Features 23 Aug 2015

Cycle 360

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Four rounds are now in the books for this year’s Australasian Superbike Championship, with Queensland Raceway tightening up the action both in terms of the championship and the amount of riders challenging for race victories.

Prior to the round while compiling our Fan Guide, as usual I had to roll the dice in selecting a round winner and by all indications it was the weekend for Glenn Allerton to step up and take his first win of the season – exactly what he went on to do.

Both Allerton’s teammates at Yamaha Racing Team with Yamaha Motorcycle Insurance (YRT with YMI) – Wayne Maxwell and Cru Halliday – had already stood atop the podium at Mallala and Sydney respectively, so it was his time to shine and he did.

Allerton was dominant on Saturday with both race wins and again on Sunday in race one; challenged at times, but ultimately in control along the way. A potential perfect weekend was dashed in race two after Halliday crashed awkwardly and the red flag was thrown.

Image: Keith Muir.

Image: Keith Muir.

From there YRT had to refuel in order to make the distance and because that was done in pit lane, both Allerton and Maxwell were forced to start from pit lane in the final sprint. It was a confusing situation – especially when neither directly acknowledged the team refuelled in the post-race interviews.

But at when all was said and done, the duo finished behind Mike Jones second and third on combined times for a 1-2 overall, so they were happy enough with the weekend and for good reason. Allerton’s performance most certainly puts him in the title hunt, although at this point he still has to overcome both Maxwell and Troy Herfoss in the standings.

It’s a shame that Halliday crashed out of race two because if that didn’t happen, we’d have a four-way fight for the title right now (and we’ve had four different winners across the first four rounds). He’s not exactly out of it, but as I wrote in the Breakdown feature earlier this week it’s going to take consistency and plenty of wins to claw his way back.

Team Honda Racing’s Herfoss and Jamie Stauffer displayed flashes of speed across the Queensland Raceway weekend, but weren’t on the level of the next generation Yamahas if we’re honest. Herfoss did challenge Allerton in race two on Saturday, but aside from that the team wasn’t really a threat.

After sweeping the entire series just last year with the CBR1000RR SP, Honda has had to find ways to improve with the same bike again this season, while YRT goes from strength to strength with the YZF-R1M with little development. And while Honda is counting on the twistier circuits coming up, there’s nothing to indicate that the Yamaha won’t be just as good, if not better.

Still, Herfoss has held onto the championship lead since round one and has barely put a foot wrong throughout the first four rounds. If the Fireblade does prove the class of the field at Wakefield and Winton, he could very well scrape home for this championship at Sydney’s finale – and what a result that would be against such a mix of talent and experience.

Image: Keith Muir.

Image: Keith Muir.

The leading Kawasakis of Mike Jones (Cube Racing), Matthew Walters (Kawasaki Connection) and Sean Condon (Bikebiz Racing) have all shown their strengths at times, which has produced great depth throughout the premier class field when you factor them in as privateers.

It’d be good to see more riders on the Superbike grid after just 12 lined up at Queensland Raceway (there were 20 on the grid there in 2014). There’s no denying it’s one of the strongest fields we’ve witnessed in terms of competitiveness – and the rule set is a part of that – however I’m still of the opinion that there are too many options for Superbike-type bikes to compete in.

Sure, only the C- and D-grade Formula Xtreme class actually has the same spec bike as the premier class (separated for this year), but between Formula Oz and Pro-Twins there are plenty of riders capable enough to race against the best. Easier said than done, obviously, but it would bolster the field in a positive way.

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