Australian Superbike Race One – MotoGP
By Trevor Hedge
Troy Herfoss got the holeshot as Australian Superbike racing got underway at a sunny Phillip Island MotoGP at 1705 this afternoon.
Herfoss led Stauffer and Glenn Allerton for the first lap of eight around the 4.4km circuit. That trio quickly started to break away as Daniel Falzon tried valiantly to stay in touch with his three vastly more experienced Superbike peers.
Allerton took second place from Stauffer at turn four on lap two, and then took Herfoss at the end of the main straight as they started lap three. Stauffer then took Herfoss at Southern Loop and the Team Honda riders started to trip each other up a little, which looked to perhaps be playing into Allerton’s hands.
Herfoss again got the better of Stauffer and nearly took Allerton in an awesome move on the change of direction at The Hayshed, nearly, but not quite. Allerton kept position and led the two Honda men around turns 11 and 12, the Honda Fireblade’s seemingly not losing much ground to the new Yamaha down the chute.Â
Stauffer again got Herfoss at Southern Loop while Allerton continued to lead. Falzon and Mike Jones had actually closed the gap back down to that leading trio as they fought for position.Â
Herfoss took the lead from Allerton at turn one as the leading group grew to a tightly packed bunch of five riders. Allerton took the lead again around the back of the circuit while Stauffer pushed Herfoss back to third place once again. Wayne Maxwell joined the group to then make it a bunch of six riders tussling for the win.
Stauffer was all over the back of Allerton through turn 12 as Mike Jones, then Daniel Falzon pushed Herfoss back to fifth place.
Jamie Stauffer went artound the outside of Allerton at Lukey Heights but Allerton again fended off the advances of the Kurri Kurri based rider.
As they got the last lap board Mike Jones slipped past Stauffer up to second place. Stauffer got him back into Southern Loop. Allerton maintained the lead through The Hayshed with Stauffer all over the back of him, Jones right there also and Falzon not out of the mix.
Jamie got up the inside of Allerton in turn 12 to take the lead, Allerton did everything he good to get the lead back but was a little wide onto the main straight, kicking up dust on the side of the circuit, losing him his chance for the win as Jamie Stauffer powered to a closely fought victory by a nose over the Yamaha man. Â
Mike Jones a strong third place with Daniel Falzon only a bike length behind in an excellent fourth place, the most impressive outing we have yet seen from the South Australian since his move to the Superbike ranks. Â
Less than four-tenths of a second covered that leading quartet after the eight lap race distance. Maxwell a further half-a-second behind in fifth place, with a few bike lengths buffer over sixth placed Herfoss.Â
Team Honda and Mike Jones Pirelli shod this weekend while the Yamaha riders all running Dunlop rubber.
The second Superbike race will take place first thing Saturday morning.
Australian Superbike Race One – MotoGP
- Jamie Stauffer
- Glenn Allerton 0.042
- Mike Jones 0.170
- Daniel Falzon 0.347
- Wayne Maxwell 0.899
- Troy Herfoss 1.102
- Cru Halliday 8.265
- Ben Henry 17.013
- Adam Christie 31.00
- Linden Magee 39.30
