Cru Halliday takes pole in Aussie Superbike support races

MotoGP 2022 – Round 18 – Phillip Island
Friday Support Report #2

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A downpour swept over the Phillip Island circuit at the end of the Oceania Junior Cup practice session, causing the session to end early.

Before the red flag, the practice session looked like a race! Marcus Hamod led the session by a fraction over Hunter Corney and Bodie Paige.

When the Australian Superbikes hit the track some 15 minutes later the rain had really stopped but the wind was still quite significant and the track was wet… Just what you want when you’re trying to set a fast lap time and you just have 15 minutes. to do it. However, with such a small grid, as it is not a scoring event, qualifying is certainly not as important as usual.

However, these guys are a bit special…

Despite less than ideal conditions, Josh Waters, Cru Halliday and Mike Jones were early in 1:33.

Waters really sent the Boost Mobile Ducati hurtling down the chute, clocking in at 318km/h through speed control.

Cru Halliday topped the timesheets at the midway point of the 15-minute session, albeit with a 1m33.304s beating Waters’s 1m33.490s.

A little more drizzle at certain points around the circuit stopped his attacks from there, meaning Cru Halliday will start from pole position later this afternoon.

Some trouble with the electronics on Troy Herfoss’s Penrite Honda in that session.

Four riders did not make the qualifying cut in Superbike and of course they will have to ask the race director for permission to compete. If they are not allowed, that will mean only nine runners will be at the front of the start this afternoon…

In the late afternoon, the OJC boys will have their qualifying session before the Australian Superbike riders compete in their first ten lap fight, which is scheduled for 1640. OJC Race One will be raced over a seven-lap distance at the conclusion of the inaugural Superbike competition this afternoon.

Tomorrow the support class events kick off with the second OJC race at 11:45. Superbike Race Two is scheduled for 16.05, followed immediately by OJC Race Three, and then the last support race of the weekend is Superbike Race Three scheduled to start at 17.40. No kind of support will take to the track on Sunday.

ASBK Classification

Oceania Junior Cup Practice Times

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Phillip Island MotoGP Calendar