St. George Summer Nights series opener recap ̵...

MOTUL Summer season Night time Collection hosted by St. George MCC
Sydney Motorsport Park – Gardner GP Circuit
Spherical One – Pirelli Limitless F1 and F2

Phrases and pictures by Nick Edards / Half Mild

The fifth operating of the St George MCC Summer season Nights Collection (aka SNS05), received underway at Sydney Motorsport Park on the night of seven^th December. The collection has grow to be an actual drawcard for worldwide/nationwide (ASBK) class riders in addition to clubbies, and it’s changing into more and more in style with spectators.

SNS05 ran to the established format of quickfire qualifying and racing for six lessons (two lessons on monitor on the identical time in every session), kicking off at 1830 and ending round 2200. With sundown across the 2000 mark, the floodlights kick in round 1930, and by 2030 they’re the one supply of sunshine on the monitor. Irrespective of what number of instances you see the monitor underneath lights, there’s something ridiculously magical in regards to the place, and we actually ought to be pleased about the funding that’s gone into making the power what it’s.

Headline class in any respect rounds is Pirelli Limitless F1 (for Worldwide/Nationwide racers), and F2 (for fast clubbies) which share monitor time with the large boys.

AGV 600 F1 and F2 additionally share monitor time and have the identical worldwide/nationwide and clubbie distinction.

The third class varies from spherical to spherical however on the collection opener it was for Airoh Limitless F3 (clubbies who aren’t anticipated to run sooner than 1:40sec laps), and 5 Gloves Retro. The retro bikes not properly represented at this spherical however hopefully a category that can develop as retro racing all the time places on an excellent present.

SNS05 ran the progressive grid format which implies that qualifying units grid positions for Race One and your putting in Race One determines your grid place for Race Two. Putting in Race Two units grid for Race Three.

The main problem for the membership in operating a Summer season Nights spherical is time.  There’s barely sufficient of it to get by means of the entire schedule. Every class has a 10-minute qualifier and three seven-lap races, that’s if there aren’t any delays however as quickly as monitor time is restricted, the schedule goes out the window. Such was the case at SNS05 Spherical One.

An extended delay on the finish of qualifying to permit for a rider to obtain medical consideration, adopted by shorter delays later because the climate performed its disruptive half in occasions, meant that many races have been shortened to five-laps and the Airoh Limitless F3 / 5 Gloves Retro racers misplaced their third race.

It’s to the credit score of the organisers that just one race bit the bullet as by 2000 the assembly was already properly delayed. A number of rabbits have been pulled out of hats to get so most of the races run earlier than the 2230 curfew.

Very substantial storms appeared grim on the rain radar and threatened to inundate the power in the event that they got here our method. The thunder and lightning (not so very very scary), was blasting the sky inside just a few kilometres of the monitor. We have been spared the worst of the storms, though what we received wasn’t what you’d name nice, which noticed loads of racers pack issues away earlier than their second race. Those that did cling round and hit the moist, very moist in locations, monitor, placed on an excellent present and loved the problem.

Lots of people have been simply glad to get to the top of the night time in a single piece because the situations have been fairly terrible. Humidity, received to like Western Sydney, was by means of the roof. Early night temperatures simply added to the tropical fug and the rain did little to chill issues down. Regardless, there have been loads of drained smiling faces on the finish of the night and plenty of discuss trying ahead to Spherical Two, which will probably be run over two nights, January 10-11.

This report goes to deal with Pirelli Limitless F1 and F2, will probably be adopted by a later report will deal with Limitless F3, Retro and the 2 AGV 600 (Supersport) lessons.

By Summer season Nights requirements, the occasion was fairly low key with fewer Limitless F1 grade riders within the subject than we’ve seen up to now, however the pre-Christmas Rounds all the time are usually the quietest.

Josh Brookes was again from the UK, utilizing the occasion as follow for BSB 2025. Brookes is on Honda equipment this 12 months and with no native producer illustration in ASBK, Brookes partnered with native corporations to construct his Summer season Nights race bike in a matter of weeks.

On condition that qualifying was the primary time Brookes had hit the monitor on the bike, it’s honest to say it’s nonetheless very early days by way of set-up and preparation however, as ordinary, he was fast proper from the beginning.

Nationwide grade riders in F1 have been Superbike regulars Josh Soderland, Paris Hardwick and Scott Allars. Stepping as much as a full season on Superbikes have been kids Jonathan ‘JJ’ Nahlous, Jack Favelle, John Lytras.

Limitless F2 was packed out with the standard suspects from the clubbie ranks with some very fast riders of their ranks together with Dominic De Leon, Chris Dunne and Hayden Rouse.

Pirelli Limitless F1 and F2 Qualifying

Qualifying came about on a principally dry monitor however the remnants of the daytime warmth nonetheless hanging round made the place really feel like a sauna. These riders who had the foresight to arrange followers of their garages have been the good ones.

Josh Brookes took F1 pole, and bear in mind that is the primary time he’d been on monitor with this bike, with a 1m32.248 forward of a powerful 1m32.761 from Superbike debutante Jonathan Nahlous.

John Lytras took third spot on the grid from Favelle and Soderland.

In F2 Chris Dunne had finest lap at school which put him sixth on the grid, with Tim Griffith and Dom De Leon putting eighth and ninth total, for second and third at school.

Qualifying Outcomes

Race One

Race One was staged in a lot the identical situations as qualifying and up entrance Brookes and Nahlous placed on a superb show of shut fight.

Brookes taking out the hard-fought win with Nahlous simply two-tenths of a second off his tail and searching completely confident on the Superbike. Lytras took third spot, 20-seconds behind.

In F2 Chirs Dunne, on a fantastically ready YZF-R1, took seventh total and first at school with a close to four-second lead over De Leon, Hayden Rouse an extra five-seconds again.

Finest lap in F1 was a 1m31.872 from Brookes. Dunne recorded the very best F2 lap at 1:35.756.

Race One Outcomes

Race Two

The rain, which appeared like an absolute rain bomb on the climate radar, however mercifully spared the monitor from its absolute worst, hit proper earlier than Pirelli Limitless Race Two. In consequence, the sphere was a lot depleted with round half of the riders electing to take a seat it out, together with Brookes.

Adjusting to the misplaced time earlier within the night, the organisers shortened the race to 5 laps and it was Jack Favelle who overcame the situations finest, pumping out constant laps and taking the win by almost five-seconds from JJ Nahlous.  Soderland in third.

De Leon was first dwelling in F2 and fourth total, some 14-seconds behind Soderland.

Chris Dunne was simply six-tenths behind De Leon with Nick Marsh third at school.

Race Two Outcomes

Race Three

Race Three, which simply managed to squeak in earlier than the 2230 curfew, was one other five-lap affair. The rain had backed off to a nice mist however the monitor was nonetheless very damp and, once more, many riders elected to take a seat it out.

Favelle led from the beginning however a mistake put him on the bottom on Lap 4 which noticed him give up the win to Nahlous, who had been battling with Soderland proper on his tail for a lot of the race.

Nahlous settled into an excellent tempo and pulled out a two-second lead on the flag with a finest lap of 1m45.849, a second and a half faster than Soderland’s who was additionally laying down fast laps in comparison with the remainder of the sphere.

De Leon took third total and first in F2 class, with Dunne and Mohamad Aizuddin taking second and third in F2. Scott Allars, fourth on monitor, was third in F1 class.

After which all of us retired to the paddock the place copious quantities of chilly drinks have been consumed. It actually was fairly a brutal occasion for everybody.

Jonathan Nhalous’ win and two-second place finishes gave him 65-points and high spot on the rostrum for the occasion in Limitless F1 class.

Josh Soderland took second with 55-points and Scott Allars’ stable 49-points gave him third place in class.

In F2, Dominic De Leon with two wins and a second-place took out the honours on 70-points. Chris Dunne on 65-points was second and Hayden Rouse saved Nick Marsh, on 46-points, at bay to attain third place for the spherical.

Riders will carry these factors ahead to Spherical Two, the primary of the 2 double-headers, on the identical venue over two nights, tenth/eleventh January. The ultimate spherical, one other double header at SMP, will probably be seventh/eighth February.  Josh Waters, Harrison Voight and Glenn Allerton are trying prefer to contest the remaining rounds.

Regardless of the challenges Spherical One confronted with delays and dodgy climate, it’s nonetheless an occasion that members, whether or not they’re there to race or not, clearly take pleasure in and we will anticipate larger, higher and extra of the identical at Spherical Two. Properly, perhaps hopefully much less climate…

Race Three Outcomes

General Spherical

Pirelli Limitless F1 Factors after Spherical One
Pirelli Limitless F2 Factors after Spherical One

Quotes

Jonathan Nahlous – Pirelli Limitless F1

“Saturday night time was a very enjoyable night time for me with qualifying and race one being dry and having a battle with Josh Brookes. Then Races Two and Three have been fairly moist and it took me some time to get going, however as soon as I received going, it was a lot enjoyable passing and battling again up the pack. Within the final race I used to be way more ready and was capable of get a greater begin and have a little bit of a battle with Jack Favelle earlier than he gave me the lead and crashed out. General the spherical was actually scorching and actually enjoyable and I can’t wait to get again there for the subsequent rounds.”

Josh Brookes – Pirelli Limitless F1

“My plan for this BSB offs-eason was to participate within the St. George Summer season Night time collection, which I’ve raced in for the final two years right here in Australia. Beforehand I’ve partnered with an current ASBK crew however as there is no such thing as a Honda illustration this 12 months it meant I needed to construct a motorcycle myself if I needed to race. So with the assistance of some Aussie corporations; VanDemon Exhausts, Billetta Imports, Hel efficiency, Honda Australia and my DAO racing BSB crew, that’s what I’ve been doing for the final two weeks forward of Spherical One.

“This weekend was the primary spherical and the primary time I’ve been again on a Honda since 2010. I’d booked right into a experience day for Saturday day-time hoping to do a shake down however because it was torrential rain all day and I didn’t experience the bike in any respect. Fortuitously, it dried out for the night’s occasions to start out however my very first experience on the bike was qualifying. I’m happy to say the bike ran faultlessly, I certified on pole and gained the race.

“For quite a lot of causes, there have been fairly just a few names lacking from this occasion who would usually be there, however they’ll be again for spherical 2 so now I’ve received some laps in, I’ll work on tuning the bike and refining it for once they return.”

Paris Hardwick – Pirelli Limitless F1

“Summer season Night time Collection conferences are all the time an excellent night time. One dry race and two moist races made it enjoyable and saved it fascinating. Race One wasn’t my finest, ending sixth then it began raining and my head mechanic (dad) forgot to swap transponders to the moist bike the place I completed fourth however with no transponder needed to begin race Three from final. On the second lap of the final race had a motorcycle malfunction which concluded with a DNF. It was nonetheless was an superior night time and thanks St George MCC.”

Dominic De Leon – Pirelli Limitless F2

“With not being on the Kawasaki ZX-10R for nearly a 12 months, there have been completely no expectations however when the night time began to evolve the sensation that it’s attainable to be considerably aggressive began to return to mild “Below the lights”. Coming away from spherical One main the championship definitely proves that self-belief and self-confidence is are on the high of the checklist on this motorbike racing sport. I nonetheless am considerably in denial that Saturday night time did actually prove the way in which it did, however I’m not complaining…Simply ensuring to experience this wave of pleasure of main a fairly aggressive championship this far. Now the stress is on the attempt keep the lead and see if we might actually make this dream come by means of on successful 2025 Summer season Night time Collection. I can’t categorical how superior this collection is certainly. Thanks St George MCC for placing on this wonderful Championship.”

MOTUL Summer season Night time Collection hosted by St George MCC