Mark Chiodo completes perfect Supersport weekend at Phillip Island

Mark Chiodo completes perfect P.I. weekend

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Yamaha Motor Finance ASBK 2017 – Round Seven – Phillip Island

Supersport Race Two Report

A dry track greeted competitors for the final Supersport race of ASBK season 2017. While the track surface was clean, a blustery wind would still certainly test Supersport competitors over the 10-lap duration of the battle.

Competitors set for battle in the final instalment of the 2017 ASBK Supersport war - Image by Half Light — Competitors set for battle in the final instalment of the 2017 ASBK Supersport war – Image by Half Light

Tom Toparis was the early leader in this contest as again from Mark Chiodo, as this pair again underlined their speed advantage over the rest of the Supersport field here this weekend.

Chiodo took the lead at turn four on lap two but Toparis stuck on his tail throughout the remainder of the lap and continued to pile the pressure on.

Tom Toparis - Image by Half Light — Tom Toparis – Image by Half Light

While the Supersport Championship win had been decided in favour of Ted Collins with a round in the series to spare, the fight over the #2 plate was still in play here today. Mason Coote’s advantage had dissipated after he failed to take points in this morning’s opening bout, allowing Toparis to close within striking distance of that #2 spot in the championship.

This time around Mason Coote was fighting over third place with Ryan Taylor, that battle unfolding a long way behind the leading duo, but very important nonetheless in the outcome of the championship.

Toparis had not given up the chase on Chiodo and was still on the tail of the Triumph man at the final lap but a huge moment saw him lose enough ground that he had to abandon the chase to the flag.

Mark Chiodo - Image by Half Light — Mark Chiodo – Image by Half Light

Mark Chiodo the winner, the Triumph man finishing his season on a high, not putting a foot wrong. Tom Toparis was a strong second place, before he now heads off to Japan to compete as a Moto2 wildcard at Motegi and then the Phillip Island MotoGP rounds.

Mason Coote had to work hard to secure that final step on the rostrum but got away from Taylor in the closing lap to secure that third spot, albeit 17-seconds behind the top duo. That result though still good enough for Coote to earn the Supersport #2 plate for 2017.

Mason Coote

“Real credit to Aark Racing for getting the bike back together for me after the first race, without them I wouldnt be racing in the second race. Ryan Taylor could have passed me in that race but he rolled off it to let me keep the position, he was really looking out for me there. Everyone rode so well here today at Phillip Island and it’s a great way to cap off the year.”

Tom Toparis

“It has been a great year for me as it is the second year I’ve been in the sport. It has all been such an incredible learning curve. It was a great race witrh Marcus and I couldn’t get a wheel anywhere near him! I can’t thank everyone enough for getting me up to this point and we’ve shown people that we can run up the front of the field.”

Mark Chiodo

“The last two rounds for me have been great. I have learnt lots in this season and I can carry a bit of confidence heading into 2018. Winning the Phillip Island Challenge is just a bonus really, but finishing fourth in the Championship overall was my fault as I made a few errors during the year. I’d really just like to thank everyone for their support for this season of ASBK.”