Allerton rounds out Friday fastest at Symmons Plains ASBK
Allerton proved his Island victories were no fluke on Friday in Tasmania. Image: TBG Sport/Andrew Gosling.
Procon Maxima BMW rider Glenn Allerton continues to ride the momentum of last week’s Phillip Island whitewash, holding off a challenge by Team Honda Racing’s Wayne Maxwell to set the quickest lap in today’s Viking Group Australian Superbike Championship practice sessions at Symmons Plains.
The Sydney-based BMW S 1000 RR pilot was the only rider to break the 53-second lap barrier in both 30-minute sessions, ending the day with a best time of 53.601, three-tenths shy of the existing qualifying record.
Allerton went head-to-head with Fireblade-mounted Maxwell, with the two spending the first-half of this afternoon’s session trading fast laps before the BMW took and held the upper hand.
Clear, crisp conditions at the circuit appeared to suit Allerton, who was a winner when the ASBK last visited Tasmania in November.
“The bike felt great today, we were able to work on a few things after yesterday’s sessions and it has come a long way, close to being ready to have a crack at the lap record,” said Allerton.
“In the space of a few days we’ve made some major changes. Phillip Island and Symmons Plains are two very different tracks – the emphasis here is on heavy braking so we’ve changed the pads and done some work with the front forks.
“It’s a short lap and a very physical circuit. I enjoy it because I can use my height to my advantage and move around to help the bike into and out of corners.
“Today’s result is good but we’ll keep working to find more from the bike because I know there are some guys out there who are hungry to get runs on the board.”
A margin of 0.221 seconds separated the top two today, and Maxwell is hopeful that some overnight changes to his CBR1000RR will make it stronger ahead of qualifying.
“We’re improving with every session and developing some new parts with good results,” said Maxwell. “It’s happening a little slower than I would like but we can only move forward from here.
“After Phillip Island I started to feel the pinch. It was a bad result and it was not how I imagined our season would start.
“It’s not do or die this early in the season but if Glenn continues with the form he’s in it’s going to be difficult for me to recover. I’m hoping this weekend will bring a big result and put us right back in the hunt.”
Teammate Jamie Stauffer was third-quickest today, ahead of Team Suzuki duo Troy Herfoss and Josh Waters.
On his last visit here Herfoss was crowned Supersport champion, and he is hopeful of another strong run, this time in the Superbike class.
“I’ve only ridden a 600 here before so the Superbike is a huge step up in power which becomes really apparent on such a short track,” said Herfoss.
“I’m excited about what the weekend holds and really looking forward to making more progress in qualifying.”
The Superbike field will contest two 30-minute qualifying sessions tomorrow, with the top 8 times advancing to the QBE Superpole session, a flying lap to decide the first two rows of Sunday’s grids.
Team Suzuki’s Brodie Waters edged clear of the Yamaha Racing Team’s Kevin Curtain in today’s pair of hotly-contested Supersport practice sessions.
Waters best effort, a 56.301, was 0.177 seconds clear of Curtain, with the GSX-R600 again proving to be an early pacesetter.
Nicholas Waters’ strong run of results continued today, with the brother of Brodie finishing third-fastest.
Triumph rider Christian Casella was the fourth and final Supersport rider to crack the 56-second bracket, setting a 56.692 lap aboard his Daytona 675 in this afternoon’s session.
The 18-strong field will contest two 30-minute qualifying sessions tomorrow, with the top four riders moving into the new Motul Superpole shootout to determine the front row.
Four different manufacturers set the four fastest times across the Prostock class’ practice sessions today.
Pacesetter and round one victor Cru Halliday continues to prove tough to beat this season, once again topping the timesheets aboard his Yamaha R1.
The BMW S 1000 RR of John Ross was second-fastest, followed by local Honda hopeful Brett Simmonds and Kawasaki rider Matthew Walters.
Queenslander Mike Jones continued his storming Superstock run, again finishing over a second faster than his challengers.
The Yamaha R6-mounted Jones broke the existing Superstock lap record in the second practice session before further lowering the mark to 57.600 this afternoon.
South Australian Daniel Falzon was second-fastest, also aboard a Yamaha.
The Superlites sessions were also all topped by a single rider. Josh Hook was consistently quick aboard his Aprilia RS, and his best lap of the day, a 1:01.772, was over a second faster than Nicky Diles, also on an Aprilia.
Alex Phillis, son of Aussie great Robbie Phillis, rounded out the top three.
Practice and qualifying will continue tomorrow, with MotoOnline.com.au on hand throughout the weekend in a continuation of our expanding ASBK coverage for the 2011 season.
Viking Group Australian Superbike Championship
Round Two – Symmons Plains, TAS
Superbike Friday Practice Overall Results:
Supersport Friday Practice Overall Results
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