This weekend’s round of the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship, presented by Motul (ASBK), is the first time since 2018 that the premier national class has visited the challenging Hidden Valley Raceway, and all riders are ready to rumble in Darwin on the magnificent layout.

ASBK head to Hidden Valley for the first time since 2018 this weekend, be sure to catch all the fast pace action.

Hidden Valley may be short in distance at 2.8km, but it is extremely demanding requiring precision, commitment, aggression, and courage from riders for a good lap of the circuit that many consider one of the very best in Australia.

The 1km long main straight starts the challenge, topping nearly 300kmph before the bravery of late braking takes over for the critical turn one. From there it is a charge over the undulating variations of the track to the daunting right-hand, turn five, before another hard braking spot at turn 6, then the charge over the last half of the track through one of the most confronting corners in Australia at turn 10. It is an intense corner to get correct, for the final part of the lap, but extremely easy to misjudge, and run out of bitumen. From there the next three corners are basically straight-lined into the final turn 14 where the drag race begins again.

Cru Halliday - Image by TBG Sport

“The ASBK Championship first visited the track in the late ‘90s and has visited sporadically over the years.”

The ASBK Championship first visited the track in the late ‘90s and has visited sporadically over the years. ASBK returned in 2010 for four successive years before a mid-decade hiatus with a return of all the championship classes in 2017 and 2018. The 12 races over those six visits have produced six different winners, with four of them all in with a chance this weekend, with the most successful rider at Hidden Valley being three-times Australian Superbike Champion, Josh Waters.

Josh was scintillating in his performances when he won five of the six races from 2010-12, riding a Suzuki, although he didn’t race here in 2013 as he was competing in the British Superbike Championship.

Cru Halliday tops Supersport

The championship is anyones hands this year, with all of the previous rounds in 2021 being a close fought battle.

This year, he is racing for Kawasaki BC Performance on a brand new ZX-10R that is in the early stages of development. Waters will no doubt take inspiration from his team-mate’s results here in 2018, as Bryan Staring aboard the BC Performance machine finished second and third and has been on the podium a total of four times at Hidden Valley.

2018 was a watershed year for ASBK at Hidden Valley with moments of history created over that particular weekend. The major standout of that year was the appearance of three-times World Superbike Champion, Troy Bayliss on his DesmoSport Ducati Panigale, and he proved that there was plenty of hunger left in the man that turned 50-years-old that year.

Troy Bayliss

Troy Bayliss dusted the cob-webs off his leathers in 2018 and showed the field he was still competitive at 50 years old.

In qualifying for the event, Bayliss staked an early claim as he set the fastest ever lap for a motorcycle around the track (1:05.601), then in the opening race, led every lap in an exceptional battle with two-times Australian Champion, Troy Herfoss (Penrite Racing Honda CBR1000RR) and 2010 champion, Bryan Staring, to break through for his maiden win and an historic victory in the Championship.

Bayliss went oh-so-close to claiming the double win. He and Herfoss had another Herculean battle that went down to the final laps.  Slicing and dicing for the lead, with less than four laps remaining, Bayliss hit a false-neutral in his bike as he barreled into the turn 6 hairpin and ran off track briefly. In his charge back, he overcooked it going into the extremely daunting turn 10 and dropped back to seventh. Herfoss won the race and broke the race lap record in the process (1:05.904), from Staring with Wayne Maxwell – riding for Yamaha – in third.

Troy’s son, Oli, will be flying the Bayliss flag this weekend also on-board a DesmoSport Ducati.

Those minor mistakes by Bayliss put a dent in his Championship hopes and graphically demonstrated the extremely thin line that overshadows every race at Hidden Valley and how precise, and inch-perfect, one must be. Bayliss finished third overall in the Championship behind 2018 Champion, Herfoss with Maxwell in second place, just three points ahead of the mercurial Bayliss.

Bayliss will be otherwise engaged this weekend looking after his son, Oli, in his rookie year in the ASBK Championship on the DesmoSport Ducati but the usual suspects will be there also. It is not beyond the realms of possibility that Oli could end up on the podium as he has finished fourth in his second race on the Ducati 1098V4R.

Waters and Herfoss - ASBK 2017 Hidden Valley - Image by TBG

Herfoss will be looking to gain a lead in the championship and continue to extend it over the next few rounds.

Most of the leading contenders in this year’s title chase have tasted the victory champagne in the tropics and it is anyone’s guess who will rise to the occasion in the two races at Hidden Valley this weekend.

It has been the Herfoss and Maxwell show this year with the pair sharing the wins at two-apiece with some close proximity but fair racing that will be remembered for years, but this track rewards horsepower and handling in equal measure so it opens up the challenge to the rivals that is led by Oli’s teammate, 2019 Champion Mike Jones, who sits third in the title chase.

Bryan Staring at Hidden Valley ASBK - Image by Andrew Gosling

The action promises to be as hot as the tropical sun that will shine on the drama that is sure to unfold.

Maxwell and Herfoss have both won at the venue with Maxwell a further four podium places, and Herfoss has three podium finishes. The other current rider that has won at Hidden Valley is Glenn Allerton on the Maxima Racing Oils BMW. Allerton is another rider with three ASBK titles and after a wretched couple of seasons afflicted by injury, is back to his race pace and is sure to have the BMW on song with his rivals.

There are a few others worth keeping a close watch on; Unitech Racing’s Arthur Sissis is a leading privateer. Due to his experienced and success in Speedway he is a gun starter and is often the leader at the first turn. Also, since his switch to Yamaha this year, his race consistency has improved dramatically.

Fans can catch every practice and qualifying session on Fox Sports Australia. The Saturday and Sunday ASBK race action will also feature as part of Channel 7’s free-to-air coverage.

Allerton’s teammate, Lachlan Epis, has improved at every outing and qualified fourth for the rounds at Winton and Wakefield Park. Once he finds the missing piece in the jigsaw of sustained race pace he will be knocking on the door of a podium, and that could well be this weekend.

Leading the way this year for Yamaha will be 2018 Australian Supersport Champion, Yamaha Racing Team’s Cru Halliday. Halliday won both races here in 2018 in dominant fashion and now that he is back on a 1000cc, factory-supported machine will no doubt be keeping his rivals honest.

Troy Herfoss - Image by TBG Sport

Check out the TV coverage schedule below so you can tune into see some exciting racing at Hidden Valley.

To keep up to date with the latest news on the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship, presented by Motul, via their website and following ASBK on Facebook and Instagram.

SMSP
 

ASBK Round 4 – Hidden Valley TV Schedule

  • Friday, 18 June -10:25am – Practice 1 (40 min) FOX Sports. 2:20pm – Practice 2 (30 min) FOX Sports
  • Saturday, 19 June – 10:15am – Qualifying 1 (20 min) FOX Sports. 10:40am – Qualifying 2 (15 min) FOX Sports. 2:05pm – Race 1 (16 laps) FOX Sports/Channel 7
  • Sunday, 20 June – 10:50am – Race 2 (16 laps) FOX Sports. 2:05pm – Race 3 (16 laps) FOX Sports/Channel 7

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