All eyes are on Phillip Island this weekend as the second and final round of the Australian Superbike Championship plays out. It’s slightly bizarre to think a series that only a few years ago was held over up to eight rounds could be done and dusted in just two, but that’s the way it has played out this year.

2014 will be remembered as a difficult year for the Motorcycling Australia-sanctioned series but the stats will still show the names of deserving champions. Competitors committed and invested in their respective campaigns and its only circumstantial that the number of rounds be cut short.

The smart money in Superbikes is on Glenn Allerton. No disrespect intended, but it is hard to look past the two-time ASBK champion, even with his struggle with recovery from a knee operation. Allerton showed at the ASC event at Queensland that he’s approaching peak form, and the fortnight since that event will only have served to improve his fitness more.

Of course there’s a lot on the line for the riders in the top five or six, too. Finishing runner-up in the Australian championship is no mean feat, so expect to see two hard-fought races.

In the Supersport ranks Daniel Falzon has a fairly safe buffer, but expect him to be pushed all the way by Aiden Wagner, and pending full fitness, Michael Blair. With Callum Spriggs out, the race at the front will be missing a worthy challenger for the title.

Entry lists have definitely filled out since our last Cycle Central and indeed entries are still open until close of business today. All going to plan we’ll bring you a bit more of an in-depth look at the final round with a few words from the ASBK’s event manager tomorrow.

Going global now, but with a local link, Dorna has just announced an application period of just over a month for Aussie and New Zealand riders looking to participate in the Asia Talent Cup.

Not made available to our local riders in its inaugural year, the series expansion proves a prime opportunity for Aussies with overseas aspirations to go racing without the difficulty and expense of relocating or commuting to Europe.

The series offers identical Honda NSF250R Moto3 bikes and will compete at a host of venues in the Asian region, against top talent from a number of countries.

With Dorna’s evident push towards Asia, this is a great opportunity for Aussies weighing up options. It has a heavyweight backing, and also allows access to renowned talent scout Alberto Puig, who is best known for his partnerships with Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa.

A pre-selection event will take place at Sepang in late October, with the field for next year to be taken from the top performers.

We couldn’t finish up today without a look at another highly-entertaining grand prix weekend at the Sachsenring. Inclement weather again played a part and resulted in that flurry of riders switching to alternate bikes following the warm-up lap.

Source: MotoGP.

It was bizarre to see riders muscling five wide for a starting spot at the exit of pit lane, and fortunately everyone was able to find their way to the first corner without incident.

Despite the headstart handed to local Stefan Bradl it was Marc Marquez who again steamrolled his way through to a relatively easy win. I’m fast running out of adjectives to describe Marquez, and I have to think I’ll be making up words as the season continues.

A great win for Jack Miller in Moto3 also, his fourth of the season and a vital one to keep his points lead intact.

After his strong start to the season it looked like Miller’s rivals may have had his measure, but a cooler head has prevailed lately and he’s been there when his main challengers haven’t. There’s still plenty of hope that he might see out his final year in the third-tier class as champion.

That’s a wrap for this week. Keep up to date with the latest news and updates on our social media channels by searching ‘CycleOnline’ on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.