Team Suzuki reflect on Darwin dominance
Team Suzuki rider Josh Waters mastered heat, humidity and a tropical downpour to dominate the second round of the Australian Superbike Championship at the Northern Territory’s Hidden Valley Race Circuit on April 9-11.
The reigning Australian Superbike Champion won both Superbike races after starting from pole position, claiming a new lap record for the 2.9km Darwin circuit in the second of Sunday’s two races.
Waters’ clean sweep and maximum points haul has rocketed the 23-year-old from eighth in the points’ standings to third place overall and just 9 points behind series leader Wayne Maxwell.
There was further good news for Team Suzuki with Troy Herfoss taking overall honours in the Australian Supersport Championship on his Suzuki GSX-R600 and extending his lead at the head of the points table after two rounds of the six-round series.
Waters was in dominating form on his Team Suzuki GSX-R1000 at Hidden Valley, winning both races after topping every practice and qualifying session and emerging on top in Saturday’s Superpole Shootout.
Waters claimed victory in the opening wet race by 10.010sec from 2008 champion Glenn Allerton with Team Suzuki’s Robbie Bugden third. The defending champion then backed up in a dry race two with a 3.324sec win over Bryan Staring with Allerton third.
Waters, who entered the round 24 points adrift of round one winner Maxwell, has now closed to within nine points of the championship lead.
The points’ gap would have been closer still if not for race one being red-flagged by race officials on lap eight after a spectacular crash, involving local rider Tim Cowie, which left oil spread across the circuit from Cowie’s stricken machine.
With less than the required number of laps being completed in what was scheduled as a 17-lap race, officials had no option but to declare the race and award half points.
“I feel a little bit robbed, but that’s the way it is,” said Waters. “The full 25 points would have been nice.”
Waters’ Suzuki GSX-R1000 was the fastest bike down Hidden Valley’s one-kilometre-long front straight, recording a top speed of 291km/h in Friday’s opening practice session.
Underlining his dominance, Waters claimed a new Superbike lap record for the 2.9km Hidden Valley circuit with a 1:07.994 on lap two in race two, the Team Suzuki rider’s new benchmark an impressive 1.1109sec below Jason Bright’s V8 Supercar lap record.
Bugden, a three-time New Zealand Superbike Champion, finished fourth overall for the round after third and fifth placings in Sunday’s two races, with three-time Australian Superbike Champion Shawn Giles making it three Team Suzuki riders in the top seven placings.
Maxwell leads the six-round series on 73.5 points from Staring on 65 with Waters now just nine points adrift on 64.5. Jamie Stauffer lies fourth on 60 points with Allerton fifth on 56.
Herfoss had a near perfect meeting on his Team Suzuki GSX-R600. The Supermotard star turned road racer started from pole position to take victory in the opening 17-lap Supersport race by 1.286sec over Christan Casella with the Suzuki GSX-R600 of Brodie Waters, younger brother of Josh, third.
In a thrilling race two Brodie Waters got the better of Herfoss by 0.373sec, but 23-year-old Herfoss emerged with the overall round win courtesy of his first and second placings – 46 points to Waters’ 43 points.
The next round of the championship is at Queensland Raceway on June 4-6.
PHIL TAINTON – TEAM MANAGER
“It’s been a great weekend for the whole team and I’m extremely happy with the results. To take pole position in both classes – Superbike and Supersport – and to win both classes is a reflection on the effort everyone has been putting in.
“Josh was dominant from the very first practice session on Thursday and he should be proud of his effort this weekend. He’s got to that level now where he knows what is required and he just goes out and does it.
“He’s just nine points off the championship lead, so he can now put the disappointment of the opening round behind him.
“Troy has now won back-to-back rounds, and is gaining in confidence every time he rides the GSX-R600.
“He’s just entering his second full season of road racing, and he rode with a maturity beyond his years this weekend at a track he’s never raced at before.”
JOSHUA WATERS
“The bike was great all weekend, and the team did a fantastic job in giving me a bike that was really, really good. It was fast too!
“I put my head down in the recent test session we did here and I knew we had a good setting for the races. I feel I’m back in the hunt for the championship now.
“The team did an awesome job to get the bike ready in all conditions; the wet race was just about survival and staying on the bike.
“It would have been good to get the full points for race one rather than just half, but I guess that’s the way it goes.
“I thought I’d messed up my Superpole lap (on Saturday) and not done enough to get pole. I would have felt a bit silly after topping every session before then, so it was a relief to see the time come up.
“I really wanted that bonus point for pole position as I need to start closing down the points’ gap to Wayne (Maxwell).”
SHAWN GILES
“It wasn’t a bad meeting for me, but I was hoping for better.
“I had a few problems getting a set-up I was happy with, and I couldn’t get the feel in the front end I was after. That made it hard for me to push around the back part of the track.
“Qualifying tenth didn’t do me any favours as that meant a third-row start, so I guess sixth and eighth in the two races isn’t too bad in the circumstances.
“I’m looking forward to the next round at Queensland Raceway in June and clawing back some points.”
ROBBIE BUGDEN
“Overall it’s been a good weekend for me and third in race one was a great way to start the season after missing round one at Phillip Island.
“Unfortunately I went the wrong way with some set-up changes for race two and I struggled a bit in that one. Still, we were only 1.3sec off another podium finish so I can’t complain.
“I’m looking forward to my home round at Queensland Raceway.”
TROY HERFOSS
“I’m really pleased with the weekend results. The bike was great all weekend. The team did an awesome job.
“It would have been nice to have won race two as well, but it was more important to come away with points.
“Brodie (Waters) put the pressure on and took a win which keeps things close – there’s less than 10 points between myself, Brodie and Christan (Casella) going into the next round.
“When Brodie came past me in race two I tried to stick with him, but I lost the front and nearly crashed. I was absolutely gone.
“The front tucked and my knee was on the ground – nearly my elbow too. I like to win, but I’m also thinking of the championship.”
— Full Results (4Mb PDF)
— Images from Hidden Valley –
| Round Two Results | Championship standings after round 2 of 7 |
| 1. Joshua WATERS, Team Suzuki (VIC) 37.5 points. 2. Glenn ALLERTON, Valvoline Superbike Team (NSW) 28 3. Bryan STARING, Cougar Bourbon Honda Racing (VIC) 27 4. Robert BUGDEN, Team Mack Trucks Suzuki (QLD) 25 5. Jamie STAUFFER, Ducati Motologic Racing (NSW) 23 6. Wayne MAXWELL, Demolition Plus GAS Honda Racing (NSW) 22.5 7. Shawn GILES, Team Suzuki (VIC) 20.5 8. Scott CHARLTON, Racer’s Edge Performance Suzuki (VIC) 20 9. Craig COXHELL, CJC Racing BMW (VIC) 16.5 10. John ALLEN, Aluma-lite Racing (QLD) 14.5 | 1. Wayne MAXWELL, Demolition Plus GAS Honda Racing (NSW) 73.5 points 2. Bryan STARING, Cougar Bourbon Honda Racing (VIC) 65 3. Joshua WATERS, Team Suzuki (VIC) 64.5 4. Jamie STAUFFER, Ducati Motologic Racing (NSW) 60 5. Glenn ALLERTON, Valvoline Superbike Team (NSW) 56 6. Shawn GILES, Team Suzuki (VIC) 49.5 7. Scott CHARLTON, Racer’s Edge Performance Suzuki (VIC) 49 8. Shannon JOHNSON, KTM Superbike Team (VIC) 43 9. John ALLEN, Aluma-lite Racing (QLD), 34.5 10. Craig McMARTIN, North Coast V-Twins/Agip Racing (NSW), 33 |
| Supersport Overall Results – Round 2 1 Troy Herfoss (Suzuki GSX-R600); 2 Brodie Waters (Suzuki GSX-R600); 3 Christan Casella | Supersport Championship Points (after 2 of 6 rounds) 1 Troy Herfoss (Suzuki GSX-R600) 89pts; 2 Brodie Waters (Suzuki GSX-R600) 81; 3 Christan Casella 80 |
