer’s crew were forced to prep a spare bike for race two, while Josh Hook had a bike expire under him, taking away any chance of the star guests saluting at the line in race one. Arthur Sissis was happily in third place when the red flag went out and DNF’d post restart, a shame after showing so much promise and form across all previous sessions.

Race Two

1 Wayne Maxwell

A visible annoyed Wayne Maxwell served it up to the field on the PA when, once again, some overly ambitious riding resulted in a red flag- this time on lap one. “I don’t know what prize there is for leading the first three corners… the boys need to calm down.” Maxwell then very wisely listened to his own advice. As is his want, after the lights went out, he was up to lap record pace and attempted to check out of the race, the hotel and the whole state of South Australia, but was kept honest with Allerton charging on to the end.

Maxwell was relentless and undeniable, and as the race drew to its conclusion, he opened up the gap, taking the chequered flag by nearly four seconds. On a weekend when he was understandably not the star of the show, he rode like the total pro he is; distractions be gone.

At the podium, an uncharacteristically emotional- and dare I note teary (or teary-adjacent) Wayne Maxwell genuinely thanked all the usual suspects, but you got the feeling that whether he chooses retirement, or one more year, it was a very, very satisfying year in yet another trying set of circumstances.

2 Glenn Allerton

Glenn Allerton is going around next year and based on the two races this weekend if Maxwell, W. decides to actually place his helmet on the shelf, then it’s hard to bet against Glenn aboard his Maxima Oils BMW for a fourth title, some 14 years after his first.

If he and the team can uncork even more from the Bavarian Beast, then maybe get the engravers to start etching his name on the trophy for a fourth time band save Motorcycling Australia some time and money. In race two, Allerton was, for much of the race, shadowing former team mate and long time rival Maxwell, and while he was unable to ultimately stay with the Boost Mobile Ducati, second on the day a second time was good enough for… second in the title chase.

3 Jack Miller – Ducati / Ducati Corse / Dainese / AVG / Red Bull / Caterpillar / Rival Ink

“Give the crowd what they want” was the cry from the crowd, and after the sad sighs sounded after Jack’s crash in race one, there was hope Miller would deliver like the alliteration in this paragraph. But he took off at the start more like an L plater with a clutch issue than the MotoGP star he is. The restart helped, but not a lot. Getting shuffled down the field early gave ASBK riders the fillip they needed and Jack the inspiration to pass them all back.

It was a day Oli Bayliss won’t forget as he diced with a genuine MotoGP star on near-identical machinery.

While Jack’s efforts did not result in a fairytale rise all the way to first place, seeing the unusually black Ducati work past some of the nation’s best and then set sail for the leading duo of Maxwell and Allerton was worth the price of admission alone. Tyres got used up and the Ducati danced in a manner that was clearly saying “enough” and the hard charge was cruelled, but the crowd were satisfied- a podium for the star attraction.

It was perfect all round.

Of course he laid down two crowd pleasing burnouts, thanked everyone, did a shoey, promised to do it all again if the stars align and was last seen yelling “yeah the boys” before heading back to his garage. Everyone would have been rendered speechless were they not saying “thanks Jack” at every opportunity.

Final Standings:

1 Wayne MAXWELL
2 Glenn ALLERTON
3 Cru HALLIDAY

Motorsports TV Supersport

On any other weekend, the Motorsports TV Supersport races would have nearly been the headline act. With only a few rounds completed in 2021, the points situation was tight with three riders in the hunt.

Tom Edwards looked to jump up to the lead in the Championship and was clear he felt ready and that the bike was near perfect. Overhauling Pearson for the title suddenly looked likely. In race one Edwards did the only thing he could do by taking the win. Max Stauffer obliged and took second and points away from Pearson. For Broc Pearson this situation saw the one hand he had on the Championship prised away. Edwards was buoyant, confident and hinting he had more in reserve on the podium of race one and everything pointed to him overhauling Pearson for the Championship.

Cometh the hour, so cometh a gangly Queenslander in the form of Broc Pearson who admitted his race two victory- and 2021 Motorsports TV Supersport Championship- was due mostly to heart than pure engineering of the bike. Edwards did not go quietly nor concede the race win and therefore the title win to Pearson, racing him to the line and still looking like a possible champion even as the chequered flag greeted Pearson. Edwards was gracious and effusive in his praise, noting that while they were still young blokes, they’ve spent most of their racing careers against each other and that their battles were always clean, but fierce.

It was a terrific end to a shortened season, with some graduating to the Alpinestars Superbike class and some Dunlop Supersport 300 riders stepping up to the 600cc machines in 2022.