What a way to wrap the 2022 Australian Superbike Championship at Tailem Bend in South Australia with a special guest returning there in none other than MotoGP regular Jack Miller in the No.43 Ducati bike – where he was accompanied by a jam-packed race field alongside few overseas riders flying over on one-off stints to bring you the two Sunday Main Event races. Let’s go!!
Well, the opening lap or two was a non-starter; One we saw a red flag when Billy McConnell & Bryan Staring made contact with each other through the gravel, and another on the restart when Jack Miller sadly suffered a DNF due to a mechanical issue. Meanwhile, Arthur Sissis (No.61 Yamaha) fired off really well from P6 to up top during the first 5 of 10 laps, before Troy Herfoss (No.17 Honda) got around Sissis for the lead. Although Wayne Maxwell provided a decent threat to Herfoss over in the No.1 Ducati for a while, but Herfoss managed to hold off Maxwell on the run home with the Race 1 win. If that’s not enough, Glenn Allerton (No.14 BMW) rounds off the podium as Mike Jones’s P6 finish behind Sissis was enough to crown him the championship.
Then we fast forward to the final ASBK race of 2022 where Jack Miller was flying high unchallenged in the first half distance of Lap 11. But his time up top was done when Champion-elect Mike Jones got around the current MotoGP rider at Turn 1 on Lap 7. Although Maxwell briefly demoted Jones to 2nd for a short time, but Jones fought back immediately & never looked until the finish line on a very high note that saw him top so much merit in the No.46 Yamaha.
Meanwhile, that last lap drama between Troy Herfoss & Glenn Allerton paved the way for the emerging Senna Agius to lock up P2 in the No.81 Honda ahead of veteran & now-retired Wayne Maxwell who rounds off the Top 3, with Miller in P4 even though he was given the honorary treatment at the podium area. Let’s hope he comes back here for another one-off occasion next year, as Miller will switch MotoGP teams from Ducati to KTM.
