The Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul Pirelli fired into life at Phillip Island over the weekend, with the country’s best showcased in front of the international WorldSBK paddock and appreciative fans. CycleOnline.com.au breaks down the specifics from race day.

Superbike

Image: Russell Colvin.

Pole position: Wayne MAXWELL 1m33.102s

Race one results:
1. Glenn ALLERTON
2. Michael JONES
3. Wayne MAXWELL
4. Cru HALLIDAY
5. Troy HERFOSS
6. Michael BLAIR
7. Daniel FALZON
8. Ben BURKE
9. Robbie BUGDEN
10. Matt WALTERS
11. Adam CHRISTIE
12. John HUNT
13. Sloan FROST
14. Ryan HAMPTON
15. Philip CZAJ
16. Peter BERRY
17. Evan BYLES
18. Jason IVKOVIC
19. Adam SENIOR
20. Colin BROOKS

Race time: 15m45.559s
Margin of victory: 0.223s
Laps completed: 10
Fastest lap: Wayne MAXWELL 1m33.074s

Race two results:
1. Glenn ALLERTON
2. Michael JONES
3. Wayne MAXWELL
4. Cru HALLIDAY
5. Troy HERFOSS
6. Michael BLAIR
7. Daniel FALZON
8. Jamie STAUFFER
9. Ben BURKE
10. Brayden ELLIOTT
11. Robbie BUGDEN
12. Matt WALTERS
13. John HUNT
14. Adam CHRISTIE
15. Trent GIBSON
16. Sloan FROST
17. Ryan HAMPTON
18. Philip CZAJ
19. Peter BERRY
20. Adam SENIOR

Race time: 15m42.943s
Margin of victory: 0.354s
Laps completed: 10
Fastest lap: Glenn ALLERTON 1m33.005s

Race three results:
1. Glenn ALLERTON
2. Troy HERFOSS
3. Wayne MAXWELL
4. Michael JONES
5. Ben BURKE
6. Michael BLAIR
7. Jamie STAUFFER
8. Robbie BUGDEN
9. Matt WALTERS
10. Daniel FALZON
11. John HUNT
12. Adam CHRISTIE
13. Trent GIBSON
14. Philip CZAJ
15. Evan BYLES
16. Ryan HAMPTON
17. Adam SENIOR
18. Peter BERRY
19. Ashley MANUEL
20. Colin BROOKS

Race time: 15m45.194s
Margin of victory: 0.033s
Laps completed: 10
Fastest lap: Wayne MAXWELL 1m33.253s

Overall results:
1. Glenn ALLERTON 75
2. Michael JONES 57
3. Wayne MAXWELL 55
4. Troy HERFOSS 52
5. Michael BLAIR 45
6. Ben BURKE 41
7. Daniel FALZON 39
8. Robbie BUGDEN 35
9. Cru HALLIDAY 34
10. Matt WALTERS 32
11. Jamie STAUFFER 27
12. John HUNT 27
13. Adam CHRISTIE 26
14. Philip CZAJ 16
15. Ryan HAMPTON 16
16. Trent GIBSON 14
17. Sloan FROST 13
18. Brayden ELLIOTT 11
19. Evan BYLES 10
20. Peter BERRY 10

Championship standings:
1. Glenn ALLERTON 75
2. Michael JONES 57
3. Wayne MAXWELL 55
4. Troy HERFOSS 52
5. Michael BLAIR 45
6. Ben BURKE 41
7. Daniel FALZON 39
8. Robbie BUGDEN 35
9. Cru HALLIDAY 34
10. Matt WALTERS 32
11. Jamie STAUFFER 27
12. John HUNT 27
13. Adam CHRISTIE 26
14. Philip CZAJ 16
15. Ryan HAMPTON 16
16. Trent GIBSON 14
17. Sloan FROST 13
18. Brayden ELLIOTT 11
19. Evan BYLES 10
20. Peter BERRY 10

Verdict:
Yamaha Racing Team’s Glenn Allerton wasn’t to be denied at Phillip Island and, with YRT confirming over the weekend that it will stay for the entire ASBK series, his 75 points is massive in his bid for a fourth crown. There were plenty of people who could run the pace – the lead group featuring as many as eight riders at times – but nobody was as determined as Allerton when it counted on the final laps. Defending champ Mike Jones’ DesmoSport Ducati debut was positive as he’s quickly up to speed on the Panigale, with second a strong result despite also riding WorldSBK across the week. Pole-setter Wayne Maxwell (Yamaha Racing Team) rallied to third and a bunch of important points, likewise Troy Herfoss (Crankt Protein Honda Racing) in fourth – on a weekend that he called a ‘bad’ one. And there were an assortment of other riders who shined, from rookie Michael Blair (Blair Build Yamaha) to Ben Burke (SA Kawasaki BCperformance), Daniel Falzon (JD Racing Yamaha), Cru Halliday (Yamaha Racing Team) and Jamie Stauffer (Crankt Protein Honda Racing). The latter scored enough points for 11th after his scary Saturday shunt, however the extent of his arm injuries aren’t clear at this point. This season’s shaping up as one of the most competitive on record.

Supersport

Image: Russell Colvin.

Pole position: Troy GUENTHER 1m37.569s

Race one results:
1. Troy GUENTHER
2. Callum SPRIGGS
3. Sam CLARKE
4. Luke MITCHELL
5. Chris QUINN
6. Ben BLYTH
7. Ryan TAYLOR
8. Nic LIMINTON
9. Ted COLLINS
10. Brad SHAW
11. Cam RUSSELL
12. Patrick LI
13. Harrison COX
14. Matt PRICE
15. Shane MAGGS
16. Colin LEWIS
17. Brendan WILSON
18. Rhys BELLING
19. Hayden SPINKS
20. Ben WHITE

Race time: 16m26.716s
Margin of victory: 5.477s
Laps completed: 10
Fastest lap: Callum SPRIGGS 1m37.326s

Race two results:
1. Sam CLARKE
2. Mark CHIODO
3. Ben BLYTH
4. Troy GUENTHER
5. Chris QUINN
6. Kyle BUCKLEY
7. Luke MITCHELL
8. Ryan TAYLOR
9. Robbie MENZIES
10. Ted COLLINS
11. Nic LIMINTON
12. Brad SHAW
13. Cam RUSSELL
14. Callum SPRIGGS
15. Ben WHITE
16. Colin LEWIS
17. Shane MAGGS
18. Jonny TAYLOR
19. Jessica WATKINS
20. Brendan WILSON

Race time: 3m26.485s
Margin of victory: 0.006s
Laps completed: 2
Fastest lap: Ben BLYTH 1m40.551s

Race three results:
1. Troy GUENTHER
2. Callum SPRIGGS
3. Mark CHIODO
4. Luke MITCHELL
5. Chris QUINN
6. Ryan TAYLOR
7. Ben BLYTH
8. Brad SHAW
9. Ted COLLINS
10. Nic LIMINTON
11. Kyle BUCKLEY
12. Robbie MENZIES
13. Cam RUSSELL
14. Patrick LI
15. Shane MAGGS
16. Colin LEWIS
17. Brendan WILSON
18. Rhys BELLING
19. Ryan MASRI
20. Jonny TAYLOR

Race time: 16m21.186s
Margin of victory: 0.360s
Laps completed: 10
Fastest lap: Callum SPRIGGS 1m36.882s

Overall results:
1. Troy GUENTHER 58.5
2. Callum SPRIGGS 43.5
3. Luke MITCHELL 41
4. Chris QUINN 40
5. Ben BLYTH 38
6. Ryan TAYLOR 35.5
7. Sam CLARKE 30.5
8. Ted COLLINS 29.5
9. Nic LIMINTON 29
10. Brad SHAW 28.5
11. Mark CHIODO 28
12. Cam RUSSELL 22
13. Kyle BUCKLEY 17.5
14. Patrick LI 16
15. Robbie MENZIES 15
16. Shane MAGGS 14
17. Colin LEWIS 12.5
18. Brendan WILSON 8.5
19. Harrison COX 8
20. Matt PRICE 7

Championship standings:
1. Troy GUENTHER 58.5
2. Callum SPRIGGS 43.5
3. Luke MITCHELL 41
4. Chris QUINN 40
5. Ben BLYTH 38
6. Ryan TAYLOR 35.5
7. Sam CLARKE 30.5
8. Ted COLLINS 29.5
9. Nic LIMINTON 29
10. Brad SHAW 28.5
11. Mark CHIODO 28
12. Cam RUSSELL 22
13. Kyle BUCKLEY 17.5
14. Patrick LI 16
15. Robbie MENZIES 15
16. Shane MAGGS 14
17. Colin LEWIS 12.5
18. Brendan WILSON 8.5
19. Harrison COX 8
20. Matt PRICE 7

Verdict:
If Phillip Island’s opening round is anything to go by, expect a two-horse race between Troy Guenther (Yamaha) and Callum Spriggs (Kawasaki) in 2016. Funnily enough, they’ve effectively traded brands for the new season, and have quickly got up to speed on their new mounts. Guenther won races one and three in dry conditions, while Spriggs took it to him in the final outing and scored the fastest lap of the weekend in the process. There are many other riders with great potential in the field, including race two winner Sam Clarke in his return to national racing all the way from Western Australia. Add in the likes of Kyle Buckley, Mark Chiodo, Robbie Menzies and final podium finisher Luke Mitchell – plus others on top of that – we have a broad mixture of riders to watch for. It’s going to make for some spectacular racing as the rounds unfold.