Yamaha Racing Team talent Cru Halliday shone at the second round of the Swann Series at Mallala, battling up front and registering a podium against the sport’s heavyweights. CycleOnline.com.au caught up with Cru to get his thoughts on a handful of random topics, both related and unrelated to racing.

Image: Alex Gobert.

The success of Jack Miller…

I think it’s unbelievable. To have another Aussie at that level is fantastic. It’s great for the fans, especially for the Aussies, because now they have someone else to root for. He’s young so we’ve got a lot of time to watch him grow into Moto2 and MotoGP later down the track. You hear a lot of the guys that are making it to that top level having gone through the MRRDA so its got to be doing them all a lot of good. Young kids coming up through the ranks is what Australia needs. It’s definitely a bright future for Miller and best of luck to him.

Josh Brookes taking on road racing…

Track riders are definitely different to TT riders. I reckon Josh did a fantastic job. I’ve known him for a while and he’s just got that mindset. Not everyone with ability is able to jump back and forth between categories, but if anyone can do it he is the one. There are extra risks, I definitely wouldn’t be doing it. It’s going to be interesting to see if he keeps going that way and where he ends up in the future.

Taking on ASBK champion Wayne Maxwell…

I reckon it’s sick. Everyone wants to compete at that top level and he, as the ASBK champion, is one of the benchmarks. If you’ve got two different series then you’re not really racing against the top guys. It’s unreal now that it’s one series and it’s just going to test out who is the best in the business. Battling with guys like Maxwell and [Glenn] Allerton and [Jamie] Stauffer, is awesome. I remember entering racing in 2009 and that was the big challenge. It’s sick battling with Maxwell there and there is that extra motivation to want to beat him also.

Yamaha’s rumoured return to WSBK…

I definitely think they need to come back. There’s lots of rumours out there about this new bike, but I can’t really say much on it because I don’t know myself. But Yamaha being back in the world series definitely needs to happen. I know there’s lots of fans out there that support the brand and these people would love to see them back on the grid.

Image: Keith Muir.

Cycling passion…

I started cycling about the same time I started road racing. There’s big gaps in road racing and it’s just another competitive sport that is helping me to stay fit for Superbikes. And it’s also just keeping me dialled in and focused so I’m not getting lazy between rounds. It’s a bit of fun, and all the guys around town do it. The more you do it, the better you get and start to get pretty serious about it. But in the back of the mind Superbikes are the number one priority.

What the sport would be without social media….

I honestly reckon it’d be boring. Instagram is unreal, I follow all the guys on there, Maxwell, Allerton, Josh Hook. Everyone’s putting funny stuff up or bike related stuff up or what they’re doing for training. It just keeps everyone involved. It’s good for sponsors to get them out there too. Social media is definitely a good thing. A lot of riders use it and it wouldn’t really be the same sport without these kinds of insights.

Impressions of Mallala…

Seriously, at first I hated it. I hated it in ’09. I tested there two or three weeks prior, and hated it then. I crashed in Friday practice and hated it even more. But then when I get a result like I did, I really don’t know what I think of the joint. It is a good track layout. I think walls are a little close to the track. But other than this, I guess it’s good. And it’s good to go back there as it expands the series even more. Bring on other tracks.

Tracks to include on the ASC calendar…

The best thing that could possibly happen would be to stay away from tight tracks like Wakefield. I don’t honestly think it’s a track for Superbikes, especially when you’ve got 15 guys with times within half a second. I don’t think it’s such a great idea going there. I’d like to see tracks like Phillip Island, Barbagallo, and even Hidden Valley, which was an awesome track, back on the calendar. And even Tassie. But in saying that you’ve got to look at budgets for the privateer guys too so it will be a bit of give and take.