* Last update at 4.10pm

Moto Online is live at the Phillip Island round of both the Australian and World Superbike Championships, bringing you updates sporadically throughout the day of the news coming directly from the circuit.

SATURDAY

Suzuki's Phil Tainton and Perry Morrison with Mack's Gary Bone

Mack and Suzuki
Mack Trucks handed over the keys to a new hauler for the Team Joe Rocket Suzuki squad this morning, with Mack senior vice president of sales and marketing Gary Bone handing the keys over in a special presentation to the team. The New Breed Mack Trident prime mover features an MP8 500 horsepower engine, 18-speed transmission, 46″ sleeper with aero kit, and alloy wheels. It sets another bench mark in the ASBK paddock.

Australian Supersport Race One
The opening race of this year’s Australian Supersport Championship saw defending champion Jamie Stauffer starting from pole, although it was Judd Greedy who stormed away at the start on his privateer Suzuki to lead the early laps. Greedy was soon caught by Yamaha’s Bryan Staring, while Stauffer was in a lonely third. The battle to watch was between Scott Charlton, Troy Herfoss and Ben Attard in the race for fourth. Brodie Waters and Mitchell Carr crashed out together mid-race. Staring eventually took the lead and narrowly took victory, with Greedy an impressive second ahead of teammate Stauffer. Attard made his way past both Herfoss and Charlton in his Kawasaki debut on the new ZX-6R, with the trio finishing that way at race’s end. Full results can be found at Computime.

World Supersport Qualifying
Former World Champion Kenan Sofuoglu has scored pole position in the opening Supersport World Championship round of the year, qualifying ahead of Spaniard Johan Lascorz in the new ZX-6R’s debut, reigning champ Andrew Pitt, and rookie Yamaha star Cal Crutchlow. Second fastest Aussie behind Pitt was Garry McCoy on his triple cylinder Triumph, qualifying eighth and looking strong over race distance for tomorrow’s race. Mark Aitchison was ninth in his Honda debut, with Ant West in 12th position as he re-enters the Supersport class after a season in MotoGP. Russell Holland was 21st, with Shaun Geronimi 28th in his debut with Suzuki in the world championship. Speaking with Pitt in the pits after qualifying he’s concerned of tyre life over race distance, which could favour McCoy on the smooth triple. It’s going to be a close one.

Spies leaves the garage on his way to Superpole

World Superbike Superpole
The all-new Formula One style Superpole made its first appearance at the Island today with sensational rookie Ben Spies qualifying on pole position with a blistering 1:31.069 lap time, edging out Italian Max Biaggi in Aprilia’s return to the category. Fulltime rookie Jonathan Rea was third on his Ten Kate Honda, with Jakub Smrz rounding out the front row. First Aussie was Broc Parkes in his return the SBK racing, finishing a promising second after making it through to the second Superpole stint.

This year’s Superpole sees the top 20 riders enter for the opening 12 minute stint, before the bottom four are dropped out if the session. Then another 12 minute session takes place with 16 riders, with the bottom 8 riders cut from the session. The final 12 minute session takes place with the fastest eight riders, deciding the grid for the weekend’s races. Troy Corser didn’t make it past the first stint on the BMW despite being fifth in the regular qualifying session. He ended up 17th on the grid. Brendan Roberts was 21st in his SBK debut, while Karl Muggeridge was 25th in his first ride of the year – he had zero testing coming in to the season on his Celani Suzuki.

Check out worldsbk.com for the full rundown of today’s action.

Australian Superbike Race One

Motologic Honda's Maxwell leads teammate Allerton in ASBK

The all-new Yamaha R1s lead the field away with brother Dan and Jamie Stauffer as many of the World Superbike contingent looked on fresh after Superpole. That was before Wayne Maxwell stormed through the field in his return to SBK racing, moving from fifth on lap one to third at the end of lap two, and then leading from lap three onwards over the 10 lap duration. Defending champion Glenn Allerton lead lap two and then finished second once Maxwell went past, ending the race 1.756 in arrears of his Honda teammate.

Josh Waters was third in his return to SBK racing with Suzuki, finishing ahead of teammate Shawn Giles and top privateer Craig Coxhell. Kevin Curtain was sixth in his first race on the ZX-10R Superbike. The Yamaha Stauffer duo dropped to seventh and eighth, with Jamie getting the better of Daniel. Rounding out the top 10 was Robert Bugden and Chris Trounson, who is under the Motologic tent this season.

Australian Supersport Race Two
The second race of the Supersport class for the weekend saw Judd Greedy and Ben Attard quick starters, before the Yamahas of Jamie Stauffer and Bryan Staring came through. Greedy and the Yamahas went on to battle for the remainder of the race, with Greedy holding them off over the line on the final lap to pick up a well deserved victory. Ben Attard was fourth at race’s end, with privateer Christian Casella getting the better Troy Herfoss and Scott Charlton in another close battle.

Check back for more tomorrow.

SUNDAY

Australian Supersport Race Three
The third and final race of the weekend saw Judd Greedy and Bryan Staring battling for victory again, with rain falling lightly just past the mid-point of the race causing the pair to slow the pace around two seconds per lap. After trading the lead throughout, Staring drafted Greedy to the line to win by a scant 0.011sec to take the race and overall victory, leaving privateer Greedy to take second after a top weekend – the pair touched on the run to the finish line. Ben Attard rode his Kawasaki to third in the final race and snatched third overall on the podium from Jamie Stauffer, who buttoned it off once the rain began to fall for a safe seventh in the final outing. Troy Herfoss was an impressive fourth after Attard got the better of him in the race for the line. Herfoss finished fifth overall. Fifth in the final race was Scott Charlton ahead of Cameron Keevers, with Charlton securing sixth overall.

Australian Superbike Race Two
Damp conditions greeted the riders for the opening race of the day, with Wayne Maxwell again leading them away chased by Suzuki’s Josh Waters. Yamaha’s Superstock rider Pat Medcalf crashed on the opening lap on turn eight. Kawasaki’s Kevin Curtain pulled into the pits early on in the race. Daniel Stauffer and Glenn Allerton were engaged in the battle for third after Allerton recovered from wheel spin on the line, while Shawn Giles was just ahead of Craig Coxhell and Jamie Stauffer. Waters passed Maxwell for the lead and began to stretch a lead before the halfway mark. The field was spread out by lap five, with no real battles going on apart from Giles catching Allerton to challenge him and make a move in the closing stages. Allerton made the move back a few laps later, although all eyes were on Dan Stauffer, who caught and passed Maxwell for second place behind race winner Waters. There will be one more race this afternoon at 2.25pm.

World Superbike Race One
Jonathan Rea lead them away but the big news was Superpole winner Ben Spies running off the circuit at Southern Loop in his Superbike debut, rejoining at the rear of the field. Noriyuki Haga made an amazing start to slot in behind Rea before overtaking for the lead and engaging in a battle for the lead with hard charging German Max Neukirchner. Ryuichi Kiyonari crashed out on lap one, while Karl Muggeridge and Broc Parkes soon pulled into the pit lane with machine troubles.

Meanwhile Spies moved his way through the field, in 16th with five laps left to run. Max Biaggi made a slow start from the front row, remaining outside the top 10 for much of the race while Troy Corser improved to eighth from a disappointing qualifying position yesterday. Yukio Kagayama made it two Suzukis in the top three, slotting in behind Haga and Neukirchner.

Haga won in a thrilling final lap, with Neukirchner just 0.032 behind, while Kagayama was third ahead of Michel Fabrizio. Fifth was Jonathan Rea, ahead of Leon Haslam and Regis Laconi. Corser was a great eighth on the BMW, getting the better of the top Aprilia in Max Biaggi in 11th. Spies finished up 16th, just out of the points.

World Supersport Race
The opening round of the Supersport World Championship was a close one with three Australians finishing in the top six, but it was former champion Kenan Sofuoglu who spoiled the party for the home favourites, taking victory over defending champion Andrew Pitt by just 0.060 – forming a one-two finish for the all conquering Ten Kate Honda team. The big surprise was ex-MotoGP rider Anthony West, fighting through from 12th on the grid to finish a fantastic third – missing out on the win by just wheel lengths. Mark Aitchison finished sixth, while Garry McCoy was 14th on the Triumph 675 triple.

Australian Superbike Race Three
Like the Supersport World Championship race, a dry circuit greeted the ASBK stars for the final race of the weekend and it was once again a battle between Motologic Honda teammates Wayne Maxwell and defending champ Glenn Allerton – the pair streaking away from the field from the beginning. Allerton was able to challenge Maxwell throughout the race, the pair trading the lead throughout in the closest ASBK race of the weekend.

In the end Allerton was able to seal the race victory by just 0.011, celebrating on the cool down lap in what was a confidence builder for the defending series champion. Today’s earlier race winner Josh Waters was third in his return to Superbike racing, edging out teammate Shawn Giles and Craig Coxhell.

Since only today’s races counted for championship points, Waters took the nod for the weekend overall ahead of Allerton and Maxwell, whose victory in the opening race yesterday didn’t count for championship points.

Visit Computime for a full rundown of results from the domestic racing over the weekend.

World Superbike Race Two
Yamaha’s Ben Spies made amends for his mishap in race one by leading them for the opening laps before Nori Haga made his move, while Max Biaggi, Michel Fabrizio, and Leon Haslam all battled within a second of each other. Haga started to break away but Spies went with him, as did Biaggi in an amazing debut for Aprilia and its new RSV4.

Spies then made the move back past Haga into turn one on lap ten. Shane Byrne then crashed out at Honda corner, the Englishman getting up unscathed. Fabrizio then started coming strong in the closing stages, joining the battle for the lead. Spies and Haga then stepped up the pace and began to pull a margin on the Italian challengers.

The race one podium-placing Suzukis weren’t in the battle this time, with Max Neukirchner sitting in seventh and Yukio Kagayama in ninth. In the end it was Spies who took a popular victory, leading home Haga by 1.286, with Haslam taking a superb podium for Stiggy Motorsport Honda in their debut in SBK. Regis Laconi was eventually fourth ahead of Michel Fabrizio, while Neukirchner was sixth ahead of Jakub Smrz and Kagayama. Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes rounded out the top ten.

Biaggi dropped back to finish 15th after running off the circuit latye in the race, while Broc Parkes was 18th in his WSBK debut for Kawasaki. Fellow Aussie Brendan Roberts was 19th, while Karl Muggeridge was 21st and Troy Corser was 22nd on the BMW S 1000 RR.

Check out WorldSBK.com for the final results for the weekend and championship points. That’s all from Phillip Island!