Recapping Superbike and Supersport Qualifying from QLD Raceway

ASBK 2024
Round Three – QLD Raceway
Australian Superbike / Supersport Qualifying

Alpinestars Superbike Q1

Max Stauffer showed incredible single-lap pace during FP4 on Saturday morning, but the long-run honours certainly went to Mike Jones. While Stauffer had gone well under the lap record in FP4 with a 1m07.461, Jones had reeled off a nine-lap consecutive run of 7s that nobody else even got close to.

The track temperature for that FP4 session had been around 33-degrees under an ambient of 24-degrees. By the time Q1 got underway at 1420 on Saturday afternoon, the track temperature had risen to 42-degrees, while the ambient remained around 24-degrees; however, some cloud cover had rolled in, and the humidity level had risen. An hour earlier, just before the second Supersport qualifying session, a brief shower had dampened the circuit enough for it to be declared wet. But the track was declared dry by the time Superbike competitors were readying for the 20-minute Q1 session. At the end of that earlier wet Supersport session, the track had been good enough for Jake Farnsworth to lap close to record pace, so the track was now conducive to quick times.

Max Stauffer set a 1m07.890 on his first flying lap, then immediately followed up with a 1m07.565, before returning to the pits. A new qualifying lap record in his pocket and his spot in Q2 well and truly secure.

Also quickly into the 7s were Mike Jones, Cru Halliday, Glenn Allerton, Bryan Staring, and Troy Herfoss. However, at the halfway point of the session, Max was still on top. By this juncture, Josh Waters and Broc Pearson had made it eight riders in the 7s, albeit towards the back of that octuplet.

Troy Herfoss improved his standing late in the session to move up to P3.  However, the defending champion put 12 laps on his tyres in that session, while Stauffer had only needed four, and Bryan Staring three. Fourth-placed Mike Jones only needed two laps to secure his transfer spot, as did Glenn Allerton. Cru Halliday and Josh Waters completed just three laps.

Anthony West didn’t manage to dip into the 7s. But his 1m08.148 on his second and final lap of the session, was still good enough to go through to Q2. From the oldest rider on the grid to the youngest, just behind West was Cam Dunker, rounding out the top ten.

Arthur Sissis might have finished Q1 in 11th place, but he was less than eight-tenths behind new qualifying lap record holder Max Stauffer. So things are pretty tight at the top…

The final rider to sneak into the top 12 and earn their transition spot, was young privateer John Lytras. The Queenslander’s best time around the circuit prior to this weekend was 1m09.5s. He dropped almost a second off that today to end Q1 12th on 1m08.845.

Superbike Q1 Times

1. Max Stauffer – Yamaha 1m07.565
2. Bryan Staring – Yamaha 1m07.614
3. Troy Herfoss – Ducati 1m07.644
4. Mike Jones – Yamaha 1m07.709
5. Cru Halliday – Yamaha 1m07.767
6. Glenn Allerton – BMW 1m07.804
7. Josh Waters – Ducati 1m07.880
8. Broc Pearson – Ducati 1m07.976
9. Anthony West – Yamaha 1m08.148
10. Cameron Dunker – Yamaha 1m08.234
11. Arthur Sissis – Yamaha 1m08.329
12. John Lytras – Yamaha 1m08.845
13. Ty Lynch – Yamaha 1m09.127
14. Ryan Yanko – Ducati 1m10.724
15. Eddie Leeson – Yamaha 1m10.835
16. Paris Hardwick – Kawasaki 1m10.864
17. Josh Soderland – Yamaha 1m11.577
18. Michael Edwards – Yamaha 1m11.622
19. Michael Kemp – Yamaha 1m12.472
20. Paul Linkenbagh – Yamaha 1m12.649

Alpinestars Superbike Q2

After a very short break, the top 12 from Q1 were back on track for the final 15-minute session that would decide the grid positions for Sunday.

Max Stauffer was once again quick out of the blocks, delivering a 1m07.535 straight out of the blocks, three-hundredths under the lap record he had set just 30 minutes earlier.

That lap record lasted around 45 seconds….

Mike Jones set the new benchmark at 1m07.473. Jones then immediately backed that up with a 1m09.507 to further underline his metronomic pace around this circuit. But he wasn’t finished. His next lap lowered the lap record further to 1m07.155, almost four-tenths clear of Stauffer in second place. Job done, he returned to the pits. The challenge had been laid down…

At the halfway point of the session, it was still Jones from Stauffer, Glenn Allerton third, Troy Herfoss fourth, Josh Waters fifth, Broc Pearson sixth, Cru Halliday seventh, and Arthur Sissis the final man in the 7s, with a 1m07.950 to the South Australian. Bryan Staring had yet to declare his hand and would have been ruing that as light drizzle started to fall…

It is fair to say Mike Jones dominated that session, producing three laps faster than any other rider, and his outright fastest almost four-tenths clear of Stauffer in second. Combine that with his incredible nine-lap string of 1m07s in FP4 this morning and you have to say he looks almost untouchable. However, I am sure there are some yet to show their full hand and things might be a little closer come Sunday. Mike is also a little under the weather this weekend with some lurgy.

Alongside them on the front row is Glenn Allerton, in a welcome return to form after what has been an early season marred by both injury and misfortune.

Troy Herfoss heads the all-Ducati second row, alongside him Josh Waters and Broc Pearson.

Cru Halliday on row three alongside Arthur Sissis and Bryan Staring, while Anthony West heads the fourth row ahead of youngsters, Cam Dunker and John Lytras.

The opening 16-lap bout is slated for 1100 on Sunday morning, while the second and final bout of the round will get underway at 1455.

Conditions here at Queensland Raceway sometimes take dramatic, unexpected turns. In years past, we have experienced quick transitions from sunshine to hectic rain storms. The wind can also pick up unexpectedly and cause its own challenges. So, despite the form guide formulated on the back of long-run and qualifying pace, anything could happen here tomorrow…

Superbike Q2 Times

ASBK Superbike Championship Points

Supersport Qualifying

Tom Toparis laid down the gauntlet in Q1 this morning with a 1m10.381 on his fourth lap of the session. Archie McDonald had pipped Toparis on Friday with a 1m10.638, but the Albury youngster didn’t improve on that marker this morning, his best in Q1 a 1m10.867.

Tom Bramich dipped into the 10s for the first time this morning, a 1m10.977, perhaps signalling a return to form for the Victorian. Jack Mahaffy, Olly Simpson and Jonathan Nahlous were also all under the previous Supersport Qualifying lap record this morning. That previous marker was set here last year by Cam Dunker at 1m11.127. Mark Chiodo didn’t turn a lap in Q1.

As riders prepared for the second and final qualifying session, a rain shower came from nowhere, and the circuit was declared ‘wet’ by race control.  The shower came and went fairly quickly and by the time the pit exit opened at 1328 the track was starting to dry. The first rider to dip his tyre in the water was young South Australian rookie Cooper Rowntree, followed a couple of laps later by fellow crow-eater Sam Pezzetta.

Mark Chiodo turned his first lap of the day with 15-minutes left in Q2. After missing Q1 the Victorian really needed to throw caution to the wind a little in order to get him a respectable starting slot on the grid for Sunday’s pair of 14-lap contests.  Unfortunately, he only completed one very slow lap, 30-seconds slower than other riders on track, before returning to the pits. He got out again with seven-minutes remaining in the session, and this time he got down to business. A 1m13.348 on his first proper lap placed him 16th on the grid, followed by a 1m12.639, which placed him 15th on combined times.

Jake Farnsworth was one of only three riders to improve their times in the Q2 session, dropping almost half-a-second to move from ninth all the way on to the front row. Farnsworth’s time a 1m10.895, so the track was clearly now in good shape.

Hayden Nelson improved his time, which placed him P10 on the grid.

Hunter Ford did not take part in Q2 and is likely out of the round due to gearbox problems.  Every other rider completed at least three laps in the Q2 session.

Tom Toparis – P1

“Today was awesome! I knew we could do a time like that, I probably had a little more in me, but overall, I was happy. The team has done an awesome job today, we had a few little bumps yesterday that we were able to smooth out which was really good. Super keen to get racing!”

Archie McDonald – P2

“Awesome day today at Queensland Raceway! We have managed to put it P2 for tomorrow’s races. The team has done an incredible job fixing the bike from yesterday afternoon’s crash. Tommy has put in a good time, and I feel it will be a group battle up the front tomorrow.”

Tom Bramich will start from the second row and Jack Mahaffy and Olly Simpson will be alongside him.

Jack Mahaffy – P5

“That’s Saturday done; we had a decent day. We managed to achieve our goal of being in the front two rows. We will see what we can do tomorrow, I am pretty confident we have the race pace to stick it with the front two.”

Supersport Race One is scheduled to begin at 1025 on Sunday morning, while the second 14-lap bout is slated for 1415 in the afternoon.

Supersport Qualifying Times

Supersport Championship Points

2024 Australian Superbike Championship Calendar

• Round 1: Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC Feb 23-25
• Round 2: Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW Mar 22-23
• Round 3: Queensland Raceway, QLD Apr 26-28
• Round 4: Morgan Park Raceway, QLD Jul 12-14
• Round 5: Phillip Island GP Circuit, VIC Sept 7-8
• Round 6: One Raceway, NSW Oct 4-6
• Round 7: The Bend Motorsports Park, SA Nov 8-10