Waters wins Superbikes Darwin Race 1

Josh Waters has won Race 1 convincingly from pole at the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul fourth round at Hidden Valley.

He rode his McMartin Racing with K-Tech Ducati V4R to a 1.27s victory over Troy Herfoss (Penrite Honda Racing Honda CBR RR) and Glenn Allerton (GT Racing BMW M RR) while four placed Mike Jones (Yamaha Racing Team Yamaha YZF-R1M) was in the three-way battle for second position throughout.

The cousin of Supercars Ford Mustang driver Cam Waters, who earlier scored pole position for this afternoon’s Supercars race, led throughout while setting a new lap record.

“My team made me look good. We will go back and try and make the bike faster for the next race,” Waters said.

Allerton started well and was second right on Waters’ rear wheel for five laps. He was passed early on the sixth lap by both Herfoss and Jones. The three ran line astern for the next eight laps before Allerton slipped back past reigning champion Jones.

Herfoss thought he had the bike to take the fight to Waters. “We weren’t good enough – we missed something. It is a bit frustrating as he ko’d me,” Herfoss lamented.

Similarly so Allerton thought he was a great chance. “At the start I thought I was in the box seat to win as I could match Josh. But the tyre went away, and it got slippery, and then I was forced wide and lost places.”

Ten seconds adrift was Bryan Staring (MotoGo Yamaha Race Team) who had to see off the close attention from Arthur Sissis (Yamaha) and Anthony West (Yamaha). Ultimately West who started ninth would place sixth ahead of Sissis who battled with a wrist injury that kept him out of the previous round.

Cru Halliday (Yamaha Racing Team) dropped from his fifth starting position to eighth in the end, and just in front of Max Stauffer (Yamaha). Then followed Ted Collins (BMW M RR), Matt Collins (Aprilia RSV4), Broc Pearson (Ducati) and Jack Davis (Suzuki GSXR) who lost places after the start when he ran off at Turn 1.