Alpinestars Superbike Championship

from 2021 ASBK Round 4 mi-Bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul

Getting a grip on the ASBK Tyre War

ASBK FLASHBACK CONTINUED

Herfoss ran a little wide and Jones won the title on a Ducati, in a team run by Troy Bayliss, with Maxwell third overall.

Every week brought a change in direction. Much was expected of 2020, but, as we are fully aware, the year was ruled by the COVID pandemic.

Every week brought a change in direction and only a three-round championship was possible. One round in February alongside the WSBK at the Island with the next two rounds in December, at the contrasting Wakefield Park Raceway.

Maxwell saddled up with his fourth stable in his ASBK career when he jumped on the Italian stallion, Ducati.

He dominated the first round with a perfect score as heartbreak hit defending champion Jones, when he was pushed from the grid in the opening race with a minor mechanical problem.

Herfoss had been the man to beat at his home track at Wakefield in recent years. He won the second round with a perfect 51 points to close the gap to Maxwell to just 17 points with 2019 Supersport Champion, Cru Halliday in line for a top three title finish. Herfoss’ chances evaporated the next morning in the first race of round three when a mechanical problem forced his retirement. Maxwell won the race and the title as Herfoss rued another title that was snatched away.

Herfoss won the last race from Maxwell, but Halliday had done enough through consistency to claim second overall, a solitary point in front of Herfoss.

Wayne Maxwell

Bring on 2021!

THE NEW

You can beat all opponents, but there is always a challenge you still have to face, the one within yourself. For those like you who rise to any challenge, we have developed the new Ninja ZX-10R & Ninja ZX-10RR. Now that you have the definitive race focused Ninja, face yourself. For more information visit www.kawasaki.com.au

Always ride responsibly. Always ride within the limits of your skills, your experience and your machine. Wear an approved helmet and protective clothing. The actions depicted here took place under controlled conditions with professional riders.

No two corners are the same.No two corners are the same.

T here’s no t hing like t he ex hilar a t ion o f a we ekend r ide. Bu t a s we all know, So before your next ride, visit spokes.com.au T here’s no t hing like t he ex hilar a t ion o f a we ekend r ide. Bu t a s we all know, no t wo corner s are ever the s ame. And when the unexpec ted happens – we So before your next ride, visit spokes.com.auB e c a u s e th e r e ’s a lo t ri d i n g on ho w yo u ri d e . c ome o f f s e c ond b e s t . T ha t ’s why i t ’s alway s wor t h br u shing up your skills. no t wo corner s are ever the s ame. And when the unexpec ted happens – we B e c a u s e th e r e ’s a lo t ri d i n g on ho w yo u ri d e . c ome o f f s e c ond b e s t . T ha t ’s why i t ’s alway s wor t h br u shing up your skills.

MOTORSPORTS TV SUPERSPORT CHAMPIONSHIP

The quality of competition in the Motorsports TV Supersport Championship is often just as good as the top level Superbike category.

Often affectionately described in the paddock as “600s”, Supersport bikes can in fact have an engine capacity of up to 750cc for two-cylinder motors. In the interests of maintaining costs at a manageable level, the bikes are mostly productionspec and modifications are limited. They also run on treaded production tyres.

Supersport has become well established as a feeder category for Superbikes, with many riders using the category as a stepping stone to the pinnacle of Australian motorcycle racing.

Additionally, it has been a launching pad for riders to create overseas opportunities in both the WorldSBK and BSB.

After his dominant championship victory in 2019, Tom Toparis was set to compete in the 2020 European and World Supersport Championships before his international campaign was curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Toparis returned to Australia in time to claim back-to-back Supersport titles, but faced tough opposition from his close friend and on-track rival Oli Bayliss, as well as Max Stauffer and Broc Pearson, who each snared race victories. Toparis, who was expected to step up to the Superbike class in 2021 has recently undergone significant arm surgery which will see him miss the season while Stauffer and Pearson will return to Supersport and will be among the title favourites, along with Tom Edwards and Nic Liminton, who are also race winners in the category.

Another one to watch will be Ted Collins; after winning the 2017 Supersport title and progressing to Superbikes, Collins is set for a return to the Supersport category in 2021.

The likes of Jack Passfield and Tom Bramich should also be among the Supersport front-runners, while a couple of young guns with impressive pedigree in the Supersport 300 and YMF R3 Cup, John Lytras and Luke Power, will step up to Supersport this season.

The Motorsports TV Supersport class will be back on track at Round 5 of ASBK, Morgan Park Raceway, Queensland, August 20-22.

The Dunlop Supersport 300 category has become renowned for producing some of the closest and most exciting racing on the ASBK program.

Supersport 300 is open to production-based motorcycles, with an engine capacity between 250cc to 400cc, depending upon the number of cylinders. The restricted engine capacity means riders as young as 13 can compete in the class, and the tightly controlled technical regulations provide a level playing field for different manufacturers.

As a result, Supersport 300 races typically feature large masses of bikes racing in close proximity to one another and swapping positions multiple times each lap. Very often, races are decided by an epic slipstreaming contest coming out of the final corner.

This emphasis on race craft, combined with the accessibility to junior competitors, has made Supersport 300 a very attractive category for young, up and coming riders.

In the ASBK hierarchy, it is considered an intermediate step between the Oceania Junior Cup and the more powerful Supersport class. The 2020 Supersport 300 title was taken out by 16-year-old Harry Khouri, who clean-swept the opening round at Phillip Island and sealed the title with a consistent performance in the two Wakefield Park rounds. Khouri’s success has earned him a World Supersport 300 Championship ride for 2021.

While Khouri was a comprehensive victor, the contest for second was far tighter with just eight points separating John Lytras, Ben Baker, Archie McDonald and Luke Power in the final standings.

While Lytras, Power and Baker are progressing to Supersport, McDonald returns to the grid in 2021, while the Champion welcomes the next wave of graduates from the Oceania Junior Cup, such as Cameron Dunker, Tom Drane, Clay Clegg, and Angus Grenfell.