ASBK Ready to Rumble in the Valley

ASBK FLASHBACK

In the year 2021, as we progress through the third decade of the 21st century, lets time-travel over the past 21 seasons of the ASBK Championship - with a bit of added history from last century.

During the 1970s, Australia pioneered production motorcycle racing, most notably the iconic Castrol 6-Hour at the now defunct Amaroo Park and Oran Park circuits, on the outskirts of Sydney.

In 1970, visionary promoter, Vince Tesoriero and his fellow Willoughby MMC club members, dreamed up the first Castrol 6-Hour, and the annual event soon developed into THE production race in the world.

Then instead of endurance races, what about sprint races for modified machines with the top riders of the day like Warren Willing, Len Atlee and Garry Thomas involved. The catch cry on one of the poster was “Super heroes on Super bikes”.

It’s often attributed that “Superbike” racing commenced in the USA, but believe it or not, “Superbike” racing commenced, here, in Australia on February 18, February 1973, at Amaroo Park and the rules were pretty open for what was allowed to be improved on the machines.

The four-round series was called the “Chesterfield 5000” - the “5000” signifying the prize money that was up for grabs in the first year. That’s over $50,000 in today’s rates. The concept only lasted three years.

After a hiatus, Victorian clubs commenced their own competitions for modified big-bore, four-stroke machines and the southern state soon became the home, and powerhouse of Australian Superbike racing.

The racing was hard, fast and spectacular and riders like Robbie Phillis, Malcolm “Wally” Campbell and the late Andrew “AJ” Johnson became household names. From those embryonic events, the Australian Superbike Championship evolved.

The first Australian Superbike Championship was in 1987. Since then, many riders have etched their name on the trophy; Robbie Phillis, Malcolm Campbell, Troy Corser, the late Kirk McCarthy, Anthony Gobert, Marty Craggill, current MA President, Peter Goddard, and ASBK commentator Steve Martin are just some that were crowned Australian Superbike Champions.

There are also some notable ASBK Championship riders that were able to launch into overseas careers including Darryl Beattie, Rob Phillis, Josh Brookes and current ASBK riders Bryan Staring, Josh Waters, Tom Bramich, Tom Edwards, and this year 2020 Supersport 300 Champion Harry Khouri in the WorldSBK Supersport 300 class.

Shaun Giles

THE 21ST CENTURY

In the past 21 seasons, we have witnessed 11 riders raise the silverware to the skies at season’s end, and in the 15 championships contested since 2006 there have been seven race winners.

Astoundingly, the six riders that have shared the championship title since 2008 are all still competing this year and any one

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ASBK FLASHBACK CONTINUED

of them could squeeze another ASBK trophy into an already crowded cabinet.

In the past 21 seasons, only three riders; Wayne Maxwell, Glenn Allerton and Mike Jones have won championships on different brands. but since 2007, no rider has managed to win back-to-back titles.

Let’s take a step back.

The new millennium dawned and it was the era of Suzuki domination with Shawn Giles winning an unprecedented three titles in a row from 2000-2002. It wasn’t all plain sailing as he was up against fierce competition led by Kevin Curtain, but “Gilesy” carved his own unique slice of history as no rider before or since, has managed to put three titles together on the trot.

In 2003 it was Giles’ team-mate in Team Suzuki, Shepparton’s Craig Coxhell who lifted the title after out running his team mate to the line.

Suzuki’s four-year stranglehold was broken in 2004 when Adam Fergusson, riding for Honda, was the first to take out the Superbike/Supersport double, dominating both championships.

Fergusson’s team-mate, Josh Brookes repeated the feat the following year, but the 2005 ASBK title was decided on a count back as at Phillip Island, Brookes and Giles finished the season on equal points. Brookes was crowned the champion because of race victories. Since then, Brookes has finished third in the World Supersport Championship and claimed two British Superbike titles, the most recent in 2020.

Jamie Stauffer was the man of the moment in 2006/07. In his first championship-winning year he emulated Fergusson and Brookes by taking the ASBK/Supersport double riding for the Yamaha Factory Team with his brother Dan in the garage. In 2008 Stauffer was thwarted a three-peat when Glenn Allerton - who won the Privateer championship the previous year - won his first of three titles. Allerton’s feat brought Honda back to the top of the pile as he beat the Yamaha’s of Jamie Stauffer who was 10 points adrift with his brother, Dan, third overall. The first time two brothers had been in the top three of the ASBK.

In 2009, Allerton was on track to bag two in a row as he led the title by two points over Josh Waters, heading into the final round at Phillip Island, but Waters was not to be denied with two wins against a second and a third for Allerton. Waters won the first of his three titles, by 10 points from Allerton and returned Suzuki to the top manufacturer.

2010: After winning the Supersport title in 2009, Western Australian Bryan Staring took out the Superbike title from Maxwell who went one better to be second in the title from Allerton. This was a springboard for Staring to head overseas to compete in various world championships, the pinnacle, a season in MotoGP.

Staring is the only rider to win titles in the Australian 125cc GP, Supersport and Superbike Championships.

2011: Allerton regained the number one plate but this time he gave BMW its first national championship. In fact he gave BMW its first Superbike race win in the world at the support races for the WSBK round at Phillip Island at the beginning of the year.

ASBK FLASHBACK

CONTINUED

He won the title by a massive 68 points from Jamie Stauffer and Troy Herfoss with Maxwell 4th.

2012: If it was good enough for Allerton to win a second title, Waters thought the same as he wrapped up his in the same time frame as Allerton after a three-year gap. The title again went to the wire with Maxwell taking another second overall to score three top three finishes in four seasons. Jamie Stauffer was third, the last time he was to finish in the top three in his stellar career.

2013: It was Maxwell who, after going so close on past occasions, finally broke through for his maiden Superbike title, riding a Suzuki. Allerton was second from Maxwell’s team-mate Robbie Bugden who finished third, for the second time.

In 2014, Allerton was making a habit of winning a title every three years taking out his third title with Linden Magee, nephew of Kevin, claiming a 1-2 for BMW with Ben Nicholson third.

2015 was a fight between two new up and coming Superbike riders who had won championships in the lower grades.

Mike Jones (Kawasaki) and Daniel Falzon (Yamaha) set up a fierce on-track rivalry in their ambitions for a maiden ASBK title. It all unraveled in the first race, at the second last round at Symmons Plains when in close proximity dueling, Falzon crashed out and the championship was lost. Jones went to the final round at Phillip Island with the title in the tool box. Kawasaki won the manufacturer’s title for the first time this century. In 2016, Australia’s best came out guns blazing in what was an enthralling year. The title was a battle between team-mates, Allerton and Maxwell on Yamaha, and Troy Herfoss (Honda). But, there was a Wild Card at Wakefield when Anthony West, sharing a pit box with Herfoss came out to play and finished second in both races.

In the washup Herfoss eventually claimed his maiden title with a round to spare but he was assisted as major rival and great mate, Maxwell crashed out of the opening race at Winton allowing Allerton to leap-frog into second place overall.

2017: What a year with four different title leaders over the seven rounds. Daniel Falzon (Yamaha) led for three rounds before Herfoss (Honda) overhauled him in Darwin, although, after a mediocre start to his return season in Australia, Josh Waters (Suzuki) gained momentum with two victories as Maxwell DNF’d race 2.

In the next round at Morgan Park, Herfoss uncharacteristically crashed out as Maxwell (Yamaha) took over at the top, as the title lead continued to see-saw.

With two rounds remaining, there was a 24-point spread from leader, Maxwell to Waters in fifth place.

That changed at SMSP as Waters took two wins, Herfoss was consistent with 2-3 finishes and Maxwell crashed in the second leg to drop to third and hand Herfoss the title lead with Waters leap-frogging into second, the trio split by 15 points.

Mike Jones & Troy Herfoss

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ASBK FLASHBACK CONTINUED

At the final round Phillip Island, Herfoss had a strong chance for two titles on the trot but he was gut-wrenchingly denied that honour when his bike expired in the first race as Waters and Maxwell shared the wins for Josh to take, what many considered, an unexpected championship from Maxwell in second and Herfoss third.

While the front runners have remained virtually unchanged for the past 12 years, from 2016 the ASBK Championship has stepped up a notch each year, and in 2018 it hit top gear.

The championship visited the new, world class Bend Motorsport Park in South Australia, returning to the state for the first time in nearly a decade.

To add to the usual suspects, three times WSBK champion, Troy Bayliss, committed to the series for 2018. And it wasn’t just for novelty value. Bayliss was on it from the start and proved that age is no barrier as in the opening race of the year he finished second to Herfoss by just 0.2 sec, the top four separated by just half a second.

He backed that up with a couple of wins - including the final race of the year at the Island - and a number of podium finishes to push his younger rivals to produce their best against one of the world’s best.

That’s to take nothing away from his rivals who rose to the occasion. Herfoss grabbed the championship by the throat in the fifth round, at Morgan Park, with a perfect score and took out his second championship at the next meeting with a round to spare through consistency, and race wins. Maxwell finished second with Bayliss just a few points away in third. The 2019 season was run on the rev-limiter as the level of intensity, drama and action lifted to yet another level.

There was a setback at the first round at Phillip Island, as Bayliss who, after an impressive 2018 was out to go even better, but had his season ruined in the opening race. On the fifth lap, chasing Maxwell and ASBK newcomer Aiden Wagner (Yamaha), tagged Maxwell’s rear tyre at turn one-Doohan Corner and spectacularly departed stage left. He suffered a hand injury and put the helmet on the rack.

Maxwell won that opening race, but the drama escalated in leg two. Wagner and Maxwell clashed in a well reported incident in the second leg in their battle for the lead, with Wagner taking the win and Maxwell tasting gravel at high speed.

In the third leg, Mike Jones finished second on a privateer Kawasaki to Wagner, but more impressively, he claimed a new lap record. This result saw him rejoin the Bayliss team for the year.

Gloss was removed from the championship at the next round at Wakefield Park, when Wagner crashed during practice that forced his withdrawal from the title chase.

The title went down to the final round between Jones, Herfoss, Maxwell and the mercurial journeyman, Cru Halliday (Yamaha) who all had a chance of championship glory.

In a dramatic final race at SMSP at Eastern Creek, it came down to a battle between Jones and Herfoss. Whoever won the last race won the title. The championship was decided with just three corners left, as the pair swapped paint heading into the infamous hairpin that has decided so many races, including GPs.

Troy Bayliss