Waters to Go All Out for Victory at ‘The Island’
osh Waters (Team Suzuki ECSTAR, GSX-R1000R) is on a mission here at the Spokes.com.au presents Round 7 Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. The rider from Mildura will settle for nothing less than a victory this weekend at the Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul Pirelli (ASBK).
The sun turned it on here at Phillip Island and Waters was in command on his Suzuki machine. When he returned to the pits after free practice two, his team gave him a big pat on the back, knowing his pace was looking very strong. His time in FP2 would be the fastest overall for the day. Not taking a win so far in 2018 would be playing on his mind, so he will be keen to erase that statistic.
Coming up as second fastest was Wayne Maxwell (Yamaha Racing Team, YZF-R1) who can lock away second best in the championship this weekend. Both Maxwell and Waters are Phillip Island specialists so it would be no surprise to see these two duke it out for wins come Sunday.
Bryan Staring (Kawasaki BCperformance, ZX-10R) looked very impressive, managing to top FP3, but coming third fastest overall. He managed to take a win for the ages back at Round 1, so he will be aiming to replicate his strongest showing of the season.
Troy Bayliss (Desmosport Ducati, Final Ed.) is once again right in contention with the fourth fastest time of the day. It will be fascinating to see how the V-Twin fares against the field full of inline-fours. He will also be pulling double duty this weekend, also visiting the Australian Supercross Championship in Geelong tomorrow night.
The 2018 YMI Superbike Champion, Troy Herfoss (Penrite Honda Racing, CBR1000SP) hasn’t quite showed his hand yet in today’s free practice sessions, setting the fifth fastest time. There is a myth that the Honda rider does not suit the layout of the track but in truth, he really enjoys it and his performance back at Round 1 proves that.
Make sure to keep track on asbk.com.au to see who can claim pole position tomorrow with Q1 taking place at 10:50am and Q2 at 2:35pm.
YMI Superbike Friday Provisional Results
1. Josh WATERS (Team Suzuki ECSTAR, GSX-R1000R) 1:32.762
2. Wayne MAXWELL (Yamaha Racing Team, YZF-R1) 1:32.901
3. Bryan STARING (Kawasaki BCperformance, ZX-10R) 1:33.005
4. Troy BAYLISS (Desmosport Ducati, Final Ed.) 1:33.104
5. Troy HERFOSS (Penrite Honda Racing, CBR1000SP) 1:33.129
6. Glenn ALLERTON (NextGen Motorsports, BMW S1000RR) 1:33.220
7. Matt WALTERS (Swann Insurance, Kawasaki ZX-10R) 1:33.556
8. Daniel FALZON (Yamaha Racing Team, Yamaha YZF-R1) 1:33.634
9. Ted COLLINS (NextGen Motorsports, BMW S1000RR) 1:33.781
10. Mark CHIODO (Team Suzuki ECSTAR, Suzuki GSX-R1000R) 1:34.013
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Remaining 2018 ASBK Calendar Rounds
Round 7- Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC October 12 – 14
Photos courtesy of Andrew Gosling – tbg sport
