ASBK PREVIEW ROUND 6 – Phillip Island

Herfoss Yamaha deal headlines season-defining rider reshuffle ahead of ASBK’s encore round

It’s been an unusually busy month in between mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship rounds, and as the series heads back south to Phillip Island there will be several major changes to the rider line-up in the SW-Motech Superbike field. Here they are:

Stauffer departs Yamaha Racing Team mid-season

Max Stauffer, one of the biggest young talents in ASBK, joined YRT this season to begin his fourth campaign on a Superbike, but that partnership dissolved directly after the QR round. The break was amicable, with Stauffer expected to link back with his family-operated team with Yamaha support.

Stauffer rode the previous three years with dad Jamie and Heath Griffin at the helm and last year competed in Penrite colours following the involvement of Deon Coote. By the end of 2024, Jamie was one of few in the paddock with an excellent grasp of the MoTeC ECU package, with Max regularly on the podium. Under ASBK rules, the Yamaha R1 has two ECU options: the more advanced (but complex) MoTeC unit, or the factory homologated YEC unit. The factory-backed YRT outfit generally takes a conservative approach and use the YEC option, reaping big rewards in 2022 when Mike Jones took the title, but pickings have been slimmer since. Stauffer told AMCN that while initially both Jamie and Griffin were happy to have a break from the grind of racing, the whole team is highly motivated to get back together and produce a top result at Phillip Island.

Eagle-eyed Facebookers would have noticed Griffin had Stauffer’s 2024 R1 M listed for sale during the year and was about to close the deal when he received the call to bring the old crew back together.

Herfoss to ride the second YRT R1 M

With a vacancy now in the Yamaha factory squad, Moto America Baggers champion Troy Herfoss made an approach to Matt Ferry at Yamaha to test the second bike recently at One Raceway, and Yamaha has since confirmed that Troy Herfoss will suit up with the Yamaha Racing Team for the final three rounds of the 2025 ASBK season, beginning this weekend at Phillip Island. The opportunity arose when a team YZF-R1M became free after Max Stauffer’s departure, and the late-season dates slotted in without clashing with Herfoss’ racing program in the United States.

Herfoss had been slated to ride a Deon Coote-backed Ducati V4 R prepared by Desmosport Ducati, but when that deal didn’t come to fruition, the Yamaha offer was taken up. While the One Raceway test was washed out, it’s understood both Mike Jones and Herfoss were able to snag a 20-minute session at Sydney Motorsport Park a few days later.

The three-time ASBK champion explained that he was hungry for competitive seat time in between Bagger rounds in the US.

“I’m really enjoy what I’m doing in the US, but I still love racing a Superbike and when the opportunity came up to race with YRT at the final three rounds, we were able to put something together pretty quickly and make it happen. I have seen and raced against the R1M enough to know it’s a great bike with lots of positives and my first impressions at a quick team test last week only cemented that. Mike has proven that the bike is good, and the team have what it takes to be up the front. So far it’s just been getting accustomed to the bike as I have spent most of my time this year on the bagger, but looking forward to getting down to Phillip Island and testing myself in race conditions.”

Stop & Seal make Ducati switch

The Stop & Seal team has made big changes recently, ditching their Yamaha machinery after the recent Queensland Raceway round to debut Cru Halliday on a Ducati V4 R prepared by the McMartin Racing Team. Team boss Robbie Bolger planned to challenge the status quo by running an R1 M with MoTeC ECU and Michelin rubber in 2025 and while Bolger had courted the switch to Ducati previously, technical issues for Halliday with the Yamaha at QR forced this latest development.

Halliday raced the McMartin Ducati V4 R at a recent St George Motorcycle Club round at Sydney Motorsport Park and posted very competitive lap times, running the same machinery as four-time ASBK champion Josh Waters. Halliday now has the task of adapting to the Ducati after over a decade spent with Yamaha. Bolger and the team haven’t been afraid to think outside the square, with their three Supersport riders in Tom Toparis, Archie McDonald and Jack Mahaffy all riding Next Gen Supersport machines at QR with the intention of focusing on that category both domestically and internationally in 2026 on a mixture of Yamaha R9s and Ducati V2s.

ASBK Round Six form guide

So what do all these latest developments mean for the upcoming round at Phillip Island?

The smart money would still have to be on Josh Waters and his McMartin Racing Ducati V4 R for race wins – the Mildura local has performed at Phillip Island every time it matters. After a successful Queensland swing of the championship, Waters enters the PI round with a healthy 54-point lead over YRT’s Mike Jones. Another Ducati is his most likely threat, with Desmosport Ducati’s Broc Pearson definitely in the frame. Given recent form, Glenn Allerton can also challenge at the front but his progression on the Superbike Advocates V4 R suggests that Cru Halliday will also need some time to adapt.

It’s been difficult for any Yamaha to challenge for wins at Phillip Island in recent times, but several line up alongside Jones as contenders. Addicted to Track’s Anthony West is in fine form this season with their bike basically at factory level, particularly in close contests. Max Stauffer will also be in contention on his 2024 bike, as will Cam Dunker. Given that depth, Jack Favelle, Jonathan Nahlous and John Lytras are all top-five prospects.

If Herfoss lines up on the second YRT machine, he will also need time to adapt – but given his competitive nature, could easily find himself running at the front quickly.

Who would have thought that in 2025, ASBK would be a Ducati versus Yamaha contest?

2025 ASBK Championship Standings