2020 Mi-Bike ASBK
Official Phillip Island Test Day Two
By Trevor Hedge – Images TBG/Rob Mott/TH
Kawasaki Australian Superbike Championship
The first of today’s 4 x 25-minute practice sessions for Australian Superbike competitors got underway just before 0930 on what was a beautiful sunny morning at Phillip Island. The track temperature had just nudged past 30-degrees while the ambient was climbing past 20-degrees towards a forecast maximum of around 35-degrees expected later in the day.
All 16 riders present for the test were quickly out on track in that morning session but it was Wayne Maxwell again that dominated. The 37-year-old has obviously taken to the new V4 R Ducati very well indeed and wasted no time in setting a string of mid-high 1m32s right from the off. He then returned to the pits for some tweaks before heading out again to record a 1m32.608. Maxwell was clocked at 311 km/h through the speed trap by Computime in that session.
Daniel Falzon also enjoyed the cooler conditions and shrugged off the soreness of recent arm pump surgery to get down to business, dropping in a 1m32.813 on his sixth lap of the morning.
Mike Jones put in a 1m32.434s lap on his 13th and final lap of that opening session to finish on top and with Maxwell that made for a Ducati 1-2 at the top of the time-sheets. Something that might happen quite a bit this season one suspects…
Ambient temperatures were nudging 30-degrees and the track temperature heading for 45-degrees when Superbike competitors took to the track for their second session today at 1130.
Falzon was quick out of the blocks again with another 1m32, a 1m32.958s which he then backed up with a 1m33.137. Bryan Staring put his quickest time of the week early on in the second session with a 1m33.063s to make it a Dunlop 1-2 at the top of the charts for the early part of that second session. Staring strung together a series of low-mid 1m33s in that 25-minute session.
Josh Waters started to make some progress halfway through the session after setting his fastest time of the week thus far, getting down to a few mid 33s.
The YRT boys also got wound up as that second session drew to a close. Wagner dropping in a 1m32.792 and Halliday a 1m33.171, some new rubber had gone into at least one of those bikes. Conversely we believe Mike Jones worked on his pace while shod with used rubber in that session.
Wayne Maxwell didn’t do many laps in that second session but headed out of the pits with a few minutes to run and then instantly went top with a 1m31.776. That is two-tenths under the ASBK qualifying lap record set by Jones here last October at 1m31.995… It’s fair to say he is already getting on pretty well with the Pirelli shod and K-Tech suspended Ducati V4 R…. Look out competition…
By the time the third and penultimate session of the two-day test got underway at 1330 the ambient temperature was registering 35.4 and the track temp 56.3-degrees celsius. Would the Dunlop boys come to the fore in the hotter conditions?
While the likes of Bryan Staring and Daniel Falzon did put in some quick times in that stinging heat on Dunlops, the man setting the pace was yet again, Wayne Maxwell. Â Maxwell put in a 1m32.279 then backed it up with a 1m32.603, followed by a 1m32.994, a 1m32.746, a 1m33.003 and then a 1m32.959 to cap that run off. He then backed off a little before resuming with a 1m33.182 and then returning to the pits.
Mike Jones had been circulating a little off the pace, presumably working on used tyre pace, before then putting in a 1m32.903 to be second quickest in that session and Herfoss rounded out the top three with a 1m32.985 on the Michelin shod Honda ahead of Cru Halliday.
Dunlop runners Bryan Staring and Daniel Falzon were sixth and seventh in the hot conditions, Staring the quickest of the pair in that session with a 1m33.122.
One man left nursing his wounds after the session was Aiden Wagner who went down at MG Hairpin and headed to the medical centre nursing a very sore left hand after smacking it hard on the tarmac in the tumble. He headed off for x-rays to check out what was broken but will be racing round one either way as he only needs to use the clutch once per race.Â
With the track temperatures heading yet further northwards past 60-degrees, and most of the teams having worked through their testing plans, many of the riders packed up after that penultimate session. Those sitting out the final 25-minute practice session included Wayne Maxwell, Daniel Falzon, Max Croker and the injured Aiden Wagner.
Troy Herfoss though was amped after just watching his wife Emily come second in a major bicycle race in Torquay, live on his phone only minutes before he went out of pit-lane for the final session. A 1m32.497 on his first flying lap followed by a 1m33.443 to the 2018 champ.
Mike Jones then dropped in a 1m32.517, Bryan Staring his best of the two-day test with a 1m32.603, and Josh Waters a 1m33.141 on the 2017 model GSX-R1000 he is testing here this week.Â
The Mildura based three-time Aussie Superbike Champion was left somewhat high and dry when the official Suzuki Team pulled the pin after last season, but is putting the finishing touches now on his own privateer team after securing some out-of-industry sponsorship that will enable him to compete this season. He improved his time further in the dying minutes of that final session to end the two-day test seventh quickest with a best of 1m33.052.
Herfoss though topped that afternoon session ahead of Jones and Staring with Waters fourth. On combined times Herfoss was third quickest across the two days of testing with a best of 1m32.497, only a gnat’s whisker behind second placed Jones. Both of those men though seven-tenths behind pacesetter Maxwell which might have them worried ahead of the season opener here at Phillip Island late next month…
Matt Walters would be pretty happy with a 1m33.278 while Lachlan Epis put in a very impressive best lap of 1m33.477 in that final session to round out the top ten on combined times.Â
Matt Walters ended the test in ninth just behind eighth placed Cru Halliday.Â
Jed Metcher used Ohlins suspension on the opening day of the test to use as a benchmark indicator for himself before today switching to YSS suspension as he evaluates and considers the Thailand produced components for his 2020 Australian Superbike campaign. The Victorian finished the test 14th on combined times with a best of 1m34.438, just ahead of Sloan Frost.Â
NextGen BMW and Glenn Allerton did not really seem to find their feet at all during the two-day test. Hopefully they can look at their data and find some direction ahead of the next test. They ended the test 13th quickest with a best of 1m34.192.
Kawasaki Superbike Times
Combined Practices
Pos | Rider | Bike | Time |
1 | Wayne MAXWELLÂ | Ducati V4R | 1m31.776 |
2 | Mike JONESÂ | Ducati V4R | 1m32.434 |
3 | Troy HERFOSSÂ | Honda CBR RR | 1m32.497 |
4 | Bryan STARINGÂ | Kawasaki ZX10R | 1m32.603 |
5 | Aiden WAGNER | Yamaha YZF-R1 | 1m32.792 |
6 | Daniel FALZONÂ | Yamaha YZF-R1 | 1m32.813 |
7 | Josh WATERS | Suzuki GSX RR | 1m33.052 |
8 | Cru HALLIDAYÂ | Yamaha YZF-R1 | 1m33.112 |
9 | Matt WALTERSÂ | Kawasaki ZX10R | 1m33.278 |
10 | Lachlan EPISÂ | Suzuki GSX RR | 1m33.477 |
11 | Glenn SCOTT . | Kawasaki ZX10R | 1m33.616 |
12 | Max CROKER | Suzuki GSX RR | 1m34.142 |
13 | Glenn ALLERTONÂ | BMW S RR | 1m34.192 |
14 | Jed METCHER | Suzuki GSXR | 1m34.438 |
15 | Sloan FROSTÂ | Suzuki GSX RR | 1m34.860 |
16 | Brendan MCINTYREÂ | Suzuki GSX RR | 1m36.191 |
17 | Nathan SPITERIÂ | Suzuki GSX RR | 1m39.939 |
bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup
Combined Practices
Pos | Name | Machine | Time |
1 | Marianos NIKOLISÂ | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 2m11.760 |
2 | Angus GRENFELL | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 2m11.948 |
3 | Cameron SWAINÂ | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 2m12.014 |
4 | Lucas QUINNÂ | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 2m12.372 |
5 | Tom DRANE | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 2m12.697 |
6 | Lincoln KNIGHTÂ | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 2m12.808 |
7 | Hayden NELSON | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 2m12.809 |
8 | Varis FLEMING | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 2m12.842 |
9 | Brodie GAWITHÂ | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 2m13.045 |
10 | Jai RUSSOÂ | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 2m13.100 |
11 | Henry SNELLÂ | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 2m13.202 |
12 | Cameron DUNKERÂ | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 2m13.322 |
13 | Clay CLEGG ( | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 2m13.804 |
14 | Jamie PORTÂ | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 2m14.227 |
15 | Levi RUSSOÂ | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 2m14.712 |
16 | Casey MIDDLETON | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 2m15.074 |
17 | Toby JAMES | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 2m15.107 |
18 | Nate O’NEILLÂ | Yamaha YZF-R15 | 2m17.040 |
Supersport 300 / R3 Cup
Combined Practices
Pos | Rider | Bike | Time |
1 | Tom BRAMICHÂ | Kawasaki EX 400 | 1m48.418 |
2 | Harry KHOURIÂ | Yamaha / Kawasaki | 1m48.614 |
3 | Luke JHONSTONÂ | Kawasaki EX 400 | 1m48.639 |
4 | Luke POWERÂ | Kawasaki EX 400 | 1m49.297 |
5 | Caleb GILMOREÂ | Yamaha R3 321 | 1m49.731 |
6 | Brandon DEMMERYÂ | Yamaha R3 321 | 1m50.328 |
7 | Reece OUGHTRED | Yamaha R3 321 | 1m50.539 |
8 | Archie MCDONALD | Yamaha R3 321 | 1m50.626 |
9 | Jack HYDEÂ | Yamaha R3 321 | 1m50.645 |
10 | Peter NERLICHÂ | Kawasaki EX 400 | 1m50.938 |
11 | Zylas BUNTING | Kawasaki EX 400 | 1m50.962 |
12 | Jacob HATCHÂ | Yamaha R3 321 | 1m51.072 |
13 | Laura BROWNÂ | Yamaha R3 321 | 1m51.308 |
14 | Jake SENIOR | Kawasaki EX 400 | 1m51.670 |
15 | Angus GRENFELLÂ | Yamaha R3 321 | 1m51.776 |
16 | Cody VAN BERGEN | Yamaha R3 321 | 1m52.025 |
17 | Joseph MARINIELLO | Kawasaki EX 400 | 1m52.163 |
18 | James JACOBS | Kawasaki EX 400 | 1m52.394 |
19 | Jake FARNSWORTH | Yamaha R3 321 | 1m52.645 |
20 | Jesse WOODSÂ | Yamaha R3 321 | 1m53.463 |
21 | Luca DURNINGÂ | Yamaha R3 321 | 1m53.915 |
22 | Jamie PORTÂ | Yamaha R3 321 | 1m54.530 |
23 | Oliver SHORTÂ | Yamaha R3 321 | 1m54.633 |
24 | Hannah STEWARTÂ | Yamaha R3 321 | 1m56.995 |
25 | David WILSONÂ | Kawasaki EX 400 | 2m00.443 |
26 | Sam DAVIS | Yamaha R3 321 | 2m00.834 |
Supersport
Combined Practices
Pos | Name | Machine | Time |
1 | Tom TOPARISÂ | Kawasaki ZX6R | 1m36.185 |
2 | Jack HYDE | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 1m36.469 |
3 | Nic LIMINTON | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 1m36.605 |
4 | Oli BAYLISSÂ | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 1m36.685 |
5 | Jack PASSFIELDÂ | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 1m36.917 |
6 | Broc PEARSON | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 1m37.140 |
7 | Max STAUFFER | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 1m37.741 |
8 | Aidan HAYESÂ | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 1m37.780 |
9 | Ted COLLINS | Suzuki GSXR | 1m37.784 |
10 | Dallas SKEERÂ | Suzuki GSXR | 1m38.139 |
11 | Luke MITCHELLÂ | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 1m38.459 |
12 | Chris QUINNÂ | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 1m38.633 |
13 | Andrew EDSER | Kawasaki ZX-6R | 1m39.848 |
14 | Callum O’BRIENÂ | Kawasaki ZX6R | 1m40.164 |
15 | Patrick Jun LIÂ | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 1m40.544 |
16 | Darren MCGRATH | Kawasaki ZX6R |