ALPINESTARS SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP There is plenty of exciting changes for the 2021 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship, presented by Motul, with an expanded field, new teams, and riders who are hungry for Championship glory. The high-performance Alpinestars Superbike machines are based on production motorcycles, with an engine/weight limit of 1,000cc and 168kg for four-cylinder bikes and 1,300cc and 172kg for two and three-cylinder machines. Only limited modifications to the bikes are permitted ensuring a wide range of manufacturers can compete on a level playing field, with Yamaha, Ducati, Honda, Suzuki, BMW and Kawasaki all achieving success in recent seasons. While the technical regulations are tightly controlled, there is still enough freedom to enable the specific strengths of different bikes, riders, teams and tyres to shine through, depending on the venue. The wide variety of circuits on the ASBK calendar – ranging from the high-speed curves and long straights of Phillip Island to the tight and technical confines of Winton and the undulations of Morgan Park – has produced a diverse array of race winners over the last couple of seasons. While the COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted the competition in 2020, the ASBK Championship was still able to stage three spectacular rounds of racing. The traditional season-opener at Phillip Island in February, followed by a double-header round Grand Finale at Wakefield Park in December. At the end of the disrupted season, the rider who emerged as an emotional champion was Wayne Maxwell, who finally notched up his second ASBK title after a series of near misses. Last year Maxwell joined forces with Craig McMartin Racing on a Ducati V4R. He bolted out of the gates with a clean sweep at Phillip Island, and sealed the deal with a win and a trio of secondplace finishes from the four Wakefield Park races.
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Finishing second in last year’s title race was Cru Halliday, with a string of consistent performances aboard his Yamaha, while Troy Herfoss was just one point behind Halliday in the final analysis. Herfoss was in dynamite form aboard his new Honda on home turf at Wakefield Park, setting a scorching pace throughout qualifying and the races. Had it not been for an untimely mechanical problem in the penultimate race of the season, Herfoss could well have run Maxwell much closer in the title contest. Maxwell and Herfoss remain with their respective teams for 2021 and Halliday and Aiden Wagner remain at Yamaha. 2017 champion Josh Waters has slotted alongside the consistent Bryan Staring at Kawasaki BCperformance Racing, and Glenn Allerton is back on board his NextGen Motorsports BMW after a much improved season in 2020. At Desmosport Ducati, 2019 Champion Mike Jones has been joined by young gun Oli Bayliss, who proudly carries the number 32 made famous by his father, and former World Superbike Champion Troy Bayliss. Oli has been impressive at the first two race meets this year and will be one to watch as the year progresses. There are also be a number of independent teams that have joined the paddock including Yanni Shaw who stepped up to the class aboard a Suzuki along with Nathan Spiteri. Matt Walters, Evan Byles and Davo Johnson are aboard Kawasaki’s, while Jed Metcher, Phil Czaj, Luke Jhonston, Michael Edwards, Daniel Falzon, Arthur Sissis, Aaron Morris, Anthony West, Mark Chiodo, Mitchell Paynter, Alexsander Savin, are all be flying Yamaha colours. Lachlan Epis and Jack Davis are waving the BMW flag. With a combination of experienced stars and exciting young talent, the 2021 Australian Superbike Championship is shaping up to be a cracker.
