It was a particularly eventful visit to the Sunshine State, with controversy and clashes at various times throughout the weekend. On track the racing was fast and fierce, away from it there was plenty of emotion and issues to delve into. Here are our top 10, in no particular order.

Image: Brian Dyer.

Premier class parity
With Queensland Raceway one of the constants in amongst the variables of past years, it was expected that the characteristics of the track would be easy to fit to the strengths of each bike and brand. The BMW HP4 certainly came into its own on the long straights, with the horsepower advantage easily visible on the straight run from turn two to three. The Kawasaki ZX-10R is another with a bucket of power out of the box and it too proved quite strong in this regard. While the Honda package may not have had top power, what it did have was a general level of consistency and good steady settings for both the flowing corners and hairpins. All in all it equalled a fairly good level of parity, though Yamaha was perhaps not as competitive as we would have come to expect, especially given its outright lap pace.

Dunlop tyre controversy
Tyres were the talking point on Saturday after overheating problems were seen in a widespread scale up and down pitlane. New Dunlop national motorcycle and motorsport manager Sabastian Mincone was on hand, confirming concerns with tyre construction that led to series officials permitting the use of an extra tyre. Saturday’s race one winner Glenn Allerton and his team would elect to sit out the second race after severe blistering showed on the tyre after the opener. Confusion followed, with Allerton fitting a new tyre for the final race and again coming under scrutiny for an apparent performance gain as a result. An initial lap time-based penalty applied would then be retracted, ultimately not changing the outcome of Sunday’s qualifying order as Allerton’s quickest lap had come in race one. For CycleOnline’s complete coverage of this story, click here.

Maxwell, Condon, Allerton clash
With every race offering a swag of points, Sunday’s race one crash involving Wayne Maxwell, Sean Condon and Allerton proved extremely telling in determining not only round honours but also changing the title race. On lap six the Bikebiz Ipone Swann Insurance Racing Kawasaki of Condon crashed into Team Motul Honda’s Maxwell, who essentially collected Next Gen Motorsports BMW’s Allerton in the process. It was an extremely awkward crash and would ultimately cause Condon to DNF, with Maxwell and Allerton resuming but at the tail of the field. Tension came close to boiling point in the pits, with Maxwell involved in heated discussions with Condon’s crew. It was a tough outcome for all involved and the greatest cost came at Maxwell’s expense, with the former points leader dropping off the top rung of the ladder as a result of a topsy turvy weekend.

Herfoss’ first Superbike win
Troy Herfoss brings plenty of talent to Team Honda’s four-prong Superbike attack and the weekend proved particularly defining for the New South Wales-based rider who broke through for his first win on Saturday. Herfoss pushed Allerton all the way in the opener, ultimately losing out by just a tenth of a second. Herfoss hit back in race two, this time leading teammate Maxwell over the line. He seemed set for a second win in Sunday’s final 10-lap stoush but would be defeated in a drag race to the line by the BMW of Allerton. The disappointment was evident for Herfoss, who can be proud of a solid run of results with the factory Honda effort. It’s easy to forget that Herfoss initially teamed up with the Paul Free-run team in a replacement nature early on after an extended period off the bike; he’s certainly earned his stripes and we’re expecting that he’ll win a handful more before the season’s done.

Hook claims the overall
A consistent showing from Team Honda’s Josh Hook saw the ultra-talented young gun earn his first round win in the Superbike class. Hook held his nerve against experienced rivals, a handful of whom were his teammates, to earn three podium finishes and boost himself to top pointscorer for the day. The results are good reward for Hook who continues to fight tooth and nail to recover from his round one non-start due to injury.

Image: Toby Lynch.

Supersport rivalries erupt
There’s no love lost between the Yamaha Supersport front-runners and Queensland Raceway once again illustrated the competitive nature of this intriguing rivalry. Saturday’s FX races belonged to Morris, who swept the pool, before Falzon returned fire on Sunday, taking all three wins. There was next to nothing separating the pair, with the final race producing its own share of controversy on the final lap. A touch between the pair through the turns four and five complex saw Falzon edge ahead and hold on for the win. The pair naturally offered differing opinions on the incident in the post-race interview, with the issue simmering for some time after. Both riders were summoned to the race office later in the afternoon, though it doesn’t appear any action in terms of penalty was applied. Keep an eye on this battle which will undoubtedly pick up where it left off at Winton. On top of that, a heated argument was had when Wagner confronted Falzon with displeasure on his own account post-race outside the JDR pit!

The Honey Badgers…
We knew Queensland Raceway was Bugden territory but it was particularly apparent come Sunday with an incredible groundswell of support on the sidelines. Sporting white and blue ‘Honey Badger 24’ shirts, upwards of 70 fans got behind the Brisbane born and bred rider, taking up their usual post at turn three to celebrate with Bugden post-race. The Bugden cardboard masks, complete with eye cutouts, were a great touch. Good job guys!

Callum Spriggs injured
The home round for Brisbane-based rider Callum Spriggs proved particularly punishing, with the young gun losing hold of his Supersport points lead after a nasty crash on Saturday. Spriggs had been running competitively in the third race before a brake failure heading into the final turn sent him into the gravel trap. He sustained a broken collarbone in the fall, along with a detached lung, sidelining him from action for the rest of the weekend. It’s not only a blow for the teenage talent but for the class as well, with a front-runner removed from the mix for at least the short term. With Winton a month away, he’s hoping to be on track for round four.

Female riders flock to Ninja Cup
Another healthy grid for the popular Ninja Cup saw three female riders making up the 21-rider field in Queensland. The production class is growing in popularity, with riders appreciating the clarity and cost-effective nature of the one-make class. Sophie Lovett shone with a superb third place overall, while Di Jones was a regular top five runner. Rounding out the class was New South Wales-based rider Julie Klinker who continues to improve as her experience increases.

Fierce winds buffet riders
It’s hard to pick the weather at Queensland Raceway. A winter morning will always be particularly cold but once the sun begins to belt down it’s not uncommon for the temperature to rise by up to 20 degrees. The sun shone down last weekend but an unusually strong wind would cause various headaches for riders. It was consistently strong, with significant gusts sweeping across the circuit. There was plenty of comments from riders who mentioned