| Australian Superbike Championship 2010 – Round Four – QLD Raceway |
Herfoss extends Supersport Championship lead
Team Suzuki rider Troy Herfoss has extended his points lead in the Australian Supersport Championship after two hard-fought races at the fifth round of the series at Queensland Raceway on Sunday, 22 August.
Herfoss, who started from pole position on his Team Suzuki GSX-R600, was engaged in two thrilling 16-lap races with experienced international rider, Kevin Curtain.
Twenty-three-year-old Herfoss, who is only in his second full season of Supersport racing, after swapping from Supermoto at the end of 2008, went bar-to-bar with Curtain in each race.
The Team Suzuki rider finished the round second overall, with his 38-point haul from fourth and second placings moving him 28 points clear on the championship points table. Herfoss had entered the round with a 19-point lead.
The Team Suzuki rider recorded the fastest lap in each race, but had his challenge for the win in race one thwarted when the gear-shift knob vibrated loose on lap 10. Despite the difficulty in changing gears on his Team Suzuki GSX-R600, Herfoss was able to complete the race in fourth place and secure 17 championship points.
In race two Herfoss was again engaged in a titanic battle with Curtain, the latter finally prevailing by 1.656sec at the chequered flag.
The ferocity of their battles saw Curtain, a runner-up in the Supersport World Championship, direct praise at his less-experienced rival at the podium presentation.
“I haven’t raced like that since I was in the world championship a few years ago,” said Curtain. “Troy is going well.”
After five rounds, Herfoss now leads the six-round Australian Supersport Championship on 178pts from Christan Casella 150 and Suzuki GSX-R600 rider Brodie Waters 141.
In the Australian Superbike Championship Team Suzuki riders Robbie Bugden and Shawn Giles finished sixth and seventh respectively with 29 points apiece after chasing a set-up they were comfortable with on the bumpy and challenging 3.12km Ipswich circuit. The round was won by current championship leader Bryan Staring.
Bugden, a three-time New Zealand Superbike Champion, finished ninth and fifth in the two 16-lap races, but was fortunate to finish race one when a collision with another rider removed his Team Suzuki Mack Trucks GSX-R1000’s clutch lever.
In race two Bugden was involved in an entertaining battle with 2008 Australian champion Glenn Allerton and fellow Suzuki GSX-R1000 rider Scott Charlton, the Queenslander finishing just 0.196sec behind Allerton in the battle for fourth and 0.403sec ahead of Charlton.
Giles, a three-time Australian Superbike Champion, finished seventh in each race after starting from the third row of the grid. Giles’ 29-point haul consolidated fourth overall in the championship standings, with the Team Suzuki rider now just 3.5pts off third.
With two rounds remaining Staring leads the seven-round series on 166pts from Wayne Maxwell 147.5, Allerton 115 and Giles 111.5.
Missing from the grid for Round Five’s two Superbike races was the Team Suzuki GSX-R1000 of reigning Australian champion Josh Waters, the 23-year-old being ruled out of the meeting on Thursday after medical tests revealed he had not recovered sufficiently from an accident in early July in the USA when testing for the US Suzuki Superbike team.
The series now heads to Victoria’s Phillip Island circuit on September 10-12 for round six of the seven-round series, to be run in conjunction with the V8 Supercars.
PHIL TAINTON – TEAM MANAGER
“Troy’s performance this weekend was exceptional. It’s the first round this year that Troy hasn’t won, but to race like that with Kevin Curtain showed maturity beyond his years.
“It was unfortunate what happened with the gear-lever knob vibrating loose in race one – that’s something we’ve never encountered before.
“It was a challenging weekend finding a set-up for the Superbike guys that they were happy with, as the circuit is quite bumpy in parts.
“Of course we want to win every time we go out there, and winning both classes was our aim. But Bryan (Staring) got his package working better, so congratulations to him.
“Shawn has closed the points’ gap to third in the championship, so we’re looking forward to the next round at Phillip Island.”
TROY HERFOSS
“I’m really pleased with the weekend results, although I’m a little annoyed with myself for making a few mistakes.
“It was great to race with a person like Kev and I appreciate what he said after the race – he’s a great rider. It was good hard racing, but clean and fair.
“It was unfortunate in race one when the gear-lever knob vibrated loose as it meant I could not race for the win. But to extend my championship lead was more important than race wins this weekend, so I’m happy with that.
“The bike was awesome and the team did a great job.”
SHAWN GILES
“I had a few problems getting a set-up I was happy with, and I couldn’t get the confident feel I was after.
“Missing Superpole didn’t do me any favours when I got bumped out of the top eight in the last five minutes, and it was always going to be hard starting both races from row three.
“The team worked non-stop all weekend, and kept making set-up changes until I had the confidence to push harder. I can’t thank them enough.
“I’m only a few points off third in the championship now, so I’m looking forward to Phillip Island – a circuit I really enjoy.”
ROBBIE BUGDEN
“It’s always great to race in front of my friends and family at my home round at Queensland Raceway.
“It would have been good to have got on the podium, but the pace up front was pretty hot and I’d struggled throughout practice and qualifying with set-up.
“We got things working for Superpole and in Sunday warm-up, but having my clutch lever knocked off in race one didn’t do me any favours. Up-shifting was okay, but down-shifting was difficult.
“Race two was more like it, and the battle with Glenn and Scotty was a good one.”
JOSHUA WATERS
“It’s obviously disappointing not to be racing, but it’s important that I’m fully fit before I get back on the bike.
“Team Suzuki has been monitoring my progress and making sure I’ve been getting regular medical attention. There was no way the team was going to let me race this weekend unless I had 100 per cent clearance.
“It would be unsafe for me and unsafe for the other competitors if I’m not 100 per cent fit. I’m probably another week away from being fully right, so it’s better to sit out the meeting.
“I’m looking forward to racing at the next round.”
