FLAT TRACK
2015 TROY BAYLISS CLASSIC
JANUARY 17, 2015
TAREE MOTORCYCLE CLUB/TAREE, AUSTRALIA
P90
agement—as the oil dried, the
bumps showed through and the
track became extremely dusty
and slippery.
"I'm happy, not so much for
the result but to see the meet-
ing go to the strength it is now
after only three years – it's really
satisfying. Mees showed just
why he is who he is in that final,
and I couldn't quite close down
Caso (Caslick) but I'm still happy.
I'll be even better after a beer,"
he said, running back to his pits
and a fridge full of ale.
Also unable to replicate his
form from the 2014 race was
Sammy Halbert, fifth in the final.
The day just didn't go the former
AMA number one's way despite
taking respectable 6-2-1 results
in his heat races. He struggled
with set-up issues, as well as
coming together with MotoGP
rider Jack Miller in the Ameri-
cana quarter final and ripping
some of the spokes out of his
front wheel.
"We were chasing the set-up
all day," said Halbert. "I didn't
have the best Superpole lap so
I changed to a 17-inch wheel
on the back from the 19, and
I just didn't gel with the new
tire. I don't have a lot of experi-
ence with the road racing rain
tires used here—I was running
fourth and just fighting the bike
all the time. But a top-five finish
was better than putting the bike
down. The track was so rough
compared to last year and really
dusty, but the track's the same
for everyone."
The finishing order sixth to 12
th
in the 2015 Troy Bayliss Classic
final was Matt Davies (Honda),
Chris Vermeulen (Honda), Luke
Gough (Honda), Josh Hook
(Honda) and Damon Buckmaster
(Yamaha). Troy Herfoss (Honda)
and Broc Parkes (Yamaha) failed
to finish.
The result could have been
very different for not just Mees
but the entire TBC Final grid had
former AMA Supermoto Cham-
pion Troy Herfoss stayed on his
machine. Herfoss was arguably
the man of the meeting, winning
his heat races with stupendous
speed and heading into the TBC
final having just won the three-
lap Americana final.
By his own admission, Herfoss
got too close to the back of Mees
and laid the model down at turn
two on lap four. He remounted
but it would be a fruitless exer-
cise, the current Honda Australia
Superbike rider pulling off to
watch the race from the pits.
Richards (24)
and Halbert
lead Herfoss
in the stifling
heat during
the qualifying
races. 8
