PIRELLI CAPTURES ASBK CHAMPIONSHIPS IN PHILLIP ISLAND FINALE

Pirelli riders have achieved immense success in the 2017 Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) presented by Motul Pirelli, with title victories in YMI Superbike, Motul Supersport, Hi-Tec Batteries Supersport 300 and the  YMF R3 Cup this season.

Phillip Island, 11 October 2017 – Team Suzuki Ecstar Australia’s Josh Waters has been crowned the 2017 Australian Superbike champion after another incredible performance at Phillip Island’s final round of the season, using Pirelli tyres on his GSX-R1000R.

While Yamaha Racing Team’s Wayne Maxwell won the final round with pole position at 1m32.587s and a 2-1 scorecard, it was Waters who claimed a third-career premier class title after winning the first 12-lap encounter and then claiming fifth in race two. That was enough to claim the title over Maxwell by four points.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling to win another ASBK title in my first year with Team Suzuki Ecstar Australia and also with the new GSX-R1000R,” Waters said. “At one stage we were nearly 60 points down, so to turn that around and even be in the position to challenge for the championship at the last round was an achievement for everyone. It’s just unbelievable – I still can’t believe it!”

The round saw Maxwell take the overall from Waters and another triple champion in Glenn Allerton (Yamaha Racing Team), with the preferred options in the races being the Diablo Superbike 120/70R17 SC1 and SC2 front tyres, as well as the Diablo Superbike 200/60R17 SCX (SU0794) at the rear. 

In terms of the championship, Waters edged ahead of Maxwell for the number one plate, with last year’s champion Troy Herfoss (Crankt Protein Honda Racing) completing the podium for an all-Pirelli sweep. Eight of the top 10 placings in the standings used Pirelli tyres.

In Supersport, Pirelli riders Tom Toparis (Cube Racing Kawasaki) and Ryan Taylor (Yamaha) finished second and third on the overall podium, while in the championship it was Next Gen Motorsports Suzuki rider Ted Collins who was crowned with a round to spare and opted to step up to the Superbike category this weekend. 

The favoured Pirelli tyre in Supersport at the world-famous 4.445-kilometre circuit was the Diablo Supercorsa 120/70ZR17 SC1 front, combined with the Diablo Supercorsa 190/60R17 SCX (SU1149) rear. In the championship behind Collins, Pirelli scored second with Mason Coote (AARK Racing Yamaha) and third with Toparis.

Yet more success was had for Pirelli users in both the Supersport Up To 300 and Over 300 ranks, utilising the Diablo Supercorsa 110/70ZR17 58W TL SC1 front tyre and Diablo Supercorsa 140/70ZR17 SC2 or 150/60ZR17 SC2 (KTM) rears.

The Up To 300 round was won by Cube Racing’s Oli Bayliss (Kawasaki) ahead of fellow Ninja 300 riders Drew Sells and Yanni Shaw, with the series belonging to Reid Battye over Shaw, Sells and Bayliss.

In the Over 300 division Tommy Edwards (Yamaha) won the round from Billy Van Eerde (KTM) and Tom Bramich (Yamaha), with Van Eerde taking home the title in front of Edwards and Jack Mahaffy (Yamaha). Edwards managed to win the Yamaha R3 Cup round and series, followed by Hunter Ford and Mahaffy.

“Phillip Island lived up to its reputation,” commented Pirelli product manager Garry Crilly. “Over the three days strong winds, rain and sunshine were to test the teams, riders and tyres. The Pirelli track-side service were kept busy with a massive workload for all three days servicing our riders’ needs, so a very big thank you to our team for an awesome job.

“We could not be happier with the performance of our Pirelli product in such diverse conditions again showcasing Pirelli’s ability to supply product that performs at the highest level in all conditions. Pirelli riders were on the podium in all classes and championships in Superbike, Supersport 600, both Supersport 300 championships and the R3 Cup.”

Pirelli Motorcycle Tyres are imported and distributed exclusively in Australia by Link International. Visit www.linkint.com.au for additional information.

Image credit: Keith Muir.