ASBK 2025
Pre-season interview with Craig McMartin
McMartin Racing
Craig McMartin is the main man behind McMartin Racing, the defending Australian Superbike Champions with Josh Waters.
The Sydneysider dominated the popular FX Pro Twins category for many years with lap records and plenty of championships to his name, along with a fair bit of success in the essentially ‘run what you brung’ Formula Oz category.
He also raced a Ducati 996 SPS in the Australian Production Superbike Championships. Not all of Craig’s success, though, came on booming Ducati twins. Early on in his career, he did pretty well on a little two-stroke Suzuki twin, earning the #2 plate in the cut-throat 1997 Australian 250 Production Championships riding an RGV 250.
Craig could probably jump on one of his team bikes and top 15 in an Australian Superbike race today. If given a bit of notice to train and practice, he would probably still be a potential top-ten finisher from time to time. He goes alright…
Craig worked for previous Ducati importer Norm Fraser for many years in various roles, predominantly, those roles were not on the spanners, but there is no doubt he knows how to build just about every Ducati Superbike model right down to every last nut and bolt.
With that background in mind, let’s have a chat…
Trev: G’day Craig, belated congratulations on your championship win with Josh last season. A great reward for Josh and to you and your team after a year of hard work.
Craig McMartin: “Thanks, Trev; it was great for Josh and the team to win the championship after the disappointment of 2023, and for Josh to be the first to win four championships made it extra special.”
Trev: Preparations are well underway for 2025, but there was a bit of a setback recently with Josh going down at Phillip Island and breaking his collarbone.
McMartin: “Both Josh and Harry crashed at the recent Phillip Island test, with Harry crashing in T12 and Josh in T6. Harry was lucky to walk away from a big crash, and Josh was not so lucky, breaking his collarbone from a much slower get-off. But if you’re going to break a bone, a collarbone is the one I’d pick, and I don’t think it will affect Josh with respect to the 2025 ASBK season.”
Trev: Now we all hear a lot of things, and of course, a lot of things don’t turn out to be accurate, but there was word that during the Phillip Island test, you were experiencing issues with sector-based electronics tuning. I believe the nominated Ducati electronics package requires the normal split timing loops, and with those not being activated during ride days, you rely on those timing loops to trigger your sector-based engine and traction strategies for those sectors. Is that correct? Or do you use distance-based sector-by-sector tuning?
McMartin: “Firstly, the rumours you’ve heard about the reason for both crashes are not true. Also, the information you have regarding the split timing loops is also not correct. There are no split timing loops activated at ASBK events for competitor visibility, only the start-finish line. The Superstock Magneti Marelli ECU package homologated by Ducati for use in ASBK is much more basic than everyone makes out, and much less advanced than the BMW one, for example.
“It is fantastic, but it is also simple and made for a very low-level user. The ASBK MoTeC M130 Homologated package, on the other hand, is much more ‘open’ and has massive capabilities if you are good enough to use it. I believe the other Ducati teams are testing and plan to use that option in 2025. They clearly believe they are good enough to make it better than the Magneti Marelli supported by Ducati, we will see.”
Trev: So are you saying that you don’t use sector based tuning? I have even heard of teams setting up their own sector triggers around the circuit to use sector based tuning.
McMartin: “I can confirm that we do not place infrared beacons around the circuit, I can’t imagine that being legal. Regarding the first part of your question, you are effectively asking how we set up our bike, that is sensitive team information that I am not willing to share. It is no different to asking what springs or ride height we are using. I can confirm that we use the Ducati nominated FIM Superstock ecu approved for use in ASBK.”
Trev: It is interesting you note the capabilities of the MoTeC system. I do remember that you and Adrian (Monti), were all for the adoption of an across the board control MoTeC regulation to be enforced across the entire Superbike category. Are you still in favour of the move to a standardised control ECU for Australian Superbike?
McMartin – “We were in favour of a move to a control ecu in 2020 when this was first suggested. However being pushed into the Ducati kit ECU, from the other Ducati team at the time, and the considerable investment I have made in this area, I am no longer in favour of a control ECU.
“I think supporting manufacturers nominated ecu’s is important for manufacture interest and their continued support in ASBK. For example, there will be three teams campaigning Ducati’s in ASBK for 2025, none of these teams are considered Factory Teams by Ducati Corse, we are all equally supported customer teams from a technical perspective.
“From a performance standpoint, I am confident we could get just as good a result with the ASBK MoTeC M130 firmware that we do now.”
Trev: Will Harry Voight or any other riders also line up on one of your bikes this season?
McMartin: “Harry will be doing at least the first two rounds and maybe a couple more later in the year that don’t conflict with his overseas commitments.”
Trev: Any significant changes in the team for 2025?
McMartin: “I am trying to keep everything the same.”
Trev: Some changes in the rules have been promulgated for 2025, including a new single-bike rule. When I say single bike, you are allowed a spare bike but can only present a single primary motorcycle for technical inspection, and this bike will be the only machine allowed on the track or in the pit box/garage.
Trev: If that primary machine is then damaged or suffers a technical failure of some sort during the race weekend, it has to be deemed as unrepairable by the ASBK Chief Technical Officers, before you are allowed to then wheel the spare motorcycle out of the truck for the first time that weekend, to then present for Technical Inspection before it can be used. The primary motorcycle will then no longer be able to be used for the remainder of the round.
Trev: If you crash in Q1 but have still been fast enough to make the cut through to Q2, but your first bike is too damaged to continue, then obtaining scrutineering for the spare bike in the time permitted will pose some significant challenges, particularly due to the limited amount of qualified M.A. staff on hand authorised to make such judgments. Same as if a race was interrupted, and a machine change is required to make the race start.
Trev: Or in the case of a heavy downpour in the immediate lead up to a race… You can’t have a spare bike ready to go on wets. This sometimes happens with very little warning, and next to no time for turn around, largely due to time constraints due to TV.
Trev: Of course, these are not unknown situations. BSB runs a similer system, and here in ASBK young Cam Dunker had one bike all last season and did pretty well. However, do you think this could lead to potential safety issues. And could perhaps even end up deciding a championship? Thoughts?
McMartin: “That’s a lot of questions in one there Trev, lets break it down.
- “I agree with the idea of coming into line with FIM international rules, they are fair and well written, and the one bike rule is no exception.
- “The wet is the wet, as long as it is the same for everyone, this is not a problem.
- “However, There are a lot of unknowns with the rule in ASBK and I think there should be some changes to ensure fairness for all competitors, for example;
- Final qualifying results should be taken from combined Q1 and Q2 times, because what if the number of bikes that teams wish to retire for the weekend after Q1 exceed the capacity of what the scrutineers can undertake. How is it decided who gets to continue to Q2 and who is excluded. This is the only fair option
- This also means that there would be more action in Q1, not out lap, 1 lap and then park it.
- We need a longer gap between the end of race 1 and start of race 2, four hours at least is needed.”
Trev: In recent seasons there has been a lot of downtime for the Superbike class on Saturday. A single morning practice session then a quick-fire Q1/Q2 in the afternoon. The schedule is pretty packed with support classes, but there are very few laps turned by the main attraction on Saturday, would you be in favour of a Superbike race on Saturday? Obviously there are pros and cons, risks and potential rewards on offer. Costs also have to be considered, but when you have already transported bikes, riders, team personnel and encountered all the logistical costs for a race weekend, are two short races enough to do that justice?
McMartin: “The WSBK schedule is fantastic, and our efforts to get closer to that would be beneficial for everyone, fans and competitors. ”
Trev: Our Superbike race lengths are about the shortest seen anywhere in the world, much shorter than even the Red Bull Rookies or JuniorGP kids bouts. Even the 14-year-olds in the Asia Talent Cup contest race distances much longer than our Superbike category, let alone the even shorter races in our Supersport category, and yet shorter again Supersport 300 bouts. Do we have it right? Are our tracks that abrasive and our tyres not up to longer race distances? Or do we just get better at setting up the motorcycles to look after their tyres, and our racers learn better tyre management strategies throughout the races? As they would need to do if racing Superbikes anywhere else in the world…
McMartin: “I don’t think the limitation is tyre life, we use the same tyres that are used in WSBK and their races are almost twice as long. The problem is fuel, our fuel tanks are much smaller and we simply would not make the distance. We are already on the limit at some tracks with the current race lengths in ASBK.
“It is my understanding that the Asian Road Racing Championship is questioning the same thing, and in order to increase race distances they will allow teams to change petrol tanks up to the WSBK capacity under their technical regulations. We would be in agreeance with this in ASBK, and also the WSBK schedule of race distances, including two long races and one superpole race, conducted along the same weekend schedule as WSBK.
“Whilst we’re at it…Let’s change the Friday schedule from 3 x 25-30 min practices to 2 x 45 min sessions. This would not only save time as there is a 5 min gap between each session, so fewer sessions that are longer means more on track time for all classes. But the 25-30 min sessions are not ideal for set up. It is all too much of a rush.”
Trev: You happy with the race calendar this year? [See below]
McMartin: “I think it will make the championship more interesting as having three rounds in QLD is good for the riders from there and two in VIC will be good for the others, so I think the calendar is going to make for a tight championship.”
Trev: And on the home front… A big move for the McMartin family from fairly central Sydney out to Wagga Wagga, that’s a big change, how is that working out?
McMartin: “My wife and I grow up in the country, so it feels like we are moving home, Its been busy with the move and trying to work on this season but we are really happy and being closer to Phillip Island and The Bend is great.”
Trev: Thanks for your time Craig, see you at Phillip Island in a couple of weeks.
2025 Australian Superbike Championship Calendar
- Round 1: Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC Feb 21-23
- Round 2: Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW Mar 28-29
- Round 3: Queensland Raceway, QLD May 2-4
- Round 4: Morgan Park Raceway, QLD Jun 13-15
- Round 5: Queensland Raceway, QLD Aug 8-10 (Superbike Only)
- Round 6: Phillip Island GP Circuit, VIC Sept 6-7
- Round 7: One Raceway, NSW Oct 3-5
- Round 8: The Bend, SA Nov 7-9
