ASBK 2023
Round Five – Morgan Park Raceway
Superbike Race One
The power supply tripped at 0910 this morning across the circuit. Due to power limitations here at Morgan Park all the tyre warmers and pit bays are running off four large diesel generators, but that didn’t stop the main transformer feeding the circuit tripping due to load constraints from everything else plugged in around the circuit. Thankfully engineers got on top of that and we had no more interruptions during the day.
This was the clearest and warmest morning of the weekend, the celsius already in double digits well before morning warm-up got underway. That 10-minute warm-up session started at 0930 as the track temperature nudged its way past 23-degrees and the ambient pushed 13-degrees. Fine and clear conditions are expected all day as we head towards a top in the low-mid 20s which should push the track temperature to around 35-degrees.  And track temperature will be incredibly important here today.
If the track is cool then riders will be warned off using the soft option rear as it will tear up and not go the distance. Another factor that makes that choice potentially problematic is if their is a red flag incident that sees the race stopped for a short time, but long enough for the heat to go out of the tyre, those on the soft will have no chance at the re-start.
Troy Herfoss set the pace in morning warm-up with a 1m12.462 ahead of Mike Jones on 1m12.835. Reflecting on what we have seen so far this weekend it is those two men that head into this one as equal favourites, with Jones perhaps on even shorter odds thanks to the sheer amount of low-mid 12s he has put in this weekend. The defending champ put in a total of four laps under 1m12.3s, and six laps under 1m12.6s during the 15-minute Q2 session on Saturday afternoon to dominate the session.
This weekend has signalled a welcome change of fortunes for the DesmoSport Ducati squad with Broc Pearson near the top of the time-sheets in every single session. FP1, FP2, FP3, FP4 and throughout qualifying Broc has been just off the pace of that front pair. He knows this track intimately, but the team have also made somewhat of a breakthrough with set-up that had previously been eluding them during the first half of this season.
Josh Waters had been well off the pace early in the weekend but steadily improved throughout every session to throw his hat in the ring for a podium here today.
On the back of what we saw in practice and qualifying, Cru Halliday and Glenn Allerton are at slightly longer odds. Both had dropped in a couple of quick laps over the weekend, but not with any level of consistency and no fast runs.
The likes of Bryan Staring and Arthur Sissis had been further off the pace than what we would expect. Local track knowledge here so important. Likewise Ted Collins and Max Stauffer have been behind the eight-ball. Would Sissis pull another holeshot and put a cat amongst the pigeons at turn one…?
By the time riders formed up on the grid the ambient temperature was nudging 20-degrees and the track temperature was just passing 30-degrees.
Broc Pearson had a bit of clutch grab off the line which saw him get swallowed at the start as Troy Herfoss led Mike Jones into turn one. Josh Waters got the better of Cru Halliday for third place a couple of turns later. Glenn Allerton fifth, Arthur Sissis sixth, Bryan Staring seventh and Broc Pearson shuffled all the way back to eighth.
Glenn Allerton moved past Halliday and up to fourth late on lap one. Max Stauffer went down early on lap two.
Around the back of the circuit for the second time and it was still Herfoss leading Jones, Waters and Allerton but little separated that quartet as they started to inch away from Halliday.
Herfoss the first to dip in to the 12s, a 1m12.975 on lap three but Jones was still right with him. Looming large only inches behind that pair was Josh Waters and the McMartin Racing Ducati was looking the best it has all weekend. Allerton and Halliday were trying to stick with that trio, while Sissis was looking to join that party…
A 1m12.869 for Jones next time around a new fastest lap of the race, but Herfoss went one better next time across the stripe with a 1m12.692.
Mike Jones then went through to the lead early on lap six and immediately pulled ground out of the Penrite Honda, but both riders put in slower laps that time around, presumably after tripping each other up, Herfoss only recording a 1m13.5.
The leading trio had now stretched away from Allerton and Halliday. Further back Arthur Sissis in sixth had Bryan Staring, Anthony West and Broc Pearson in close company, that battle unfolding seven-seconds behind the leaders as the race reached half-distance.
Herfoss back into the 12s next time around to close back onto the ducktail of the YZF-R1M. The next lap Herfoss took the lead back from Jones. Waters had by now started to lose touch with that duo but then ran on at turn one next time around, perhaps with some sort of problem. That mishap promoted Glenn Allerton to third place, Cru Halliday to fourth, Bryan Staring to fifth, and Broc Pearson to sixth. Josh Waters rejoined in ninth.
Up front it was still Herfoss leading Jones as this was now well and truly a two-man contest. Both of them continued to run 12s but Herfoss looked to be using more rear rubber than the Yamaha man. It was going to come down to racecraft and aggression from here.. Mike Jones put a brilliant move up the inside late on that 14th lap to then lead Herfoss down the chute with two laps to go.
Jones led Herfoss around the penultimate lap, the Honda man all over the back of him but the Yamaha and Jones looking oh so smooth… It would have to be a concerted thrust from the Penrite Honda man to get the upper hand, and he did exactly that, pushing Jones wide in the process, they then briefly swapped positions again but Herfoss had the inside line to the next one to take the lead and lead Jones around the back section.
Herfoss leads through the final turns and onto the main straight, he does it, Herfoss the victor, Jones second.
Glenn Allerton a distant third, six-seconds behind that contest.
Cru Halliday fourth, only a second behind Allerton, but with more than four-seconds over Broc Pearson who managed to battle back to that fifth position after what had been a disastrous start to the race from the front row for the youngster.
Bryan Staring crossed the line in sixth place, almost 14-seconds behind the winner after the 16-lap contest. Anthony West six-seconds furthers back in seventh and Arthur Sissis eighth.
Josh Waters salvaged 12-points for ninth after that mid-race mistake while Ted Collins rounded out the top ten a further 20-seconds behind.
With that victory Troy Herfoss is promoted to the championship lead with a slender five-point buffer over Josh Waters. Jones is 55-points behind Herfoss and lost this battle, but there is still a lot of championship points to be had in this series before the war is over…
Superbike Race One Results
Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap |
1 | Troy HERFOSS | Honda CBR RR | 19m35.588 |
2 | Mike JONES | Yamaha YZF-R1M | +0.097 |
3 | Glenn ALLERTON | BMW M RR | +6.026 |
4 | Cru HALLIDAY | Yamaha YZF-R1M | +7.365 |
5 | Broc PEARSON | Ducati P-gale V4R | +11.580 |
6 | Bryan STARING | Yamaha YZF-R1 | +13.834 |
7 | Anthony WEST | Yamaha YZF-R1 | +19.935 |
8 | Arthur SISSIS | Yamaha YZF-R1 | +20.694 |
9 | Josh WATERS | Ducati P-gale V4R | +23.899 |
10 | Ted COLLINS | BMW M RR | +44.344 |
11 | Joshua SODERLAND | Ducati P-gale V4R | +59.522 |
12 | Scott ALLARS | Yamaha YZF-R1 | +59.929 |
13 | Eddie LEESON | Yamaha YZF-R1 | 1 Lap |
14 | Paris HARDWICK | Kawasaki ZX10R | 1 Lap |
15 | Michael KEMP | Yamaha YZF-R1 | 1 Lap |
16 | Michael EDWARDS | Yamaha YZF-R1 | 2 Laps |
DNF | Max STAUFFER | Yamaha YZF-R1 | 14 Laps |
Superbike Championship Points
Pos | Rider | Points |
1 | Troy Herfoss | 237 |
2 | Josh Waters | 323 |
3 | Mike Jones | 182 |
4 | Glenn Allerton | 178 |
5 | Cru Halliday | 162 |
6 | Bryan Staring | 145 |
7 | Ted Collins | 140 |
8 | Broc Pearson | 138 |
9 | Arthur Sissis | 126 |
10 | Max Stauffer | 106 |
2023 ASBK Calendar
2023 ASBK Calendar | |||
Round | Circuit | Location | Date |
R6 | Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit | VIC | Oct 27-29 |
R7 | The Bend Motorsport Park | SA | Dec 1 – 3 |