Image: Foremost Media.

Double title-winner Mike Jones has reaffirmed that his factory-backed Yamaha YZF-R1M is competitive enough to challenge for the Mi-Bike Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) after switching from DesmoSport Ducati’s V4R.

Jones made a strong start to the 2022 season at Phillip Island’s opening round over the weekend, claiming third overall with 3-4 finishes in what marked his reunion with Yamaha Racing Team after a decade away.

The Queenslander narrowly missed the front row during Saturday’s qualifying sessions, launching from fourth position on the grid and the first race saw him finish third, just behind new teammate Cru Halliday after keeping him under pressure until the chequered flag. P4 in the second outing secured a round podium.

“I’m stoked with the weekend, coming to Yamaha and coming away from the first round with a third-place is a really solid result,” Jones told CycleOnline on Sunday afternoon, also appearing to benefit from the refined strategy at YRT introduced.

“There’s a lot of adaptation for a rider to go through with a new team and bike especially – I feel like I’m doing a very good job at that and especially the team have a really good handle on the bike – and the job – making the changes required for me to feel better on-track.”

The season-opener was won by Bryan Staring, who was the effective replacement for Jones at DesmoSport Ducati after it downsized to a single-rider team this year, while Oli Bayliss headed to World Supersport. Still, Jones is certain that the R1 is a strong package – YRT also transferring to Pirelli in 2022 – that can contend for the crown.

And comparisons between the YRT bike ridden here in Australia and the title-winning Yamahas globally aren’t a direct guide, considering Toprak Razgatlioglu (WorldSBK champion), Tarran Mackenzie (British champion) and Jake Gagne (American champion) have higher-specification equipment with more modifications over the production model.

“I personally think the Yamaha R1 is a competitive motorcycle to challenge for the championship, particularly against the Ducatis,” he added. “Having ridden the Ducati in the past, I understand its strengths and weaknesses from that bike and, obviously riding the R1 now, I can understand its strengths and weaknesses.

“Knowing that, I believe the Yamaha is capable of it. I know you see it do well around the world, but the specification of the bike is a little bit different, the rules allow them to do a little bit more modification to not just the engine, but also from a chassis point of view.

“And that’s really critical because we are still not allowed to go that far with the chassis, which is a little bit of a hindrance and is probably where the Ducati has a bit more flexibility, with the ability to try a variety of different settings.”

The Panigale has proven the package to beat in the hands of triple ASBK champion Wayne Maxwell in recent seasons with the privately-operated Boost Mobile Racing with K-Tech team, capturing both the shortened 2020 and 2021 titles.