Mike Jones and the Yamaha Racing Team took day one honours in the fourth round of the Mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship at the Darwin Triple Challenge.
As several ASBK teams embraced the Indigenous round theme, times between the leading three protagonists were close after they each headed the three sessions.
Initially it was series points leader on his McMartin Racing with K-Tech Ducati V4R as he was the best in Practice 1. Then last round winner Troy Herfoss (Penrite Racing Honda CBR) went fastest in session two and snared his best time just before at high-side crash out of Turn 1.
In Practice 3, current champion Mike Jones (Yamaha Racing Team Yamaha YZF-R1) nailed the fastest time of the day with a 1:05.324s flyer which edged out Waters and Herfoss by 0.044s and 0.062s respectively.
The trio headed Glenn Allerton (GT Racing BMW M RR), Cru Halliday, Arthur Sissis and Bryan Staring, all on Yamahas and each in the 1:05s. Then follow Broc Pearson (Ducati), and Yamaha riders Anthony West and Max Stauffer.
Herfoss was not the only one to take a fall during the day. In the morning Ted Collins crashed. In the last several went. Paris Hardwick (Kawasaki ZX10R) lost control out of Turn 5, Eddie Leeson (Yamaha) came off between Turn 9 and 10, and near the end of the session, Halliday slide off at the final corner.
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Waters entered round three at Queensland Raceway with a handy lead, but it was diminished by half as Herfoss won both races. Waters anticipated difficulties there and focused on minimising losses, with two fourth places.
Waters leads the championship on 160 points from Herfoss on 142, Halliday and Allerton on 115, and Jones 104. This round consists of three races with a maximum of 76 championship points up for grabs.
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