Comprehensive wrap from St. George Summer Nights Rounds 3/4

2022-2023 St George Summer Night Series
Sydney Motorsport Park, Rounds Three & Four

Words Nick Edards, Images by RBMotoLens, Half Light Photographic

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Having already run two rounds at the tail end of 2022, the St George MCC Summer Nights season 2022/2023 went all out to welcome 2023 by giving us a double-header at Sydney Motorsport Park with the third round run on Friday January 13 followed by Round Four on Saturday the 14th.

The series has rightly attracted some international attention and it was great to see British Superbike head honcho Stuart Higgs and FHO Racing owner Faye Ho at the facility, taking a look at the fabulous night racing that’s now a regular part of the SMP calendar.

Stuart Higgs is Director of the British Superbike Championship at MotorSport Vision Ltd and Faye Ho is Team Principal for FHO Racing, who field Josh Brookes in BSB and Peter Hickman in BSB, TT and Irish Road Racing.

Stuart Higgs – Director of British Superbike Championship

“Thanks for your warm welcome and in particular the club membership, a great surprise and very much appreciated. We both enjoyed the event and I think it’s a concept that could grow, taking into account its position in the year. The club is deservedly highly regarded and very efficiently delivered the event which given the tight constraints of the time schedule is great achievement. Much to build on! See you around.”

These are big names and St George MCC were delighted to have them take time out and attend the Summer Nights series. Stuart was made an honorary member of St. George MCC and the club hopes that this will be the start of a long-term relationship between the organisations. The concept of an Ashes Series is still just an idea, but anything is possible given the energy these organisations bring to the track

And so to the double-header…

Both Rounds Three and Four followed the usual summer nights format of three classes, two of them having sub-categories on-track at the same time, with each class getting a 10 minute qualifying and three nine-minute-plus-one-lap races scheduled.

Time is tight, qualifying starts at 1830 and the track has to be clear by 2230, so any delays can cause disruption, and even cancellation, of races scheduled to run at the back end of the evening.

That was the outcome at Rounds One and Two where races did have to be canned, however Rounds Three and Four ran to plan, there were no major delays and all races were completed over full distance within the time available.

Sunset in Sydney in January is around 2000, the flood-lights kick in before sunset to augment the fading light and by 2230, the surroundings are in full dark and the only light on the track is from SMP’s amazing array of candles.

This means that by the second rotation of races, the track is artificially lit and the quality of the light put out by the floods is so good that some riders are still wearing dark visors despite the absence of natural light.

Here’s a quick recap on the three race classes and sub-categories.

Pirelli Unlimited is for racers expected to beat a 1m40s lap time and within Pirelli Unlimited, there’s two sub-categories: Super Fast Dudes, for ASBK/BSB-class rider and the rest, which we’ll call Just Fast Dudes for convenience.

In the Super Fast Dudes category, Josh Brookes (#25, M 1000 RR), Lachlan Epis (#83, BMW M 1000 RR) and Max Stauffer (#27, Yamaha YZF-R1) have been on-deck as series regulars and were back for the double-header.

Rounds Three and Four saw an expanded Super Fast Dudes rider list. Newly crowned ASBK champion Mike Jones (#46, Yamaha YZF-R1) was in attendance for both rounds along with factory Yamaha team-mate Cru Halliday (#65, Yamaha YZF-R1).

Ducati also had a sizeable and interesting representation. Oli Bayliss (#32, Ducati 955) gearing up for WorldSBK 2023 where he’ll be riding for D34G in the Supersport class, ran on both Friday and Saturday, as did Broc Pearson (#4, Ducati Panigale V4R) with DesmoSport Ducati.

Joining the Super Fast Dudes for Saturday’s Round Four was Josh Waters (#21, Ducati Panigale V4R) who has taken over the seat on the Boost Mobile Panigale V4R from Wayne Maxwell who retired at the end of season 2022.

Also in the mix for Round Four was former ASBK Supersport champion Ted Collins (#29, BMW M 1000 RR), who has been absent from the top ranks for a while but is making a comeback in 2023 with Livson Racing.

Coming into the double-header, Josh Brookes led the Super Fast Dudes category with a decent points advantage over Lachlan Epis with Max Stauffer in third. Given that these were the only three riders who were competing in all rounds, this is where the focus of the points battle would be.

In the Just Fast Dudes sub-category, Paris Hardwick (#72, Kawasaki ZX-10RR) came into the weekend with a narrow points lead over Josh Soderland (#28, Ducati Panigale V4R).

Some notable absences, including Dominic De Leon and Brenadan McIntrye meant that there were real opportunities for riders such as Nick Marsh (#15, Yamaha YZF-R1M), Leanne Nelson (#52, Kawasaki ZX-10R) and Timothy Griffith (#18, Kawasaki ZX-10RR) to make some moves up the points table.

Oli Bayliss wasn’t the only racer fielding a ‘Supersport’ class bike in what is effectively a Superbike class of racing, there was also Sean Condon (#26, Yamaha YZF-R6) who would prove himself well up to the challenge of making a 600 run with the big boys at Round Three.

IPONE Unlimited is for racers not expected to beat the 1m40s bracket. Coming into the weekend, the series leader was young Jacob Roulstone (#12, Kawasaki ZX-10RR) with Ryan Edwards (#84, Ducati Panigale V4R), Ryan Jowett (#57, Ducati Panigale V4S), Clint McAnally (#72, Ducati Panigale V4) and Aaron Shereck (#136, Aprilia RSV4) completing the top five positions. McAnally would be one to watch as his fourth place points score was achieved despite not contesting Round One.

Bridgestone 600 is for Supersport class bikes, and AGV Twin Cup for mid-capacity twins, share the track but have their own points chase. In Bridgestone 600, Jake Farnsworth (#149, Yamaha YZF-R6) had a perfect record from Rounds One and Two which gave him a handsome lead in the championship.

Benny Baker (#72, Yamaha YZF-R6), Jack Favelle (#33, Honda CBR600RR), Simone Boldrini (#4, Yamaha YZF-R6) and Cameron Prentice (#47, Yamaha R6) holding second through fifth spots.

Rounds Three and Four saw some very strong competition added to the mix with Harrison Voight (#29, Yamaha YZF-R6), Tom Bramich (#44, Yamaha YZF-R6) notable attendees for both rounds and former ASBK Supersport champion Tom Toparis (#7, Yamaha YZF-R6) racing on the Friday night.

AGV Twins Cup is still a new innovation and it’s going to take a while for the class to build up more representation. Class points leader Carl Kitson wasn’t at Rounds Three and Four which put series regular David Nhan Cao (#9, Yamaha MT-07) in a good position to close the gap at the top of the table.

Brian Bolster (#222, Suzuki SV650), a stalwart of the Twins scene but absent from Rounds One and Two through illness was back; Matthew Edwards (#122) was a new addition to the class bringing his Aprilia RS660 to the party.

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Pirelli Unlimited – Round Three

Lachlan Epis wasted no time in Pirelli Unlimited qualifying, getting into the groove for the evening right from the off and posted a 1m31.084 to take pole from Brookes, who posted a best of 1m31m302. Stauffer, Halliday, Jones and Pearson filled out the remainder of the spots on the first two rows of the grid.

Timothy Griiffith was fastest of the Just Fast Dudes, his 1m34.89 good enough to give him eighth on the grid with Soderland and Hardwick less than a second off his pace.

Pirelli Unlimited – Race One

Tech issues meant that Epis couldn’t capitalise on his pole position and it was Brookes who took command of the opening race with Cru Halliday pushing him hard early on, crossing the line exactly one-second behind the two-time British Superbike Champion.

Max Stauffer, coming home in third, was looking to be in really good form and carded the best lap of the race, a very impressive 1min31.206. Jones and Pearson completed the top five.

Timothy Griffith was best of the Just Fast Dudes, battling hard with Paris Hardwick all the way and coming home eight overall, just two-tenths of a second ahead of Hardwick.

Marsh, Soderland and Sean Condon (on his 600 and posting a best lap of 1m33.986, significantly quicker than quite a few of the litre-bikes), also took out good points in the Just Fast Dudes sub-category.

Pirelli Unlimited – Race Two

Halliday applied even more pressure to Brookes than he had in Race One but wasn’t able to get close enough to make a pass when it counted, Brookes taking the flag with a three-tenths of a second margin, with Jones in very close company, just one-tenth of a second behind Halliday in third.

Stauffer continued his good form with a fourth place finish ahead of Pearson in fifth. Things went from bad to worse for Epis in Race Two with a tech issue causing a DNF. Given the series runs a progressive grid format this meant that he’d have to start from the back of the grid for the third and final race of the night.

In Just Fast Dudes, again it was Griffith taking the major points haul with Hardwick, Condon, Soderland and Scott Allars (#31, Yamaha YZF-R1M)

Pirelli Unlimited – Race Three

In a repeat of the opening races, it was Brookes and Halliday at the head of the field. Brookes taking the win by less than a second from Halliday. Behind them, Epis put in a fantastic run from the back of the grid to take third place and score fastest lap of the race with a 1m31.396.

Jones and Stauffer took out fourth and fifth, Stauffer having built an impressive three-and-a-half second lead over Pearson by the flag.

In Just Fast Dudes, Hardwick was able to best Griffith, Condon once again worked magic on the R6 to bring it home ahead of some strong Superbike runners and some nine-seconds ahead of Allars in 11th overall.

Pirelli Unlimited Round Three Points

Brookes’ perfect run gave him the meeting win for the Super Fast Dudes ahead of Halliday and Jones. Stauffer just missed out on a podium finish for the night, Jones edging him by a single point.

In Just Fast Dudes, the win went to Griffith from Hardwick. Condon’s R6 performance gave him a third spot on the podium for the meeting which is quite an achievement. Soderland and Allars held the other top five spots.

PIRELLI Unlimited – Race One Results

PIRELLI Unlimited – Race Two Results

PIRELLI Unlimited – Race Three Results

PIRELLI Unlimited Round Three Overall

PIRELLI Unlimited Super Fast Dudes Round 3 Overall

 

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IPONE Unlimited – Round Three

With34 racers lining up for IPONE Unlimited class, there was going to be a lot of little battles going on throughout the field in all sessions.

It was Andrew Burley (#121, Ducati V4S) who made the most of qualifying, carding a 1m37.121 to give him pole. Roulstone, Edwards, McAnally were all within a second of Burley’s pole time and Michael Jeffrey (#53, Yamaha YZF-R1) was only a little off their pace in fifth spot.

IPONE Unlimited – Race One

McAnally made rapid progress from fourth on the grid to take the lead and the eventual win from Roulstone by sixth-tenths of a second – with a best lap of 1m34.937 significantly faster than any of his rivals.

Burley wasn’t able to convert his pole position into a podium position, finishing fourth behind Edwards. Ben Angelidis (#227, BMW M 1000 RR) took fifth.

IPONE Unlimited – Race Two

Starting from second on the grid, Roulstone was able to put immediate pressure on McAnally and after taking the lead was able to pull out a near-two-second gap by the finish.

These two ran away from the field comprehensively, with Angelidis in third position some 14-seconds back from McAnally. Burley missed out on a podium by less than half-a-second and Ryan Jowett closed out the top five.

IPONE Unlimited – Race Three

Roulstone and McAnally were back at it in Race Three but a slipping clutch forced Roulstone into a DNF which left McAnally to take an impressive, if lonely, 11-second win and a best lap of 1m36.228.

Jowett, Edwards, Angelidis and Burley filled the remainder of the top five positions.

IPONE Unlimited Round Three Points

McAnally took out the meeting with a handsome points score from two wins and a second ahead of Angelidis, with Burley in third, both taking well-deserved podium positions given the consistency of their results.

Edwards just missed out on a podium spot by a handful of points and Roulstone, no doubt ruing the Race Three DNF, took out fifth.

IPONE Unlimited – Race One Results

IPONE Unlimited – Race Two Results

IPONE Unlimited – Race Three Results

IPONE Unlimited Round Three Overall

 

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Bridgestone 600 & AGV Twin Cup – Round Three

In total there were 36 riders on the card for the Bridgestone 600 class and AGV Twin Cup, so the expectation was that we’d see some close racing throughout the pack.

Farnsworth came into the round with a perfect points haul having won all five of the races run at the opening two rounds. But with riders of the calibre of Voight and Toparis at Round Three, continuing that kind of dominance was never going to be easy.

Qualifying saw Harrison Voight setting the tone for both rounds by posting a 1m34.963, besting Toparis by over half-a-second to take pole.

Farnsworth took third spot just a hundredth-of-a-second behind Toparis, with Jonathon Nahlous (#20, Kawasaki ZX-6R) and Jack Favelle securing the remaining top-five grid slots.

Bridgestone 600 & AGV Twin Cup – Race One

Race One saw the red flag came out early after Brian Bolster was taken out going into T3. The fallen bike was recovered quickly and Bolster was unharmed, and swearing loudly, but the damage to the bike was enough to keep him out of the action for the remainder of the night.

On the restart Voight and Toparis split away from the pack quickly, Voight holding the lead across the line with a margin of two-tenths of a second when it mattered. Bramich in third place was some 15-seconds adrift with Nahlous, Nelson, (#279, Yamaha YZF-R6) and Favelle, in close company.

Farnsworth’s dominance of the series was dented by a fast fall to the outside of T3 on lap two. Fortunately the damage wasn’t enough to keep him out of the following races, but those lost points stung.

Bridgestone 600 & AGV Twin Cup – Race Two

Race Two saw more of the same and a similar result, as Voight and Toparis gapped the field. Voight once again crossing the line first with a small margin over Toparis.

Favelle in third was 12-seconds back from Toparis and three-seconds ahead of Nelson, who had Lytras a little under half-a-second off his tail. Farnsworth, perhaps with some issues hanging over from his Race One crash, was only able to score a sixth-place finish.

Bridgestone 600 & AGV Twin Cup – Race Three

It was three-from-three for Voight as he took the win by a scant tenth of a second from Toparis, but it was Toparis that again carded the fastest lap. Farnsworth was able to match their pace more closely in Race Three and finished in third a little over a second back which was at least some recompense for his problems in Races One and Two.

Favelle and Dallas Skeer (#86, Yamaha R6) crossed in fourth and fifth with just three-tenths of a second separating them.

Bridgestone 600 & AGV Twin Cup Round Three Points

Three wins from three starts for Harrison Voight and three second-places from three starts for Tom Toparis settled the first two podium positions for the night without the need for any maths.

Jack Favelle took a well-deserved third with Hayden Nelson and John Lytras finishing the evening in fourth and fifth spots.

In the AGV Twin Cup, Bolster’s early retirement meant that only Matthew Edwards and David Nhan Cao were in the running. Cao is making steady forward progress on the MT-07 but Edwards’ Aprilia is a whole different class of two-potter.

As would be expected, Edwards was able to score category pole position and three wins from three starts giving him the meeting win and a second spot for Cao. It’s worth noting that Edwards is lapping around the 1m43 mark and Cao is back under 1m50 on the MT-07, both of which are very credible times.

Bridgestone 600 & AGV Twin Cup – Race One Results

Bridgestone 600 & AGV Twin Cup – Race Two Results

Bridgestone 600 & AGV Twin Cup – Race Three Results

Bridgestone 600 Round Three Overall

AGV Twin Cup Round Three Overall

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Pirelli Unlimited – Round Four

Summer Series racing makes for late nights. Racing until 2230 with presentations stretching the evening out to 2300 or thereabouts makes for a long day. But that didn’t stop the faithful from being back the next day to do it all again. Those who didn’t race at Round Three certainly came into Saturday with more energy than those who had also competed on Friday, but on the other hand had less track time under their belts.

And so straight into the track action…

In qualifying Josh Waters (#21, Ducati Panigale V4R) joined the Super Fast Dudes cohort and made an immediate impression taking out pole with a 1m30.005, a clear seventh-tenths of a second ahead of Brookes.

Epis, Stauffer and Jones rounded out the top five, with Halliday, Pearson, Bayliss and Ted Collins (#29, BMW M 1000 RR) filling out the Super Fast Dudes grid positions.

In the Just Fast Dudes category, Tim Griffith carried forward his good Friday-night form to score tenth in class and first in category with a 1m33.92. Allars, Hardwick, Christian Carroll (#41, Ducati Panigale V4R) were the other in-form Just Fast Dudes in qualifying.

Pirelli Unlimited – Race One

Josh Waters just went for it in the opening Round Four race. A fastest lap of 1m29.866 and a race win three-seconds ahead of Brookes was something to behold. It’s fair to say he’s has found a happy place on the Boost Mobile V4R.

Stauffer has made huge leaps forward of late and came through in third, a little over half-a-second behind Brookes, thoroughly impressing everyone.

Epis and Jones held fourth and fifth, but the field was quite strung out by the end of the race, Jones some ten-seconds back from Waters’ at the flag.

In the Just Fast Dudes category, Hardwick and Griffith continued their tussles with Hardwick taking ninth overall and first in category less than a tenth of a second ahead of Griffith.

Allars, Soderland and Marsh followed them home but again, there was some distance between riders with Marsh 15-seconds back from Hardwick at the flag.

Pirelli Unlimited – Race Two

You want more? Let’s have more. Waters did it again, but this time he needed a little help from the local wildlife.

Brookes held a narrow lead for the majority of the race but had to stand the bike up in the last corner to avoid a rabbit that decided it was the perfect time to sample the grass on the other side of the track. Always the animal lover, Brookes took evasive action and that act of compassion cost him the race as he ran just wide enough to give Waters the gap he needed to take the lead coming on to the main straight.

Brookes wasn’t quite able to recover to take the win and crossed the line just sixth-hundredths of a second in arrears.

Max Stauffer impressed again to finish third with Halliday and Jones taking the remaining top five slots.

In Just Fast Dudes, it was Griffith and Hardwick again with Griffith taking the win with the timing charts showing identical race times of 11m07.638.

Soderland, Allars and Nelson couldn’t quite match the pace of Griffith and Hardwick but were lapping in the 1m35 bracket to take out good championship points.

Race Control did request the rabbit meet with officials to explain its actions, but it was last seen flouncing off in the direction of the carpark.

Pirelli Unlimited – Race Three

Brookes wasn’t going to leave the evening empty-handed and took the race win in the final Pirelli Unlimited race.

Waters was second, and would have to be delighted with his performance on the bike he’ll be taking into the ASBK series, which kicks off at the end of February at Phillip Island as support class to WorldSBK Round One.

Halliday, Stauffer and Pearson took out the remaining top-five positions and the track time would have been invaluable to Pearson as he gets his head ready for a full season of ASBK on the Panigale V4 R.

2022 ASBK champion Mike Jones had a less productive end to the weekend with a fall on the warm up lap giving him a DNF for the last contest of the night.

In the Just Fast Dudes category, It was Griffith on Hardwick again and this time around, Griffith took the win by six-thousandths of a second. Soderland, Nelson and Adrian Pelegrin (#5, Kawasaki ZX-10R) rounded out the good points-scoring positions in the category.

Pirelli Unlimited Round Four & Overall Points

Waters’ haul of two wins and a second was good enough to net him the category win in Super Fast Dudes with Brookes one win and two second places giving him second place for the round.

Max Stauffer, who really bought his A-game to the show, scored third place, followed by Pearson and Collins, results which will be pleasing for both of them.

In Just Fast Dudes, it was a similar story. Two wins and a second place to Griffith, one win and two second places for Hardwick and the top of the top two positions were locked in.

Josh Soderland, ever consistent took the third podium position with Leanne Nelson and Adrian Pelegrin in fourth and fifth.

Looking at the overall standings heading into the final round, in Pirelli Unlimited Super Fast Dudes, Josh Brookes has a 72-point lead over Max Stauffer with Lachlan Epis out of reach of second place. So it looks like Brookes has the category wrapped up but never say never.

In Pirelli Unlimited Just Fast Dudes, Paris Hardwick has a 32-point lead over Joshua Soderland with Timothy Griffith just six points in arrears from Soderland.

Nick Marsh and Leanne Nelson hold fourth and fifth, some 45-points off third but separated by just three points so we can expect some fireworks at the final round.

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Pirelli Unlimited Rider Quotes

Josh Brookes

“The attendance of the ASBK regulars meant the competition and the pace was going to rise. I was pleased to have the extra motivation to ride harder and push the boundaries. We made some changes to the bike when weaknesses were highlighted by battling with the different brands. We were able to correct that and return with more competitive package and back to the top step. It’s all good fun but equally valuable for my self-preparation before the new BSB season.”

Max Stauffer

“For me the two nights of racing saw great improvements, I was able to set some really fast pace and by the second night I was able to run a more consistent race pace. To be able to jump in the tow of the two Josh’s, Epis, Halliday and Jones were great and I learnt heaps, ultimately finishing third overall on the second night. Still got things I need to work on so I can’t wait to jump back on the bike and try make up some more ground. Thanks to the St George Motorcycle Club for another two excellent meetings and all the marshals.”

Josh Waters

“It was great to race Saturday night and have my first laps on the Boost Mobile with K-Tech Suspension Ducati at SMSP. The night for me went pretty well, qualifying I was able to get pole position and to achieve the speed and results we were able to do in my first day there on the bike, was awesome. It was also great to compete against the depth of the field that was there, good practice for the year ahead. It was a good event that was ran very well.”

Cru Halliday

“It was an awesome night as always getting some testing in which is always good to get a little head start. First time back on the bike since the last round at the bend so it gave me a chance to blow the cob webs off.”

Mike Jones

“It was great to finally get back to Sydney Motorsport Park, it’s been a while, the last time was the final round of the 2019 ASBK where I won the championship. I had a really enjoyable time on track racing under lights and the atmosphere in the pits was really cool too. A worthy thanks to the St George Motorcycle Club and all involved for running a high profile quality event.”

Sean Condon (R6 mounted)

“Was a great night! You guys have really stepped it up with the night series and I feel like it’s going to get stronger! Awesome to get a hit out on the new R6 and try a few things, in preparation for the season ahead.”

Tim Griffith

“What a weekend! Rounds Three and Four of the St George MCC Summer Night Series did not disappoint. Near on perfect conditions made for some excellent battles with Paris. Two ridiculously close finishes on Saturday night to take two out of three wins topped off an already awesome Saturday where I managed to finally get the 1m33s monkey off my back that I’d been cursing for the last four years! Its a shame that the Round One crash has really hurt our points haul headed into the final round. The Summer Nights Series gets better every year with the extra ASBK and International boys putting on a show up the road from us ‘slow’ guys. The Club and Orange Army continue to raise the bar every time and I can’t wait for Feb 11th. Huge thanks to my wife and Crew Chief Crystal, Cal Robertson, Mick O’Connor, friends and family for all the ongoing support on race nights. And an extra shout out to our sponsors BC Performance, Southern Scape Projects, TAG Avionics and Kenma Australia. Without them onboard it would be near on impossible to keep the wheels turning!”

Paris Hardwick

“Rounds Three and Four of the Summer Series is over, placing second on both nights, I had some strong clean battles especially with Tim Griffiths with Race Two being a dead finish and Race Three being four-thousandths of a second apart over the finish line also managed a new PB seeing a 1.33 for the first time. Really enjoying the progression of my riding and looking forward to seeing a 32. Thanks St George for an awesome weekend.”

Joshua Soderland

“Another amazing round of night racing held by St George MC club. This was the second race meeting on the Gowanloch Ducati V4R and learning was the key factor. We learnt a lot about the MoTeC and just suspension setup in general. Unfortunately I didn’t have the speed to keep up with Tim or Paris but we still had a great night. Big thanks to Nick Byrne from Evo Racing, Gowanloch Ducati and my parents, Po from Alpha Team Fitness, Ficeda and Dunlop, Kenma and Paora from Racing Physio who helped me out big time with some tight muscles.”

Leanne Nelson

“Another brilliant night of racing. Thanks to St George Motorcycle Club and the Officials for running the event. Racing under lights and in the same race with some of Australia’s top ASBK racers is an amazing experience made even better by the large number of spectators who came out to see the action on Saturday night. Although I was having clutch slip issues, I’m pretty chuffed to have hit a PB of 1m35s6. I can’t wait to do it all again at the next round and pick up my pace even more. Thanks again to St George and all the sponsors who make the racing possible.”

PIRELLI Unlimited – Race One Results

PIRELLI Unlimited – Race Two Results

PIRELLI Unlimited – Race Three Results

PIRELLI Unlimited Round Four Overall

PIRELLI Unlimited Super Fast Guys Round Four Overall

PIRELLI Unlimited Standings after Round Four

PIRELLI Unlimited Super Fast Guys Standings after Round Four

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IPONE Unlimited – Round Four

It was another big line-up of racers for IPONE Unlimited in Round Four with some returning and some new faces coming out to play.

In qualifying Ronnie Smith (#54, Yamaha YZF-R1) made his first appearance at this season’s Summer Nights Series and got straight down to business laying down a 1m37.528 to take pole position ahead of Ben Angelidis, Huss Ayad (#20, Yamaha YZF-R1), Ryan Jowett and Andrew Burley.

IPONE Unlimited – Race One

Ronnie Smith took best advantage of his pole position and converted it into a convincing ten second lead at the flag to take first place ahead of Ayad.

Angelidis, Craig Boyd (#61, Yamaha YZF-R1) and Michael Jeffery took out third through fifth. Smith’s 1m35.908 was easily the best lap time of the race.

IPONE Unlimited – Race Two

Another win for Ronnie Smith followed in Race Two – setting fastest lap of the race set at 1m37.2470, with Jowett around three seconds off his tail at the finish. Burley was able to slot in behind Jowett for third place with Edwards and Boyd completing the top five.

Boyd continues to run just outside the podium positions and surely it’s only a matter of time before luck runs his way and he scores a third or better.

IPONE Unlimited – Race Three

Ben Angelidis took out Race Three with a strong run giving him a near-two-and-half-seconds win from Ronnie Smith, spoiling the R1 man’s perfect record for the evening, although Smith claimed the fastest lap in all three races.

Burley consolidated his position with another third place finish with Jeffery and Boyd a handful of seconds behind in fourth and fifth.

IPONE Unlimited Round Four & Overall Points

Ronnie Smith took out a popular (well he said it was popular) meeting win from his two wins and one second place run. Ben Angelidis placed second and Andrew Burley third, both well deserved given their consistent efforts through the evening.

Boyd narrowly, like one point narrowly, missed out on a podium but surely his day will come soon. Ayad took out fifth.

When it comes to the overall IPONE Unlimited standings after four rounds, Ryan Edwards holds a 14-point lead over Andrew Burley, Michael Jeffery third just two-points further in arrears.

Clint McAnally sits fourth, despite no points earnt at Round Four, demonstrating his incredibly strong Rounds Two and Three performances, and sitting 20-points off the lead. Ben Angelidis rounding out the top five.

Sixth through tenth go to Ryan Jowett (142-points), Craig Boyd (130), Aaron Scherek (119), Aaron Smith (111) and Harley Borkowski (78).

IPONE Unlimited Rider Quotes

Ronnie Smith

“After eight years of racing finally got my first pole position, race win and to top it off a PB in the 35s. All this on a R1 I’d just bought that I’d never ridden before and had no time to set up. In fact, I’ve never ridden an R1 at all. It was also my first time on track at The Creek since October and first track time since my big crash at The Island in November. So, against the odds the stars aligned for a perfect night. But my race starts still stunk! Race One was smooth and led most the way to a PB with a fresh rear. Race Two was a shocking start and went to 18th. By lap three I was in the lead and determined for the win which I managed to get. Race Three had another poor start again and fell to 10th and got to second with a “lunge” move into T9 on the last lap. No chance to chase first place as my rear tyre was completely gone by this stage. Thanks to everyone involved at all levels as this night racing is insanely fun and a spectacle – just ask Josh Brookes!”

Andrew Burley

“A pole position, multiple PB’s and some of my best results made it a fantastic weekend for me. I think having the big names and the crowd there pushes you that little bit more than usual. These events just keep getting bigger and better and I am so pumped for the final round in a few weeks time.”

Clint McAnally

“What a brilliant event! The bikes absolutely love that crisp night air. Some cracking battles, electric atmosphere and great photography, all put together by an awesome club! On top of that I smashed my PB. A big thanks to St George, all the volunteers and everyone that contributes to these epic events, can’t wait for the next one.”

Ben Angelidis

“First off I’d just like to say thanks to Jan Blizzard who helped me get into the sport back in 2014 with St George Motorcycle Club. I had no idea what to do and she helped me all the way to the start grid! And now many thanks to the current St George club committee and all those who volunteer their time for us to go racing! The night race series, endurance and sprint races are awesome fun and I encourage all to get in and have a crack! I had a great weekend for Rounds Three and Four, the goal was to put the Evolution Sports Group/ BMW Alliance M1000RR on the podium in the IPONE Unlimited class.

“We did so at both rounds with P2 overall on both nights, with a bonus race win in the last race of the weekend. This time last year my shoulder was in pieces and I thought I was done with the sport but Greg Epis and Wayne Hepburn picked me up and helped me get back on it and get my head back in the game. In just four weekends on the missile BMW they helped me get into the 37’s at SMSP which I’m ecstatic about, my scope is set on the national guys so there’s lots more work to do. But we’ll get there because I have one of the best teams behind me with a bike that can win. Massive thanks to Greg and Lachy Epis, Wayne Hepburn and the rest of the team. Plus a shout out to my mate and training partner Marianos Nikolis for pushing me to perform. We’re looking forward to last round of the night series, the upcoming ASBK test at SMSP with a big announcement coming soon for the team’s plans for 2023 and beyond! Lastly but not least, many thanks also to our sponsors…. ResponseRE, Blue Tongue Finance, Freestyle Tattoo Studio and BMW Motorrad Australia.”

IPONE Unlimited – Race One Results

IPONE Unlimited – Race Two Results

IPONE Unlimited – Race Three Results

IPONE Unlimited Round Four Overall

IPONE Unlimited Standings after Round Four

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Bridgestone 600 & AGV Twin Cup – Round Four

Round Four saw another full grid of 600s and Twins. Harrison Voight had made his mark at Round Three, posing the question: could he repeat his performance at Round Four?

Tom Toparis had been his closest adversary at Friday’s races but Toparis wasn’t in attendance for Saturday’s races.

Farnsworth, dominant in the opening two rounds had bounced back from a Race One crash in Round Three to place second in the final race but what could be brought to the show for Round Four?

Voight set qualifying with a 1m33.866, half a second quicker than Farnsworth. Lytras, Baker and Bramich completing the top five.

Bridgestone 600 & AGV Twin Cup – Race One

Voight and Farnsworth gapped the pack by eight-seconds and it was Voight who crossed the line first, seventh-tenths of a second ahead. Lytras, Skeer and Favelle were separated by a touch over three-seconds to finish third through fifth.

Bridgestone 600 & AGV Twin Cup – Race Two

A first lap move into Turn 2 on Voight didn’t play out the way Jake Farnsworth would have liked; he tucked the front and went down. He remounted to finish the race in the back half of the pack but Voight was long-gone.

Voight, free of pressure from a following rider still ran blisteringly fast laps, a the best of which was a 1m33.655, and had a nine-second lead over Nahlous at the finish, Lytras, Skeer and McDonald took the remaining top five places.

Jack Favelle’s highside on the last lap whilst running in third place took him out of contention but it’s good to report that he walked away without serious injury.

Bridgestone 600 & AGV Twin Cup – Race Three

Voight rounded out the double-header with his sixth win from six starts, this time a relatively comfortable four-second win from Farnsworth.

Nahlous, Nelson and Archie McDonald (#69, Yamaha YZF-R6) taking out the remaining top five positions.

Bridgestone 600 & AGV Twin Cup Round Four & Overall Points

No prizes for guessing who took out the meeting win. Harrison Voight’s perfect score gave him a comfortable meeting points win and Jonathon Nahlous’ consistency saw him take out the second podium spot.

John Lytras, still learning his way around the R6 took out third with Nelson and McDonald in fourth and fifth respectively.

In AGV Twin Cup, Brian Bolster bounced right back from his Round Three off to take wins in all three races and to take out the category win for the event.

David Nahn Cao took out second on the MT-07 and Matthew Edwards, who scored second in Races One and Two but didn’t take to the field in Race Three, placed third for the meeting.

In the Bridgestone 600 overall, despite a challenging weekend, Jake Farnsworth still holds the lead with a 38-point gap between him and Jack Favelle in second spot. Hayden Nelson holds third just four points off Favelle’s total and Harrison Voight jumps straight into the mix in fourth place.

He’s 48-points behind Farnsworth but these last two rounds have demonstrated that anything can happen in racing. Benny Baker has the fifth place spot and could still climb the ladder with some good results in the last round.

David Nhan Cao’s resolve and commitment to the two-pot scene has paid off nicely and he’s accrued enough points to secure the AGV Twin Cup title and no doubt, he’ll put in just as much effort at at Round Five.

Edwards and Kitson are equal second, 98-points behind the series winner. Bolster, badly impacted by illness and then his crash early in Round Three, sits in fourth with Morris in fifth.

Bridgestone 600 & AGV Twin Cup Rider Quotes

Harrison Voight

“Round Three and Four of the St George Summer Night Series was really enjoyable and good for training before going back to Europe. This was my first time racing under the lights and it was a great experience. I learnt a fair bit over these two nights as I’m still getting used to the bigger bike and we tried different things in our set up which we made progress each session. Overall a big thank you to everyone in the St George Motorcycle Club for hosting this event and to all the flag marshals that makes it possible. Looking forward to next time.”

Jonathan Nahlous

“This was my first ever night race, first ever race on the 600s and it was my first race back from a broken collarbone and what an awesome time I had. The pace was quite high racing with so many fast riders , it was awesome latching on to some of them and I learned a lot. I qualified well on Friday in P4 and placed P4 in race one. I learned something very import in race two, it doesn’t matter how pretty my hair looks in my helmet if I don’t get out before pit lane closes! Even though I started from pit lane in Race Two I managed to still finish the night in P6. On Saturday night I qualified in P6 and made it onto the grid in all three races. I finished race one in sixth, race two in second and race three in third (by 0.02s). The races were so much fun battling with a few other riders . Thanks to St George for putting on a great race meet once again and to the marshals and officials, I can’t wait for the next round on the 11th of Feb.”

John Lytras

“Had a bit of fun racing this weekend at St George round. Did some pretty decent times during the track day and qualifying session and in the first race we went not too bad. But in race two and three we made some changes to the bike to try and improve setup but we ended up making the bike handle worse. So I have a bit more work to do at Sydney Motorsport park to get the bike right. Keen to get back on the bike and keep making progress.”

Jack Favelle

“Awesome couple of nights as usual with St George. First night was really good for me I did solid times and came away with third overall. Second night was interesting; qualified 10th which ended up being no problem because by exit of Turn 2 I was in third, had some good battles and ended up fifth. Second race I got a really good start and straight up into the top places, again had an awesome battle right up until the last lap where I high sided out of third place in turn five. It was a shame to do that but hopefully I learned my lesson and won’t do it again. Huge thanks to the paramedics that picked me up and took care of me lucky to be able to walk away uninjured.”

Tom Toparis

“My first ride on a motorbike in over four months. It’s been great to get out at The Creek, considering all aspects and being on a new bike, it wasn’t too bad to be right at the front battling every race with Harry. More nights like this will get me ready for racing this year in the BSB Supersport.”

David Nhan Cao

“First of all, I want to thank St George Motorcycle Club and Event Sponsors for giving the Twins a class to race in. Under the lights of SMSP is always an awesome place to be! It’s been tough trying to get back to form after a break in September 2022. Rounds Three and Four were awesome and I’ve finally got back to where I want to be – back in the 40s. With a lot of help from my support crew, we’ve found a setting that works. I’ve committed to the series and have found myself leading in points and have now secured the series from my competitors with only one round left. I can’t wait to get back under lights and improve on what I’ve achieved. Thank you to all the volunteer marshals that have given up their time for us to race. Thank you to my support crew and sponsors, Luddenham Raceway, LNS Mechanic, and Well Sprung Motorcycle Suspension.”

Matt Edwards – AGV Twins Cup

“The two night of racing was a great opportunity to try the new RS660 as I had not turned a wheel on it. So first qualifying was a bit strange as I am used to a S 1000 RR with double the horsepower. First go I realised that the gearing had to change. Once we did that I was able to drive out of the corner and start to push. I was playing with set up most of the two days. But would like to thank St George and all the staff for a great event. See you at the next one.”

Brian Bolster – AGV Twins Cup

“Rounds Three and Four of the Summer Night Series; what can I say other than they were exciting! After missing Rounds One and Two due to serious illness, I was more than eager to get back on the bike and racing with the St George Motorcycle Club under lights at Sydney Motorsport Park. I love the night series, riding under lights is just another experience and the Club, all volunteers, runs an amazing event, and these two were the best yet. Unfortunately, Friday started off rough, a collision in a nasty racing incident sending me home early for emergency repairs to the bike. To this I must say a huge thanks to my team for putting the work in, not getting to bed until 1 am Saturday morning. Thankfully, the effort was rewarded, taking all three wins in the AGV Twins Cup at Round Four, all while taking it to the usual Club 600 riders. I can’t wait for the next round, as I look to head into my soon-to-be-announced 2023 season plans with some decent time on the bike! Once again, a massive thanks to the Club for their huge levels of effort, and I’d also like to thank all the ASBK and International riders for helping elevate the event even further.”

Bridgestone 600 & AGV Twin Cup – Race One Results

Bridgestone 600 & AGV Twin Cup – Race Two Results

Bridgestone 600 & AGV Twin Cup – Race Three Results

Bridgestone 600 Round Four Overall

AGV Twin Cup Round Four Overall

Bridgestone 600 Standings after Round Four

AGV Twin Cup Standings after Round Four

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That’s a wrap from Summer Series Rounds Three & Four…

There endeth the St George Summer Series double-header. The weather was perfect, the interruptions didn’t throw the schedule out on either evening so everyone got their full allotment of racing and what racing it was.

All classes had some intriguing battles all the way through the field and hopefully we’ll see more of the same at the final round of the series on February 11 back at Sydney Motorsport Park (The Creek).

For Round Five, in theory there’s 75-points available in each category but there’s the ever-present risk that disruptions can cause races to be cancelled reducing the maximum points haul that’s available from the scheduled races, so we’ll have to wait and see how things pan out.

Rod Fisher – Punter

“I just wanted to say what a fantastic event St George motorcycle club runs on their night racing. We have been coming for a while now and can’t praise them enough on how smooth the event runs and the racing is just fantastic at night. keep it up guys.”

Marc Le Fevre – Punter

“First time to SMSP and to a riding event was very impressed with the turn out and big names that came. Will be looking forward to future events and even going to attend a track day myself for the first time soon.”

Craig McLintock – Punter

“Want to thank you, everyone involved for this weekend. As a spectator I had a fantastic time. Loved seeing so many young & older people racing & spectating. Thank you again and am looking forward to the next one.”

Nick Edards – Camera Monkey

“If you want photos, ask us BEFORE the weekend, not after, it makes me roll my eyes so hard I get a headache.”

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