Mike Jones takes first blood at Wakefield Park in nail-biter

ASBK 2022 Round Three – Wakefield Park
Alpinestars Saturday Round Up #3

Setting the scene…..

Twas a very misty Sunday morning at Wakefield Park today but the track actually proved a little faster than anyone expected when riders went out for warm-up. 

There was also a bit of carnage across all classes with Broc Pearson and Lachlan Epis looking to have come off worst of the many fallers caught out by turn six this morning.  The paint on the kerbs was definitely an area to try and avoid. Pearson was sent off to hospital for precautionary scans and would take no further part in the weekend.  Max Stauffer hurt himself on Friday and didn’t ride on Saturday but he did put in a couple of laps during warm-up to help him make up his mind whether to race or not. 

Mike Jones and Wayne Maxwell were both in the 57.1s during warm-up ahead of Cru Halliday on 57.4 and the resurgent Troy Herfoss on 57.5 ahead of Bryan Staring and Arthur Sissis.

It was certainly shaping up as an exciting battle today for this third round of the what was originally slated to be an eight-round series, but recently reduced to seven rounds after the cancellation of the Tasmanian event that had been scheduled to run in October. 

Mike Jones holds the upper hand in the series thus far coming off his dominant double victory in Queensland.  Staring 17-points adrift of the YRT rider and only three-points ahead of Josh Waters.  Defending champion Wayne Maxwell on 64-points, despite that gremlin that brought him down at Phillip Island and most likely cost him victory and the 25-points that would have gone with it. Halliday has also suffered a no score due to a mechanical gremlin out of his control, while Staring’s crash at QLD Raceway affected his tally.

Jones, Maxwell and Halliday have been setting the pace all weekend but Staring seemed to have found some extra speed yesterday afternoon that might put him in that mix.  The subject of most interest to the Goulburn crowd though was their boy, Troy Herfoss…

It had been a strange start to the season with Herfoss not immediately quick and fighting for wins. The major injuries sustained in Darwin had interrupted his preparation and adaptation to the latest Fireblade and he had been off the pace. We had a no holds barred interview earlier this week with Herfoss in the lead up to third round as this was always going to be a big test for the Penrite Honda Team. 

As we covered in our round preview, Wakefield Park has held more Australian Superbike races in recent years than any circuit other than Phillip Island, and since 2016 only two men have won those races here, Wayne Maxwell and Troy Herfoss.  If there was a place where we could expect Herfoss to get his mojo back it would be here, he might have moved to Queensland a couple of years ago but Wakefield is and always will be Herf’s home ground. Thus this weekend was always going to be the litmus test and it was a test that he was passing with flying colours. He was looking aggressive on corner entry and the hunger looked to be back in the eyes in what is most definitely a fierce competitor.

It was a YRT 1-2 on the grid ahead of Wayne Maxwell but the Boost Mobile Ducati man had an issue with his V4 R that had held him back and prevented him from showing the sort of speed he had displayed in every other session over the course of the weekend. 

Bryan Staring had not been near the pace of that trio until that qualifying session as the DesmoSport Ducati worked towards the package that the Western Australian needed to become fully competitive.

Troy Herfoss was on the second row and out to prove a point. Despite his lack-lustre start to the season, by his standards, he had been racking up points and had a tally of 47, only 23-points from second placed Staring and with a whole lot of racing still to go in this championship, he wants to declare he is still in this game.

Josh Waters rounded out the second row as fastest BMW while Arthur Sissis headed up row three alongside Glenn Allerton and Lachlan Epis. Sissis more often than not makes lightning starts and will project himself into the mix by turn one no doubt, but could he run with the leaders? 

Alpinestars Superbike Race One

Wayne Maxwell got a great run from the outside of the front row to lead the two Yamaha men into turn one and through the fish hook for the first time as Sissis and Herfoss also gave chase, Staring in that mix also before getting all out of shape at the final turn which cost him some ground. 

On lap two it was still Maxwell, Jones, Halliday and Herfoss giving chase half-a-second back from that trio. Staring pulled a little ground back on Herfoss over the next lap while Halliday was the first man to dip into the 56s as he strove to stick that leading duo. 

Maxwell went quicker again on the following lap though, a 56.972, but Jones remained right with him. Halliday then made a mistake which had cost him a few bike lengths and allowed the leading duo some breathing space. 

Jones showed Maxwell a wheel for the first time with 17 laps to run and was all over the back of the Boost Mobile Ducati. Jones continued to shadow Maxwell lap after lap and looked to have an advantage, while just biding his time. 

With 13 laps to run Maxwell finally had a couple of tenths over Jones. Halliday was a further second back while Herfoss had now pulled away from Staring and was within striking distance of Halliday.  Jones closed that small gap to Maxwell back up in no time and there was to be no escape act being pulled here today…

As the race approached the halfway mark Halliday was now lapping quicker than the leading pair and pulling a tenth back on them here and there to bridge that gap.

With four laps to run nothing separated Jones and Maxwell while Halliday loomed large half-a-second back should that pair trip each other up.  Herfoss was out of podium contention after not being able to keep the pace but still had a handy four-seconds over Staring.

Mike Jones took the lead for the first time on the next lap between turns two and three and dropped the hammer to try and sneak away.  Halliday now had his sights set on Maxwell and within striking distance as he strived to make it a Yamaha 1-2. 

Mike Jones had over half-a-second on Maxwell by the last lap board and looked to have it in the bag.  Three wins in a row for Mike Jones.

Wayne Maxwell second and Halliday a very close third. A couple of 58s late in the race costly for Maxwell in the run to the flag.  

A fantastic return to form for Herfoss, not quite where he expects to be over race distance, but a loud enough statement to declare himself back in the game.

Bryan Staring crossed the line five-seconds behind Herfoss for fifth but only half-a-second ahead of a strong finishing Arthur Sissis. 

Glenn Allerton first BMW home in seventh place ahead of team-mate Josh Waters. 

Some damage limitation again for Falzon but also what looked like a decent step forward found at the vital point of the weekend for him to get back in the 57s and secure 12-points for his ninth place finish. 

Anthony West rounded out the top ten ahead of Jed Metcher and Lachlan Epis.  Matt Walters 13th while a sore Max Stauffer bagged some points for 14th after missing qualifying after a huge crash on Friday.  Michael Edwards rounded out the field in 15th as the final finisher. 

Mark Chiodo was having a great ride inside the top ten but went down at turn one halfway through the race.   Chandler Cooper appeared to have problems from the start and was ultimately deemed a non-finisher. 

With that victory Mike Jones extended his championship lead out to 26-points over Staring while Maxwell moves up to third on the championship table, only two-points from second placed Staring. 

Alpinestars Superbike Race One Results

Alpinestars Superbike Championship Standings

Michelin Supersport Race One

John Lytras got away from the line with the lead but the red flag came out only a couple of corners into the race after Tom Drane went down in a dangerous position on the track. He managed to get back under his own steam as riders formed up again on the grid for the re-start. 

Lytras again got a good start when the lights went out for the second time, as Ty Lynch, Scott Nicholson and pole-sitter Sean Condon gave chase. 

Early on lap two both Tom Bramich went down at turn two along with Noel Mahon. Scott Nicholson also went down on that second lap and lost almost 30-seconds before rejoining at the back of the pack. With only ten runners left in the race if Nicholson could baby his bike home he would still bag reasonable points. 

Up front it was still Lytras by a nose from Lynch while Condon gave chase. Lynch put it up the inside of Lytras on lap five but then ran wide and allowed him back through, that also allowed Condon to inch a little closer to the pair. 

That trio were in a race of their own by half race distance. Lytras, Lynch and Condon all running line-astern with an eight-second buffer over fourth placed Mitch Kuhne. 

Lynch and Condon threw what they had at Lytras but the youngster held on to take maximum points. Condon second and Lynch third. 

With Olly Simpson ruled unfit due to a dislocated shoulder he now loses the championship lead while Lytras moves into that #1 spot and now has a 12-point advantage over Lynch going into race two this afternoon. 

Michelin Supersport Race One Results

Michelin Supersport Championship Standings

Dunlop Supersport 300 Race Two

Jonathan Nahlous had been with the leading group and challenging for the lead before losing the front at turn ten and going out of the race towards the end of lap two.  

The demise of Nahlous had reduced the early leading quartet to a trio headed by Cameron Dunker ahead of Hayden Nelson and Taiyo Aksu. 

As the race progressed Glenn Nelson closed in on and joined that trio to once again make for a leading pack of four. 

That battle really hotted up over the final two laps but it was Dunker by a nose over Aksu at the line while Hayden Nelson rounded out the podium ahead of Glenn Nelson.

Dunlop Supersport 300 Race Two Results

Dunlop Supersport 300 Championship Standings

Yamaha Finance R3 Cup Race Two Results

Yamaha Finance R3 Cup Championship Standings

mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance
2022 ASBK Calendar