Image: Russell Colvin.

Team Honda Racing rider Wayne Maxwell has emerged as the man to beat at the 2014 Swann Insurance Australasian Superbike Championship after a superb day out at Winton.

Maxwell claimed a win and two seconds from his three races to take the round win, and increase his lead at the top of the overall championship standings.

After a disappointing opening race where he finished fifth, Josh Hook (Team Honda Racing) hit back with a second and third to claim second spot overall. Fellow Honda rider Troy Herfoss claimed two race wins on the day, but a fall in the dying stages of race two meant he could only manage third outright.

There was an air of anticipation as the opening Superbike race got underway in perfect conditions at Winton. Off the line it was Herfoss who took the lead from his teammate Maxwell, with Yamaha Racing Team pair Robbie Bugden and Cru Halliday easing into third and fourth.

Next Gen Motorsports rider Glenn Allerton did not get the start he would have liked drifting back to sixth, but a wonderful show of speed coming down the straight at the end of the opening lap moved him into third position.

Up front, Herfoss and Maxwell exchanged the lead several times over the first few laps – the latter taking the lead and holding it for a majority of the race.

It was tight racing – very tight, with less than a second between the pair at the end of each lap, while a fair way behind them Allerton had to work extremely hard to hold Halliday, Hook and Bugden at bay.

On the last lap Herfoss made his move, getting past Maxwell and holding onto it to take the race win – completing a perfectly calculated and executed display of riding. Maxwell had to settle for second, while Allerton did extremely well to hold onto third spot ahead of Halliday and Hook.

In the second Superbike race it was again Herfoss who made the most of his pole position on the grid, claiming the early lead from Maxwell, Halliday, Hook and Bugden. A poor start forced Allerton into eighth spot, while Jamie Stauffer (Team Honda Racing) settled into sixth.

Herfoss and Maxwell continued the incredible battle they were having all weekend, and on the third lap Herfross broke his own lap record with a 1m22.548 before Maxwell came through to post a 1m22.365.

Two laps later Maxwell then posted an even faster time clocking a 1m22.287 from second position before moving into the lead on lap six. At that point in the race, Halliday, Hook and Bugden remained in third, fourth and fifth position while just behind them Stauffer was locked in a tight battle with Linden Magee (LMR).

Just as it looked as though Herfoss was going to record another top-two finish, disaster struck on the penultimate lap. Heading into the left-hander at the end of the back straight, he lost his front-end in the middle of the corner and came off, laying the bike down. It took a while for Herfoss to get his bike back up and running, and when he finally did and re-entered the race he was back in 15th.

Maxwell comfortable rode on to take the chequered flag, and on the last lap Hook managed to pass Halliday to make it a Honda 1-2. Halliday had to settle for third, Bugden finished in fourth, and Stauffer rounded out the top five. Herfoss ended the race in 17th while Allerton finished in seventh.

As the lights turned green in the final race of the day, Bugden got a great start, however coming into the first turn he was passed by Herfoss. Bugden’s stay in second position didn’t last very long and within a couple of laps he had been passed by Maxwell, Allerton and Hook.

Maxwell set about catching Herfoss and while the half a second lead seemed small, Maxwell posted the next five fastest laps of the race to chip the lead to 0.239 of a second. Behind them, Hook passed Allerton on lap eight before Maxwell slid past Herfoss on his inside to take the lead just before the last lap.

While another Maxwell win seemed a formality, Herfoss pulled off an incredible pass on the last corner of the race to take the win ahead of Maxwell and Hook – making it a Honda 1-2-3. Allerton finished the race in fourth, while Bugden capped off a consistent day in fifth.

In the overall championships standings, Maxwell holds a 14-point lead from Stauffer – who salvaged seventh overall despite his broken ankle – with Herfoss a further 24 points behind in third and Allerton another nine points back in fourth.

2014 Swann Insurance Australasian Superbike Championship
Round four – Winton, VIC

Overall results:
1. Wayne MAXWELL 69
2. Josh HOOK 58
3. Troy HERFOSS 54
4. Cru HALLIDAY 53
5. Glenn ALLERTON 52
6. Robert BUGDEN 49
7. Jamie STAUFFER 44
8. Mike JONES 36
9. Sean CONDON 34
10. Rick OLSON 30

Championship standings:
1. Wayne MAXWELL 248
2. Jamie STAUFFER 234
3. Troy HERFOSS 210
4. Glenn ALLERTON 201
5. Cru HALLIDAY 184
6. Robert BUGDEN 162
7. Sean CONDON 161
8. Josh HOOK 160
9. Glenn SCOTT 135
10. Rick OLSON 129

Click here for detailed results