ASBK YRT Attack 2023
With the first official test of the 2023 season just five weeks away, Team Yamaha has today officially confirmed that their roster of Australian Superbike riders Mike Jones and Cru Halliday will continue. with the team until 2023 on a Yamaha YZF-R1M.
Both riders returned to YRT and sought to continue the winning combination that helped Yamaha win the Superbike championship last season.
Jones, the 2022 Australian Superbike Champion, will defend his number one title with the same winning combination that won him the crown in 2022. Jones, R1M, and the YRT team have shown a way. perfect last season and after four round wins and two podium wins, the 28-year-old Queenslander won the title by an impressive 53 points from his nearest opponent.
The 2022 championship is Jones’ third title at ASBK, but his desire to win more shows no signs of slowing down and he has continued to train hard to prepare for the new season. . With less than two months left between the final round of 2022 and the first test of 2023, Jones has worked hard and is ready to return for another championship campaign.
“I think there was about a week off after The Bend, spent a few days in Tasmania, then quite a while since then I’ve been back to it and working on the new season.,” Jones began. “I know that John, Kev, Dyllan and the team are currently doing the work of arranging everything for us, so that inspires me to work as hard as they do and get ready for the first lap in 2023.
“The move to YRT has been great for me and giving them their first championship has been incredibly rewarding. The team has been working hard behind the scenes to further improve for 2023 and I’m excited to come back and sign with YRT again.
“I look forward to the first test in early February and the opportunity to race at Sydney Motorsport Park this year is exciting. We have a lot of songs for this year and I can’t wait to get things moving.“Jones finished.
Cru Halliday is set to take a long-term sabbatical from Yamaha after agreeing to another season with Team Yamaha. Halliday had a rough season in 2022, starting the year off strong with two podiums in the opening three rounds, before struggling mid-season, but ending the year at a stunning pace. great in the final laps and continues to present him as a potential race winner every time he hits the net.
Halliday has consistently been one of the top five performers over the past few years but the staffing change around him has him heading into the new season and ready to go.
“YRT has made some changes to appeal to some of the other people around me, and I’m excited to be working with a passionate new team. I still have a lot to give and haven’t reached the top yet so my goals for 2023 are very high. The bike is as good as ever and Mike has proven it is capable of winning on any track, at any time, so now is the time to get the job done on the track..
“I’ve raced my entire career on Yamaha and it’s amazing that we were able to extend our relationship into another season,‘ said Halliday. “The season started at Phillip Island and then we moved to SMSP, so I finished two races well and enjoyed the rides. 2023 is going to be a great year and it’s time for us to step up and reward Yamaha and the team with lots of podiums..”
Team Yamaha will lead another massive Yamaha presence in road races, with two cup divisions in the OJC-R15 and R3 Cup, as well as significant support for riders in the 300cc and Supersport categories. 600cc.
Yamaha Australia continues to play an important role in supporting road races both on and off the track with YRT and YRD-supported riders winning nearly $200,000 Yamaha spare in 2022, along with the ability to Access to affordable products and technical support for all Yamaha riders.
The same passion and dedication flows into the 2023 season when Yamaha remains the choice of the majority of Australian road racers at ASBK events.
The official ASBK test will be conducted on February 1st before the inaugural round kicks off at Phillip Island at the end of February alongside the WorldSBK event.
ASBK Calendar 2023
- Official ASBK Test Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW February 1-2
- Round 1 Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC 24-26 February
- Round 2 Sydney Motorsports Park, NSW 24-25 March
- Round 3 Queensland Raceway, QLD 28-30 April
- Round 4 Hidden Valley Raceway, NT June 16-18
- Round 5 TBC (probably Mordan Park)
- Round 6 Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC October 27-29
- Round 7 The Bend Motorsport Park, SA Dec 1 – 3
