2018

PIRELLI RACERS CONQUER MORGAN PARK WITH ASBK CLEAN-SWEEP

News,
Team PR

Pirelli riders once again proved the class of the field in Morgan Park’s fifth round of the 2018 Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) presented by Motul Pirelli, as Troy Herfoss, Cru Halliday, Tom Bramich and Hunter Ford flew to their respective class victories in Queensland.

Warwick, 20 August 2018 – Penrite Honda Racing’s Troy Herfoss has made it four-consecutive wins in the 2018 Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) presented by Motul Pirelli following an exceptional performance at Morgan Park Raceway, Queensland, on 17-19 August.

Herfoss qualified fastest with a new circuit best lap at 1m12.651s, then went on to win both 16-lap races. He also posted a new lap record of 1m12.645s in race two, stamping his authority on the weekend by winning overall from Josh Waters (Team Suzuki Ecstar Australia) and Troy Bayliss (DesmoSport Ducati). Herfoss now has a 44.5-point advantage in the standings with two rounds remaining.

Although riders found success on the range of Pirellis available, the preferred Superbike class tyre option on race-day Sunday was the Pirelli’s Diablo Superbike 120/70R17 SCX (SV0952) front and Diablo Superbike 200/60R17 SCX (SV0965) rear. Herfoss won race one ahead of Bayliss and Wayne Maxwell (Yamaha Racing Team), later joined on the podium by Waters and Maxwell in race two.

There was no stopping Yamaha Racing Team rider Cru Halliday in the Supersport ranks, flying to pole position with a record-breaking lap of 1m14.609s and then controlling both 14-lap races for victory. Halliday won the round ahead of Callum Spriggs (Yamaha) and Tom Toparis (Cube Racing Kawasaki), also lodging a new race lap record of 1m15.057s in the process.

The most common Supersport tyre options were the Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa 120/70ZR17 SC1 (R035) front, paired with the Diablo Supercorsa 180/60ZR17 SC1 (R041) and Diablo Supercorsa 190/60R17 SCX (SU1149) rears. Halliday dominated race one over Damon Rees (Honda) and Spriggs, then leading Toparis and Spriggs in race two.

In the Supersport 300 races it was Tom Bramich (Yamaha) who extended his points lead following 3-2-1 finishes across the three action-packed races, winning overall from race one winner Hunter Ford (Yamaha) and second race victor Seth Crump (KTM).

Meanwhile, in the R3 Cup it was Ford who won the round with 1-1-3 finishes over race three winner Bramich and Locky Taylor. Current series leader Zac Levy, who was fourth overall at Morgan Park, rode his Yamaha to a new lap record of 1m23.460s in Saturday’s opening race.

The most popular Pirelli combination in both the Supersport 300 and the R3 Cup categories used at Morgan Park were the Diablo Supercorsa 110/70ZR17 58W TL SC1 (U616) and Diablo Supercorsa 140/70ZR17 66W TL SC2 (U617)/Diablo Supercorsa 150/60ZR17 66W TL SC2 (R037) rears depending on the bike make.

“Round five of the ASBK championship saw the Pirelli service team at Queensland’s Morgan Park Raceway,” explained Pirelli product manager Garry Crilly. “The undulating 2.9km circuit has a flowing combination of mid to high-speed corners, with a surface that has high degradation. Selection of correct compounds and settings were crucial for consistent lap times over race distance.

“Pirelli riders locked out all four championship pole positions, with complete dominance of all race and podium positions in all championship classes. Riders also set new Superbike, Supersport and R3 Cup lap records, which has been a fantastic result for Pirelli in trying conditions.

“The results again highlight Pirelli’s ability to perform at the highest levels with any motorcycle, in any class and at any circuit. We now start planning for the next challenge in the penultimate ASBK round at Victoria’s Winton Motor Raceway in three weeks time.”

Round six of the 2018 Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) presented by Motul Pirelli will be hosted at Winton Motor Raceway in Victoria between 7-9 September.

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