The Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship is set to explode in season 2018, with a modern era record of 50 entries in the YMI Superbike class for Round 1, held alongside Yamaha Finance Australian WorldSBK Round at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, February 22-25.
A star studded field will take to the track at Phillip Island with the calibre of talent running deeper in the paddock than we have seen in a very long time, which includes three-time WorldSBK champion Troy Bayliss (Desomosport Ducati, 1299 Panigale Final Edition) coming out of retirement to try and win his first ASBK title.
2017 ASBK YMI Superbike Champion Josh Waters (Team Suzuki ECSTAR, GSX-R1000R) will have his hands full as he attempts to win his fourth ASBK Championship, with former champions Wayne Maxwell (Yamaha Racing Team, YZF-R1), Glenn Allerton (NextGen Motorsports, BMWS1000R), Troy Herfoss (Penrite Honda Racing, Honda CBR1000SP) and Bryan Staring (BCperformance, ZX-10R) all looking to get back on top of the podium.
The depth of talent on the grid demonstrates 2018 is set to be the biggest year for ASBK in the modern era.
Over the past three seasons the ASBK paddock has shown consistent growth, from 29 riders in the YMI Superbike class in 2016, to 43 in 2017, before hitting a record 50 riders to kick off season 2018.
Motorcycling Australia’s Operations Director, Martin Port is delighted to see the amount of entries for the opening event; “ASBK is continuing to grow and the belief we have in the championship is being echoed with a record-breaking 50 entries for the YMI Superbike class. This is a major boost for the sport as a whole, and shows ASBK is heading in the right direction.
“We are on track to build on a very successful 2017 season, with near capacity grids, strong manufacturer support, the introduction of the combined ASBK and Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) at Tailem Bend, plus television and live stream. Road Racing in Australia has not looked this healthy since the 90’s,” Port finished.
To add to a modern era record of entries in the YMI Superbike class, the grids in the Kawasaki Supersport, Australian Supersport 300 and the YMF R3 Cup are looking as strong as ever.
2018 ASBK Calendar
Pre-Season Official ASBK Test – Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC January 30 – 31
Round 1- WSBK, Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit VIC February 22 – 25
Round 2- Wakefield Park Raceway, Goulburn NSW March 16 – 18
Round 3- The Bend Motorsport Park, Tailem Bend, SA April 19 – 22
Round 4- Hidden Valley Raceway, Darwin NT June 28 – 1 July
Round 5- Morgan Park Raceway, Warwick QLD August 17 – 19
Round 6- Winton Motor Raceway, Benalla, VIC September 7 – 9
Round 7- Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC October 12 – 14
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