Team Honda Preview
Round 2 of the Australasian Superbike Championship is upon us and Team Honda Racing is eager to take to the track for what will certainly be a thrilling weekend of racing.
The 4-strong Honda CBR1000RR SP line up being fielded by Team Honda Racing this weekend is a testament to their fierce desire to win. With #17 Troy Herfoss recently confirmed as a fourth rider alongside #27 Jamie Stauffer, #47 Wayne Maxwell and #16 Josh Hook; the team will undoubtedly stand out on the track in more ways than one.
Team Principal, Paul Free is excited by the package he now presents on the grid, saying “We were strong on the CBR1000RR SP at Round 1, indeed taking the overall win. Now, to have a fourth rider in Troy has, I believe, rounded out a very strong force. The Motorcycle is fantastic and has already proven itself and with these 4 pilots onboard I couldn’t be more excited about going racing. It is great to have Josh back on the bike after his terrible injury. He has recovered very well and is definitely ready for a weekend of solid racing. Wayne is also coming out of injury and is actually still recovering, but I don’t think it will hamper his ride. He looked strong in testing as did Josh and both will be right up there with Jamie and Troy in the challenge for the win. Recent testing at Mallala revealed very strong and consistent lap times and we learnt a lot over the 2 days. I am really looking forward to getting these riders out there and seeing what unfolds.”
Also eager to start the engine is #16 Josh Hook. “It was really difficult to miss Round 1 through injury, but I am absolutely ready for this weekend’s event at Mallala. I have been maintaining a modified training schedule in the past few months and have not lost too much fitness at all which is great. I was able to do consistent lap times during the test here recently and I feel strong. I am really keen to get back on motorcycle and go for maximum points this weekend.”
#47 Wayne Maxwell, onboard the Motul Honda CBR1000RR SP, proved in testing recently that neither the injury to his leg nor that to his wrist will hold him back at Round 2. “My injuries are healing well and although I am still sore, it could have been a lot worse. The short races will make it a bit easier to maintain, but I will still be racing to win. The recent 2-day test on the Motul Honda CBR1000RR SP was very positive and my lap times were strong. We are a very competitive team this year and I can’t wait to see what happens this weekend.”
The overall winner of Round 1 ASC at Wakefield Park, #27 Jamie Stauffer agrees it will be a great battle at Mallala. “With Josh back on the bike and Troy having joined the team it will definitely make the racing exciting to watch. I was happy with the test we had at Mallala and my lap times were good. I feel so comfortable on the Honda CBR1000RR SP and with our current bike set-up going into the weekend I am confident I will be strong. I like the Mallala track; it suits me, so we’ll see how the event unfolds. Having taken the overall win at Round 1 I would be very happy to retain the lead in the championship after Round 2 for sure.”
Rounding out the Red 4 for Team Honda Racing, #17 Troy Herfoss has settled well into the Honda family. “I couldn’t be happier. The team has been awesome and I found the test we did here recently invaluable. The CBR1000RR SP that the team has given me is really a great package. I was able to put down some solid lap times at the Mallala track in testing and that was very encouraging as I didn’t know the circuit well. Going into the event this weekend I know I have more to give so we’ll see what happens. “
There will be 3 Superbike races for Round 2 of the Australasian Superbike Championship to be held on Sunday 18th May at Mallala Raceway. With 4 Team Honda Racing CBR1000RR SPs on the grid it is an event not to miss.
Hudson Pitt Preview
Adelaide’s Hudson Pitt has made the switch to a Yamaha R6 ahead of the second round of the 2014 Swann Insurance Australasian Superbike Championship at Mallala Motorsport Park, South Australia, the first time in five years that the circuit has hosted a National level Superbike event.
Hudson will make his debut appearance in the Formula Oz category which encompasses a wide variety of bike types, with the event only being the second time the Adelaide Hills teenager will compete in a race event aboard his new Yamaha R6, and the switch is already providing benefits for Pitt after early testing.
“The switch to the Yamaha R6 was rather easy. I really like the way the bike handles and the huge amount of low down power, overall I think the bike has a lot of potential to be fast and is already great as a standard bike. We will make some further setup advancements with it before the race meeting and we should be in a good position to challenge towards the front of the field,” Pitt said.
A one day test at Mallala provided Hudson with an insight as to the required setup for his new bike in accordance with the Formula Oz rules. Working alongside his experienced team, Hudson feels he is ready to face the challenges that await him alongside Australia’s premier Superbike riders.
“Our testing was a success at Mallala and we now have a solid grounding for a good race weekend. We worked hard on every aspect of the bike to find any issues that may arise and look for a suitable solution before Friday. I’m really feeling confident of a good result at my home track in front of what should be a good crowd,” Pitt added.
The event will be the first of its type at the northern Adelaide circuit in five years and Hudson is hopeful to bring home a good result in front of his home crowd. The 18 year old admits that the track features many challenging aspects that will bring out the best in many of the riders competing.
“It’s really good to see a National level Superbike event back Mallala after such a long time, it’s a really good track that features so many different corners and challenging aspects including a few heavy braking points.
It will certainly test some of the interstate riders that haven’t been here before and I’m really hoping that my local track knowledge will help me to score a good result,” Pitt concluded.
Brayden Elliott Preview
Tumut’s Brayden Elliott has successfully completed two full test days at South Australia’s Mallala Motorsport Park ahead of the second round of the 2014 Swann Insurance Australasian Superbike Championship, with it being the first time in five years that a National level Superbike event has attended the northern Adelaide circuit.
With this weekend being the first race event for Brayden at Mallala, the former dirt track rider took the opportunity to take part in two days of critical testing ahead of the event in order to prepare his Suzuki GSX-R bikes for the circuit. With improvements gained throughout the weekend at Wakefield Park at round one, Elliott is hopeful to replicate this performance and rise further in the standings.
“I can’t wait to get out on track at Mallala this weekend. I have managed to make the long journey to Adelaide prior to this meeting testing my bikes and learning the circuit. All of my preparation has gone great in the build-up and I feel like I can definitely build from our successes at Wakefield Park,” Elliott said.
The Mallala circuit is recognised for its unique layout featuring high speed corners and heavy braking points and with a large Supersport field, Brayden is excited at the prospects of close racing that will thrill fans throughout the weekend.
“I really enjoy the Mallala track especially the layout, it has a lot of exciting features in particular the heavy braking points. I think it will make for some great racing over the weekend showing the strengths and weaknesses of riders as the track provides slow and very fast corners,” Elliott added.
The three day schedule features four practice sessions prior to qualifying on Friday and Brayden admits those sessions will provide the opportunity for him to work on fine tuning the setup on his bike even further and increase his chances of a stronger qualifying session which takes place immediately following practice.
“The Hankook Tyres Suzuki 600 has felt great in the build up to this meeting. I would still like to make some more small changes during Friday practice to help me move forward and achieve my goal lap times. I feel as though my physical preparation coming into this meeting will help me during the ten lap races. I have managed to focus a lot in this area to ensure I can maintain the fast pace the Supersport riders produce,” Elliott concluded.
Aiden Wagner Preview
Queensland’s Aiden Wagner will be looking to use his recent Mallala testing experience as the fuel to propel him to success against some of Australia’s most elite young riders as the second round of the Swann Insurance Australasian Superbike Championship makes the trip to the South Australian circuit this weekend.
Wagner, who currently sits equal second in the Supersport Championship standings, is hoping to capitalise on developments made throughout his time in testing to at Mallala to help his charge towards race wins on the 2.6km northern Adelaide circuit.
“I feel our testing was a success with good pace for much of our time there. It all went to plan with a heavy focus on setup, working directly with XXX Rated Race Suspension. We encountered a few gearbox issues at times but we worked hard to resolve them over time and I feel we are in a good position leading into Friday practice,” Wagner said.
With winter fast approaching in South Australia, it brings with it a dramatic change in conditions than those normally experienced by Aiden is his home area around the Sunshine Coast. While a heavy emphasis is continually placed on physical and mental preparation leading into the event for Wagner, extra focus on cooler conditions has been critical for the 19 year old.
“We are feeling confident leading into the race weekend and I’m really glad we had the chance to get some testing completed before the event. The weather is very different to what I am used to in Queensland so adapting myself and the bike to this is crucial,” Wagner added.
With the event being the first of its kind in five years at Mallala, Aiden is yet to take part in a race event there. While there will be many local challengers, Wagner is confident that his pre-event testing and momentum carried through from the opening round at Wakefield Park will help him greatly towards securing another podium result.
“I’ve never raced at Mallala before so I’m really hoping to make it a track to remember and bring home the win. It will be tough but I feel I am as ready as possible to face whatever comes to me, I have been training very hard with Richard Holt from ‘The Holt Bolt’ to get my body in shape to fight for victory,” Wagner concluded.
BC Performance Preview
BCperformance A1 Kawasaki expand to a 5 rider line up with the addition of prominent SA female racer Di Jones for the remainder of the 2014 season. Adelaide resident Di Jones who currently sits 2nd in the Ninja 300 Ladies cup and 10th in the overall points standings, joins
current BCperformance A1 Kawasaki Ninja 300 riders Kyle Buckley and Phil Burke in time for her local race at Round 2 of the Swann Insurance Australasian Superbike Championship (ASC) at Mallala Raceway, SA. Jones, who has been competing at the state level since 2011 and more recently at the national level, finished a credible 3rd in the 2013 Australian C&D grade Prostock Championship. For 2014 she has turned her attention to the all-new Kawasaki Ninja 300 Cup which incorporates the only National level Ladies motorcycle road racing championship within Australia.
Jones is pretty pleased with her new team “I am thrilled to be joining the BCperformance A1 Kawasaki team and can’t wait to learn as much as I can from their experience. My goal is to develop my riding further to hopefully achieve some great results for the team!”.
Team Manager Kelvin Reilly explains the decision to expand his team “Having Di on board gives our team great diversity and having a fast female also enables us to fight for the Ladies Championship. On behalf of my team and sponsors we look forward to working with Di to help her reach the goals we have set out”
BCperformance A1 Kawasaki’s 5 rider line-up consists of Ben Burke in the headline Superbike class, Supersport rider Patrick Li and Ninja 300 cup riders Kyle Buckley, Phil Burke and Di Jones.
Glenn Scott Racing Preview
Central Coast’s Glenn Scott will be looking to pick up where he left off from the opening round of the 2014 Australasian Superbike Championship at Wakefield Park, after securing the lead in the Formula Oz Championship and continually taking it up to the Factory front runners in Superbike as the series makes a return to Mallala Motorsport Park in South Australia.
Scott, who competes in two categories aboard his Team InsureMyRide Racing Honda Superbike has taken part in a recent two day test program at the South Australian circuit, and with it being the first time in seven years that Glenn has ridden there, it proved to be a healthy opportunity to re-acquaint himself with the 2.6km track.
“I am seriously excited to hit the track on my InsureMyRide Veolia Environmental Services Superbike this weekend for round two of the Australasian Superbike Championship. We were really satisfied with our two day test at Mallala, with there being only one second separating myself and the fastest rider on track, veteran Jamie Stauffer,” Scott said.
With both Wakefield Park and Mallala being technical tracks that require a heavy emphasis on precise setup and focussed riding, Glenn looked to use every lap spent on track as a chance to identify any issues and deliver the information required to give himself the best opportunity possible to be at the front of the two highly competitive fields.
“Although I didn’t have much experience around Mallala coming into the race meeting, I’m feeling confident that after the two days of testing we know where we can improve to be competitive, I’m really working hard with my mechanic, Vaughan from MSC Moto to secure the best setup possible. The opening round at Wakefield Park was some of the most competitive and enjoyable racing I have been in and with our strong results there, I’m hoping to carry that momentum through to this weekend,” Scott added.
With a multitude of heavy braking points and tight corners, Mallala is rated as one of the most physically demanding tracks on the series calendar, a factor that Glenn places a large focus on in the lead up to the event. While on-track performance is critical, Scott highlights that preparing himself physically and mentally prior to the event is essential in securing success on race day.
“The InsureMyRide Honda Superbike is amazing to ride and I believe my crew can give me the bike I need to go and stand on the top step of the podium. Mallala is certainly one of the most physical tracks on the calendar so I have to thank my trainer Stephen Mion from Fitmoto for helping me prepare for this round and the whole season,” Scott concluded.
Mike Jones Racing Preview
Mike Jones will make his first race appearance at Mallala Raceway in South Australia since 2009 next weekend as round two of the Swann Insurance Australasian Superbike Championship travels to the technical 2.6km circuit with Jones looking to chase down the Championship lead of the factory riders.
A recent two day test at Mallala for Mike has allowed the Queenslander to familiarise himself with the circuit, with the last time he rode there being on a smaller 250GP bike. Although it was challenging early for Mike to dial in the ideal setup, he is confident heading into the event that the team have ironed out any issues that may hold him back in securing a good result.
“Having two days of testing at Mallala has been very beneficial in preparation for the next round of racing. The track time was much needed considering my only time at the circuit previously was in 2009 on a 250GP Mono machine. It’s a very technical circuit and I found the Crazy Dogs ZX10 to be quite a handful early on but we certainly spent a lot of time chasing a fast setup,” Jones said
With the Mallala circuit featuring short straights, hairpins and sweeping corners, Mike understands that it requires a lot of focus and preparation to ensure his Crazy Dogs Kawasaki ZX10 is ready to endure the varied conditions that will be faced across the three day event.
“Over the course of the two day test I was constantly learning the circuit and trying a variety of different techniques with my riding. As always, I worked closely with XXX Rated Race Suspension to help improve the handling of the bike to suit the circuit,” Jones added.
With four practice sessions scheduled for the opening day of the event, Mike will be looking to use this track time as a chance to put in place final preparations ahead of qualifying with racing to take place on both Saturday and Sunday.
“Overall, I’m satisfied with the gradual progress I was able to make during the days and I’m excited for the racing in a week’s time. I aim to continue my learning and development on the bike so as to improve further,” Jones concluded.
