ASBK stars use QRRC opener at QLD Raceway for testing

2023 Queensland Street Racing Championships

With Craig Mayne and Trevor Hedge
Pictures by Endorphin Media

Queensland Raceway hosted an excellent opening spherical of the 2023 RACE and ROAD Ricondi QLD Street Racing Championships (QRRC) final weekend. The second spherical is scheduled to be held at Morgan Park Raceway in October. Subsequent yr’s season will see an expanded collection with plans to race on the new Townsville facility.

As typically is the case at QLD Raceway, bikes aren’t the one quick machines on supply.  With its shut proximity to the RAAF Amberley airbase additionally, you will typically see fighter jets and varied different Air Power property overhead, as spectators did final weekend.

The entry numbers had been boosted by numerous high stage ASBK rivals taking the chance to make use of the occasion for testing functions.

First time title sponsors RACE and ROAD Ricondi bought behind this QLD occasion to assist make it an excellent expertise for the entire racing group.  With over $2,500 in prizes kindly donated from RACE and ROAD and Ricondi all through the weekend, their continuous help to the highway racing group shone by.

Anthony West was not solely racing on the entrance within the Superbike Class – battling it out with Troy Herfoss, Mike Jones and Broc Pearson – he was additionally piloting the Hooked on Monitor 2UP Superbike pillion expertise.

Herfoss was supremely quick over the weekend however, like Mike Jones, he selected to sit down out the declared moist races which noticed him pipped for the general spherical win by Anthony West.

Anthony West and Michael Edwards confirmed on Saturday afternoon how fast they might be within the moist with “Pops” Michael Edwards proper on Westy’s again wheel for the complete race.

Troy Herfoss was dominant over the weekend within the dry however ended up in P2 behind Ant West for the weekend after selecting to not contest the moist race on Saturday afternoon.

Herfoss recorded the quickest lap of the race in every of the three races he contested and gained. The Penrite Honda man was half-a-second faster than Mike Jones in each races on Sunday. Profitable the Sunday morning race by eight-seconds over West, and the ultimate race of the weekend by five-seconds over Jones.

Josh Waters didn’t race the occasion however did trip the Friday follow day on the McMartin Ducati and was trying very quick certainly.

One other fascinating improvement was seeing John Lytras, the reigning ASBK Supersport champion, campaigning a largely commonplace Yamaha YZF-R1 in banana yellow to compete within the Superbike class. Lytras didn’t disappoint and was in a position to full the weekend in P7, he additionally sat out the Saturday afternoon’s moist race.

Within the SuperSport Class Sean Condon continues to impress with three wins from 4 races.  Sadly the Sydneysider low-sided into Flip Six on Saturday and thus recorded a DNF in that second race of the weekend.

Hayden Nelson from Taree is certainly one to observe for the upcoming rounds of ASBK within the 600 ranks after ending second for the spherical in Supersport and profitable the Manufacturing 400 class.

Different notable performances in Manufacturing 400 class had been Cameron Swain, Casey Middleton and Glenn Nelson.

Cameron and Casey will compete within the SuperSport 300 class at SMP subsequent week whereas Glenn Nelson will step again on to the SuperSport bike.

Sadly, there have been solely 4 entries within the Sidecars, despite the fact that the numbers had been low the racing was fierce, notably between Phil Underwood/ Tristan Vercoe and Stacey Sellar / Nieta Wright. These two outfits battled exhausting all weekend.

The Underwood/Vercoe outfit went out on slicks on Saturday’s moist race. Sellar/Wright spun out in T3 early within the race however had been in a position to catch as much as Underwood/Vercoe however had been once more handed by them.

With a final ditch effort Sellar/Wright made for a giant cross down the again straight to once more spin out in T3 giving Underwood/Vercoe the win.

Sadly, on Sunday in R12 the Sellars/Wright staff had been combating traction notably in T1/T2 and seemed a bit sketchy. In R18 issues bought a bit sketchier and Neita Wright took a tumble off the sidecar and ended up being injured. Preliminary experiences urged a damaged Tibia/Fibula.

There have been a lot of nice particular person performances within the Pre-Trendy, Pre-2k and Interval 6 courses over the weekend. It doesn’t matter what the class or bike everybody was having a go.

Lisa Campbell – aka GoSpeedy28 who’s the CEO of RACE and ROAD and Ricondi, bought to expertise first hand Ant West in motion on her 2Up thrill trip.  Nerves of metal, or simply nuts, there was a lot pleasure and no hesitation to leap on the again of the superbike with Ant and maintain on for expensive life.

Ant entertained the gang and his fellow racers, together with his superb abilities in dealing with the superbike with a pillion rider, while fetching high speeds down the straights doing wheelies.

As Lisa describes it, “Arms down, one of many BEST experiences I’ve ever had.  Lastly doing 1m18’s round Queensland Raceway whereas doing epic wheelies. Though I’ve raced and do monitor work, I had NO IDEA of the insane energy, psychological late braking, the G-forces and thrill of those superbikes. An enormous eye opener in each side. Mega respect to Ant.”

This 2UP expertise was an excellent addition to this QLD Occasion.  Coupled with the standard of entries, implausible venue, nice ambiance, we noticed countless smiles from everybody on the RACE and ROAD Ricondi QLD Street Racing Championships.  Spherical Two will likely be at Morgan Park in October.

On Sunday, not lengthy after lunch, as typically occurs in Queensland, the heavens opened up with a reasonably ferocious storm that put an finish to all proceedings and the occasion was reduce quick. Phil Underwood of Sidecar fame summed it up “That’s Racing” as he sat in his pit with a river of water passing by.

2023 Queensland Street Racing Championships

Pictures by Endorphin Media