ASBK 2013 – Round Six – Hidden Valley, NT
— Darwin the last stop for Allerton before WSBK assault
Darwin’s Hidden Valley Raceway will be the last hit out for NextGen Motorsports Glenn Allerton before he heads to America for Round 12 of the FIM World Superbike Championship at Laguna Seca.
The BMW rider will be looking to regain ground at this weekend’s sixth installment of the QBE Australian Superbike Championship, after enduring a tough round at Sydney Motorsport Park.
Allerton, who crashed in the final Saturday race, finished the double-header event 13th and 3rd and dropped to second in the championship standings.
Hailing Hidden Valley Raceway as one of his favourite tracks to race on, Allerton said he had been doing a lot of extra training to prepare for the Darwin heat.
“I have been doing a lot of extra work with my trainer to prepare for the Darwin heat as it will be hotter than what we are used to racing in April,” Allerton said.
“This is my favourite Australian event, I love the layout and the challenge of the track. I won a race here in 2011 but I haven’t had a round win yet.
Allerton will head to Laguna Seca following the Darwin event to contest his second WSBK round this year. He put in a strong showing to finish 12th in the second race at Phillip Island in February.
“The opportunity came about after competing as a wildcard in the Phillip Island event earlier this year,” Allerton explained.
“The bike we have built for Laguna Seca is quite different to the one I raced in February which was basically my Australian Superbike. The new bike has had some upgrades to the engine and is about 19kgs lighter. It is everything we need to be competitive over there.
“It is a track I have raced on before so we are definitely going there to try and get a good result . The bike went over after the Sydney event as we have some infastructure in the U.S that has really helped with our preparations.
“It is summer in the U.S at the moment so being two weeks out from Laguna Seca, this weekends Darwin event will certainly help prepare me or the conditions over there,” he added.
Round 6 of the QBE Australian Superbike Championship will be held simultaneously with Milwaukee presents the Terex Australian Supercross Championship at Hidden Valley Raceway on September 14-15.
Championship Standings (after five of seven rounds):
1. Wayne MAXWELL 180
2. Glenn ALLERTON 156
3. Robert BUGDEN 156
4. Jamie STAUFFER 135
5. Josh HOOK 133
6. Glenn SCOTT 119
7. Linden MAGEE 99
8. Beau BEATON 99
9. Phil LOVETT 79
10. Sloan FROST 71
Supersport Championship Standings- After Round Five
1st Daniel Falzon – 158 (Yamaha R6)
2nd Aaron Morris – 149 (Yamaha R6)
3rd Michael Blair – 135 (Yamaha R6)
4th Chris Quinn – 130 (Yamaha R6)
5th Aiden Wagner – 112 (Yamaha R6)
— Previously……………..ASBK 2013 – Round Four/Five – Sydney Motorsports Park – Sunday Full Report by Phil Harlum
— Maxwell completes Sydney Motorsport Park double
Round Four Overall Results:
1. Wayne MAXWELL 50
2. Robert BUGDEN 40
3. Jamie STAUFFER 35
4. Josh HOOK 32
5. Glenn SCOTT 32
6. Linden MAGEE 29
7. Chas HERN 27
8. Glenn ALLERTON 27
9. Beau BEATON 24
10. Sloan FROST 24
Round Five Overall Results:
1. Wayne MAXWELL 50
2. Robert BUGDEN 37
3. Glenn ALLERTON 35
4. Josh HOOK 34
5. Jamie STAUFFER 34
6. Glenn SCOTT 33
7. Linden MAGEE 28
8. Beau BEATON 26
9. Sloan FROST 24
10. Ben HENRY 21
Round Four Supersport Results
1st Aaron Morris – 42 (Yamaha R6)
2nd Daniel Falzon – 42 (Yamaha R6)
3rd Michael Blair – 36 (Yamaha R6)
Round Five Supersport Results
1st Aaron Morris – 50
2nd Aiden Wagner – 40
3rd Daniel Falzon – 36
Round five of the 2013 QBE ASBK saw Team Suzuki’s extend his lead in the championship with two dominant, but hard fought race wins at Sydney’s home of motorsport, Sydney Motorsport Park.
Maxwell didn’t have it all his own way in either race but was able to use the strength of his Suzuki / Dunlop package to score 50 valuable points to lead the championship by twenty four points over Next Gen Motorsports BMW HP4 rider, and dual Australian Champion Glenn Allerton.
Race one saw pole sitter Robbie Bugden blast his Team Volvo Group Suzuki into the lead, a lead he held until Maxwell found a way past on lap 5, immediately opening a gap of half a second.
Allerton had got away with the leaders but was suffering from a lack of feeling in the front end of the potent BMW and hung with the lead group as long as possible, by lap four Bugden and Maxwell had opened a small gap but Allerton had his hands more than full with fast starting superbike rookie Glenn Scott of the Insure My Ride Honda.
Scott, who has been working hard on both his fitness and his riding was ahead of both Team Honda riders Jamie Stauffer, who was still suffering the effects of the nasty pelvic injury sustained in Queensland, and Josh hook who didn’t get his CBR1000 off the line well and had to find a way past the rapid Racers Edge Performance Suzuki of Beau Beaton.
Hook managed to get past on lap three but by this stage was two seconds behind Stauffer.
Scott continued to pressure Allerton, who as usual, gritted his teeth and rode as hard as he could, also mindful of the crash in Saturday’s round four races that robbed him of valuable championship points. Scott found a way past on lap five.
Bernie Hatton was interviewed on the grid prior to race one and explained how he had been working with Glenn, and that the team had something special in store for the race, nobody guessed it was something this special.
A little further back behind Allerton his team mate Linden Magee has his hands full, like he has at most rounds this year, with Beaton on the Racers Edge Performance Suzuki, from lap three that had been involved in an arm wrestle of epic proportions and by lap five Kiwi Superbike front runner Sloan Frost on his BMW also made his presence felt.
Behind the Magee, Beaton, Frost battle the ever impressive Phil Lovett was continuing to amaze with his stamina, determination and speed on his Prostock spec Kawasaki ZX-10Rin tenth. Recording his fastest lap on the race, 1:33.1 on lap three Lovett showed that despite being a little older than some of his competitors he has just as much determination.
By lap nine Maxwell had managed to stretch the lead out to the psychological 1 second mark over Bugden, who in turn had a comfortable buffer of five seconds over rookie Scott in third. Stauffer had got past Allerton on the same lap to move to fourth and Hook was not trying everything in has bag of tricks to do likewise.
Hook finally managed a pass on lap eleven to relegate Allerton to sixth, but was in no position to challenge team mate Stauffer who was some four seconds ahead. Stauffer in turn had no chance of catching Scott who was three seconds further ahead with a similar distance to Bugden in second.
Maxwell took victory by 3.7 seconds over Bugden, Scott scored his first podium in the Superbike class and clearly won the privateers race over Magee and Beaton who were seventh and eighth overall.
I got a great start and was neck and neck with Robbie into turn one but Robbie got me there” recalled race winner Wayne Maxwell. “I just had to bide my time and I saw an opportunity about half race distance and passed him into turn 9 and put my head down but Robbie put up and awesome fight and the gap didn’t really grow for a lot of laps so I just had to stay consistent”.
“We got away well but then Wayne came past me and I made a few mistakes” explained Bugden. “that gave his a bit of breathing room and Wayne is riding so well so you can’t give him anything. From then on I really just had to settle for second place because there was nothing I could do”.
Race one, wow, that’s really all I have to say” beamed Scott. “It was a real confidence builder for me to show myself that I could run with these guys Bernie had been pushing a lot of belief into me that we were capable of running with these guys and we showed that. We just worked on our start as that is where we have been struggling, we got a great start and got into a good dice with Glenn Allerton, I got past Allerton into turn 8 I really had my sights on Bugden but the nerves really kicked in and for the last five laps when I was in third I was just like wow, I really want to finish this race, and we did that.
Stauffer and Hook were fourth and fifth and with Allerton sixth and scoring important championship points. Frost was ninth with “Flying” Phil Lovett rounding out the top 10. Ben Henry and West Australian Adam Senior, also riding with a handicapping knee injury, rounded out the finishers.
Race one we tried something different compared to yesterday” reflected Jamie Stauffer. “We made the bike actually a bit worse than what it was yesterday”.
“First Race didn’t really go to plan” said Team Honda’s Josh Hook. “I got off to a really bad start and had it wheel standing and the other guys got good starts and I went back to about eighth or something into turn one. I had a lot of traffic and I had to try and get past Beau Beaton and by the time I had I had to try and bridge the gap to Jamie and Allerton. By that stage I had cooked my tyre so it wasn’t a good race for us”.
Race one was a tough one” recalled Allerton. “I got a great start and felt like we were going to go really good, but I started having some issues with the front end, we had changed the fork settings which didn’t really work. I had a few big front end moments and it turned into a survival race, even on the last lap when I was by myself riding round I still nearly fell off going really slow”
Chas Hern crashed at turn two early in on lap two and Chris McMillian was black flagged for not getting a medical clearance to race following a big crash on Saturday.
Race two was most entertaining race of the day, perhaps even the weekend.
After the first lap the top six of Bugden, Allerton, bouncing back after a difficult race one in the only way he knows how, Maxwell, Hook, Stauffer and impressive rookie Scott were covered by just over a second.
That reduced to .855 of a second by lap three as Allerton had surged his way to the front and made the potent BMW as hard to pass as possible.
Maxwell found a way push Bugden into the turn eight hairpin on the brakes on lap four and then snuck past Allerton in turn five two laps later. Bugden meanwhile was fending off a determined challenge from Hook who, along with Scott is a rookie in the Superbike class.
Maxwell put vital bike lengths between himself and the brawling pack almost instantly and was half a second clear a lap later, doubling it on the next tour as the five riders behind began carving each other up like a Sunday roast.
Ten seconds back from the lead pack an equally exciting battle was on in earnest as Next Gen Motorsports Linden Magee fought to hold off Beau Beaton on the Racers Edge Performance Suzuki and similarly mounts CM Racing’s Chas Hern.
Ben Henry on the Australian Outdoor Living Suzuki had also managed to put a gap on Phil Lovett who apart from racing in the Superbike class had also contested three Prostock races with Adam Senior the last rider on the lead lap another thirteen seconds back.
Recently crowned five times New Zealand Superbike Champion Budgen dropped back to fifth by lap ten as Hook and Stauffer applied considerable pressure with Scott less than a tenth behind.
Sloan Frost had also managed to get past Hern into ninth by lap eleven but Beaton & Magee were too far ahead to challenge, still battling for second placed privateer honours as they have done all season.
Allerton was busy fighting off Hook, the BMW rider using all of his braking and acceleration to hold off a determined Hook with the rest of the pack all trying to do likewise to each other, the last few laps some of the best racing seen this year.
Maxwell took the victory, his second double of the weekend by an official .9 of a second; however that was due to a massive length-of-the-straight stand up wheel stand after he had led by nearly three seconds as he received the last lap board.
“I didn’t get a great start and was third into turn one” said an excited Maxwell. “I knew there a lot of guys that had struggled a bit this weekend would want to prove a point so I didn’t want to get caught up in all of that so as soon as I got an opportunity I just started passing people, I got past Robbie into the old turn nine hairpin and then Glenn into turn five, I could see they were both on a mission and riding super strong so I just got my head down. The gap started to grow and then I just rolled it off to the end. The GSX-R was awesome all weekend, massive thanks also to Dunlop, its fair to say we had our backs against the wall and we have been working hard with Dunlop to improve and I knew this was going to be the turning point of the season this weekend. To come in fourteen points behind and leave twenty four in front is really more than we expected and a dream come true”.
“The track temp came down for race two which helped us and we went back to the old fork setting as well” smiled Next Gen Motorsports BMW rider Glenn Allerton. “I knew I had to go hard from the start because that’s when I’ve optimum grip with my Pirelli’s, so I got the front as quick as I could and just held on and rode the rest of the race to hold my position. I probably created a bit of a traffic jam there but every point counts and I’m not going to pull over and let anyone by. Fortunately for me by BMW is superfast in a straight line and the brakes are fantastic on the HP4 so I was braking really late and squaring the corners off and managed to come second in the race and third overall for the round which is amazing after how hard the first race was so I’m really happy”.
Allerton used all his experience and courage and guile to hold off Hook, Stauffer, Bugden and Scott in that order, three tenths of a second covering them at the finish in an incredible race.
“We knew in race two we had to get off the line and away with the leaders and get into the front four bikes so we could stick with them” said Hook. “Allerton got in front which probably slowed the pace down a little bit which was good for me but after Wayno got around it was pretty much a dogfight for second and third places. It was a bit of a shame we couldn’t get past Allerton but he rode really well with really defensive line and he is really hard to pass so he definitely made it tough for us. I just had to make sure I kept trying to get past so the guys behind weren’t trying to get past me”.
“For the second race today we went back to what we had in the second race yesterday” said Stauffer. “Definitely it was better but I still didn’t have the grip to get past people and move forward so I just had to wait for someone to make a mistake for me to get past. It’s unfortunate but we just have to keep trying, it hasn’t been a good year with injuries and the results haven’t been what we want. We have the same tyre as the Suzuki guys so we know what it’s capable of”.
“We were going along just nicely and then I got caught up in a little bit of traffic” said fifth placed Bugden who had started from Pole. “I tried to put a few passes on but got squeezed and lost a few extra places right at the end which is a little disappointing. I know we had a lot more speed than the guys we were running around with but all in all for our team here at Suzuki it’s you look at our achievement for the weekend, we finished one-two in both rounds, new lap record, a new best lap, pole position you barely have better weekends as that as a team so I’m really happy.
“We got a good start again but we were behind the two Team Honda boys” said a still buzzing Glenn Scott. “It was a real scrap the whole race, and I say one of the most fun races I have ever ridden and also one of the closest. We were right there and it as awesome to finish across the line one after another so close. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the team who have been awesome, my trainer Steve who has taken my fitness to a new level and Bernie was well, I’m not doing this by myself.”
Magee managed to hold of Beaton, with Frost six seconds back in ninth, Henry rounded out the top ten with Hern, Lovett and Senior the last riders on the lead lap.
Chris McMillian was lapped by the top six on the last lap and rounded out the finishers in fourteenth place.
Supersport action at round five of the 2013 QBE ASBK saw Novocastrian Aaron Morris on his Maxima Yamah take two hard fought victories over similarly mounted Queenslander Aiden Wagner, the winning margin over both races less than half a second.
Morris consequently too the round win on fifty points to Wagner’s forty with Championship leader Daniel Falzon third after recording 3-4 results in the two action packed races.
Both races had exciting battles all the way back through the pack but on both occasions the race for the lead was a two man battle with Morris and Wagner getting away in both legs.
Aaron Gobert also replicated his lightning start from Saturdays round four, race two, to be in fifth early in race one.
Morris and Queensland double victor Michael Blair got away leaving Wagner with over a second to close down on the race leaders bringing Falzon along for the ride as well as good mate and fellow Queenslander Callum Spriggs.
By the completion of lap three Blair had gone back to fifth with Wagner and Morris making a break at the front, by lap four Falzon was over two second behind the lead group as he tried hard to fight off Spriggs and Blair.
Falzon and Spriggs extricated themselves from Blair as they managed to close back in on the leaders reducing the gap to just over a second by lap six.
By lap ten the gap was back out to over two seconds as Morris and Wagner continued to lap in the 33’s, Falzon and Spriggs fighting hard for the last place on the podium with Blair a further two seconds back in a lonely fifth, Aaron Gobert some seven seconds behind.
Back in the pack behind Gobert Chris Quinn, Kyle Buckley and Mason Coote were all involved in a good battle with the injured Ryan Taylor grimly just trying to hang on and score championship points, after two big crashes left him sore and sorry, and the team with a lot of bike rebuilding work to do before the next round.
Morris took the race one win from Wagner by .31 of a second, Falzon was third three and a half seconds back with Spriggs right on his tail, Blair rounded out the top five two further seconds back.
Chris Quinn, Gobert, Buckley, Coote and Michael Lockart rounded out the top ten with the battered and bruised Ryan Taylor in thirteenth.
Race two was an even closer affair with Morris hitting a false neutral early on allowing Wagner to seize the lead on lap four after Blair had lead the first few laps from Morris, Spriggs and Falzon.
By lap six Wagner and Morris were gone by over two seconds with Blair and Falzon involved in a two man was after Spriggs had crashed at turn two on lap two dropping back to nineteenth.
Wagner held a slender lead until Morris drafted past on lap nine, Wagner came back on lap 10 setting the scene for an intense battle over the last two laps.
Morris took the win by .037 from Wagner, Blair got the better of Falzon after he gapped the young south Australian on lap eleven with Falzon taking safe points rather than risk a crash on the last lap, the gap to big to bridge. Quinn was fifth just ahead of Kyle Buckley who continues to impress. Gobert, Malaysian Mohd Ramdan, former Reece Bancell Scholarship Michael Lockart and Ryan Taylor rounded out the top ten.
The Prostock class was dominated by the Kawasaki Connection Rover Coaches Team with rider Matt Walters scoring as perfect weekend, two pole positions, six race wins and a new lap record across the double header was a result he described as “a dream”.
Walters had to use his used rear tyre in race one allowing the pack to stay with him for the entire race distance, no one was able to get past but Kawasaki mounted Ben Bourke and Sean Condon managed to stay in contact finishing less than half a second behind.
Walters fasted lap of 1:32.258 was over a second from his new lap record set the day previous.
Dustin Goldsmith, riding his spare bike was fourth following continuing electrical gremlins in his number one machine with the impressive Phil Lovett fifth.
Matt Harding won the C&D grade battle in sixth with Paul Byrne, the injured Ben Nicholson and Joel Hughes and Angus Reekie rounding out the top ten.
Race two saw Walters use the first of his two new tyre allocation for the round, and the rest of the field did not see what way he went. Walters was nearly a second in the lead after one lap, two seconds after two and five seconds by the completion of lap four. His first four flying laps all in the 1:31 second bracket.
Phil Lovett had a rare crash on the first lap on the exit of turn two and was unable to resume.
Behind Walters Dustin Goldsmith had come back from his customary bad start to take second on lap two, he remained in the top three until he was out of the race on lap seven.
Bikebiz Ipone Kawasaki’s Sean Condon was second, over seven seconds behind Walters.
The surprise packet of race two was certainly KTM RC8R mounted former multiple Australian Supermoto Champion Angus Reekie. Reekie had shown his turn of speed in the round four races with a best finish of fourth but his eventual third place in race two with a fastest lap of 1:32.487 was damn impressive.
Ben Bourke was fourth on his BC Performance by Bikes Connect Kawasaki only .7 of a second covering Condon, Reekie and Bourke.
Harding was a fine fifth with a brave Nicholson scoring his best result of the weekend despite the two broken bones in his right wrist, Lovett was seventh with Byrne, Joel Hughes and Harding rounding out the top ten, Harding had been as high as third early in the race.
Race three was another win by Walters but this time he was pushed all the way by Goldsmith, less than a second between them at the finish with Goldsmith recording his fastest lap of the weekend a fine 1:31734, one tenth slower than Matt Walters race three best.
Condon was third, thirteen seconds back with Reekie on his tail in fourth, Burke fifth. The top ten was rounded out by Nicholson, Phil Lovett, Byrne, Hughes and Harding. Walters won the round from Condon and Ben Bourke.
The 250 production class was once again extremely exciting racing over all three legs with less than two tenths of a second between first and second across all three legs. Luke Burgess on the Mackay Kawasaki took, three wins and a second, CM Racing’s Brandon Demmery carded two seconds and a win and young Jack Baker on the Crazy Dogs Kawasaki third overall with a third and two fouths. Tom Bramich on the Ron Angel Racing Ninth blotted his perfect record by crashing in race one at turn four but remounted to finish twelfth in the race and fifth for the round behind Daniel Mutton who was fourth, fifth and sixth.
In the women’s cup Sophie Lovett once again was to strong with the race wins, CM Racing’s Jessica
Derrin, who only got the call that a bike was available on the Wednesday prior to the event was second in her first ever ride outside of her native Western Australia and Miriam White, formerly of new Zealand, now living in Queensland was third.
Attrition was high over the weekend in the combined Moto3 and 125 class with Lawson Walters again dominating on his KTM RCR 250, Lachlan Kavney was second in races one and two but a race 3 crash while challenging Walters for the lead proved costly allowing the consistent Max Croker and Tayla Relph to pace second and third for the round.
Relph was down on her pace from Saturday’s round four action, but riding Lawson Walters spare chassis with her engine, and a badly swollen hand, it was a brave effort from the 15 year old Queenslander.
The MRRDA Juniors also made a welcome appearance with three races over both Saturday’s round four and Sunday’s round five.
RMU GP80 mounted Jacob Whitehouse won all three races from Lawson Walters on his Metrakit 80 with Jacob Street third on another RMU. Street was second across the line in race 3 but was relegated to third due a jump start penalty.
In the 150 class Nic Liminton took victory over Lachlan Epis, both sons of racers Richard Liminton and Greg Epis, with Danielle Foot third overall.
— Team Suzuki Report
Team Suzuki’s Wayne Maxwell is the new Australian Superbike Championship leader following Sydney Motorsport Park’s fourth and fifth round of the 2013 season, where he claimed a superb clean-sweep of the event.
The 30-year-old won all four 12-lap premier class Superbike races in fine fashion, now taking a 24-point lead in the championship following five of seven rounds.
It was a convincing weekend for Maxwell and the GSX-R1000, working their way to the front of the field in each outing while Team Volvo Group Suzuki teammate Robbie Bugden made it a special 1-2 result during both rounds for the team.
“What a weekend it was for Team Suzuki,” Maxwell said. “The Yoshimura-powered GSX-R1000 worked awesome in all four races, so to come away with four out of four shows how well the team and the bike are working.
“We came in 14 points behind and leave this weekend with a 24-point lead in the championship, so it really is a dream come true. Obviously there’s a long way to go, so we’ll keep working hard and see what we can do in Darwin. The Dunlop tyres worked great all weekend, so I can’t thank everybody enough.”
Bugden finished second in both races on Saturday after spending his fair share at the front of the field – round four’s second race providing some of the weekend’s best action as the Suzuki duo duked it out in the final stages.
Sunday saw Bugden start from the Superpole position on the grid and he again led during both races. The five-time New Zealand champion was second in race one, before a hard-fought fifth in the second sealed him his second runner-up overall for the weekend.
Bugden also claimed a new circuit record of 1m29.842s during Friday’s Superpole session, joined in the 29s by teammate Maxwell. Bugden also clinched a new race lap record of 1m30.445 in race one on Saturday afternoon.
“It was an absolute cracker weekend for Team Suzuki,” Bugden said. “We finished 1-2 in both rounds, won every race, had pole position for round five, plus we got a new lap and circuit record. Weekends just don’t get any better than that.
“As a team we worked really well, my GSX-R1000 was great and the Dunlop tyres were clearly performing. As for myself, obviously Wayne has a gap in the championship now, so we need to do something about that and do it quickly. We’ll head to Darwin now, a really good track for me, so I’ll be going there with the target of winning two races.”
Team Suzuki manager Phil Tainton was proud of Maxwell and Bugden’s efforts throughout the weekend, which was a pivotal performance in terms of the championship for the defending champion squad.
“It couldn’t have been much better,” Tainton said. “Wayne has been unbeatable, Robbie has been riding so well as well. We’re now first and tied for second in the championship, so it was a really important weekend to be successful with the double-header format. It was just fantastic.”
The Australian Superbike Championship will resume at Hidden Valley Raceway in Darwin, NT, on 12-15 September.
— Yamaha Report
Yamaha R6 Continues Hot Streak At Supersport ASBK
Double header rounds of the Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) were held at The Sydney Motorsport Complex with Yamaha again dominating proceedings in the 600cc Supersport Championship taking the top six positions at both rounds.
The venue saw rounds four and five of the series go ahead under clear blue skies and even more blue on the track as Yamaha riders and the R6 machine won both rounds in convincing fashion and the machine takes a strangle hold on the championship dominating the top five in the series.
Aaron Morris (Maxima Yamaha / YRD) put his best foot forward taking both round wins after some tight and tense battles in all four legs contested. Morris took the win on Saturday with a 4-1 result to get the round victory on a count back from Daniel Falzon (Caterpillar Yamaha / YRD) who posted 1-4 finishes. Third for the round went to Michael Blair (Blair Build / YRD) with his 2-5 results.
A quick freshen up of the bikes and riders saw the Supersport riders back on track on Sunday for round five of the championship and the action only intensified. Morris again took the round win with thanks to his impressive 1-1 results but each leg was a dog fight to the death with Morris taking both race victories by less than half a second in some of the best racing of the weekend.
Second at round five was Aiden Wagner (Wagner Soil testing / YRD) with his 2-2 finishes who threw down the challenge to Morris, while Daniel Falzon climbed the podium for the second time over the weekend as he chimed in for third.
Thanks to his double header victory, Morris has closed the gap in the championship table and now sits just nine points behind the series leader Daniel Falzon. Michael Blair, Chris Quinn and Aiden Wagner sit in third, fourth and fifth respectively in a blur of Yamaha blue at the top of the championship table.
Yamaha also leading the Manufacturers’ Championship in the Supersport class with a huge gap over rival manufacturers.
“It was another pleasing result from the Yamaha / YRD supported riders this weekend at The Sydney Motorsport Complex,” stated YRD owner, John Redding. “The R6 Machine has really proven itself to be in a class of its own in the Supersport category and we have some very talented riders and teams representing Yamaha at the ASBK.
“Congratulations to Aaron on a fine weekend and the other riders for doing a sensational job. The battle for the championship is getting exciting and it’s great to see the young guns of Australian road racing stepping up and producing some amazing racing.
“We look forward to the final two rounds at Darwin and at Phillip Island and the riders again thrusting the Yamaha R6 to the front of the pack.”
The ASBK now moves to Darwin for round six and then the big final round at Phillip Island in conjunction with the MotoGP. With 100 points still on offer, the championship is still wide open.
— Team Honda Report
Team Honda Racing has come away with valuable points from the Round 4 and 5 double-header of the Australian Superbike Championship at Sydney Motorsport Park over the weekend.
Round 4 on Saturday did not yield the results the team was hoping for as they battled some set-up issues, however they did finish strongly with Jamie Stauffer coming 3rd overall for Round 4 and Josh Hook finishing 4th.
On Saturday night, between Rounds 4 and 5, Team Honda Racing made the decision to make some subtle changes to the Honda CBR1000RRs in an effort to solve grip problems that the bikes had.
Race 1 on Sunday for Round 5 saw a terrific improvement in the consistency of the lap times for both riders and it was clear the changes were successful. However, after getting a less than ideal start, both riders found themselves in a battle with the BMW of Allerton and although both CBR1000RRs did pass Allerton in the final few laps of the race, it left little time to bridge the gap to the race leaders. Stauffer finished Race 1 in 4th place with Hook finishing in 5th.
The final race of the weekend exemplified the Honda team’s tenacity as they fought a thrilling battle on track with Superbike rookie Hook recording the fastest lap of the race, a 1:30.787 sec. The 20 year old fought hard with the lead riders, eventually finishing in 3rd place with Stauffer in 4th.
Having arrived home only days before the ASBK event from Japan where Hook and Stauffer competed in the grueling Suzuka 8 Hour race, both riders put in 100% all weekend and their focus did not waiver. Their efforts definitely impressed the many team partners that attended the Team Honda Racing Hospitality Zone on Saturday and Sunday, including Honda MPE’s General Manager of Motorcycles, Peter Singleton, Tony Hinton and Marketing Manager of Motorcycles, Glyn Griffiths. Team Honda Racing would like to thank all their guests to the Hospitality Zone over the weekend; AWS Vantage, Directors and guests from Doric Products, Monza Imports, Power House Group, Out There Branding and all associated guests. The team even had guests in attendance from South Africa with Brad Anassis and his team from Portable Shade there for the event.
The team was also pleased to welcome the Steven Walter Foundation and guests to join them all weekend. Raising money for children’s cancer research, the Foundation had many volunteers in attendance over the weekend to continue their fantastic work. With a raffle prize of a Motologic custom built Honda CBR1000RR on display, to be finalized at the annual Snowy Ride (2nd November 2013), the Foundation was able not only to raise money, but also awareness of children’s cancer and the need for research.
Hook: “Race 2 was a good race for me for Round 5. The most important thing for me starting from P5 was to get off the line well and make sure we were in the top few bikes from the start and we did that. We were able to stay up the front of the field for the majority of the race. The BMW slowed the pace at the front which helped me a bit, but as soon as another rider passed Allerton and began pulling away it made it more difficult. I spent a fair bit of the race trying to get past Allerton, but he rode well and was very defensive in his lines so it wasn’t easy. Still, I did come away with a 3rd place and the also the fastest lap of Race 2. I want to thank the team for their hard work, they worked tirelessly to get the bike right for me at this circuit and it was just a shame we weren’t stronger earlier in the weekend. We did gain valuable points though and I’m looking forward to a rest before heading to Darwin to have another go!”
Stauffer: “Round 5 wasn’t as strong for me after a podium on Saturday. I finished 4th in the first race for Round 5 as I struggled a bit with grip in the rear. We made a couple of changes between races and it did feel a lot better, but there was a tight group all battling together at the front which made it a difficult race. We did battle for 2nd at one point, but in the end we took 4th place. I finished 4th overall for Round 5 so not ideal, but now we have some time to work on the bike before Darwin and I also have some time to let my injuries heal. Having raced at the Suzuka 8 Hour and then straight after that to race here at a double-header was a bit difficult with pelvic injuries, but now I have some solid recovery time before Darwin so I’ll be looking forward to that event to get back on top of things.”
Team Principal, Paul Free will make good use of the coming weeks to formulate a plan for Round 6 to ensure his team returns to form.
Free: “Overall it was a difficult weekend for us. The team worked hard to try and get on top of issues raised by the riders but overall we fell slightly short. Jamie and Josh did an excellent job and pushed the motorcycle to the limit. Both riders did get on the podium over the weekend which was great to see and we have come away with solid points. We will have a debrief now to get a clear understanding of where we are and create a strong direction heading into Darwin for Round 6. It was fantastic to have so many of team partners and their guests at the Hospitality Zone and strong representation from Honda management at the event. It is terrific encouragement for the team to have that support. The riders can now have a well-earned rest and we look forward to seeing what transpires in Darwin.”
The next event for Team Honda Racing will be Round 6 at Hidden Valley Raceway in Darwin September 13th – 15th.
— KTM Report
Angus Reekie scored his best of the season at the weekend’s double-header round of the QBE Australian Superbike Championship at Eastern Creek.
Reekie qualified his KTM1190RC8R sixth fastest in the Pro Stock 1000 class, then made the best of some recent setup changes engineered by KTM Australia’s technical maestros Rob Twyerould and Danny Apro to finish fourth in Saturday’s fourth round of the series with 8, 5, 4 finishes.
Sunday’s Round 5 began with a 10th place finish to the six-time Aussie supermoto champion, but in the second race Reekie got to the head of the fierce mid-pack battle to take a spectacular podium finish.
A fourth place in the day’s final race gave an ecstatic Reekie his second fourth overall finish for the weekend, as well as an impressive new personal best around the Eastern Creek circuit of 1:32.4.
Angus Reekie: “Honestly, I couldn’t be happier with that weekend. Rob T and Danny Apro gave me a new setup direction and I can’t thank them enough, the support from those guys was absolutely awesome. The bike was fantastic off the turns, and much easier to ride to its advantages in braking, turning and corner speed – mine was the best bike in those aspects all weekend – and riding the KTM to its advantages made it really easy to ride fast laps while staying really consistent.
“What’s more my new PB here is now three seconds faster than when we were here in March!
“I really enjoyed the awesome battles we had this weekend too. The majority of the time the riders from third to eighth place were all in a group and it was just cut throat racing the whole time with pressure to give it everything and keep it on two wheels. Great fun!
“I feel like the hard work in setup and physical training and effort has really paid off. I’d been targeting a top-five all year and I was able to ticked that box here, so thanks to everyone involved with the KTM race team.”
— Kawasaki Report
Kawasaki Riders Dominate at Sydney Motorsport Park – ASBK Rd4 & Rd5
An action packed weekend of racing for Kawasaki at Sydney Motorsport Park for Rounds 4 & 5 of the QBE Australian Superbike Series.
Matt Walters made it 2 round wins from 2 in the Prostock Championship on board his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R. Round 4 on Saturday saw Walters take the win from Dustin Goldsmith and Sean Condon. Round 5 on Sunday provided an all Kawasaki podium with Walters on the top step along side Sean Condon and Ben Burke.
The Sydney Motorsport Park Prostock round was dominated by the speed of Matt Walters with 6 wins from 6 races, a qualifying record and a race record (1.31.171). The double header round the Prostock Championship has Matt Walter’s at the top of the leader board (P1) followed by Kawasaki riders Dustin Goldsmith (P3), Ben Burke (P4), Mathew Harding (P5), Sean Condon (P6), Phil Lovett (P8) and Sophie Lovett all on board Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R’s.
Luke Burgess competed in the Supersport rounds on his Ninja ZX-6R alongside Michael Lockhart and Aaron Gobert. Lockhart and Gobert sit in P10 and P8 respectively in the Championship standings.
The racing in the 250cc Production Class was tight and competitive with none of the top qualifiers willing to give an inch in any race. The battle for top sport continued all weekend to provide some spectacular racing.
In the end, Kawasaki’s Luke Burgess took the Round wins in both Rd 4 & Rd 5 on board his Ninja 250R. On Saturday Burgess won ahead of Tom Bramich and Brendon Demmery. On Sunday Burgess took the win from Demmery and Kawasaki Ninja 250R rider Jack Baker joined them on the podium in 3rd place for Rd 5.
Lovett, who is new to the 250cc Production racing, was able to come to grips with the bike setup and the very close racing over the weekend, saying “I like having confidence in other riders around me when I’m dicing so closely, and there are some very skilled young guys in the class that I was able to have a lot of fun racing with”.
Kawasaki supported rider Sophie Lovett secured her leading position in the Women’s 250 Production Championship at the QBE Australian Superbike Championship. The double header weekend at Sydney Motorsport Park was exciting, with Sophie winning the Women’s 250 Production class, placing third in the B-grade ProStock and raising $705.45 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
— Sophie Lovett Report
Kawasaki supported rider Sophie Lovett secured her leading position in the Women’s 250 Production Championship at the QBE Australian Superbike Championship. The double header weekend at Sydney Motorsport Park was exciting, with Sophie achieving a personal best lap time of 1:36.2, winning the Women’s class, placing third in the B-grade ProStock and raising $705.45 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Sophie’s fitness was put to the test over the past two day, competing in 12 race events between the 250 Production class on her Kawasaki 250 Ninja and the ProStock 1000 class on her Kawasaki zx10r.
An exhausted Sophie was thrilled to make it through the weekend, saying “Racing the Eastern Creek circuit on two different powered bikes is much harder than I expected. Different race lines, race tactics and braking points on a complicated and physically demanding circuit has drained me this weekend”.
The 250 Production class provided spectators with some exciting viewing as groups of six and seven were often dicing to secure podium positions. Lovett who is new to the 250cc type of racing was able to come to grips with the bike setup and the very close racing over the weekend, saying “I like having confidence in other riders around me when I’m dicing so closely, and there are some very skilled young guys in the class that I was able to have a lot of fun racing with”.
Off the track, Sophie continued her busy weekend by supporting the Make-A-Wish foundation. With the kind donation of hats from Kawasaki and the help of riders and spectators, Sophie was able to raise $705.45. The Make-A-Wish foundation grants life-changing wishes for children with life-threatening medical conditions.
Top Ten Round 5 Results QBE Australian Superbikes – Sydney Motorsport Park
1. Wayne MAXWELL (VIC) 50
2. Robert BUGDEN (QLD) 37
3. Glenn ALLERTON (NSW) 35
4. Josh HOOK (NSW) 34
5. Jamie STAUFFER (NSW) 34
6. Glenn SCOTT (NSW) 33
7. Linden MAGEE (QLD) 28
8. Beau BEATON (NSW) 26
9. Sloan FROST (NZ) 24
10. Ben HENRY (QLD / WA)21
Top Ten QBE Australian Superbike Championship Standings (After Rd 5 of 7)
1. Wayne MAXWELL (VIC) 180
2. Glenn ALLERTON 156
3. Robert BUGDEN (QLD) 156
4. Jamie STAUFFER (NSW) 135
5. Josh HOOK (NSW) 133
6. Glenn SCOTT (NSW) 119
7. Linden MAGEE (QLD) 99
8. Beau BEATON (NSW) 99
9.Phil LOVETT (NSW) 79
10. Sloan FROST (NZ) 71
Top Ten Round 5 Results Motul Supersport – Sydney Motorsport Park
1. Aaron MORRIS (NSW) 50
2. Aiden WAGNER (QLD) 40
3. Daniel FALZON (SA) 36
4. Michael BLAIR (NSW) 34
5. Chris QUINN (NSW) 31
6. Kyle BUCKLEY (QLD) 28
7. Aaron GOBERT (NSW) 28
8. Callum SPRIGGS (QLD) 26
9. Mohd RAMDAN (MAL) 23
10. Michael LOCKART (NSW) 23
Top Ten Motul Supersport Championship Standings (After Rd 5-7)
1. Daniel FALZON (SA) 158
2. Aaron MORRIS (NSW) 149
3. Michael BLAIR (NSW) 135
4. Chris QUINN (NSW) 130
5. Aiden WAGNER (QLD) 112
6.Callum SPRIGGS (QLD) 112
7. Ryan TAYLOR (VIC) 109
8. Aaron GOBERT (NSW) 91
9. Kyle BUCKLEY (QLD) 86
10. Michael LOCKART (NSW) 80
ASBK 2013 – Round Four/Five – Sydney Motorsports Park – Full Saturday Report, Notes & Quotes by Phil Harlum
Team Suzuki star Wayne Maxwell has turned the race for the 2013 QBE ASBK Championship on its head after scoring two emphatic race victories in front of a healthy Saturday crowd at Sydney Motorsport Park.
Starting from third on the grid for both round 4 races Maxwell led the first race from the start blasting the PTR prepared Team Suzuki off the line and leading the field through turn one. Maxwell always seemed to have a few bike lengths buffer over team mate Robbie Bugden but by the completion of lap four the margin had been reduced to a scant 0.190 of a second.
Pole sitter Glenn Allerton on the Next Gen Motorsport BMW HP4 was a close third for the early laps but as Bugden closed in on his team mate, Allerton was trying to regain composure after a few “moments” that saw the gap to the race leader out to over one second. Maxwell continued to build a lead over Bugden tenth by tenth until the lead crept out to the psychological one second barrier by lap eight.
By this stage Team Honda rider, and dual ASBK Champ, Jamie Stauffer was a further 3 seconds back in fourth but being closed down by the fast learning superbike rookie Glenn Scott.
Scott has caught and passed Josh Hook’s Team Honda machine on lap six and continued to eke out valuable tenths of a second on each lap to eventually be in a position to challenge Stauffer over the last three laps.
Scott showed Jamie a wheel and from there to the finish the still injured team Honda rider utilised his many years of experience to hold off the fast learning former 125GP Champ to secure fourth place with Scott fifth and Hook sixth.
Linden Magee nursing multiple broken ribs was the next rider home in seventh on his Next Gen Motorsport BMW, just getting the better of Chas Hern on the CM Racing Suzuki by over a tenth of a second. The two seemingly attached by an invisible, and very short, bungee cord for the entire race distance never more than a tenth or two apart..
NZ SBK front runner Sloan Frost was the next home in ninth, just ahead of Beau Beaton who had spent the entire race recovering from a hectic first lap. Ben Henry DNF’d after an issue on the third lap resulted in him bring the Australian Outdoor Living Cube Racing Suzuki back to pit lane.
Maxwell eventually took the win by over four seconds with Allerton just over 3 seconds behind Bugden in third.
“That was full GSX-R power that got me off the line and down to turn one so I was pretty stoked” beamed race winner Maxwell. “I didn’t get away from them in the first handful of laps there and I just kept going and the gap started to increase, I was just concentrating on keeping my rhythm and I just want to say a big thanks to all the guys at Team Suzuki”
“I was feeling pretty comfortable behind Wayne early on in about the first half of the race” commented second placed Bugden. “ I was just going to sit there and let him do the work but he got faster and faster and was stronger than I was towards the end of the race”.
“its not where I wanted to finish” said third placed Allerton. “Obviously you can’t win them all and that’s racing. I didn’t get the best of starts but I gave it everything I had and just got beaten on the day”.
Race two was a much more exciting affair with Allerton, Maxwell and Bugden making a break early, Allerton and Bugden both lead at stages with the three covered by less than half a second until Allerton went down at Turn six on lap nine, asking too much on the front end on the HP4. By this stage Stauffer was over two seconds back in a safe third place with Hook and Scott a safe distance behind to ensure Jamie scored his, first podium of the year.
The highlights of race one had to be Bugden’s heart-in-mouth move into turn one on the last lap along with Maxwell’s equally audacious assault at the old turn 9 hairpin, a move that had to be seen to be appreciated fully.
Once again Magee and Hern did battle but this time Beau Beaton and the Racers Edge Performance Suzuki were in the mix as well up until the dying laps when Magee and Hern got away a little.
I am ecstatic to win my first round at Team Suzuki” explained Maxwell. “It’s like a dream come true, they gave me a lifeline when I had nothing and have treated me like one of their own. The bike is working extremely well and full credit to Team Suzuki and Dunlop. We had our backs to the wall at the beginning of the year but they have listed to the feedback and here we are at round four with a victory, let’s see what round 5 brings tomorrow.
“Overall it’s been a real positive day for the whole team” commented second placed Robbie Bugden. “Finishing one-two the Dunlop tyres were also working real well and that shows with an all Dunlop podium in race two. I would have thought he (Maxwell) would have been a bit easier on me but that was some good close racing, we touched a couple of times but we both wanted it, wanted it real bad and that’s why we are up the front at the moment”.
“In the first race I really struggled with a few things on the bike and even though we were fourth we were struggling and they were a long way in front” explained Jamie Stauffer after claiming third overall. “ We made a lot of changes for the second race and that fixed the bike up a lot, even though theoretically we should have still come fourth as Glenn crashed but we got third and we were a lot closer to the front so we have moved forward”.
Race one did not go to plan for us” said fourth placed Josh Hook. “We got a bit lost in th race a bot but we came back had a good look where we were and came up with a new setting for race two and it worked a lot better. At the start of the race I felt like I could go with those guys but in the latter stages we just lost a bit of grip but we are working on that now to see if we can make it better for tomorrow”.
Undoubtedly one of the stars of the meeting would have to be Glenn Scott, leading privateer, fifth in both races and tied for points for the round with Josh Hook “The first race was really exciting, we had a great start but in all honesty the nerves got the better of me and I made a few silly mistakes, but once the nerves settled and I found my feet I started to move forward. When I got on the back of Hooky I found that I was faster than him in s few places so I had a big dive at turn one which was pretty close”.
Magee, Hern and Beaton crossed the line in the that order for positions six, seven and eight but Hern was promoted to sixth as the Clerk of the Course penalised Magee for overtaking under yellow flags at turn two, Magee was set to appeal the decision so watch this space.
Sloan Frost and Ben Henry rounded out the top ten with Allerton limping home with no brakes to finish Thirteenth.
“I had a little crash at turn six just trying to make up a bit of time” said a still bemused Allerton. “Still, we have to take the positive out of race, there was no mechanical issue, I just got in there a little hotter than normal and asked for a little I too much and sometimes you fall off when you do that, it happens. I am just happy I got the bike going and scored some points. We have two more races tomorrow to try and make it right, the boys are working on the bike now so I think we’ll be OK”.
Maxwell now leads the championship by nine points over Allerton, 130 to 121 with last round victor Robbie Bugden a further two points back on 119.
In the Supersport class Aaron Morris took a fourth place in race one and a commanding victory in race two to tie with Championship leader Daniel Falzon with a mirror image of results with a win and fourth place, the Novocastrian getting the round victory courtesy of his higher result in race two. Both Supersport races were exciting affairs with anyone of the riders on the first two rows of the grid capable of taking the victory, in the end the first race went to Falzon who led home Michael Blair and Ryan Taylor, Aaron Morris and Callum Spriggs rounding out the top five. Aiden Wagner was forced to retire from a strong second place while closing down on Falzon when the bolt holding his gear shift came loose forcing him to retire.
Morris brained the field at the start of race two and led by over two seconds after the first lap, Aaron Gobert got a blinding start from row three and held second place for a lap before a Falzon and then a freight train of riders pushed their way past the most experienced rider in the field. Taylor crashed out at turn three on lap nine to make the chasing pack one of four. In the end Morris took a 3.8 second victory over Wagner, Spriggs, Falzon and last round double race winner Michael Blair rounding out the top five.
The Prostock category was dominated by Kawasaki Connection / Rover Coaches Ninja ZX-10R pilot Matty Walters who dominated each race from pole position, throw in a new lap record and it was the perfect weekend for the hard charger from Cessnock. Dustin Goldsmith overcame electrical issues that turned his ZX-10R into a bucking bronco to secure Second overall with 3-3-3 results, tied on points for the round with Sean Condon who carded 2-2-7 finishes.
Phil Lovett had bikes issues that prevented him from finishing legs one and two but bounced back with a strong second place in the final leg, watch out for the living legend of motorcycle racing tomorrow.
Walters now leads the championship by a whopping 68 points over Goldsmith and Ben Nicholson who bravely soldered on this weekend with two broken bones in his wrist.
In the Moto3/125GP class Lawson Walters and his awesome KTM Moto3 dominated the three races, Lachlan Kavney and Tayla Relph rounded out the top three despite Relph crashing in race 3 and causing a red flag.
Relph was slightly injured in the crash, her Honda Moto3 was not so lucky suffering serious frame damage. Tomorrow she will be riding Lawson Walters’s spare Honda chassis with her engine.
Luke Burgess won a controversial 250 Production round from Tom Bramich and Brandon Demmery. Burgess won races one and two but crashed early in race three at turn four. After dropping back as far as eleventh he then surged back through the field to claim sixth, enough points for the round victory by four points. Demmery went on the win the third race on the road, but along with four other competitors was slugged with a ten second jump start penalty.
Bramich and Demmery tied on points after Demmery was demoted to second with Bramich being awarded the final race victory on his Ron Angel Racing Ninja 250.
Sophie Lovett won the women’s class after also tasting the tarmac at the old turn 9 hairpin. Second was Western Australian Jessica Derrin who had never seen the Sydney Motorsport Park venue before Thursday, Di Jones took third overall one point ahead of Robbie Bugden’s partner Miriam White.
Top Ten QBE Australian Superbike Round 4 Results – Sydney Motorsport Park
1. Wayne MAXWELL (VIC) 50
2. Robert BUGDEN (QLD) 40
3. Jamie STAUFFER (NSW) 35
4. Josh HOOK (NSW) 32
5. Glenn SCOTT (NSW) 32
6. Linden MAGEE (QLD) 29
7. Chas HERN (VIC) 27
8. Glenn ALLERTON (NSW) 27
9. Beau BEATON (NSW) 24
10. Sloan FROST (NZ) 24
Top Ten QBE Australian Superbike Championship Standings (After Rd 4 of 7)
1. Wayne MAXWELL (VIC) 130
2. Glenn ALLERTON (NSW) 121
3. Robert BUGDEN (QLD) 119
4. Jamie STAUFFER (NSW) 101
5. Josh HOOK (NSW) 99
6. Glenn SCOTT (NSW) 86
7. Beau BEATON (NSW) 73
8. Linden MAGEE (QLD) 72
9. Phil LOVETT (NSW) 59
10. Chas HERN (VIC) 56
Top Ten Motul Superport Round 4 Results – Sydney Motorsport Park
1. Aaron MORRIS (NSW) 43pts
2. Daniel FALZON (SA) 42
3. Callum SPRIGGS (QLD) 36
4. Kyle BUCKLEY (QLD) 30
5. Chris QUINN (NSW) 29
6. Mason COOTE (WA) 27
7. Aaron GOBERT (NSW) 26
8. Michael LOCKART (NSW)23
9. Luke BURGESS (QLD) 21
10. Aiden WAGNER (QLD) 20
Top Ten Motul Supersport Championship Standings (After Rd 4 of 7)
1. Daniel FALZON (SA) 122
2. Aaron MORRIS (NSW) 100
3. Chris QUINN (NSW) 100
4. Ryan TAYLOR (VIC) 92
5. Callum SPRIGGS (QLD) 87
6. Michael BLAIR (NSW) 81
7. Aiden WAGNER (QLD) 72
8. Luke BURGESS (QLD) 65
9. Aaron GOBERT (NSW) 64
10. Kyle BUCKLEY (QLD) 59
