Swann ASC FX Wakefield Park Gallery G

Swann ASC FX Round Five – Wakefield Park – Image Gallery G
By Russell Colvin, Keith Muir and Trevor Hedge

Swann ASC FX Round Five – Wakefield Park – Image Gallery G

Team Honda Racing’s Jamie Stauffer has taken overall honours in the Saturday Superbike class at round five of the 2014 YMF Loan Australian FX-Superbike Championship.

Stauffer posted a second, second and a third from his three races to take the round win ahead of Glenn Allerton (NextGen Motorsports) in second and team-mate Troy Herfoss in third.

Herfoss managed to shave 14-points of Wayne Maxwell’s (Team Honda Racing) overall series lead heading into the final round at Eastern Creek in November. Both riders suffered their own misfortunes during the day however with Maxwell suffering a DNF in the opening race when his Fireblade suddenly lost drive while in race two Herfoss, and some other riders, did not make it out in time for the sighting lap but after completing the warm up lap from pit-lane, were still allowed to take their positions on the grid rather than being forced to start from the rear of the grid, but instead were awarded a 15-second time penalty which demoted Herfoss from the race two win to ninth place.

Fastest laps and lap records were traded during the day primarily between Stauffer, Herfoss and Maxwell all having their aim on the fastest single lap time in the race as the fastest lap time from today’s three races decides the all-important grid for Sunday’s main game. Herfoss eventually proving quickest with a 58.047 to Maxwell’s 58.072.

Race 1

As the riders left the line for race one, it was Allerton that caught the eye – a shocking start saw him forced back into seventh spot at the first turn. Another shock came when Maxwell coasted to a halt, his Fireblade suffering a chain failure on the opening lap.

It meant serious points were up for grabs that could be crucial in the championship and Maxwell’s teammates Stauffer and Herfoss looked set to take advantage of Maxwell’s misfortune.

In between them Yamaha Racing Team’s Cru Halliday settled into position, and the trio set the pace early as Allerton moved his way back up to fourth.

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Stauffer had built a fair lead by the end of lap five, while Allerton moved into second ahead of Herfoss as Halliday slipped back into fourth spot.

As Allerton and Herfoss approached turn eight on the seventh lap, Herfoss moved back into second and set out in pursuit of Stauffer.

Herfoss posted a new lap record of 58.267 chasing down Stauffer and moved right up to his back wheel as the last-lap board came out.

And then, as the pair attempted to pass a lapped rider, Herfoss cut through the inside of Stauffer on the third-last turn, a great maneuver to take the lead and ride to victory from his team-mate.

Allerton finished the race in third with Halliday holding onto fourth and Josh Hook (Team Honda Racing) rounding out the top-five.

Race 2

There was major drama on the start line before the second race of the day even began.

Maxwell, Herfoss, and Hook were among the five riders who missed the sighting lap and were forced to enter the warm up from pit lane and join at the rear of the field.

The rules state that in such circumstances those riders have to begin the race from the rear of the field, which Maxwell was already set to do after his DNF in the opener.

But Herfoss, Hook and the other two riders moved straight into their original starting positions on the grid, and as such incurred 15-second penalties that were added to their times at the conclusion of the race.

While there was resulting consternation off the track, on track Stauffer had flew into a first corner lead from Halliday, Herfoss, Allerton and Robbie Bugden (Yamaha Racing Team).

Herfoss and Allerton both moved past Halliday on the second lap, as the race one leader set about catching his teammate.

By the end of lap three Stauffer’s lead had been cut to less than a second, while teammate Maxwell, who was coming from the rear of the field, began to make his charge.

Maxwell moved into seventh by lap five and when Haliday ran off the track a lap later after brake problems struck the YRT R1, this gifted Maxwell fourth.

After lap six the difference between the front two was a mere .126 of a second, with Allerton a further two-seconds behind them in third.

Herfoss made his move past Stauffer on lap seven, and quickly began increasing his lead, while Allerton moved onto Stauffer’s back wheel.

Allerton moved past Stauffer and into second position on the back straight heading into the eighth lap of the race, while Herfoss set a new lap record of 58.262 – beating his time from earlier in the day.

While he crossed the line first, the 15-second penalty relegated Herfoss back into ninth position for the race, handing Allerton the race win, Stauffer second place and Maxwell a spot on the podium in third.

Race 3 

Maxwell got a fantastic start in the final race of the day and pushed into a commanding lead from Bugden, Stauffer in third and Allerton in fourth.

Herfoss had pushed himself up from ninth into fifth before passing Allerton and Bugden on successive corners on the second lap, to move into third place.

Up front Maxwell was concentrating on his own race and by the end lap four had opened up a comfortable 2.596 buffer from his teammates.

He seemed to be enjoying the freedom of riding at the front, and although Herfoss had moved into second he was unable to eat into Maxwell’s lead.  Maxwell lowered the lap record but Goulburn local Herfoss out-did him one again to lower the lap record once again and thus will start Sunday’s races from pole position.

The race win though belonged to Maxwell, Herfoss settling for second place with teammate Jamie Stauffer rounding out the podium.

The overall for the round went to Jamie Stauffer ahead of Glenn Allerton. Troy Herfoss’s third overall for the round shaved 14-points off Wayne Maxwell’s (Team Honda Racing) overall series lead heading into the Saturday series final round at Eastern Creek in November.