There’s plenty on the plate this week in Cycle Central, from MotoGP to EWC and the ASC back on home soil. 

Source: Red Bull KTM Ajo

‘That’ move on Miller in Argentina

They say ‘rubbing’s racing’, but I challenge any Aussie who stayed up to watch Jack Miller in Moto3 not to have felt a pang of frustration when he was denied of a third win by an ambitious dive-bomb pass on the final corner.

Miller took it in his stride, though annoyed, and still banked good points for third, further bolstering his lead.

It’s clear he’ll have a battle on his hands with Honda this year, who have ironically found the speed they were lacking when he was in a position to deliver them race wins.

In any case, he is doing a great job and shining a spotlight on Australia once more.

24 Hour Endurance Marathon at Magny-Cours

The first Endurance World Championship round of the year threw up plenty of surprises and obstacles, probably none moreso than the eventual winner, SRC Kawasaki. This is the team that had no reserve rider, and then had one of its three pilots hospitalised with serious back injuries from a crash just over 24 hours prior to the race. The two fit riders, Gregor Leblanc and Nicolas Salchaud, shouldered the load and shared almost the entire race between them with Matthieu Lagrive chipping in when required to.

Aussie riders’ results were up and down, with Gareth Jones the only local finisher for Team RC2L in seventh. Mechanical issues and crashes affected the remaining six riders.

Source: Yamaha Austria Racing Team

Maxwell under injury cloud

Continuing on from the above comes the news that 2013 ASBK champ and current ASC title challenger Wayne Maxwell was seriously injured in a high-side crash in the first stanza of the Bol d’Or.

Maxwell was flicked from the Yamaha Austria Racing Team R1 in a violent high-side, with early reports suggesting he has sustained a broken leg. He arrived home late yesterday and we’re hoping to catch him for some further updates as to his condition in the next day.

With the next round of the ASC at Mallala just over two weeks away, it will be a vital few days to determine the extent of the injuries and estimate the recovery period involved.

ASC Mallala entry lists filling fast

As of yesterday evening, 116 riders had signed on for the second round of the Australasian Superbike Championship as it makes its anticipated return to Mallala Motorsport Park on the outskirts of Adelaide.

According to the ASC website, this is approximately 20 entries more than what was received in lead-up period to round one at Wakefield Park, a promising sign.

A quick glance over the Superbike lists show that Yamaha are only pushing forward with three entries at this stage, following Kevin Curtain’s retirement after round one.

There’s also the question of Maxwell’s fitness, which will be answered in the next few days, I’d imagine. Troy Herfoss would be a logical stand-in there after capably subbing for Josh Hook who was injured ahead of round one.

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