2022

Round Six Event Preview: Michelin Supersport and Dunlop Supersport 300 …it all comes down to these final rounds

By MA Media 0

Today in the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul (ASBK), we are talking Michelin Supersport and Dunlop Supersport 300- later this week, Alpinestars Superbike….!

Michelin Supersport

With a number of graduates leaving the category, including 2021 Champion Broc Pearson plus contenders Max Stauffer and Tom Edwards, season 2022 has been wide open in terms of heirs-apparent.

Round one winner Senna Agius was always overseas-bound (and a recent top ten in Moto2 shows his class), so his cameo, plus Tom Edwards’ second place, really left us with little to no idea about who would be The One To Beat in 2022.

After Dunlop Supersport 300 reigning Champ Ben Baker bowed out due to injury, fellow contender Olly Simpson also out, and Tom Edwards disqualified due to a technical breach, it would fall to John Lytras to take up the running.

And while the leadership of the Michelin Supersport may have fallen to Lytras, it was a position he relished and grew into.

A handy double victory at Wakefield Park saw Lytras really take the season by the horns but any plans for an early Championship win were brought back to reality by an electrical problem at Morgan Park that saw him stranded multiple times in race one, forlornly rebooting his Yamaha but still scoring eight points in trying circumstances.

A win in race two saw him claw his way back into the Championship lead and now Lytras (151 points) enjoys a small six-point advantage heading into the final two rounds from Ty Lynch, (145 pts). Scott Nicholson (115 pts).

At Phillip Island in February for round one, Lynch beat Lytras by nine points for the weekend and mindful of the fact the leading contenders from round one will not be in attendance and if Lynch beats Lytras this weekend, a good points result might see Lynch head to the final round with a small lead…

Lytras (left) vs Lynch (right). More than a commentators alliteration delight, the pair are set for battle at PI

Dunlop Supersport 300

It’s been a year where ASBK management has policed the technical rules more than ever before. This has seen multiple riders and teams omitted from official clkassifications due to technical infringements, a game changer in terms of results and contenders.
After round one concluded, several riders were penalised, with Henry Snell propelled into the Championship lead.

At round two, yet another leading competitor was disqualified due to a breach of the technical regulations. Snell did not win a race and was only on the podium in the final race of the weekend. Mercifully for the Championship leader, the wins and points were shared evenly amongst the top five and incredibly Snell left round two with an increased lead

Cameron Dunker, at round three, proved that his earlier wins were no fluke. A faultless weekend of pole plus three wins, saw him take the maximum 76 points and leap into the Championship lead.

Previous leader Snell was serviceable but not dominant, and as a result he dropped from first to fourth overall. James Jacobs and Glenn Nelson were second and third overall with the minimum three points separating second through fourth.

A revitalised Taiyo Aksu took pole and two wins at round five at Morgan Park in a near-faultless display. Oceania Junior Cup Series 2021 winner Cameron Swain stood tall, taking a win in this always fiercely contested class. Henry Snell saw his Championship hopes fade, scoring a lowly 11 points, while Cameron Dunker- who was not on the podium all weekend- managed to escape Morgan Park with the Championship lead still his.

Right now, it’s nigh on impossible to predict who the Champion will be. While Dunker has an undeniably handy 29-point lead, a DNF or another poor point-scoring weekend could see Glenn Nelson or the so-hot-right-now Aksu get close to the leadership.

We’ll be off to The Bend with the Championship very much alive.

The Dunlop Supersport 300 contenders (L – R ) Cameron Dunker, Glenn Nelson and Taiyo Aksu. If you haven’t seen Supersport 300 racing before, we’ll just sum it up as “pretty close”.

From November 29 to December 5, get on your bike for National Ride Your Motorcycle Week. It’s a chance to bring some fun to your daily commute and reclaim the work day, while sharing the passion for riding. For one week of the year, we ride together and draw attention to rider safety, while making sure our bikes are ready for the summer riding season. Let’s ride!

TV Schedule

Sunday

SBS 1-3pm highlights of race one & two Australian Superbikes and Australian Supersport in replay plus Australian Superbikes Race 3 live during the two hours of coverage.
Stan Sport 1pm – 3pm highlights of race one & two Australian Superbikes and Australian Supersport in replay plus Australian Superbikes Race 3 Live over the two hours of coverage

2022 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul (ASBK)

- - Round 1 Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC 25 – 27 February
  - Round 2 Queensland Raceway, Ipswich QLD 18 – 20 March
  - Round 3 Wakefield Park Raceway, Goulburn NSW 22 – 24 April
  - Round 4 Hidden Valley Raceway, Darwin NT 17 – 19 June
    * With Supercars – SBK Only
  - Round 5 Morgan Park Raceway, Warwick QLD 5 – 7 August
- Round 6 Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, Cowes VIC  – 18-20 November
- Round 7 The Bend Motorsport Park, Tailem Bend SA 2 – 4 December
  ASBK Night of Champions Dinner – The Bend 4 December