Penrite Honda Racing press release:

Goulburn fan-favourite Troy Herfoss will make a welcome homecoming at Wakefield Park in New South Wales this weekend when round two of the 2018 Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) takes place between 16-18 March.

Herfoss, who grew up in the region prior to relocating to the Gold Coast, currently sits third in the standings following a strong opening round at Phillip Island in what was his debut with the brand new factory Penrite Honda Racing team.

Winner of the 2016 and 2017 ASBK rounds at the technical 2.2-kilometre circuit, he’s confident of repeating once again this season following a rewarding two-day test in Goulburn last week. Supremely match-fit and always ready to rise to the occasion at ‘home’, Herfoss will be one to watch in Sunday’s pair of 20-lap races.

“It’s going to be a good weekend for Penrite Honda Racing and I’m looking forward to it as always,” commented Herfoss. “The past four years have been really good for me at Wakefield Park despite a little bit of bad luck here and there, but generally we can get a lot out of the bike there. We’ve just got to put our heads down, hope for some good weather this year and I’d like to make the most of the weekend in good conditions.

“Being up-front is always important at this round, you need a good starting position and if you make a mistake there, you’re usually in the gravel-trap – there’s no room for error. I like it though, it’s a tough track and it’s really physical, which is where we seem to be pretty strong at the moment. We completed a number of race-runs at the test and the bike is working well, so it’s making my job a lot easier. We’re really starting to fine-tune things now working with the K-Tech Suspension, so it’s good to get the regular season underway.”

Penrite Honda Racing team manager Shaun Clarke, who has worked closely with Herfoss through his career at Honda, is also confident that the success in transitioning to K-Tech Suspension is becoming increasingly evident. And although Wakefield Park has historically been kind to the 2016 champion, Clarke is certain that it will be just one of many circuits where the team will feature at the front of the field in 2018.

“Things are heading in the right direction and the track has changed some more since last year, being a little bit bumpier again,” Clarke explained. “We’ve been working on the K-Tech Suspension to see what we can extract on top of the base-settings, so by the end of the test we found some positive options. Troy was basically on lap record pace, so with the track going away and his times being where they were, we’re really confident going into round two.

“As long as we approach the race weekends in the right manner, I believe we will gain strength as the season goes on. Wakefield Park is a track that Troy is very good at, being from Goulburn and racing in front of his family and friends. In saying that though, it’s not the only track that we expect to be competitive at and we’re really looking forward to taking what we’ve learned to every track on the calendar this year.”

Sunday’s race-day action will be live-streamed on the official ASBK series website at www.asbk.com.au from 9:30am local time (AEDT), as well as being aired live on SBS and Fox Sports from 1:00pm in an expanded broadcast package for the 2018 season. Follow Team Honda Racing on Facebook and @teamhondaracing on Instagram/Twitter for direct updates throughout the round.

Meet Troy Herfoss from the Penrite Honda Racing team in the ASBK Rider Meet and Greet at Goulburn Square from 5:00pm on Thursday, 15 March 2018.