Its been an incredibly eventful seven days since our last check in for Cycle Central, presented by Alpinestars. Read on for our thoughts on the state of play in domestic racing plus a quick look at our Aussie stars abroad.

Image: Toby Lynch.

While it’s little secret that the Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) was facing its toughest times, Motorcycling Australia’s (MA) announcement as business came to a close on Friday afternoon was still quite a shock. You have to wonder how this decision was reached. MA is most often deafeningly silent on any political issues, but behind closed doors there has obviously been a series of steps and internal discussions that saw this issue come to a head.

It’s easy to fire off remarks and criticism, but without the facts they really are unqualified. In its infancy, International Entertainment Group (IEG) built the ASBK into a solid sporting brand, with a polished look and feel rivalling any top domestic championship across the globe. The series hit its high point early in the piece, with a large handful of brands investing in the premier class. However ongoing challenges from an economic and technical level chipped away at the series and ultimately have come to a head five years down the track. There is no instant solution to solving this issue. It would be highly unlikely that another party could walk in, flick on the lights and resume racing without inheriting some, if not all, of the problems that plagued IEG.

Early intervention is crucial, and these next six months will be pivotal to the health of the sport, not only for 2015, but for the short and indeed long term future beyond. It’s time for a game plan. Not necessarily a fast-track solution either. I’d be favouring a structure that sets out goals and objectives over three or five years. A SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis will reveal more about the make-up of the series and the hurdles it must clear in order to keep moving forward.

I trust, and hope, that behind the scenes this decision has been made early in the piece in order to plan and prepare for next year. If the Australian Superbike Championship is to provide any real rivalry to the now front-running Australasian Superbike Championship, there needs to be a series of calculated steps and measures put in place. Teams, riders, sponsors and the industry must be shown signs of confidence and optimism if they are to consider committing.

A busy few days for road racing off track will follow with the second round of the ASC at Mallala, marking the much-awaited return of national competition. Wakefield Park, which seems so long ago now, produced some intense racing and intriguing results. The battle will re-ignite this weekend, with plenty of interest surrounding the frontrunners. The factory battle is always a hot topic and there’s plenty to play out in that sense. At round one it was Honda who took the lions share of the spoils, with Yamaha struggling due to external issues with tyres. Both outfits have tested in South Australia and hopefully we will see that anticipated battle play out on more even terms.

Wayne Maxwell will be in the mix despite nursing injury, and Josh Hook is also making his return. There had been a question mark over Glenn Allerton’s health too, but it looks good for the multiple national champ who has shown he can set the pace at the head of this field. The depth of talent in the Superbike field is immense, so much so it is hard to highlight everyone. And that’s certainly not discounting the Supersport field or riders in the other classes, who are sure to produce some good, close action too.

Image: Keith Muir.

Bryan Staring’s career has been a little like a roller-coaster ride of late, from a ride in MotoGP to the sidelines, then back to World Supersport and then the sidelines again. Perseverance has paid off for him with the recent news that he is back in World Superbikes on an EVO-spec Kawasaki. Returning to the WSBK paddock presents a great opportunity for Bryan as he is very well-versed in how the series runs and the tracks it visits. It seems Staring hasn’t completely shaken his run of bad luck yet, however, sustaining a broken arm in a cycling training crash. This will cost him testing time on the Grillini Kawasaki but hopefully he can be race fit for the next WSBK round at Donington.

Could Marc Marquez possibly win all of the first five races of the 2014 MotoGP season? On current form, you’d have to say it’s an absolute possibility, with the Honda rider seemingly a step above his competition every weekend thus far. The weather could be a telling factor, with inclement conditions not uncommon at the French grand prix. Our focus will be on our four Australian riders in the mix, with Broc Parkes (MotoGP), Ant West (Moto2) and Jack Miller and Arthur Sissis (Moto3) all out to make an impact. Miller will be in the spotlight as he looks to defend his points lead in the entry class, and we’ll all be watching with interest to see if Red Bull KTM can turn out a bike that is a little more competitive than it was last time out at Jerez.

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