It’s difficult to believe we have just one round remaining in the 2016 Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul Pirelli and, as we thought it would, this one’s going down to the wire at Winton in October.

Morgan Park was a good weekend, the atmosphere made for a great round and the performance of Troy Herfoss was something to see. We said he’d need a strong haul of points going into the round if he’s to remain in the hunt, which is exactly what he did.

When Herfoss left Western Australia in June, he had hoped Morgan Park would suit his CBR1000RR SP, but wasn’t completely certain. But Crankt Protein Honda Racing delivered a winning package, an updated rear Pirelli tyre worked a treat and Troy – four kilos lighter than Barbagallo! – was flawless.

It was the first time he’s ever absolutely dominated a full weekend in the ASBK and it was nicely timed, as the championship is now well and truly on the line. And it was even better to do it with the likes of Mick Doohan, Paul Feeney and more legends looking on during Sunday’s proceedings.

Image: Keith Muir.

But now’s time for the biggest hurdle of all to come and Winton is shaping up to be a battle of the ages when it comes to domestic racing. Regardless of Herfoss pushing his Honda to the limit in the FX round there last year, Maxwell and the Yamaha were too strong when it counted – winning all three of the championship races.

The frustration was evident back then because although Winton is a tighter type of circuit, the way bikes accelerate and then power down those pair of relatively lengthy straights goes a long way to getting a result. And there’s no doubt, the R1M is faster.

This year we have to consider the tyres though, because unlike in the FX series that was the premier title to win last year, the ASBK has an open tyre policy. Herfoss is on Pirellis and Maxwell is on Dunlops, so depending what’s more suited to Winton, that could throw another spanner in the works to tip the advantage either way. And don’t rule out Glenn Allerton.

Maxwell wasn’t satisfied at all on Sunday afternoon in Queensland, aside from the fact that he managed to salvage a pair of second places. He partially dislocated his shoulder on the Saturday, which didn’t cause him to lose the race by any means, but what was more clear was that Morgan Park just wasn’t suited to the Yamaha’s modern characteristics.

While Maxwell was frustrated, teammate Allerton was just as annoyed with his weekend. On paper third was actually really good considering he started from row three of the grid after missing Superpole, but slipping back to 11 points behind means he has little choice but to win at Winton unless something out of the ordinary happens to Maxwell and Herfoss.

Allerton struggled with a back injury through much of the round, which affected his style and personal performance on the bike in some sectors, and that’s not the type of track you can get away with being tentative. Especially with the front group going so fast this season.

Image: Keith Muir.

What was even moreso critical for Allerton was that although he was third overall, privateer Yamaha rider Daniel Falzon passed him for position late in race and so did factory Yamaha teammate Cru Halliday in race two. There was only two points in that, but they could make all the difference when the final flag falls at Winton.

Factor in that DesmoSport Ducati’s Mike Jones never really did get going at his home round, which could have upset the points tally even more. Come Winton, as long as they have the Panigale running cleanly for both races as we suspect they will, he could be the cat amongst the pigeons for the title.

So it’s all coming down to the one round and although we have to wait for some time between now and then, we’re anticipating a heck of a battle to decide the championship. Australian racing is on the up and up, from both the on-track and off-track perspectives.

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