Maxwell roars back into ASBK contention

Yamaha Racing Team’s Wayne Maxwell has thrust himself right back into championship contention after a weekend (April 29-30) of domination at round three of the 2017 Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) at Victoria’s Winton Motor Raceway

After claiming pole position on his YZF-R1M, 34-year-old Maxwell defeated Robbie Bugden (Kawasaki ZX-10R) and Cru Halliday (YZF-R1) in the opener, and then reigning champion Troy Herfoss (Honda CBR1000RR-SP) and Halliday in race two.

Herfoss was the pacesetter in both races for the first 11 laps before Maxwell blasted into the lead on both occasions.

“The Yamaha YZF-R1M was a great package this weekend,” said Maxwell. “To be able to do those lap times one after another is no mean feat. The guys at Yamaha Racing Team have given me a great bike to go racing on this weekend. The bike and the tyres were consistent. I just tried to hit a number and stuck to it.

“I’m so happy to come away with pole position yesterday and the double race win as it’s a nice way to repay back the team for all of their hard work. The team and I are going to have to try and keep that momentum going into the next round and for the rest of the season.”

Privateer Daniel Falzon (YZF-R1) still leads the championship on 139 points from Maxwell (130), Herfoss (130), Bugden (125) and Bryan Staring (CBR1000RR-SP), Josh Waters (Suzuki GSX-R10000R, 85), Halliday (84) and Kyle Buckley (ZX-10R, 68).

Teenager Ted Collins (Yamaha YZF-R6) leads the supersport title by 26 points over Mason Coote (YZF-R6) after his double win at Winton.

WINTON RESULTS AND STANDINGS ACROSS ALL CLASSES

The ASBK title now heads to Darwin’s Hidden Valley Raceway from July 6-9.