The opening round of the 2016 Swann Insurance Australasian Superbike Championship took place at Sydney Motorsport Park on Saturday. CycleOnline.com.au was there to cover the action, including this first Breakdown feature of the year.

Superbike

Image: Keith Muir.

Pole position: Matthew WALTERS (via AFX-SBK round win)

Race one results:
1. Matthew WALTERS
2. Robbie BUGDEN
3. Michael BLAIR
4. Ben BURKE
5. Paul BYRNE
6. Mathew HARDING
7. Brendan McINTYRE
8. Liam WILKINSON
9. Beau BEATON
10. Dane PURCELL

Race time: 10m55.633s
Margin of victory: 3.961s
Laps completed: 7
Fastest lap: Matthew WALTERS 1m32.425s

Race two results:
1. Matthew WALTERS
2. Michael BLAIR
3. Robbie BUGDEN
4. Ben BURKE
5. Paul BYRNE
6. Beau BEATON
7. Brad SWALLOW
8. Mathew HARDING
9. Brendan McINTYRE
10. Liam WILKINSON

Race time: 10m54.262s
Margin of victory: 0.193s
Laps completed: 7
Fastest lap: Michael BLAIR 1m32.454s

Race three results:
1. Ben BURKE
2. Matthew WALTERS
3. Michael BLAIR
4. Robbie BUGDEN
5. Paul BYRNE
6. Beau BEATON
7. Brad SWALLOW
8. Mathew HARDING
9. Liam WILKINSON
10. Brendan McINTYRE

Race time: 10m52.926s
Margin of victory: 0.037s
Laps completed: 7
Fastest lap: Michael BLAIR 1m32.155s

Superbike overall results:
1. Matthew WALTERS 73
2. Michael BLAIR 62
3. Ben BURKE 61
4. Robbie BUGDEN 60
5. Paul BYRNE 48
6. Beau BEATON 42
7. Mathew HARDING 41
8. Brendan McINTYRE 37
9. Liam WILKINSON 36
10. Jason IVKOVIC 30

Superbike championship standings:
1. Matthew WALTERS 73
2. Michael BLAIR 62
3. Ben BURKE 61
4. Robbie BUGDEN 60
5. Paul BYRNE 48
6. Beau BEATON 42
7. Mathew HARDING 41
8. Brendan McINTYRE 37
9. Liam WILKINSON 36
10. Jason IVKOVIC 30

Verdict:
With the factories absent for 2016, new contenders emerged at the very front of the field in Sydney and it was Kawasaki Connection Repsol’s Matt Walters who was the class of it all. Walters was seemingly untouchable in race one, winning by a few seconds, however his opposition narrowed that margin in race two. Come race three it was Ben Burke who denied Walters a sweep for the weekend, also bumping himself up onto the overall podium in the process. Splitting the Ninja ZX-10Rs was Yamaha-mounted rookie Michael Blair, charging to second overall and setting the quickest race laps in races two and three. With a host of quality competitors ready to race for victory, this series will be an entertaining one to follow all season long, including a mixture of machinery featuring within the top 10. Expect the likes of Robbie Bugden, Paul Byrne and Beau Beaton to really strengthen their attacks in the coming rounds as well.

Supersport

Image: Keith Muir.

Race one results:
1. Kyle BUCKLEY
2. Mitch LEVY
3. Cambridge OLIVIER
4. Mark CHIODO
5. Jordan CARLSSON
6. Ryan MASRI
7. Hayden SPINKS
8. Matthew SHIPP
9. Michael KNIGHT
10. Gregory THEARLE

Race time: 11m16.082s
Margin of victory: 0.277s
Laps completed: 7
Fastest lap: Mitch LEVY 1m35.338s

Race two results:
1. Kyle BUCKLEY
2. Mitch LEVY
3. Cambridge OLIVIER
4. Michael KNIGHT
5. Mark CHIODO
6. Jordan CARLSSON
7. Ryan MASRI
8. Hayden SPINKS
9. Matthew SHIPP
10. Warren GIBB

Race time: 11m16.704s
Margin of victory: 0.382s
Laps completed: 7
Fastest lap: Cambridge OLIVIER 1m35.777s

Race three results:
1. Kyle BUCKLEY
2. Mitch LEVY
3. Cambridge OLIVIER
4. Mark CHIODO
5. Jordan CARLSSON
6. Samuel MULDOON
7. Hayden SPINKS
8. Ryan MASRI
9. Warren GIBB
10. Gregory THEARLE

Race time: 11m19.798s
Margin of victory: 0.536s
Laps completed: 7
Fastest lap: Cambridge OLIVIER 1m35.929s

Race four results:
1. Mark CHIODO
2. Kyle BUCKLEY
3. Mitch LEVY
4. Cambridge OLIVIER
5. Samuel MULDOON
6. Ryan MASRI
7. Jordan CARLSSON
8. Hayden SPINKS
9. Gregory THEARLE
10. Warren GIBB

Race time: 11m17.267s
Margin of victory: 0.132s
Laps completed: 7
Fastest lap: Mark CHIODO 1m35.417s

Supersport overall results:
1. Kyle BUCKLEY 98
2. Mitch LEVY 86
3. Cambridge OLIVIER 78
4. Mark CHIODO 77
5. Jordan CARLSSON 61
6. Ryan MASRI 57
7. Hayden SPINKS 54
8. Gregory THEARLE 44
9. Bernie RUSSELL 39
10. Warren GIBB 34

Supersport championship standings:
1. Kyle BUCKLEY 98
2. Mitch LEVY 86
3. Cambridge OLIVIER 78
4. Mark CHIODO 77
5. Jordan CARLSSON 61
6. Ryan MASRI 57
7. Hayden SPINKS 54
8. Gregory THEARLE 44
9. Bernie RUSSELL 39
10. Warren GIBB 34

Verdict:
Judging by the results sheet it looks as though SA Kawasaki BCperformance rider Kyle Buckley had it all his own way in Sydney, winning all but one race across a very long couple of days. But it was harder fought than first appears. Buckley was no doubt the best of the weekend and won the round as a result, however he had the likes of Mitch Levy and Cambridge Olivier nipping at his heals the entire way. Levy was a picture of consistency slotting in behind Buckley in each race, while Olivier impressed with the fastest laps of the race in the second and third outings. Come the fourth and final race, a switch of machinery saw Mark Chiodo come out swinging, claiming the final race win of the weekend and also the quickest lap of race four along the way. Like the Superbikes, there are some exciting fresh faces on the podium for the 2016 season.