St. George Summer Nights Round 5 Final – Supports Report

2022-2023 St George Summer Night Series
Sydney Motorsport Park, Round Five

Words Nick Edards, Images by Half Light Photographic

Round Five – the final round – of the St George Summer Series Season 22/23 ran at Sydney Motorsport Park on February 11 and this second report on the event covers IPONE Unlimited, Bridgestone 600 and AGV Twin Cup.

You can find the Pirelli Unlimited Report from Round 5 here:
2023 St. George Summer Nights Round 5 Pirelli Unlimited Report

IPONE Unlimited is for racers who would not expect to lap faster than 1m40 at the start of the series, although natural improvement through the course of the series will mean that many beat that mark comfortably by Round Five.

The Pirelli Unlimited class, covered in the first report on the event, is for riders who would expect to consistently beat 1m40 at the commencement of the series and includes international and national class riders, as an additional sub-category.

Bridgestone 600 is for Supersports class machines (Yamaha R6, Triumph Daytona 675, Kawasaki ZX-6R, Suzuki GSX-R600, etc) and AGV Twin Cup is an emerging class for mid-sized twins including Suzuki SV650, Yamaha MT-07 or R7 and the Aprilia RS660. The Bridgestone 600 and AGV Twin Cup share track time.

Format of the meeting is unchanged with the initial schedule allowing for ten-minutes qualifying followed by three nine-minute-plus-one-lap races. But time is tight and any delays cause races to be shortened or cancelled.

Lengthy track inspections and remediation for oil leaks early in the evening did require the schedule to be revised to deal with the loss of time and, even with shortened races, there was insufficient time for IPONE Unlimited Race Three to run.

Bridgestone 600/AGV Cup were able to run their full allocation of three races albeit in slightly shortened form. Hats off to Race Control for managing to limit, as far as was possible, the impact of the delays.

IPONE Unlimited

Coming in the final round, Ryan Edwards (#84, Ducati Panigale V4R) held a fourteen-point lead in the championship over Andrew Burley (#121, Ducati Panigale V4S) with Michael Jeffery (#53, Yamaha R1) in third. With just ten points covered second through fifth, so there was plenty of opportunity for the top three to change.

Ryan Edwards took out pole with a 1min36.647 ahead of Angelidis (#227, BMW M 1000 RR) and Clint McAnnaly (#72, Ducati Panigale V4) who was still in the hunt for a top three series finish despite missing Round Three.

McAnally, Edwards and Jeffery were in top form in Race One, gapping the field by thirteen seconds to take the podium position with Jeffery taking the fastest lap of 1min36.073.

Andrew Burley’s grip on second place in the championship slipped away after his fifth-place finish, behind Sander Soosaar (#97, BMW S 10000 RR) in Race One as a failed clutch master-cylinder ruled him out of Race Two.

This saw Michael Jeffery take the win from Ryan Edwards with Clint McAnally holding down third place. Soosaar scored another fourth place and Angelidis closed out the top five.

With Race Three cancelled, that was it for IPONE Unlimited Round Five. Michael Jeffery and Ryan Edwards finished equal on points for the night but Jeffery took top honours on countback , with Clint McAnally in third spot.

Ryan Edwards took out the series by thirteen points from Michael Jeffery, Clint McAnally claiming third despite only competing in four of the five rounds.

Ryan Edwards – #84, IPONE Unlimited Series Winner

“This series was my first time racing and first time riding under lights. St George has put on a great event and looking forward to coming back next time as I’ve met some good people, had some great battles out on track with a few close finishes and all in all it was a lot of fun. Big thanks to Craig McMartin for helping me with the bike and passing on some wisdom. I doubt I would have done as well as I did if it wasn’t for him. And big thanks to all the friends and family that came down to help in the pits or watch me. Sorry for the late nights but it was worth it in the end!”

IPONE Unlimited – Round Overall

IPONE Unlimited Standings after Round 5

Bridgestone 600

In Bridgestone 600, the focus from a championship perspective was on Jake Farnsworth (#49, Yamaha R6) who held a strong thirty-point lead over Jack Favelle (#33, Honda CBR600RR) with Hayden Nelson (#279, Yamaha R6) just four points further back.

Notable wild cards in Round Five included Tom Toparis (#7, Yamaha R6), Sean Condon (#26, Yamaha R6) and Hunter Ford (#8, Kawasaki ZX-6R).

Condon was quick off the mark, taking pole with a blistering 1min42.862, over a second ahead of Toparis, with Farnsworth, Cameron Dunker (#3, Yamaha R6) and Nelson holding third through fifth.

He then translated pole position into a dominant win, shooting off to take the race by over three seconds from Toparis. That left Farnsworth having a lonely ride in third to consolidate his position in the championship.

Reece Oughtred (#121, Yamaha R6) and Cameron Dunker (#3, Yamaha R6), neither in the running for a top three championship position, were fourth and fifth with Nelson and Favelle on their tails.

Race Two and it was Toparis with the edge, taking the win from Condon with Farnsworth once again in third. Dunker and Favelle crossed the line just behind the series leader.

Race Three saw Toparis take the win again, this time with a near three-second advantage, Farnsworth rounding out his season with a second-place finish. Favelle took third with Condon trying some different settings for Race Three, overworking the back tyre resulting in him fourth, Dunker finishing fifth.

Tom Toparis, using the event as further preparation for overseas duties, took out the meeting overall with his two wins and one second place. Sean Condon, in his only Supersport outing in the Night Series, took second and Jack Farnsworth with his eyes on the championship was third on the night.

Jake Farnsworth’s performance secured him the series win from Jack Favelle, with Hayden Nelson taking out third.

Jake Farnsworth – #47, Bridgestone 600 Series Winner

“For this round we took a gamble and tried some different settings in qualifying, race one and two. Unfortunately we went in the wrong direction and changed the bike back for race three. I am very pleased with winning the series as this is a great confidence booster heading into the ASBK season. We also achieved our goal of self-improvement. St George and Michael O’Brien have done a fantastic job with this event. The atmosphere was excellent and the meeting is great for all skill levels. I’d like to thank all my family and friends who came out to support me over these five rounds. I truly have the best fans in the paddock. I’d also like to thank all my sponsors. Worth Race Developments, Yamaha YRD, Pirelli, Motul, RK chains, Kingsdene Automotive, AT1 Racing Leathers, Forcite Helmets and Brisk Australia.”

Jack Favelle – #33, Bridgestone 600

“It was awesome to be out at the Night Series again. It was a shame to have the series wrap up though as I would love for the night racing to go all year round. It has been awesome for my development and to get some more experience riding with some super-fast riders. There has been great close racing at every event. Huge thanks to everyone that makes it happen.”

Tom Toparis – #7, Bridgestone 600

“Saturday night was really good fun. It was basically the first time I’d ridden since the last of the night races last month, so it was good to have another hit out under race conditions. I left the bike alone all night, simply did laps and tried to be as consistent as I could. The oil spill on track before Race 2 threw a spanner in the works, but I was happy with how I handled the conditions. It felt good to be on the top step again, although I would’ve loved to have Harry Voight there again to chase around haha. In terms of the series, it was great to do a few rounds this year. I thinks it’s great that we have this series in Australia before our ASBK season starts, it’s a great way to get us all back up to speed after the new year break. I think next year we’ll see a lot more of the ASBK guys doing the full season as a complete pre-season testing program, I know I will.”

Sean Condon – #26, Bridgestone 600

“It was a very positive and exciting night of racing for us and everyone involved. We used the night to do some more testing, leading into the ASBK season. The night started off great setting a new PB but we made a few big changes in race two and three that didn’t quite work! It’s been a great series to be a part of!! Can’t wait to see what next summer brings.”

Hayden Nelson- #279, Bridgestone 600

“The 2023 St George Summer Night Series was awesome! It gave me a chance to familiarise myself with my new R6 around Sydney Motorsport Park. Normally finding the opportunity to race in Dec/Jan is difficult, the night series provided me with valuable race experience prior to my debut season in ASBK SSP 600. The fields were big, the talent was deep. I really enjoyed the quick turn around on the night between races. The Series was a credit to those involved in the organisation and running.”

AGV Twin Cup

The AGV Twin Cup is still in its early days and hopefully we’ll see more riders come to the party, so it develops into another well represented race class.

David Nhan Cao (#9, Yamaha MT-07) had already secured the series win, heading into the final.

Brian Bolster (#22, Suzuki SV650) and Carl Kitson (#52, Yamaha R7) were also on deck although as it turned out, Kitson retired from Race One with handling issues, and didn’t reappear for Races Two or Three.

Bolster was in fine form taking out all three category wins giving him the meeting win. Cao rounded out a season he’d put his all into by lifting the series win from Bolster and Kitson, with a 122 point advantage when the final flag fell.

So that brings us to the end of the third St George Summer Nights Series (2022/2023) and as with all good things, it leaves everyone wanting more and hanging out for Series Four which is already less than ten months away. Where does the time go?

David Nhan Cao – #9, AGV Twin Cup Series Winner

“Thank you St George Motorcycle Club for putting on an amazing event, it’s always awesome to race under lights. It was a successful campaign for me, taking out the Summer Night Series AGV Twin Cup Title! A rough start to the series with plenty of doubts but through commitment and drive to improve, I am victorious, personal best lap times were broken and goals were ticked. The hard work has paid off! I can’t forget to mention this would not be possible without the help of Carl Kitson, Brian Bolster and Andrew Lyng who have worked behind scenes to get me where I am, whether it be bike set up or just pushing me to my absolute limits. I am grateful to have you in my corner! Luddenham Raceway, LNS Mechanic Pty Ltd, Well Sprung Motorcycle Suspension – thank you for supporting me throughout the last few years. Thank you to all the volunteer marshals giving up your time for us to go racing!”

Brian Bolster – #22, AGV Twin Cup

“The final round of the Summer Night Series was a cracker! After a massive crash at the ASBK test on our ASBK SV, it was good to get out on track and stretch the cables under lights to get the mind back in the groove. I had a great time racing with three fast ladies (Demmi, Mel and Sarah) who are doing great things in 600, as well as sharing the track with my fellow Twins Cup riders. To that end, I’d like to say a massive congratulations to David Cao for taking out the Twins Cup class series win. It makes me proud to see his improvements in riding in the last 18 months. And finally, a huge thanks to the St George Motorcycle Club and marshalls all for volunteering their time and making this spectacular series happen!”

Carl Kitson -#52, AGV Twin Cup

“Saturday night and the final round of the summer night series was a difficult one for me. The R7 seemed to have some major instability issues that I have not been able to cure in the previous rounds or practice. After a few dangerous moments in qualifying, being a long way off the pace and then some very dangerous moments in T1 and T8 during the first race, I decided to pull in and call it a night. As disappointing as it was, this let me watch the rest of the racing with some good friends and see what some of the racing was like in the other classes. Plenty of good battles were had and it was great to see improvement from racers having their first go. All in all, the summer night series has stepped it up again. A great environment to race, challenge yourself and enjoy with others, well done St George MCC. Congratulations to David Cao for the twins class win through tenacity and reliability. Its well deserved and if he was on a 600, he would be showing some people up. Great to see the progress and be able to help along the way.”

Bel Kyle – Track Marshall

“Marshalling at this year’s summer night series has been a pleasure. We had great weather, and more importantly great racing across all classes. It’s a privilege be track side watching some of the country’s finest. It was also good seeing so many people coming out to the track to support the club racing. Bring on summer 2023/24!”

Lyndel Gorsuch – Grid Marshall

“Summer Night Series 3 has to be down as one of the best yet. A great experience standing at the front of huge fields packed with talented riders and it was wonderful to see so many spectators cheering them on. Congratulations to all the riders who decided to come out and give racing go, great effort to all the seasoned clubbies out there putting on an amazing show and thanks to the ‘Super Fast Dudes’ for coming out to play in the dark with St George – a real testament to the calibre of the event that these riders want to come and ride it. Well done to the club and a huge thanks to the orange army for doing such a great job so everyone can go racing and thanks to the ‘purple army’ (the photographer) for coming out so we have some amazing images from it! Looking forward to our regular season and can’t wait to see what the SNS4 brings out!”

BRIDGESTONE 600 – Round Overall

AGV Twin Cup – Three Race Overall

Bridgestone 600 Final Standings

AGV Twin Cup Standings