International Challenge Race Two Report
By Trevor Hedge
Cam Donald got away to an early lead in the second International Challenge bout on a shortened first day of racing at the 2014 Island Classic. Jeremy McWiliams used his better stoppers to squeeze ahead at MG Hairpin but Donald got his nose back in front on the run to 11 only for McWilliams to come right back at him and it was the Northern Irishman that led the field across the stripe for the first time ahead of Cam Donald, Shawn Giles, Beau Beaton and Gary Johnson.
Beau Beaton slipped up the inside of Shawn Giles on lap two but Giles returned fire. Donald nosed ahead of McWilliams again then Giles took McWilliams up the inside at turn three to take second place.
The next lap saw Giles take the lead from Donald, the IOM TT winner having an edge on the fastest parts of the circuit thanks to a fairing while Giles was left to battle the wind with no fairing to crouch behind on the naked Katana.
Cam Donald hit the front again with a lap and a half to go to set up a great three-way tussle for the win as McWilliams was also in striking distance.
Giles took the inside line into Doohan Corner to try and better Donald but could not make it stick. Brendan Roberts was set to join the fray after putting in the fastest lap of the race on the penultimate lap to make the battle for the win a four-way affair!
Roberts quickly closed on to the back of Giles after McWilliams took second place, McWilliams then took the lead at MG Hairpin, held Donald out at turn 11, they then negotiated a lapper on the run through turn 12 and McWilliams held on to take the win by 0.146 of a second, Giles 0.216 behind the winner and Brendan Roberts 0.272 to make it less than three-tenths of a second covering the top four finishers.
An amazing race for the huge crowd gathered here under the Phillip Island sun to enjoy what is perhaps the best Australian road race meeting of the year.
Jeremy McWilliams – “The Island Classic is always one event where we really try our arse off way too much than we should.
“It should really just be a fun event but everyone takes it so seriously. We’re all turning up with better machinery, better tyres every year, the lap times are very impressive, everyone wants to win what is such a prestigious event.
“I really went out with no expectations and qualified second so I knew I would be somewhere in the mix, but quite quickly Cameron and Shawn were showing me the way around again and I was nearly settled for third in the first race but it just opened up when the tyres started going away the gaps reduced and I got right on to their back tyres, and took advantage of Gilesy between turns one and two and then got Cameron who looked to having some trouble with his brakes and I got him into Honda and just managed to hold it to the line.”
“In race two it was somewhat of a carbon copy but I got up front early and thought I would put some quick laps in but (laughs) both of them passed me again. Â Gilesy is really good out of turn two… The difference between the bikes is strange because in some places Cameron’s bike is best, and there are some places Gilesy’s is best, and some I’m quicker, and it just fell into place in the last lap, we got a backmarker into turn one, a real slow guy in the middle of the track, Gilesy hesitated and wasn’t sure which way to go around him, I saw a gap and went for it, and then had to ride around the backmarker with Cameron, it allowed me to get back on Cameron’s tail really close, then it was a matter of sticking with him before lining him up over Lukey and then try to out-brake him, I held it to the line.
“It’s great to get two in the first day here, I can’t remember the last time I did this, it means a lot as Phillip Island is so special to me and we have a huge crowd here, the biggest crowd we have seen for this event on a Saturday so the event is just getting stronger and it is fantastic to be a part of it.”
 Island Classic 2014 – International Challenge Race Two
1 99 Jeremy McWILLIAMS UK 1982 Harris F1 1250 6 Leader .056 Leader 1:38.257 1:37.624 252
2 86 Cameron DONALD AU 1981 Suzuki XR69 1260 6 1 Lap Leader .146 1:38.788 1:37.525 269
3 19 Shawn GILES AU 1982 Suzuki Kat. 1294 6 1 Lap .263 .216 1:38.816 1:37.356 264
4 24a Brendan ROBERTS AU 1982 Suzuki Kat. 1260 6 .771 .397 .272 1:37.605 1:37.104 267
5 7 Gary JOHNSON UK 1982 Suzuki Harris 1230 6 1.768 1.853 1.925 1:38.530 1:37.670 267
6 86a Beau BEATON AU 1978 Irving Vincent 1300 6 2.349 2.442 2.553 1:38.638 1:37.991 257
7 99a Steve MARTIN AU 1982 Suzuki Kat. 1294 6 2.728 2.727 2.618 1:38.354 1:37.900 265
8 77 John McGUINNESS UK 1982 Honda Harris 1150 6 6.615 7.389 8.745 1:40.506 1:38.610 260
9 121 Mike EDWARDS UK 1982 Suzuki Harris 1230 6 14.760 15.047 16.364 1:40.372 1:39.837 254
10 1 Michael DIBB AU 1982 Honda Harris 1150 6 14.867 15.076 16.418 1:40.376 1:39.942 248
11 3 Malcolm CAMPBELL AU 1980 Honda RS 1220 6 23.741 26.171 27.421 1:43.350 1:41.188 248
12 17 Ryan FARQUHAR UK 1982 Suzuki Harris 1230 6 26.349 28.756 30.242 1:43.880 1:41.983 248
13 11 Damien KAVNEY NZ 1982 Suzuki XR69 1100 6 44.248 47.350 49.083 1:45.511 1:45.030 234
14 90 Mick MOLONEY NZ 1980 Suzuki GSX 1166 6 44.542 47.599 49.270 1:45.503 1:45.379 236
15 50 Glenn HINDLE NZ 1980 Suzuki GSX 1170 6 49.992 52.869 54.728 1:45.784 1:45.784 240
16 23 Laurie FYFFE AU 1980 Suzuki Harris 1166 6 49.879 53.378 55.038 1:46.146 1:45.952 241
17 75 Stuart LOLY AU 1980 Suzuki GSX 1170 6 54.680 58.207 1:00.742 1:47.364 1:47.228 227
18 8 Albert TEHENNEPE NZ 1980 Kawasaki Z1J 1260 6 1:05.910 1:10.053 1:12.614 1:48.439 1:48.439 237
19 888a Mark McVEIGH NZ 1980 Kawasaki J 1166 6 1:06.318 1:10.789 1:13.277 1:49.025 1:49.025 231
20 66 Rob MESA US 1978 Yamaha TZ 750 6 1:09.533 1:14.026 1:16.644 1:48.381 1:48.381 238
21 69 Dave WOOLAMS UK 1982 Harris Suzuki 1230 6 1:09.793 1:14.268 1:16.902 1:48.475 1:48.475 234
22 117 David CRUSSELL US 1980 Yamaha TZ 748 6 1:18.769 1:23.844 1:26.864 1:50.201 1:50.201 235
23 162 Rick KWOK UK 1978 P&M Kawa. F1 1230 6 1:19.097 1:24.077 1:26.899 1:50.407 1:50.407 221
24 32a George (Joe) PETHOUD US 1982 Honda CBF 985 6 1:22.360 1:27.964 1:31.392 1:51.989 1:51.586 226
25 999 Anthony BANN ?? 1978 Suzuki GS 1200 6 1:22.493 1:28.469 1:31.633 1:52.483 1:51.915 224
26 16 Dan ‘Joe’ WEIR US 1982 Suzuki GS Kat. 1261 6 1:24.212 1:29.794 1:33.669 1:52.347 1:51.912 218
27 73 Glenn CRUTCHLEY NZ 1979 P & M Kawa. 1200 6 1:28.666 1:35.383 1:40.016 1:55.297 1:53.165 209
28 15 Rory REIBEL US 1980 Suzuki GSX 1200 5 1 Lap 1:35.738 1 Lap 1:55.681 1:53.076 218
29 663 William BRANKIN US 1982 Ducati Pantah 650 5 1 Lap 1 Lap 1 Lap 2:01.604 1:59.037 191
30 14 Michael GODFREY UK 1982 Suzuki Harris 1170 4 1 Lap 1 Lap 1 Lap 1:42.009 1:41.527 142
31 76 Scott WEBSTER AU 1982 Suzuki M-M 1200 4 1 Lap 1 Lap 1 Lap 1:43.966 1:43.966 245
32 29 Russell KEEN NZ 1981 Suzuki GSX 1100 3 2 Laps 1 Lap 2 Laps 1:54.300 1:54.300 157
33 57 Ottis LANCE US 1982 Suzuki GS 1260 3 3 Laps 3 Laps 3 Laps 1:47.895 1:47.895 222
34 35 Clive WARNER UK 1978 Yamaha TZ 500 2 3 Laps 2 Laps 3 Laps In pits 1:50.631 221
35 211 Shawn REILLY US 1978 Yamaha TZ 750 1 4 Laps 3 Laps 4 Laps 2:01.707 2:01.707 229
36 888 James McKAY US 1978 Kawasaki Z1R 1050 1 4 Laps 3 Laps 4 Laps In pits 2:01.580 215
37 31 Craig DITCHBURN UK 1978 Yamaha TZD 750 1 4 Laps 3 Laps 4 Laps 1:50.746 1:50.746 251
Unofficial International Challenge Team Standings at the end of Saturday
Team UK A – 344
Team Australia A – 364
Team UK B – 139
Team Australia B – 175
Team Australia Total – 539
Team UK Total – 483
