Australian Superbike 2008 – Round One – Eastern Creek – Preview
Can anyone including MV Agusta mounted Kevin Curtain stop Jamie Stauffer and his potent blue Yamaha Racing Team YZF-R1 from making it three Australian Superbike titles in a row in 2008?
That’s the question race fans are asking as the opening round of the 2008 Australian Superbike Championship gets ready to blast off at Sydney’s Eastern Creek Raceway on March 14-16.
If the season-opening non-championship Australian Superbike support races at the recent Phillip Island SBK round on March 1-2 are any guide, then there are challengers aplenty in 2008.
There’s certainly enough talent in Australian Superbike ranks to stop Stauffer’s run – and enough variables and factory involvement to make for an intriguing season ahead.
At the SBK meeting the three Superbike races were decided by a combined winning margin of just 0.159sec, with Team Joe Rocket Suzuki rider Shawn Giles taking two wins (by 0.134sec and 0.011sec) and Stauffer the other (by 0.014sec).
The two went handlebar-to-handlebar in a thrilling display of high-speed Superbike racing, giving spectators a taste of what lies ahead in the 2008 Australian Superbike Championship. Co-incidentally, it is Giles’ record of three consecutive Australian Superbike Championships (2000, 2001, 2002) that Stauffer will be trying to equal in 2008.
Behind the duelling duo of Giles and Stauffer the action was no less fierce, with Teknic Honda recruit and reigning Australian Supersport champion Jason O’Halloran claiming a new lap record of 1:32.921 on his way to third overall in his first serious hit-out on a Superbike. It all points towards an exciting Eastern Creek Raceway encounter on March 14-16.
But the man with the target on his back in 2008 is undoubtedly Stauffer.
“We had two very good days of testing at Eastern Creek, which is really encouraging for the start of the season,” 28-year-old Stauffer said.
Yamaha Racing Team manager John Redding is not underestimating the task ahead.
“Make no mistake, defending the years Jamie had in 2006 and 2007 is going to be a tough task,” said Redding.
“I’m very happy with the results at the SBK meeting,” said Giles, who some paddock punters had quietly suggested had passed his use-by date at the top level. “The Superbike class looks like being really competitive this year – one of the toughest yet.”
Giles is in a perfect position to judge, having first raced in the series 18 years ago.
All four Japanese motorcycle distributors – Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki – will contest the 2008 championship with their factory-supported teams, with all four running in both the Superbike and Supersport championships. They’ll be joined in the Superbike class by exotic Italian marque MV Agusta with multiple Australian champion and international star Kevin Curtain the saddle, making for the greatest factory involvement in the series for many years.
The addition of Curtain and MV Agusta to the Superbike field will see nine full factory bikes on the grid in 2008, along with a number of factory-supported satellite riders.
In the Yamaha Racing Team brother Dan again partners Jamie on the second of the team’s two Superbikes, the 31-year-old finishing last year’s championship with the number-three plate.
While Yamaha was flying high in 2007, arch rival Honda had a season best forgotten with injuries to its two contracted factory riders. It’s therefore all change at Honda for 2008, with 2007 Supersport champion O’Halloran joining the squad from Yamaha, his defection causing plenty of controversy at the end of 2007. Last year’s top privateer Glenn Allerton is O’Halloran’s Superbike teammate at Honda, while Wayne Maxwell moves from the Kawasaki Racing Team to a Honda CBR600RR Supersport ride.
Kawasaki Racing Team enters 2008 with Shannon Johnson (Superbike), Scott Charlton (Superbike and Supersport) and Shaun Geronimi (Supersport) in an expanded three-rider team, with an all-new track-focussed ZX-10R at their disposal.
It’s steady as she goes at Team Joe Rocket Suzuki, which enters the new season with the same rider line-up as 2007. Last year’s runner-up Craig Coxhell is again teamed with three-times champion Shawn Giles on GSX-R1000 Superbikes, with Josh Waters aboard a GSX-R600 Supersport.
Team Joe Rocket Suzuki has attracted additional sponsorship for 2008 from American truck giant Mack, raising the profile of the series in the paddock as well as on the track with a state-of-the art transporter. Like TJRS, Yamaha Racing Team has also attracted support from a major truck manufacturer with German marque MAN on board for 2008.
The Australian Superbike Championship has a proud track record of unearthing future international stars, with riders such as Mick Doohan (500GP), Chris Vermeulen (MotoGP), Anthony West (MotoGP), Troy Bayliss (World Superbike) and Troy Corser (World Superbike) all having cut their teeth in the one of the world’s toughest racing series.
The Australian Superbike Championship will be held over seven rounds in 2008, visiting race circuits in NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and Queensland. In addition to the high-profile Superbike category, a full support program of races will be held for Supersport, Superstock, Formula Xtreme, 125GP, NakedBike, ProTwin, FZ6 Cup, Forgotten Era, Junior Nationals and Sidecar. Not all classes will compete at every round with the Juniors and Sidecars making a number of appearances theough out the season.
What: Australian Superbike Championship, Round 1
When: Friday, 14 March to Sunday, 16 March
Where: Eastern Creek Raceway, Sydney, NSW
How to get there: Eastern Creek Raceway is located 40km west of Sydney CBD alongside the M4 Motorway.
What’s on:
Friday: Practice and qualifying from 9am
Saturday: Warm-up from 9am, qualifying and racing from 10am
Sunday: Warm-up from 9am, racing from 10am
How much:
Friday: Admission free
Saturday: Adult $20
Sunday: Adult $40
Children (age 6-15): $10 (valid 2 days)
Two-day ticket: Adult $50; Family $80 (2 adults, 5 children); Pensioner $20
Free parking and pit access.
