Image: Marc Jones (Foremost Media).

Yamaha Racing Team’s Wayne Maxwell scored the inaugural Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) race win at The Bend Motorsport Park this afternoon.

The YMI Superbike race was initially short-lived when Kawasaki-mounted privateers Sam Lambert and Lucas Vitale came together at turn six, causing a red flag and subsequent restart – the race reduced to nine laps as a result.

Local Arthur Sissis (SA Demolitions Suzuki) stunned by leading into turn one on the restart, before Troy Bayliss (DesmoSport Ducati) stormed into the lead under brakes into six. Both Maxwell and Josh Waters (Team Suzuki Ecstar) made their way by prior to the completion of the opening lap.

Maxwell made the move into the lead under braking into turn one on lap four, with the field tightening up directly behind him. With 2013 champion Maxwell in the lead however, both he and Bayliss began to sprint away, making it a two-rider race with four to go and that’s how they finished – Maxwell the victor by 1.103s.

Penrite Honda Racing’s Herfoss, on a charge after a mistake off the line that made for a disastrous start, posted the fastest lap of the race with a record on lap two at 1m52.972s. He circulated in fifth for some time, but finally managed to work his way into third by race’s end ahead of South Australian Daniel Falzon (Yamaha Racing Team) and Waters.

Positions six through 10 were completed by standout Suzuki-mounted privateer Sissis, Alex Phillis (Phillis Racing Suzuki), Glenn Allerton (Next Gen Motorsports BMW), Jamie Stauffer (Craig McMartin Racing Ducati) and Matt Walters (Swann Insurance Kawasaki).

A pair of additional notable retirees in the race were former points-leader Bryan Staring (Kawasaki BCperformance) and national Supersport champion Ted Collins (Next Gen Motorsports BMW), each entering the pits toward the closing stages.

Detailed results