2024

West points needle north as he begins the ASBK finale in top spot

By MA Media 0

Anthony West kept his recent purple patch intact on day one of the 2024 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul (ASBK) finale at The Bend in South Australia.

The tireless veteran was fastest in Pirelli Superbike practice on his Addicted to Track Yamaha, finishing ahead of Mike Jones (Yamaha Racing Team) and championship leader Josh Waters (McMartin Ducati).

The Superbike pilots, alongside all the other ASBK Championship classes – Michelin Supersport, Race and Road Supersport 300, ShopYamaha R3 Cup, bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup and Nolan Superbike Masters – treaded carefully on a wet circuit this morning before conditions eased and times started tumbling in the afternoon.

THE BEND ASBK RESULTS

Tomorrow the tempo goes up another notch with final qualifying and the opening races for all classes – including Superbike and Supersport, which both have extended three-race campaigns this weekend. The Saturday action will be broadcast live on SBS On Demand from10:20am-5:40pm (ACDT).

ASBK ticket holders to The Bend will also receive free entry into the Drag Bike Nationals, while there will also be kids’ amusement rides, live music, autograph sessions and pitlane walks. ASBK pit entry is also free.

To purchase tickets for the ASBK Grand Finale at The Bend, click here. Tickets will also be available at the gate.

Anthony West has started the Pirelli Superbike finale in top form

Pirelli Superbike
Jones, Arthur Sissis (Stop and Seal Yamaha) and West were the fastest across the three Pirelli Superbike sessions, with the latter’s 1m50.850sec the benchmark – and not far in arrears of Troy Herfoss’ current lap record of 1:50.529.

The evergreen West is building up a serious head of steam at the tail end of the 2024 season, finishing second in race one at One Raceway’s penultimate before he went down as collateral damage in a race two bingle when he was circulating towards the front.

Meanwhile, Jones (1:51.102) and Waters (1:51.296) both kept their noses clean as they build towards the final championship shootout. Waters is 27pts ahead of Jones, with Broc Pearson (DesmoSport Ducati) in third, 10pts behind Jones.

Pearson (1:52.464) was seventh on Friday, with Sissis (1:51.791) fourth from Max Stauffer (Penrite Racing Yamaha, 1:51.880) and a very impressive John Lytras (Yamaha, 1:52.058).

Defending Superbike champion Troy Herfoss (DesmoSport Ducati) sat out the final practice session with a mechanical issue, but he still managed to complete the day in 10th (1:53.908) behind Cameron Dunker (Penrite Racing Yamaha, 1:52.823) and Ty Lynch (Unitech Racing Yamaha, 1:53.816).

Tom Toparis (1:53.978), making his Superbike debut on a Stop and Seal Yamaha, was 11th in the 20-rider field.

Qualifying for Pirelli Superbike begins at 12:20pm on Saturday before race one at 3pm.

Pirelli Superbike leader Josh Waters put together a solid day one

Michelin Supersport
In Michelin Supersport, last-start winner Archie McDonald was the fastest after three sessions – two for the majority of riders after a wet circuit saw only five out of 19 circulate in the opening 20-minute hitout.

McDonald came home strong, but it was tight with just one second between the Albury charger and sixth-placed Jack Mahaffy – all on Yamahas.

Jonathan Nahlous was second from Olly Simpson, Jack Favelle and Tom Bramich. Other than Mahaffy, all the riders can still win the championship, with Jake Farnsworth (Yamaha) the other.

The short odds are with Nahlous, though, who is 40pts in front of Simpson.

There will be two qualifying sessions tomorrow – where the top guns are expected to get near or eclipse Harrison Voight’s current lap record – before race one at 1:45pm.

Archie McDonald put the hammer down in Michelin Supersport practice

Race and Road Supersport 300/ShopYamaha R3 Cup
The Race and Road Supersport 300 and ShopYamaha R3 Cup classes began qualifying this afternoon, and it was Cameron Swain (Yamaha) who dominated after a season of battle-hardened European competition in the R3 World Cup.

He ramped up the intensity in large chunks, with a second qualifying session on Saturday morning before the racing begins.

Combined across both classes, Swain from fastest from Jordan Simpson (Yamaha), Will Nassif (Yamaha), 2023 Oceania Junior Cup champion Archie Schmidt (Kawasaki), R3 Cup leader Valentino Knezovic (Yamaha) and Mitch Simpson (Yamaha) making a welcome return from injury.

Supersport 300 leader Josh Newman was seventh ahead of fellow Kawasaki rider Casey Middleton.

Shining brightly: Cameron Swain was in top form in Supersport 300/R3 Cup practice

bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup
A so-far fruitful return to the bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup category for New Zealander Haydn Fordyce, who finished third in the 2023 title.

Fordyce is competing in the OJC this weekend to help bolster New Zealand’s stocks in the corresponding FIM Oceania Trans-Tasman Challenge, but it’s also an outing for individual pride – and Fordyce was the pacesetter in practice from raging hot championship favourite Hunter Corney, Ethan Johnson, Rossi McAdam, Phoenix O’Brien and Hunter Charlett.

Fordyce is also competing in the final round of the 2024 Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Asia-Pacific Championship this weekend, where Corney and Johnson are wildcards.

The massive 21-rider OJC field is back for more on Saturday, which includes race one at 3:45pm.

Haydn Fordyce has hit the ground in his bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup return

Nolan Superbike Masters
Alex Phillis steamrolled the opposition, coming out all guns blazing on the Suzuki XR69. His best lap of 2:00.007 – a new qualifying record – was nearly a second ahead of South Aussie international David Johnson (Suzuki GSX-R1100), followed by Ryan Taylor (GSX-R1100) and John Allen (Yamaha TZ750).

Only one qualifying session for the Superbike Masters riders, so it’s down to business in race one at 11:35am on Saturday.

With title leader Keo Watson (Yamaha FZR1000) and Jack Passfield (FZR1000) both not racing – the former with injury and the latter after bending a valve during in qualifying – if Taylor can produce a consistent three-race effort he could very well be the 2024 champion. Phillis missed round two, so he’s out of the running.