Jones And Halliday To Ride For YRT Again In 2023
Mike Jones and Cru Halliday will again headline Yamaha Australia’s racing effort in the 2023 Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK), on board the Yamaha YZF-R1M. Both riders return to YRT and look to continue a winning combination that saw Yamaha win the Superbike championship last season.
Mike Jones and Cru Halliday will again headline Yamaha Australia’s racing effort in the 2023 Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK).
The Yamaha Racing Team will spearhead another huge Yamaha presence in road racing, with two cup classes in OJC-R15 and R3 Cup, as well as significant rider support in 300cc and 600cc Supersport divisions. Yamaha Australia continue to a major player in supporting road racing both on and off the track with YRT and YRD supported riders winning nearly $200,000 of Yamaha contingency in 2022. The same passion and dedication flows into the 2023 season with Yamaha still the choice of the majority of Australian road racers at ASBK events.
Jones, the 2022 Australian Superbike Champion, will defend his number one plate with the same winning combination that saw him land the crown in 2022. Jones, the R1M and the YRT crew gelled perfectly last season and after four round wins and two podiums, the 28-year- old Queenslander won the championship by an impressive 53 points over his nearest rival.
The 2022 championship was Jones’ third in ASBK, but his desire for more shows no signs of slowing down and he has continued to work hard in preparation for the new season.
The 2022 championship was Jones’ third in ASBK, but his desire for more shows no signs of slowing down and he has continued to work hard in preparation for the new season. With less than two months between the final round of 2022 and the first test of 2023, Jones has been hard at it and ready to go again for another championship campaign.
“I think had had about a week off after The Bend, spent a few days in Tasmania, then pretty much since then, I have been back to it and working towards the new season,” Jones begins. “I know that John, Kev, Dyllan, and the team will be doing the work now getting things organised for us, so that inspires me to work as hard as them and be ready for the first lap in 2023. The move to YRT has been great for me and to give them their first championship is extremely rewarding. The team has worked hard behind the scenes to make further improvements for 2023 and I was happy to get back on board and sign for YRT again.”
With less than two months between the final round of 2022 and the first test of 2023, Jones has been hard at it and ready to go again for another championship campaign.
“I look forward to the first test at the start of February and the opportunity to race at Sydney Motorsport Park this year is exciting. We have a great range of tracks for this year, and I can’t wait to get things under way,” Jones ends.
Cru Halliday is due to rack up long service leave at Yamaha after agreeing to another season with the Yamaha Racing Team. Halliday had an up and down season in 2022, starting the year strongly with two podiums in the opening three rounds before struggling in the middle of the season but finished the year showing great speed at the final few rounds and continues to show he is a potential race winner every time he grids up. Halliday has been a consistent top five performer over the past few years but a change of personnel around him sees him enter the new season primed and ready to go.
Halliday has been a consistent top five performer over the past few years but a change of personnel around him sees him enter the new season primed and ready to go.
“YRT have made some changes to get some different people around me and I’m excited to work a new enthusiastic crew. I still have a lot to give and yet to reach my peak so my goals for 2023 are high. The bike has been as good as it’s ever been and Mike has proven it is capable of winning on any track, at any time, so now its time to get the job done on the track.”
“I have raced my whole career on Yamaha and its awesome we have been able to extend the relationship another season,” Halliday said. “The season starts at Phillip Island and then we move to SMSP, so two tracks I have done well at and enjoy riding. 2023 will be a great year and its time to step up and reward Yamaha and the team with plenty of podiums.”
The official ASBK test gets underway on February 1 before the opening round roars to life at Phillip Island on Feb 23.
The official ASBK test gets underway on February 1 before the opening round roars to life at Phillip Island on Feb 23. Again, this round will be in conjunction with the WSBK round. The championship will conclude at the final round at The Bend in South Australia on November 19.
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