Entries for Australian superbikes have topped 50 – the biggest ever entry for superbikes in “computerised” history – including the name on everyone’s lips, the return to racing at age 48 of Aussie icon Troy Bayliss.
Supersport 300 has a healthy grid of 41, Supersport features 21 and the YMF R3 Cup boasts 25 starters delivering a bumper grid for the opening round of the Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul Pirelli (ASBK).
Fans are the winners with back-to-back racing and intense competition from the big grids across all three days. The schedule boasts 15 races, with 12 of the battles for the Australian classes, two races for world superbike on Saturday and Sunday and one world supersport showdown on Sunday.
With the YMI Superbike grid at full capacity for qualifying, the scene is set from the get go for a dog-fight against competitors and the clock to make the start grid of 40 riders for the three, 12 lap national races.
Fergus Cameron, Circuit Managing Director
“I’ve never seen such an incredible field for our Australian category and with 50 starters it will be a battle royale to make the top 40 for racing. The line-up is brilliant with young talent like Daniel Falzon, riders with vast international experience like Josh Waters, Bryan Staring and Alex Phillis, and of course the return of Troy Bayliss. Obviously everyone wants to race him and now they get their chance!”
There’s plenty of ‘chatter’ about the return to racing of the three-time WorldSBK champion, Bayliss, who’s coming out of retirement to compete in the national ASBK championship for the first time since 1997.
Bayliss started to show some form of old in a recent two-day test at Phillip Island, and he’ll have to continue on that same trajectory on his DesmoSport Ducati to keep pace with reigning Australian champion Josh Waters (Team Suzuki ECSTAR Australia).
Further competition comes from front-runners Wayne Maxwell (Yamaha Racing Team), Troy Herfoss (Penrite Honda), Daniel Falzon (Yamaha Racing Team), Bryan Staring (Kawasaki BCperformance), Glenn Allerton (NextGen Motorsports BMW) and Mike Jones (Allsite Concrete Cutting Kawasaki).
Waters is the deserving championship favourite after he came home with a wet sail in the last few rounds in 2017, with his GSX-R1000R producing an irresistible blend of pace and composure by season’s end.
Meanwhile, rookie Mark Chiodo will partner Waters at Team Suzuki ECSTAR Australia, and a clutch of fast privateers are also primed for title action: reigning Australian Supersport champion Ted Collins (NextGen Motorsports BMW), Mason Coote (AARK Suspension Kawasaki), Michael Blair (Yamaha Gosford), Alex Phillis (Suzuki), Matthew Walters (Swann Insurance Kawasaki), Aaron Morris (Yamaha) and Callum Spriggs (Kawasaki), while former junior speedway star and Moto3 rider Arthur Sissis (Suzuki) is a surprise round one entry.
Source: Motorcycle News