The MotorSports NT Club Challenge had its first practice sessions at Hidden Valley Raceway in bright sunshine and it was Karl Schmidt (Kawasaki ZX-10R) who set a blistering fastest lap on his Kawasaki with a 1:11.575, to put the field on notice for this weekend’s racing alongside the Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul Pirelli (ASBK).
The gap from Schmidt to his closest rival is just under two seconds, with Stan Whiting (Eprint, Honda CBR 1000) clocking a 1:13.190 to finish the day in second position. Troy Starr (Kawasaki ZX-10R) aboard his Kawasaki finished the day in third position with a time of 1:14.827.
Anthony Castro (Signcity, Kawasaki ZX-10R) has put himself in a solid position ahead of tomorrow’s qualifying with a time of 1:14.876 to just sit behind Starr.
Rounding out the top five is Adrian Luke (Yamaha YZF-R1) who put in a lap time of 1:16.201, leaving him in contention to push for a top three spot on the gird.
Qualifying for the Motorsport NT Club Challenge kicks off at 11:20am, before the paddock battles it out for the first race at 1:45pm.
MotorSports NT Club Challenge Provisional Friday Practice Top Ten
1. Karl SCHMIDT (Kawasaki ZX-10R 1000) 1:11.575
2. Stan WHITING (Eprint, Honda CBR 1000) 1:13.190
3. Troy STARR (Kawasaki ZX-10R 1000) 1:14.827
4. Anthony CASTRO (Signcity, Kawasaki ZX-10R 1000) 1:14.876
5. Adrian LUKE (Yamaha YZF-R1) 1:16.201
6. Douglas CLARK (Yamaha YZF-R1 1000) 1:16.227
7. Phillip IRLAM (Triumph Daytona 675) 1:17.543
8. Warwick PRICE (TERRA, Yamaha YZF-R6 600) 1:17.642
9. Peter TROON (Yamaha YZF-R6 600) 1:18.712
10. Greg MURDOCK (Southern Cross Motorbike Tours, Suzuki GSX-R 600) 1:20.196
MANT Club Challenge
The MANT Club Challenge took to the seething heat of Darwin for Round 4 Hidden Valley Raceway. These local talents put in the hard yards to set themselves up for a busy weekend of racing. Fastest for the day was Nathaniel Randles (Kawasaki ZX-10R) on his Kawasaki ZX-10R machine.
Randles was a step above the rest in this class, posting a 1:20.722 to go fastest on Friday. The promising pace potentially setting him up as the favorite to take out the overall round. His closest challenger was Paul Lally (Yamaha YZF-R6) who managed to get within striking distance of Randles. Not a bad effort considering the extra engine capacity that Randles has.
Establishing himself in the top three was Jason Kleefsman (Courtsea, Suzuki GSX-R 750), followed by Paul O’Dwyer (Triumph Daytona 675) and Damien Lally (Suzuki GSX-R750).
Keep track on all ASBK Channels to find out if Randles can claim maintain the advantage heading into the weekend with qualifying kicking off at 9:00am and 1:45pm for race one on Saturday.
MANT Provisional Provisional Friday Practice Top Ten
1. Nathaniel RANDLES (Kawasaki ZX-10R) 1:20.722
2. Paul LALLY (Yamaha YZF-R6) 1:21.532
3. Jason KLEEFSMAN (Courtsea, Suzuki GSX-R 750) 1:21.820
4. Paul O’DWYER (Triumph Daytona 675) 1:22.814
5. Damien LALLY (Suzuki GSX-R 750) 1:24.314
6. Cameron AGOSTINI (Agos Animals Racing, Honda CBR 300) 1:26.976
7. Lachlan O’BRIEN (Honda CBR 300) 1:28.964
8. Kristian AGOSTINI (Agos Animals Racing, Honda CBR 300) 1:29.125
9. Daniel HURST (Honda CBR 300) 1:32.285
10. Merrawyn ROGERS (THC, Suzuki GSX-R 600) 1:32.318