2021 Australian Superbike Rnd 4 Results
Cycle News Staff | June 25, 2021
Oli Bayliss (Ducati) broke through for his maiden Australian Superbike Championship race victory at Hidden Valley in Darwin, Australia, June 19-20, defeating current ASBK Champion Wayne Maxwell in a tense battle over the final two laps.
A strong start from Bayliss allowed him to take the lead from Maxwell heading into the first corner, but Maxwell recaptured the top spot a couple laps later. The two Ducati riders continued their contest until the race was red flagged after four laps due to a crash involving Matt Walters and Corey Turner at the first corner.
The race was restarted with eight laps remaining with Maxwell leading the field away. He and Bayliss each set times underneath Troy Herfoss’ Saturday lap record as they pulled clear of the rest of the field.
A committed move from Bayliss into the first corner enabled him to take the lead two laps from home, and he was able to withstand Maxwell’s pressure to secure a memorable a first win in the Superbike class.
Herfoss (Honda) had earlier won race one, defeating Maxwell in a lap fight with BMW’s Glenn Allerton third. However, the headlines were for the wrong reason as the former series champion fell at the start of race two, sliding under the air fence at turn four and contacting the outside wall. Herfoss, a former AMA Supermoto Champion, as well, suffered a badly broken right humerus (the same injury that befell Marc Marquez in 2020) and his right femur. ASBK organizers red-flagged the race, electing not to restart it and awarding zero points to the riders.
In the championship, Maxwell is now 26 points clear of Herfoss, who looks unlikely to return for the remainder of the season, 132 points to 106. Allerton is next at 100. Bayliss’ win hoists him to fifth with 88 points, one point behind Yamaha’s Cru Halliday in fourth.
The next round is scheduled for August 20-22 at Morgan Park Raceway.