Motourage

Team Mack Trucks Suzuki’s Robbie Bugden topped today’s Superbike practice sessions at Tasmania’s Symmons Plains Raceway. The Queenslander led today’s combined QBE Australian Superbike Championship practice sessions, shooting up the timesheets as the clock ticked down during this afternoon’s final 20-minute session.

With the Superbikes book-ending the day’s proceedings, it looked like the early morning mark of Wayne Maxwell may have stood until a barrage of quick laps came in the closing minutes. But, on lap 13 of practice 2, Bugden set an unanswered best of 54.153” on his GSX-R1000, finding more than half a second since the opening session.

It’s a promising start to the penultimate round for Bugden, 29, who is hopeful of improving the pace of his Team Mack Trucks Suzuki even further tomorrow.

“I’m happy with today’s results but I think there’s still lots more to come from the bike,” said Bugden. “It’s a circuit I really like, very technical, and I knew if we chipped away at it this morning we could sharpen the bike up for this afternoon’s session. I’m just looking forward to getting out there and racing. If it’s dry it’s going to be a fierce, close race, the times today tell that story.”

Positions 1-7 on the overall timesheets were separated by just 0.332”, setting up a thrilling qualifying and opening race tomorrow.

Symmons Plains’ quickest-ever Superbike qualifier, Jamie Stauffer, finished second today, and is doing everything he can to stay in the hunt for the 2011 title. The winner of three of the past four Superbike races will need to keep his eye on the prize if he and his factory Team Honda are to hold off Glenn Allerton, who was a comfortable fifth.

“To be honest the pace wasn’t what I thought it would be, it’s slower than I expected and I think there will be a lot more we can do overnight to get a quicker bike for qualifying,” said Stauffer. “If the weather closes in it changes things. It looks like we will spend at least some of our time this weekend riding in the wet, if it has to be in the races then we’d really like to be able to get a setup tomorrow morning during qualifying. We’re going in the right direction and where we need to be at the moment.”

Josh Waters put his Team Suzuki GSX-R1000 into the top 3, edging out Honda’s Wayne Maxwell by just over one-hundredth of a second.

The difference between the times of Craig Coxhell and Troy Herfoss in sixth and seventh illustrated the evenly-matched affair – there was none. Both riders rounded out the day with a best time of 54.48”, unable to be split on the timesheets.

Brodie Waters was the fastest of the Prostock competitors today, lapping his Team Suzuki machine in 55.862 seconds. Again it’s a case of must-win in this class for Waters, with current leader Linden Magee streets ahead on the points table.

The field will contest two 20-minute qualifying sessions tomorrow morning to determine the order for the eight-rider Superpole shootout.

Grid placings will carry over into the opening 16-lap race, to be held at 1:50PM local time.

Combined Practice Results, Symmons Plains:

1. Robert BUGDEN (QLD) / Team Mack Trucks Suzuki, 54.153
2. Jamie STAUFFER (NSW) / Team Honda Racing, 54.192
3. Joshua WATERS (VIC) / Team Suzuki, 54.209
4. Wayne MAXWELL (NSW) / Team Honda Racing, 54.222
5. Glenn ALLERTON (NSW) / Procon Maxima, 54.336
6. Troy HERFOSS (NSW) / Team Suzuki, 54.485
7. Craig COXHELL (VIC) / GAS Honda / Demolition Plus, 54.485
8. Ben HENRY (QLD) / CUBE Racing / Australian Outdoor Living / Weld West, 55.772
9. Brodie WATERS (VIC) / Team Suzuki, 55.862
10. Linden MAGEE (QLD) / Coastline Motorrad Racing, 55.928

Troy Herfoss

Rookie Superbike racer Troy Herfoss believes second place in the QBE Australian Superbike Championship is within reach, but he knows he will face a titanic battle in the next two weeks to steal it, starting this weekend in Tasmania. The Team Suzuki rider heads to Symmons Plains in fourth place, a commendable result in itself given his limited time to adapt to the 1000cc machine after stepping up as Supersport 600 champion. Herfoss, 24, admits a mid-season loss of direction was disappointing, but is confident that recent form, including two strong results at the Phillip Island MotoGP supports, has him well-placed to challenge for the runner-up position. Given the pace of rival riders at the 2.4km circuit earlier this year, he knows the task will be anything but easy.

“The race at Symmons Plains in February was unreal, it was probably the closest race I have ever been involved in,” said Herfoss. “I expect the pace will be just as quick, if not quicker, this weekend. I’ve added some strength training along with interval work to make sure I can run at the front and don’t fade in the final few laps. When you’ve done a good lap around Symmons Plains, you know it. There’s no rest, despite the long 280km/h straight – it’s a wrestle from start to finish. I lost my way a bit at the mid-point but I think we’ve turned a corner. Wet or dry, I love the track and can’t wait to put in two strong races.”

Herfoss is 11 points shy of his goal of runner-up in the 2011 championship.

Current second-placed rider Jamie Stauffer will face the challenge of attack and defense this weekend. The Team Honda rider can still snatch the title from runaway leader Glenn Allerton, but will need a perfect run of race results in the final stages of the eight-round season. Stauffer, a two-time ASBK champion, will also have to keep a close guard on second, with the likes of Herfoss, Craig Coxhell, Wayne Maxwell and Josh Waters all within striking distance.

“At this stage what happens in the championship is ultimately up to Glenn,” said Stauffer. “I can’t change what happens, all I can do is go out there and try and get the pole and race wins. At the same time I have to be thinking about second. Wayne and Troy were both really strong at the Island, and Josh set the lap record at Symmons Plains earlier this year so I know he will be fast. I’ve got no doubt Team Honda will be up there at both Symmons Plains and Phillip Island, everyone is determined to round out this year on a high note.”

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After all but counting himself out, Cougar Bourbon Honda Racing pilot Bryan Staring was able to produce a near perfect lap to claim pole position for the fifth round of the Viking Australian Superbike Championship at Queensland Raceway.

Staring struggled in today’s two 30-minute qualifying sessions and was hopeful of simply securing a front-row start. Midway through Motul Superpole, Staring’s split time suggested he had found some extra pace, and it was confirmed as he stopped the clock with a 1:10.379 lap of the 3.12km circuit, the fastest lap of the day.

Wayne Maxwell came agonizingly close to knocking Staring from the top spot, lapping just nine-hundredths of a second slower than his fellow Honda rider. The Demolition Plus GAS Honda pilot claimed provisional pole after a solid showing in this afternoon’s second qualifying session, and was encouraged despite missing out by such a small margin.

KTM Superbike Team rider Shannon Johnson enjoyed a welcome return to form, qualifying his RC8R in third position with a tidy Superpole lap.
“Qualifying has been a dream run in comparison to the last round, last time we were here we only did 3 laps in qualifying – this time I find myself in third,” said Johnson. “It’s the first time all year we’ve made Superpole and we improved a handful of positions on top of qualifying. It’s a huge credit to all involved in the outfit including KTM and ESG (Evolution Sports Group).
After the last round I was really questioning myself but we worked hard, tried a few things at a test which yielded positive result and here we are.
This is the best the bike has felt all year; it feels good in the turns, which was its weak point in the past. Over race distance this will be a strong point, too.
I’ve already exceeded my goal for the weekend and – who knows – we might just be in a position to take a podium which would be amazing.”

The Valvoline-backed entry of Glenn Allerton made it three Honda CBR1000RR racers on the front row, with the 2008 champ recording a 1:11.300.

CJC Racing Superstock entrant Craig Coxhell made it in to Superpole for the second round in a row and showed the might of the 1000cc BMW machine on Queensland Raceway’s two long straights. He was fifth quickest and heads up the second row of the grid, followed by The Natural Aprilia Racing’s Dan Stauffer, Team Mack Trucks Suzuki’s Robbie Bugden and Ducati Motologic’s Jamie Stauffer who made a small mistake on his flying lap.

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Bryan Staring crosses the line at Queensland

Cougar Bourbon Honda Racing’s Bryan Staring has rocketed from third to first in the race for Viking Group Australian Superbike Championship honors with a clean sweep at Queensland Raceway, host of round three. This morning’s race win was a career first for the 23-year-old from the Gold Coast, but he wasn’t content to stop at one, comfortably winning the second 16-lap battle and the round in the process. Staring’s stellar starts were a key contributor; he was away well from second place on the grid and once in the lead looked unstoppable. The results cap off a weekend in which rider and team went from strength to strength.

“It’s been such an unreal weekend, we kept progressing with what we knew and the bike just kept getting better,” said Staring. “I said yesterday that Wayne (Maxwell) had a clean sweep in the first round, Josh (Waters) in the second and felt it might have been my weekend to have a go too. The team deserves this victory as much as me, they put together an awesome bike in the CBR1000RR.This is my local round now so it’s good to share this with my family and friends.”

Staring collects 50 points for the round and dislodges Demolition Plus GAS Honda’s Wayne Maxwell from the top spot after the Victorian endured a frustrating day. Maxwell finished third in both races, unable to convert yesterday’s blistering qualifying pace into a result today. A despondent Maxwell said there was lots of work to be done before the series returned to the circuit in Ipswich for its next point-scoring round.

“We’ve got a lot of work in front of us, today was a constant struggle,” he said. “We were gifted a few places in that second race when a few of the other bikes dropped out, that was the only positive to come from today. Josh (Waters) and Bryan (Staring) raced hard today and are making this a really tough battle, congratulations to both. We’ll go away and regroup. The team is strong and I have to thank them for all their efforts today.”

Though consistent, Waters’ two second-place finishes weren’t enough to hold on to second place in the title race, and the defending champion said the team would most likely revert to the setup which brought them success at Hidden Valley in April.

“We made a few changes to the bike for the second race which helped, but no one was going to beat Bryan (Staring) today,” said Waters. “The bike was great and the team worked as hard as ever but it just wasn’t our day. We come back here in August and we’ll have a much better idea of where to start with setup from the outset. I’m looking forward to improving on today’s result and most importantly, staying in the hunt for the title.”

Two eventful races changed the complexion of the 2010 championship for a number of leading riders. Problems plagued Ducati Motologic Racing’s Jamie Stauffer, with the two-time winner exiting both races early and taking zero points for the round. The outcome is a slide from fourth to eighth on the standings.

Suzuki riders put in a solid performance across the board, claiming positions 4 through 6 for the round. Brisbane-based rider Team Mack Trucks Suzuki’s Robbie Bugden excelled at his home event, and makes good inroads on his 2010 campaign after missing the opening round. Team Suzuki’s Shawn Giles finished fifth followed by Racers Edge Performance Suzuki rider Scott Charlton.

Valvoline Superbike Team rider and 2008 champion Glenn Allerton launched an attack on the leaders in race two before a mishap put him out of the running and made the final few laps a salvage operation for points.

Gold Coast rider Daniel Stauffer put in his best performance of the season on the new factory Aprilia RSV4, finishing seventh for the round.
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The 2009 ASBK privateer champion, CJC-Bisley Racing‘s Craig Coxhell, is looking forward to his 2010 debut at round two of the Viking Australian Superbike Championship on board the team’s all new BMW S1000RR. Aiming to follow on from last year’s successful debut with Bisley Workwear, the team has found another exciting new partner in Southbank BMW and look forward to get back into the action.

Rob Coxhell and the CJC team make the move from Honda to BMW for the 2010 ASBK season

Craig Coxhell:
“We had a great first year last year and are looking forward to getting to terms with the exciting new S 1000 RR. Gary House is preparing the bikes as we speak and we’ll be able to give them a shakedown and some preliminary testing prior to Darwin, where we’ll be running the stock engine. That shouldn’t be an issue – from all reports and the feel from when I rode one earlier this year that should be enough to get us in the ballpark. The stock motor seriously rips. We’ve also been able to secure Dave Cullen to help us out with suspension and setup this year, so we’re looking forward to working with Dave again. We have a successful history together and it’s a pleasure to be alongside Dave again.”

Rob Coxhell:
“We’re treating this year as a development year – obviously the bikes have only just arrived and we’ve missed the first round, but we’re hoping to get up to speed fairly quickly with some great support from BMW, particularly Chris Bussenschutt and the team at BMW Southbank. We’re also extremely pleased to be continuing our relationships with Bisley Workwear and the guys from Ankermann and the support from our partner suppliers such as Sportsbike tire warmers. It’s a pretty amazing year really in the ASBK this year; with the inclusion of the all new S 1000 RR there will be 8 manufacturers going for it which makes for exceptional racing and when you throw in Darwin as a new track – anything could happen. We know there are a lot of very excited BMW riders out there who are keen to see the bikes on track and we’ll do our best to put on a great show.”