CycleOnline.com.au pulls out the microscope and takes a closer look at some of the giant-killers and disappointments from the opening round of the 2016 YMF Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul Pirelli at Phillip Island.

Hit

Image: Russell Colvin.

Glenn Allerton: He came, he saw and he conquered. Yamaha Racing Team’s Glenn Allerton started the 2016 season with a bang, taking home all three wins in what was an incredibly strong domestic field. Historically Allerton is a confidence rider and when he has momentum on his side, he’s very difficult to beat in the closing laps of any race – as he displayed at Phillip Island. The likes of Herfoss and Maxwell won’t roll over though, so keep your eyes peeled for one of the most entertaining and hard-fought campaigns on record.

Mike Jones: Since the conclusion of last year’s ASC series in Sydney, it’s been a massive step in the career of Mike Jones. Armed with a factory-backed Ducati 1299 Panigale S, the 22-year-old reigning champion was superb on a weekend where he also raced WorldSBK. There’s still some work to be done on his set-up – stability was a concern at the Island – but he’s already displayed his potential on a brand new bike to him and the new-look DesmoSport team.

Troy Guenther: As the lone Supersport rider featured in this article, now Yamaha-mounted Troy Guenther was supreme at Phillip Island. We saw flashes of brilliance throughout his first full season last year, but he’s most certainly taken the next step on the R6 and will be a true threat for the crown in 2016. As long as he can keep his consistency in tact alongside the more experienced Callum Spriggs, this will be a fascinating six rounds to witness in the second tier division.

Miss

Image: Russell Colvin.

Jamie Stauffer: We picked him as the pre-race favourite for the win, but Phillip Island once again bit the Crankt Protein Honda Racing rider hard on WorldSBK weekend. That catastrophic crash in race one almost ended his event altogether, but the veteran marched on to score points in races two and three for 11th overall. Now, he has to get his arm examined closer, and hopefully we will see him back for Wakefield Park at the end of this month.

Robbie Bugden: There’s been a major ammount of interest in the comeback of Robbie Bugden at SA Kawasaki BCperformance, however he never really did manage to challenge at the front of the field at round one. It’ll take time to settle in back at race pace and also while dialling in the new ZX-10R, but regardless of the series he will want to be beating teammate Ben Burke.

Matt Walters: Like Bugden, Walters was making his first appearance on the latest ZX-10R in the ASBK opening round, but largely had a difficult time in getting up to speed across the race week. A 10-12-9 results sheet landed him 10th overall, but no doubt he would have liked to race for the higher positions. It’s early days and there’s more to come, so lets not write him off just yet.