2019 Australian Superbike Championship
Round 7 – Sydney Motorsports Park
You can tell there is even more tension in the air than normal here at Sydney Motorsports Park today. The temperature too is rising as the mercury is heading towards the low-mid 30s today, with track temperatures likely to be over 50-degrees at times as this final round of the Motul Pirelli ASBK Championship plays out in Western Sydney.
51-points are up for grabs this weekend in the Superbike category and there are six riders in with a shot at the championship with the top three separated by less than five points.
Troy Herfoss, Wayne Maxwell and Mike Jones are that highest ranked trio but Cru Halliday, Josh Waters and Bryan Staring are still in the race for the title.
With the competition so tight, and the riders and machinery so closely matched, it is not only skill, fitness, bravery, guile and cunning that will decide the outcome, lady luck is also sure to play its part. Riders have fallen in and out of favour with that lady at various times this season and she can be a fickle beast…
Track temperatures had already passed 41-degrees despite the early 1030 start of FP1 and was rising rapidly as a smoky haze cast a grey shadow over Sydney Motorsports Park.
All superbike riders were getting plenty of laps in as they tested tyre longevity, and suspension settings to extend that longevity. With hot conditions also forecast for tomorrow, before a cooler change on Sunday that will bring with it a high probability of heavy showers, it is going to be a very interesting weekend with that weather factor sure to increase the already palpable tension yet further.
YRT’s Cru Halliday set the pace throughout FP1, using his local knowledge to good effect to secure top spot with a m1m30.752s.
Wayne Maxwell got close to that marker later on in the session but was P2 ahead of Troy Herfoss at the chequered flag. The top three all put in 14 laps during the session.
Daniel Falzon was fourth quickest and on the pace with a 1m31.042 ahead of Mike Jones and Daniel Falzon while Josh Waters was seventh.
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Time |
| 1 | Cru HALLIDAY | Yamaha YZF-R1 | 1m30.752 |
| 2 | Wayne MAXWELL | Suzuki GSXR | 1m30.790 |
| 3 | Troy HERFOSS | Honda CBR SP | 1m30.980 |
| 4 | Daniel FALZON | Yamaha YZF-R1 | 1m31.042 |
| 5 | Mike JONES | Ducati FE | 1m31.206 |
| 6 | Mark CHIODO | Honda CBR SP | 1m31.684 |
| 7 | Josh WATERS | Suzuki GSXR | 1m32.026 |
| 8 | Matt WALTERS | Kawasaki ZX10R | 1m32.140 |
| 9 | Bryan STARING | Kawasaki ZX10R | 1m32.486 |
| 10 | Glenn ALLERTON | BMW S RR | 1m32.518 |
| 11 | Alex PHILLIS | Suzuki GSXR | 1m32.889 |
| 12 | Lachlan EPIS | Kawasaki ZX10R | 1m33.063 |
| 13 | Damon REES | Honda CBR SP | 1m33.071 |
| 14 | Brendan MCINTYRE | Suzuki GSXR | 1m34.210 |
| 15 | Ben BURKE | Kawasaki ZX10R | 1m34.368 |
| 16 | Arthur SISSIS | Suzuki GSXR | 1m34.519 |
| 17 | Sloan FROST | Suzuki GSXR | 1m34.558 |
| 18 | Jamie STAUFFER | Ducati V4R | 1m35.072 |
| 19 | Dominic DE LEON | Kawasaki ZX10R | 1m35.608 |
| 20 | Heath GRIFFIN | Suzuki GSXR | 1m36.345 |
| 21 | Matthew TOOLEY | Yamaha YZF-R1 | 1m36.886 |
| 22 | Nathan SPITERI | Suzuki GSXR | 1m37.758 |
| 23 | Michael EDWARDS | Yamaha YZF-R1 | 1m37.930 |
Supersport
In the Supersport ranks the championship has already been decided with Goulburn teenager Tom Toparis crowned at Phillip Island after a faultless year that saw him dominate almost every outing. He looks set to do the same here after setting a 1m33.023s in FP1, 1.7-seconds quicker than the rest of the field…
Second placed Broc Pearson has a 38-point advantage over Nic Liminton thus is in the box seat to claim the #2 plate.
An interesting addition to the Supersport field this weekend is young Tommy Edwards, who has returned from World Supersport 300 duties to chance his hand in stepping up to the 600 Supersport ranks this weekend. He was seventh in FP1 on a 1m35.676s.
| Pos | Name | Bike | Time/Gap |
| 1 | Tom TOPARIS | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 1m33.023 |
| 2 | Jack PASSFIELD | Yamaha YZF-R6 | +1.745 |
| 3 | Aidan HAYES | Yamaha YZF-R6 | +1.854 |
| 4 | Nic LIMINTON | Yamaha YZF-R6 | +1.910 |
| 5 | Oli BAYLISS | Yamaha YZF-R6 | +2.149 |
| 6 | Broc PEARSON | Yamaha YZF-R6 | +2.288 |
| 7 | Tom EDWARDS | Yamaha YZF-R6 | +2.653 |
| 8 | Callum SPRIGGS | Yamaha YZF-R6 | +2.729 |
| 9 | Ty LYNCH | Yamaha YZF-R6 | +3.424 |
| 10 | Brodie MALOUF | Yamaha YZF-R6 | +4.223 |
| 11 | Jack HYDE | Yamaha YZF-R6 | +4.323 |
| 12 | Luke MITCHELL | Yamaha YZF-R6 | +4.425 |
| 13 | Dallas SKEER | Suzuki GSXR | +4.789 |
| 14 | Chris QUINN | Yamaha YZF-R6 | +4.842 |
| 15 | Rhys BELLING es | Yamaha YZF-R6 | +5.048 |
| 16 | Richie DIBBEN | Suzuki GSXR | +5.283 |
| 17 | Andrew EDSER | Kawasaki ZX6R | +5.491 |
| 18 | Avalon BIDDLE | Yamaha YZF-R6 | +5.644 |
| 19 | Callum O’BRIEN | Kawasaki ZX6R | +8.223 |
Supersport 300
Max Stauffer had looked on course comfortable victory in the Supersport 300 Championship, but in the most recent round at Phillip Island his points margin was eroded by Senna Agius, who has closed to within 16-points of Stauffer. Yannis Shaw topped FP1 this morning ahead of Agius and Hunter Ford while Max Stauffer was sixth.
| Pos | Name | Bike | Time/Gap |
| 1 | Yannis SHAW | Kawasaki EX 400 | 1m44.833 |
| 2 | Senna AGIUS | Kawasaki EX 400 | +0.566 |
| 3 | Hunter FORD | Yamaha R3 321 | +0.837 |
| 4 | Brandon DEMMERY | Yamaha R3 321 | +1.013 |
| 5 | Ben BAKER | Yamaha R3 321 | +1.174 |
| 6 | Max STAUFFER | Yamaha R3 321 | +1.413 |
| 7 | Kyle O’CONNELL | Yamaha R3 321 | +1.518 |
| 8 | Ryan SMITH | Yamaha R3 321 | +1.776 |
| 9 | Luke JHONSTON | Kawasaki EX 400 | +1.871 |
| 10 | John LYTRAS | Yamaha R3 321 | +2.641 |
| 11 | Zylas BUNTING | Kawasaki EX 400 | +3.307 |
| 12 | Peter NERLICH | Kawasaki EX 400 | +4.499 |
| 13 | Laura BROWN | Yamaha R3 321 | +4.892 |
| 14 | Jimmy BROADBENT | Kawasaki EX 400 | +5.223 |
| 15 | Seth CRUMP | KTM RC 390 | +5.305 |
| 16 | Noel MAHON | Kawasaki EX 400 | +6.717 |
| 17 | Matt RINDEL | Yamaha R3 321 | +8.586 |
| 18 | Zak PETTENDY | Yamaha R3 321 | +8.799 |
| 19 | Caleb GILMORE | Yamaha R3 321 | +8.875 |
| 20 | James JACOBS | Kawasaki EX 400 | +9.201 |
| 21 | Harry PARKER | Yamaha R3 321 | +9.325 |
YMF R3 Cup
The YMF R3 Cup has produced a see-sawing contest between Hunter Ford and John Lytras, the two riders swapping the points lead several times over the last couple of rounds. At Phillip Island, Ford scored two wins but Lytras kept his chances alive with a trio of third-place finishes, and is only 13 points behind Ford. Max Stauffer is only a further five-points behind and is still in the game. Ford set the early pace in FP1, topping the session from Stauffer and Demmery with Lytras fourth.
| Pos | Name | Machine | Time/Gap |
| 1 | Hunter FORD | Yamaha YZF-R3 | 1m45.020 |
| 2 | Max STAUFFER | Yamaha YZF-R3 | +0.151 |
| 3 | Brandon DEMMERY | Yamaha YZF-R3 | +0.459 |
| 4 | John LYTRAS | Yamaha YZF-R3 | +0.878 |
| 5 | Ryan SMITH | Yamaha YZF-R3 | +0.989 |
| 6 | Kyle O’CONNELL | Yamaha YZF-R3 | +1.192 |
| 7 | Ben BAKER | Yamaha YZF-R3 | +1.518 |
| 8 | Jacob HATCH | Yamaha YZF-R3 | +3.084 |
| 9 | Patrick BOGNAR | Yamaha YZF-R3 | +3.837 |
| 10 | Archie MCDONALD | Yamaha YZF-R3 | +4.239 |
| 11 | Caleb GILMORE | Yamaha YZF-R3 | +4.590 |
| 12 | Harry PARKER | Yamaha YZF-R3 | +5.143 |
| 13 | Tony SIMS | Yamaha YZF-R3 | +5.866 |
| 14 | Matt RINDEL | Yamaha YZF-R3 | +6.048 |
| 15 | Hunter DIPLOCK | Yamaha YZF-R3 | +6.944 |
| 16 | Zak PETTENDY | Yamaha YZF-R3 | +6.963 |
| 17 | Dominic FLETCHER | Yamaha YZF-R3 | +7.535 |
| 18 | Patrick LI | Yamaha YZF-R3 | +2m52.998 |
| DNS | Laura BROWN | Yamaha YZF-R3 | -1:45.020 |
Superbike Masters
The Superbike Masters category appeared earlier in the season at the Morgan Park ASBK round, and encompasses a range of Period 5 (1976-82) and Period 6 (1983-1990) motorcycles.
| Pos | Name | Bike | Time/Gap |
| 1 | Aaron MORRIS | Yamaha FZR 1043 | 1m35.515 |
| 2 | Stephen KAIRL | Yamaha FZR 1040 | +6.857 |
| 3 | Stephen WARD | Yamaha FZR 1000 | +10.383 |
| 4 | Stuart WOODBURY | Yamaha FZR 1040 | +11.744 |
| 5 | Scott WEBSTER | Harris Suzuki 1200 | +11.777 |
| 6 | Phillip BURKE | Honda RC30 750 | +12.477 |
| 7 | Mick JOHNSTON | Ducati TTF1 985 | +14.532 |
| 8 | Gregory JAMES | Honda CB R 1100 | +16.595 |
| 9 | Steven HARLEY | Yamaha FZN 750 | +17.168 |
| 10 | Roger GUNN | Harris F1 1170 | +18.041 |
| 11 | Phillip BEVAN) | Honda VFRR 750 | +19.652 |
| 12 | Anthony BANN | Kawasaki ZXR 750 | +19.731 |
| 13 | Gary NAYSMITH | Kawasaki Z J 1166 | +22.502 |
| 14 | Karen WEBB | Suzuki GSXR 749 | +22.762 |
| 15 | Patrick POVOLNY | Suzuki GSX 1100 | +26.798 |
| 16 | Mark RODDA | Suzuki GS S 1100 | +30.893 |
| 17 | Paul RIGNEY | Kawasaki Z R 1170 | +31.277 |
| 18 | Darren LARK | Suzuki GSX 1150 | +41.182 |
| DNS | John ALLEN | Yamaha OW31 750 | -1m35.515 |
bLUcRU Oceania Junior Cup
| Pos | Name | Bike | Time/Gap |
| 1 | Jacob HATCH | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 2m01.739 |
| 2 | Tom DRANE | Yamaha YZF-R15 | +0.757 |
| 3 | Carter THOMPSON | Yamaha YZF-R15 | +0.769 |
| 4 | Patrick BOGNAR | Yamaha YZF-R15 | +1.273 |
| 5 | Archie MCDONALD | Yamaha YZF-R15 | +2.741 |
| 6 | Marianos NIKOLIS | Yamaha YZF-R15 | +3.063 |
| 7 | Max GIBBONS | Yamaha YZF-R15 | +3.142 |
| 8 | Lincoln KNIGHT | Yamaha YZF-R15 | +4.016 |
| 9 | Cormac BUCHANAN | Yamaha YZF-R15 | +4.030 |
| 10 | Zak PETTENDY | Yamaha YZF-R15 | +4.305 |
| 11 | Hunter DIPLOCK | Yamaha YZF-R15 | +4.414 |
| 12 | Cros FRANCIS | Yamaha YZF-R15 | +4.910 |
| 13 | Dominic FLETCHER | Yamaha YZF-R15 | +5.716 |
| 14 | Jai RUSSO | Yamaha YZF-R15 | +5.730 |
| 15 | Clay CLEGG | Yamaha YZF-R15 | +5.939 |
| 16 | Lucas QUINN | Yamaha YZF-R15 | +7.006 |
| 17 | Cameron DUNKER | Yamaha YZF-R15 | +7.119 |
| 18 | Tom CONNORS | Yamaha YZF-R15 | +8.662 |
| 19 | Jamie PORT | Yamaha YZF-R15 | +9.373 |
| 20 | Varis FLEMING | Yamaha YZF-R15 | +13.673 |
| 21 | Toby JAMES | Yamaha YZF-R15 | +16.197 |
| DNS | Angus GRENFELL | Yamaha YZF-R15 | -2:01.739 |
Australian Superbike Standings
| Pos | Name | Total |
| 1 | Troy HERFOSS | 241 |
| 2 | Wayne MAXWELL | 238 |
| 3 | Michael JONES | 236.5 |
| 4 | Cru HALLIDAY | 222 |
| 5 | Josh WATERS | 216 |
| 6 | Bryan STARING | 211.5 |
| 7 | Matt WALTERS | 160.5 |
| 8 | Daniel FALZON | 156 |
| 9 | Alex PHILLIS | 131 |
| 10 | Arthur SISSIS | 106.5 |
| 11 | Mark CHIODO | 105 |
| 12 | Damon REES | 98.5 |
| 13 | Glenn SCOTT | 90 |
| 14 | Lachlan EPIS | 85 |
| 15 | Glenn ALLERTON | 82 |
| 16 | Aiden WAGNER | 71 |
| 17 | Sloan FROST | 60 |
| 18 | Ted COLLINS | 49 |
| 19 | Aaron MORRIS | 40 |
| 20 | Brendan McINTYRE | 32 |
| 21 | Philip CZAJ | 31 |
| 22 | David BARKER | 27 |
| 23 | Max CROKER | 27 |
| 24 | Dean HASLER | 15 |
| 25 | Matt TOOLEY | 15 |
| 26 | Evan BYLES | 13 |
| 27 | Jamie STAUFFER | 10 |
| 28 | Brian HOUGHTON | 10 |
| 29 | Kyle BUCKLEY | 9 |
| 30 | Nathan SPITERI | 8 |
| 31 | Michael EDWARDS | 5 |
| 32 | Adam SENIOR | 5 |
| 33 | Paul VAN DER HEIDEN | 4 |
| 34 | Trent GIBSON | 3 |
| 35 | Ryan YANKO | 3 |
| 36 | Will DAVIDSON | 2 |
Australian Supersport
Australian Supersport Standings
| Pos | Name | Total |
| 1 | Tom TOPARIS | 350 |
| 2 | Broc PEARSON | 246 |
| 3 | Nic LIMINTON | 208 |
| 4 | Aidan HAYES | 191 |
| 5 | Oliver BAYLISS | 181 |
| 6 | Dallas SKEER | 161 |
| 7 | Reid BATTYE | 142 |
| 8 | Jack PASSFIELD | 141 |
| 9 | Ty LYNCH | 141 |
| 10 | Rhys BELLING | 118 |
| 11 | Chris QUINN | 109 |
| 12 | Avalon BIDDLE | 101 |
| 13 | Callum SPRIGGS | 89 |
| 14 | John QUINN | 76 |
| 15 | Jack HYDE | 67 |
| 16 | Luke MITCHELL | 65 |
| 17 | Andrew EDSER | 64 |
| 18 | Richie DIBBEN | 48 |
| 19 | Zac JOHNSON | 37 |
| 20 | Scott NICHOLSON | 31 |
| 21 | Timothy DONNON | 28 |
| 22 | Dylan WHITESIDE | 26 |
| 23 | Samuel LAMBERT | 22 |
| 24 | Callum O’BRIEN | 18 |
| 25 | Brodie MALOUF | 18 |
| 26 | Ryan SELLEN | 17 |
| 27 | Chandler COOPER | 17 |
| 28 | Corey TURNER | 16 |
| 29 | Ben LIEBIG | 14 |
| 30 | Matt CRANMER | 13 |
| 31 | Luke SANDERS | 13 |
| 32 | Bronson PICKETT | 12 |
| 33 | Daniel LEONARD | 5 |
| 34 | Oscar DAVISON | 1 |
ASBK Schedule
| Friday Schedule | |||
| 07.45 | Riders Briefing Briefing | ||
| 08.45 | YMI Supersport 300 | FP | |
| 09.10 | Superbike Masters | FP | |
| 09.30 | Motorsport TV Supersport | FP | |
| 10.00 | YMF R3 Cup | FP1 | |
| 10.25 | Kawasaki Superbike | FP1 | |
| 11.00 | bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup | FP1 | |
| 11.20 | YMI Supersport 300 | FP2 | |
| 11.45 | Superbike Masters | FP2 | |
| 12.00 | Lunch – ASBK Pillion Rides | ||
| 12.35 | Motorsport TV Supersport | FP2 | |
| 13.05 | YMF R3 Cup | FP2 | |
| 13.30 | Kawasaki Superbike | FP2 | |
| 14.05 | bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup | FP2 | |
| 14.25 | YMI Supersport 300 | FP3 | |
| 14.50 | Motorsport TV Supersport | FP3 | |
| 15.20 | YMF R3 Cup | FP3 | |
| 15.45 | Kawasaki Superbike | FP3 | |
| 16.20 | bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup | FP3 | |
| 16.40 | Superbike Masters | FP3 | |
| Saturday Schedule | ||
| 09.00 | YMI Supersport 300 | Q1 |
| 09.25 | Superbike Masters | Q1 |
| 09.45 | Motorsport TV Supersport | Q1 |
| 10.15 | YMF R3 Cup | Q1 |
| 10.40 | Kawasaki Superbike | TP |
| 11.20 | bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup | Q1 |
| 11.40 | YMI Supersport 300 | Q2 |
| 12.05 | Superbike Masters | Q2 |
| 12.20 | Lunch – ASBK Pillion Rides | |
| 13.00 | YMF R3 Cup | Q2 |
| 13.25 | Motosport TV Supersport | Q2 |
| 13.55 | bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup | Q2 |
| 14.15 | YMI Supersport 300 | R1 |
| 14.40 | Kawasaki Superbike | Q1 |
| 15.10 | Kawasaki Superbike (Top 12) | Q2 |
| 15.30 | bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup | R1 |
| 15.55 | Superbike Masters | R1 |
| 16.15 | YMF R3 Cup | R1 |
| Sunday Schedule | ||
| 08.30 | YMF R3 Cup | WUP |
| 08.40 | bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup | WUP |
| 08.50 | Motorsport TV Supersport | WUP |
| 09.00 | YMI Supersport 300 | WUP |
| 09.10 | Kawasaki Superbike | WUP |
| 09.25 | Superbike Masters | WUP |
| 09.40 | YMF R3 Cup | R2 |
| 10.05 | bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup | R2 |
| 10.25 | Motorsport TV Supersport | R1 |
| 11.00 | YMI Supersport 300 | R2 |
| 11.25 | Kawasaki Superbike | R1 |
| 12.10 | Superbike Masters | R2 |
| 12.25 | Lunch – Pit Lane Walk | |
| 13.05 | YMI Supersport 300* | R3 |
| 13.35 | Motorsport TV Supersport* | R2 |
| 14.10 | Kawasaki Superbike* | R2 |
| 15.05 | bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup | R3 |
| 15.30 | YMF R3 Cup | R3 |
| 15.55 | Superbike Masters | R3 |
