News 17 Aug 2018

In-form Bayliss sets Friday Morgan Park ASBK benchmark

Halliday edges Toparis on combined Supersport practice times.

Image: Russell Colvin.

DesmoSport Ducati’s Troy Bayliss has set the benchmark in Friday practice ahead of this weekend’s fifth round of the 2018 Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) at Morgan Park.

Bayliss lit up the Queensland circuit in the third and final 30-minute session this afternoon, his 1m12.923s lap-time the lone rider to dip beneath the 1m13s bracket. The three-time world champion led Troy Herfoss (Penrite Honda Racing) and Josh Waters (Team Suzuki Ecstar).

Current points-leader Herfoss was quickest in the second session, but finished just over a tenth outside of Bayliss following day one, marginally ahead of defending champion Waters. Fourth came FP1 pace-setter Wayne Maxwell (Yamaha Racing Team), as his teammate Daniel Falzon completed the top five – the final rider in the 13s.

Former title winner Bryan Staring (Kawasaki BCperformance) was sixth on combined times, as top of the rookies Ted Collins (Next Gen Motorsports BMW) impressed in P7. The top 10 was filled by Alex Phillis (Suzuki), Kyle Buckley (Kawasaki BCperformance) and Matt Walters (Swann Insurance Kawasaki). In 11th was Arthur Sissis, first time out on the ER Motorsport-prepared Honda, followed by Mark Chiodo (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and the returning Corey Turner (Honda).

In the Kawasaki Supersport class it was championship leader Cru Halliday (Yamaha Racing Team) who set a new best lap of 1m14.994s to edge Cube Racing’s Tom Toparis (Kawasaki) for the top spot, followed by Callum Spriggs (Yamaha) as he makes his return to the grid, albeit a full second from the leading pair.

Fourth was former World Supersport regular Lachlan Epis (Kawasaki) and fifth came Kiwi Damon Rees (Honda). Back on the bike for the first time since The Bend, Broc Pearson (Yamaha) slotted into sixth, with Max Croker (Suzuki), Chris Quinn (Yamaha), Giuseppe Scarcella (Kawasaki) and Rhys Belling (Yamaha) rounding out the top 10.

It was Queenslander Locky Taylor (Yamaha) on top in the Supersport 300 field with a 1m24.513s, a touch ahead of Harry Khouri (Yamaha) and Seth Crump (KTM). Taylor also led the way in the YMF R3 Cup at 1m24.619s, from Callum O’Brien and Max Stauffer. Meanwhile, leading the way in the GP Juniors Cup was Joel Kelso at 1m41.125s ahead of Stauffer and John Lytras (Yamaha).

Detailed results

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