Yamaha Motor Australia press release:

The Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) moved to The Bend circuit in South Australia for round three of the series and was also ran in conjunction with round two of the Asian Road Race Championship (ARRC) making for a huge weekend of racing.

Yamaha Racing again did well across all three championship classes with Cru Halliday landing on the podium in the Superbike division, Tom Toparis continuing his winning ways in the 600cc Supersport while Harry Khouri broke through for his first win in the Supersport 300 class.

To view a round recap of the weekend: https://youtu.be/YMMZdKIAh2Q

Yamaha Racing Team – John Redding – Superbikes
“The weekend was mixed from us and provided plenty of challenges for both the riders and the team. For Cru it was his first time at the venue on a Superbike, so he needed time to settle in and get an understanding of what he wanted from the bike while for Daniel it was a home town race for him and that adds plenty of pressure in terms of commitments and expectation.

“Cru finished third with 3-4-3 results and rode well. He was able to manage tyre wear well in each of the three races and with his new found maturity, able to keep himself in contention in the championship with smart racing and consistency. He was fast all weekend and he kept putting himself in good position on the track and was rewarded with a podium for the round. He now is just one point away from the series lead with some favourable tracks coming at the next couple of rounds.

“Daniel had a tough weekend despite showing he had plenty of speed. He qualified well and put his Yamaha R1M on pole position only to be pipped by Mike Jones as the session drew to a close. The intensity of the racing saw him tear up his tyres quickly in the first two races and he wasn’t able to race to his full potential but hung in there for 5-7 results. The final race he went down early and wasn’t able to finish and he ended up 11th for the round and now is seventh in the championship.

“He is very disappointed as he desperately wanted to do well here and he didn’t get the result he wanted but I’m confident he will bounce back strongly at the next round and show this was just a tough weekend for him.”

To view the YRT round recap: https://youtu.be/dlViI-sr2As

YRD – Ian Irving – 300cc/600cc Supersport
“It was a very successful weekend for the YRD riders at Tailem Bend winning both the 300cc and 600cc classes and being well represented on the track and on the podium.

“The 600cc class was again won by Tom Toparis. He won the first two races and looked in total control, but the final race proved to be the most exciting of the weekend when Nic Liminton stepped up and challenged him. The pair raced hard but fair and Liminton snatched the win in the final couple of turns and had the South Australian crowd on their feet.

“It was a sensation race from both riders and a great show case for the Yamaha R6.

“The 300cc class tossed up a first time winner in Harry Khouri. Its always good to see a rider break through for their first round win and Harry was excited about his result, as he should be. He proved to be consistent in a class that sees young riders experience up and downs during the weekend so he was rewarded with the round win with 2-4-3 results.

Other standout riders on the weekend were Olly Simpson who won the opening two races, showing great speed and skill only to register an DNF in the final race. He still managed second on the day. Hunter Ford won the final race but experienced problems in race one which effected his overall result for the round.

Series leader, Max Stauffer had a tough weekend but still holds a comfortable lead after three rounds.

In the six Supersport races contested over the weekend, across both classes, Yamaha won all six and leads both championship points.

To view the Supersport 600cc recap: https://youtu.be/uffDLDys5bs
To view the Supersport 300cc recap: https://youtu.be/qTbfjfk3X28