Local claims Bayliss Classic

The inaugural Pixado Troy Bayliss Classic went off with a bang on January 19, with about 5000 fans treated to a full card of flat track racing featuring some of the biggest names in Australian motorcycle racing.

Persistent drizzle a day after Sydney recorded its hottest day on record delayed racing until about 3:00pm and forced organisers to condense the full program of junior, senior and star-studded legends races in the 2013 Coates Hire Twilight Racing event at Taree’s Old Bar circuit.

But it didn’t stop local flat track hotshot Michael Kirkness claiming an emphatic victory over a who’s who of two-wheeled motorsport in the Legends and All Stars feature race on the 500-metre oil-based flat track.

The 27-year old Wauchope native, who won two Australian Dirt Track Championships before heading to North America to contest the AMA Pro Flat Track series in 2009, swept past the only other ‘non-legend’ wildcard to qualify for the 12-lap all-stars race, Jarryd Oram, on lap four and was never headed.

Oram finished third after being passed on lap seven by Goulburner Troy Herfoss, a multiple Australian dirt track and supermoto champion, who is also the AMA supermoto champ and X Games silver medallist.

Brainchild of the event, triple Superbike world champion Troy Bayliss, came home fourth after crashing on the super-slick oil surface at the end of first lap, causing a restart.

Before the red flag came out Broc Parkes came together with Herfoss, bending a brake disc and preventing him from finishing higher than sixth – right behind Paul Caslick, a winner of 15 Australian dirt track titles.

Seventh home was dual Australian superbike champ Jamie Stauffer, who also has 21 national dirt track titles to his name, ahead of Taree local Damian Cudlin, who has won five Australian dirt track titles and has competed in everything from world endurance to MotoGP.

Australian superbike stars Josh Brookes and Josh Waters (who has also won 23 Australian dirt track titles) rounded out the top 10 while MotoGP rider and 2003 world supersport champion Chris Vermeulen and Taree local and Honda Superbike rider Josh Hook failed to finish.

Not included in the final but still showing plenty of flat track speed was a bevy of former dirt track stars, including MotoGP star Randy de Puniet, Australia’s most successful speedway rider Jason Crump, five-time Australian motocross champion Stephen Gall, off-road racing legend David Armstrong, triple Aussie motocross champ Anthony Gunter, triple Australian superbike champ Shawn Giles, former world 500cc racer Garry McCoy, motocross and supercross hero Barry Cockle, Australia’s most decorated flat track racer Chris Watson, Australian superbike front-runner Wayne Maxwell, Aussie enduro stars Chris Hollis and Toby Price, three-time Finke Desert Race winner Phil Lovett and Aussie motocross and endure legend Vaughan Styles.

Although rain cut short the full program of events, Kirkness defeated Herfoss in the Pro Open final, Herfoss beat Kirkness in the Unlimited Solo final, Oram beat Kirkness in the MX Open final and Hook won the Pro Lights final.

“It was great to see such a strong crowd considering the weather, I think it has been a successful first event,” said Bayliss. “I’ve been really happy with the invited riders – they made themselves available to the fans and raced hard on the track.

“I’ve been overwhelmed with the fans’ support on Facebook and Twitter, and the riders sure sound like they enjoyed it too. I’m already working in making next year’s Troy Bayliss Classic even better.”