In a rebranded feature for the 2017 Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) presented by Motul Pirelli, CycleOnline.com.au assesses the Hits and Misses following a heap of action-packed races across the Phillip Island race weekend.

Hit

Image: Keith Muir.

Daniel Falzon (Caterpillar JD Racing Yamaha) – Superbike, first overall:
Pole and three wins marked an immensely good start to the season for the South Australian privateer. Not only did he win though, he pretty much controlled the races the entire way against the most high-profile factory guys in the country. This is a major head-start in the standings and he could run away with the title if his rivals don’t put a stop to his streak at Wakefield.

Robbie Bugden (Kawasaki BCperformance) – Superbike, second overall:
As the reigning Australasian champion, we knew that Bugden was going to be ultra-competitive, however he was probably even better than we expected. Armed with a ZX-10R, Dunlop tyres and a truck-load of experience, the Queenslander believes he’s in the hunt for the crown and we can’t argue with that.

Mason Coote (Mason Coote Racing Yamaha) – Supersport, first overall:
Let’s be honest, you didn’t choose Coote to win the Supersport round. And neither did he! But, despite over a year on the sidelines and out of the sport, he came back and defied the odds for the round win. Most impressive was when he claimed the final race win of the weekend.

Miss

Image: Keith Muir.

Wayne Maxwell (Yamaha Racing Team) – Superbike, fifth overall:
Disaster struck Maxwell early in the season, when he crashed at turn four on the opening lap of the opening race. He managed to remount and salvage 17th, which helped him grab fifth overall for the round. Those four points scored could be even more important come the end of the season when it counts.

Glenn Allerton (Yamaha Racing Team) – Superbike, eighth overall:
Like Maxwell, the last thing Allerton wanted to do at round one was crash out of a race. That’s what he did in the second leg on lap one, in turn one, and with little reason for why it happened. Now he’s already 41 points down on round winner Falzon, so consistent results will be vital moving forward.

Callum Spriggs (DesmoSport Ducati) – Superbike, 22nd overall:
We hate to include the quick young rookie in this group after what was a trying weekend for he and the team, but there’s no doubt that he’d have been hoping for more. It all came down to the issues he encountered in qualifying, forcing him to start from P36 on the grid in every race, but aside from that he was quite good. Look for much more at Wakefield.