In Quotebook, a selection of riders detail how their races played out at the opening round of the 2023 Mi-Bike Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) at Phillip Island.

Superbike

Image: Foremost Media.

Troy Herfoss (Penrite Honda Racing) – Third:
The first race of the year is always so intense, there was some rain and a restart and riders going everywhere but I managed to lead some laps and was really competitive. I came home in second which was a great start to the year. Race two was just as crazy, there were birds on the track so we had another restart and I managed to stay up front and had another good ride, finishing fourth. In race three, I really struggled with grip which was unfortunate but we managed to bring it home in fifth place which meant third overall and now I’m sitting second on equal points with Mike Jones in the championship standings. It’s such a good start to the year and like I keep saying I’m only here to win a championship so I’m really happy with this start.

Mike Jones (Yamaha Racing Team) – Second:
Overall, I’m pretty satisfied with how things went on the weekend. I was able to do my fastest lap around here and I also think one of the races was the fastest I have done over race distance here as well, so I feel I left it all out on the track. The stoppages in the first two races made things a little hectic. Any momentum that you had going was stopped and you had to refocus again and keep your mind in the game. There were crashes, rain, animals on the track but the team did a great job and we secured a good result. Thanks to the Yamaha Racing Team for the hard work in the off season as both Cru [Halliday] and I showed good speed. I’m glad the season is underway and the first round is done. I’m well placed, the team is working hard and we will continue to strive to do our best as the season progresses.

Cru Halliday (Yamaha Racing Team) – Sixth:
On paper, fifth doesn’t look great but I’m confident that my speed, my behind and our team is in a great position moving forward. My starts let me down a little and I know I have said it before, but I needed to get them sorted, but my on-track speed was good, I was able to make quick passes and get my way through the field well. My crash in the first race was pretty scary but after seeing it, I understand what happened and it’s no-one’s fault. I had to avoid two riders and ended up on the dirty side of the track at a speed that was way too fast for making the corner. So, I speared off the track, dragged by foot on the ground to help slow me down as well as much back brake as possible. I couldn’t grab the front or I would have went down. My feet and toes are sore, but I will be ok and ready to go for the next round. Next round is at my home track at SMSP so I’m excited for that one as I will have plenty of friends and family there and we were on the pace at the recent test.

Josh Waters (McMartin Racing Ducati) – First:
The perfect way to start the season with Pole position, to win all three races and break both qualifying and race lap records was just awesome. A huge thanks to my team, the effort everyone puts in helped me achieve these results.

Ted Collins (Livson Racing BMW) – Fifth:
Round one of ASBK was great for us and a very positive start to our season. We ended up equal fifth overall for the round, but most importantly, myself and the team have learnt so much this weekend. We have a lot to improve on moving forward, but now we have the season underway I’m excited to keep this positive moment going. Again, a massive thank you to the Livson Racing team for their efforts over the last few weeks.

Max Stauffer (GTR MotoStars Yamaha) – 16th:
Well, what was looking to be such a great weekend didn’t turn out so great.. after being taken out of the first two races in racing incidents, race three saw me drop back quickly due to a front brake issue and finish in 10th. I can only take away the positives from the weekend and get prepared for the next one at Sydney Motorsport Park.