Motourage

Team Honda Racing Australia came away from another QBE Australian Superbike Championship round satisfied after Jamie Stauffer took the overall round win and Wayne Maxwell claimed fourth overall at this weekend’s event at Symmons Plains Raceway in Tasmania. The championship title was decided today after Team BMW  Motorrad Australia’s Glenn Allerton clinched the coveted based on available points remaining. With one round to go, Team Honda Racing is focused on retaining their second place with Stauffer and moving Maxwell onto the podium to take third.

Race 2 today was equally as exciting as the first with Stauffer getting off the line strongly from his P7 start to move into second by the mid-way point of the race. There he remained to the checkered flag behind ultimate race winner Josh Waters.

From P1 on the grid Maxwell battled with Troy Herfoss for third, but had to settle for fourth place at the line.

“I would have liked to convert my P1 position into a race win today, but I wasn’t able to so,” said Maxwell. “I just have to focus on Phillip Island next weekend to finish the season strongly and possibly move into a podium position for the championship. We will make a few changes to the set-up of the CBR1000RR in the days we have before the final round to suit the Phillip Island circuit, it is a circuit I am strong at so I am really determined to get a place on the podium in 2011. Congratulations to Glenn on the championship title.”

Stauffer is really pleased to take the overall round win for the penultimate round of the championship and appears to have found the momentum he needs on his CBR1000RR to finish the season impressively and retain his current second-place ranking.

“Congratulations to Glenn taking the championship today; that was a great effort,” said Stauffer. “I’m really happy to take my second round win of the season, and I would like to thank Team Honda Racing for their hard work this weekend. We had a couple of dramas in qualifying which the team responded to quickly and clearly sorted for me to go out confidently in the races. Next weekend is the final one for the year and I am planning to hold onto to my second place for the championship, so I’m not taking my eye off the goal with such a strong field.”

With many strong competitors emerging through the season, the final round of the QBE Australian Superbike Championship will be a fantastic spectacle to decide the remaining championship positions. Team Honda Racing’s Team Principle Paul Free is proud of his team’s effort this weekend.

“The team have put in 110 percent this weekend, as with every event, and I’m really proud of them,” said Free. “It was fantastic for Jamie to win the overall for Round 7, and we are looking forward to getting to Phillip Island next weekend for the final round. I would like to congratulate Glenn on his championship title on behalf of all the team. It was disappointing for Wayne to have crashed in race 1 as he was looking very strong from his P1 start. Still, we will move into next weekend with a clear goal for our final round, to consolidate second place for Jamie and get Wayne into third.”

ASBK round 8 will be held at Phillip Island November 18-20.

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

Team Honda’s Jamie Stauffer is eyeing his maiden race win with the manufacturer following a convincing QBE Australian Superbike Championship Superpole victory at Queensland Raceway today.

See video of today’s qualifying HERE.

The two-time Australian Superbike Champion left nothing in reserve with an ultra-committed lap of the bumpy 3.12km circuit, his 1:09.223s lap the best by a margin of close to .4” in a closely-contested session.

It was Stauffer’s day from start to finish, with the New South Wales-based rider topping both of the initial 30-minute qualifying sessions before confirming his pace with pole position.

Round 5 of the QBE Australian Superbike Championship is shaping up to be a thriller, and Stauffer will be leading the charge to stop current points leader, Procon Maxima BMW’s Glenn Allerton, who secured the second grid position with a 1:09.596 effort.

Ben Attard’s strong form on the Aprilia RSV4, with the best of the local riders taking a hard-fought third place in Superpole for the i-Style Natural Aprilia Team.

Team Suzuki’s Josh Waters was fourth-fastest, making it four different manufacturers on the front row for tomorrow’s 17-lap races.

Team Suzuki’s Robbie Bugden, Team Honda’s Wayne Maxwell, Demolition Plus GAS Honda’s Craig Coxhell and Team Suzuki’s Troy Herfoss will occupy the second row of the grid.

Carr Bros Motorsport’s Mitchell Carr secured his second consecutive QBE Supersport pole position, winning this afternoon’s four-rider Motul Superpole shootout.

The Triumph talent is riding high after recording debut race and round wins at the previous round in Darwin and is hoping to hold out a hungry pack tomorrow.

P1, Jamie Stauffer, Team Honda, 1:09.223
“It was a good day, we’ve been fastest all day, we can hopefully make the bike a bit better and hopefully we can race for the lead tomorrow.”

P2, Glenn Allerton, Procon Maxima BMW, 1:09.596
“So far qualifying has been really strong for us, obviously I want to be in P1 but P2 is a good starting position and I’ve proved this year that I am strong in the races. We made one last change before Superpole and the bike felt really good. It was a cracking Superpole lap and I’m really happy with how the bike feels, tomorrow I feel like the Procon Maxima BMW is going to be one really strong package for 17 laps.”

P3, Ben Attard, The i-Style Natural Aprilia Team, 1:09.596
“Today was a great day, we went out in the top 3, I made a few little mistakes in Superpole and it cost me. I thought we could have done a low nine but I messed up two corners. We’ve got a good bike, it’s quick and I can’t wait to fight tomorrow.”

Read more…

Procon Maxima BMW's Glenn Allerton

Glenn Allerton’s relentless pursuit of a second QBE Insurance Australian Superbike Championship crown was on show yesterday with the Procon Maxima BMW rider wrapping up race 2 and the overall round at Perth’s Barbagallo Raceway. The Sydneysider’s form from a calculated race 1 victory continued, though he didn’t have it all his own way as a number of other riders showed their intention to challenge.

The best start to the gripping 15-lap encounter came from P4 on the grid, the CBR1000RR of Demolition Plus GAS Honda’s Craig Coxhell. No stranger to setting the pace at the front of a Superbike race, the 2003 Australian Superbike Champion diced with Team Honda’s Jamie Stauffer for a number of laps before relinquishing the lead to a storming Allerton. The championship leader decimated the standing race lap record on lap 5, lowering the mark by over three-tenths to 55.533s.

Maxwell kept a close watch and also dipped beneath previous lap record pace, knowing he would need to get in front of Allerton to have a shot at a much-needed round win. As they settled into rhythm, positions 1 through to 9 all broke into the 55-second margin and the flat-out pace meant they were soon on the tails of Prostock riders. Allerton threaded his way through efficiently while the trailing trio of Maxwell, Coxhell and Stauffer were slowed slightly leaving the BMW to bask in the sunshine of an incredible sixth race win, and the third in a row.

“This weekend has been an awesome one for the team and it’s great to come back to Perth and show the strengths of the BMW to such a big crowd,” said Allerton. “We knew that everyone would be searching for more grip after yesterday’s race so got together and made some changes to the bike to make it a bit better. Over race distance it came on strong again and was super quick. I can’t thank the team enough for putting everything they have behind me.”

Bagging 50 points at Barbagallo Raceway, Allerton’s lead over second place in the championship, Team Suzuki’s Troy Herfoss, increases to 58. While a race win continues to elude Maxwell, Team Honda’s foray to Perth was vastly more successful than their horror run at Hidden Valley, and the Victorian is not giving up the fight yet.

“It’s good to get two strong finishes on the board but we’ve still got a way to go to catch Glenn who is riding with a lot of confidence,” said Maxwell. “The team has turned things around this weekend and the parts we have been testing seem to be pointing us in the right direction. There’s a good break before Queensland and again we’ll be putting in a lot of work to try and bridge the gap.”

He made up four places on the standings and now sits sixth, 18 points shy of teammate Jamie Stauffer who took third overall for the round.

“It’s been a better weekend for Team Honda and we’ve managed to bounce back strongly here in Perth,” said Stauffer. “We’ve got a way to go now and we’ll put our heads down now to prepare for the next round.”

Solid showings from both Craig Coxhell and Mack Trucks Suzuki’s Robbie Bugden saw them finish equal fourth the round on 33 points.

Positions two and three in the championship remain unchanged after today with second-placed Troy Herfoss and third-placed Ben Attard scoring an even 29 points apiece.
Read more…

Points leader Glenn Allerton fired the first shots at Perth’s Barbagallo Raceway today with standout laps to top both practice and qualifying at round four of the Viking Group Australian Superbike Championships. The lone Superbike-spec BMW S 1000 R pilot laid down 14 laps in both sessions, and in this afternoon’s 20-minute qualifier became the only rider to dip into the 55-second bracket with a 55.869s lap.

Compared to four-wheel counterparts who share the track this weekend for the Trading Post Perth Challenge, Allerton’s lap was close to a second quicker than V8 Supercar pacesetter Jamie Whincup managed a 56.676s effort. The signs are ominous for his championship rivals who have so far had no answer to the 2008 champion’s blistering pace.

Procon BMW's Glenn Allerton is sizzling at Barbagallo

“I’m extremely excited to put the Procon Maxima BMW in P1 today, I’ve got my son Judd here watching on and that makes it extra special,” said Allerton. “We didn’t have too much time to make major changes in the sessions but everything we did pushed us further in the right direction and has us feeling confident about tomorrow.”

This weekend Allerton has changed his customary race number to #111 as a tribute to local rider Levi Di Candilo and hopes to be able to dedicate another round victory to him come Sunday.

The Team Honda pairing of Wayne Maxwell and Jamie Stauffer qualified second and third respectively, a solid result considering their disastrous outing in Darwin a fortnight ago. Last-lap specialist Maxwell rattled off a 56.048s lap in the closing stages of this afternoon’s session and is hoping to make up more ground on Allerton in the QBE Superpole tomorrow.

“Obviously Darwin wasn’t ideal but to the team’s credit they have turned things around very quickly,” said Maxwell. “We’ve got a number of new components on board and again it’s just a matter of working through these in the time we have available. A positive to come from today is that we were able to close the gap to Glenn between practice and qualifying. Now it’s time to get the job done.”

The 2006 round winner at Barbagallo Raceway, Jamie Stauffer too knows the importance of delivering this weekend as the season hits the half-way mark. His 56.340s lap was also set late in the piece, with both Team Honda Superbikes benefiting from small setup changes over the course of the session.

“We’re really looking to redeem ourselves from a few weeks ago and it’s so far, so good for us,” said Stauffer. “We’ll try a few things and give Superpole a real crack tomorrow morning while focusing on making the bikes good over the shorter race distance.”

Experienced Team Suzuki rider Robbie Bugden edged out hometown favorite, Cube Racing’s Ben Henry by just 0.004 seconds to qualify fourth.

Positions 2 and 3 in the points, Troy Herfoss and Ben Attard, will need to extract some extra pace tomorrow if they are to keep Allerton in their sights. Team Suzuki’s Herfoss got his first glimpse of the 2.42km circuit this morning but there was little time for introductions. He finished 5th in practice but on a slippery track this afternoon fell back to 8th.

Ben Attard fared slightly better, slotting his iStyle The Natural Aprilia Racing machine into sixth place.

Attard has showed the genuine race pace of the RSV4 at the opening three rounds and will be eager to work his way up the field and challenge for his second Superbike podium in as many rounds.

Splitting the pair on today’s timesheets was a familiar face to the ASBK, Daniel Stauffer. Stauffer piloted Attard’s Aprilia for much of 2010 before concentrating on competing in New Zealand earlier this year. He returns this weekend, and for the remainder of the season, on the DGS Ducati, and is eager to make his mark on the powerful Italian Superbike.

Team Suzuki’s Brodie Waters was the fastest of today’s Prostock competitors setting a 59.547s lap to head up the fifth row of the grid for the combined-class races.

Linden Magee slotted his BMW S 1000 RR into second place with Mark Gill close behind on his Honda CBR 1000RR.

The 25-rider field will take to the track at 8:15am local time tomorrow morning for their warm-up session before the top 8 qualifiers duke it out in the QBE Superpole at 10:15am. Race 1 will follow from 11.55am.

Viking Group Australian Superbikes Qualifying

1. Glenn ALLERTON (NSW) / Procon Maxima BMW, BMW S 1000 RR, 55.869
2. Wayne MAXWELL (NSW) / Team Honda Racing, Honda CBR RR, 56.048
3. Jamie STAUFFER (NSW) / Team Honda Racing, Honda CBR RR, 56.340
4. Robert BUGDEN (QLD) / Team Mack Trucks Suzuki, Suzuki GSX-R, 56.515
5. Ben HENRY (WA) / Cube Racing / Australian Outdoor Living, Suzuki GSX-R, 56.519
6. Ben ATTARD (QLD) / The i-Style Natural Aprilia Team, Aprilia RSV4, 56.755
7. Daniel STAUFFER (NSW) / DGS Ducati, Ducati 1198, 57.002
8. Troy HERFOSS (NSW) / Team Suzuki, Suzuki GSX-R, 57.007
9. Craig COXHELL (VIC) / GAS Honda, Honda CBR RR, 57.057
10. Cole ODENDAAL (QLD) / NSW Compensation Lawyers / GAS Honda Racing, Honda CBR RR, 57.687

Visit www.computime.com.au for a full listing of results

A battle royale raged between two former Australian Superbike champions at Hidden Valley today, with Procon Maxima BMW rider Glenn Allerton claiming race 2 and Team Suzuki’s Josh Waters getting the nod, by a single point, for the round win.

2008 champion Allerton finished second to 2009 champion Waters in the opening 17-lap battle, and knew he would need to win the second race to have a shot at his fourth round victory in succession.

Glenn Allerton, Josh Waters and Ben Attard

The BMW S 1000 RR rider withstood Hidden Valley’s intense heat to take his race win tally to four for the year, but it was Waters who prevailed for back-to-back round wins in the Northern Territory.

“It’s been a real battle with Glenn this weekend and a lot of fun,” said Waters. “To take back-to-back wins at Hidden Valley really is all we could have hoped for. It was hard work in the heat but we hung in there and the pole position point ended up giving us the edge today. Suzuki have done an amazing job with the GSX-R1000 and I can’t thank the crew enough for their dedication.”

Waters is quickly making up the points deficit after missing the opening round while making his World Superbike debut. He entered the weekend in 10th and leaves in 5th on 88 points.

Allerton extended his lead to 37 points today and acknowledged Hepburn Motorsports’ quick thinking between races to give him a better bike this afternoon.

“The boys made a setup change which made the bike a lot easier to ride in the second race,” said Allerton. “It was a lot better rolling into the turns and coming out of them and was strong from start to finish. It’s a great result for us and the BMW just keeps getting better. We’ve added a few points to our lead and are really looking forward to seeing how the bike does in Perth.”

Ben Attard and his Aprilia outfit had another exemplary showing today, with the experienced Queenslander scoring his second race and round podium for the year aboard the RSV-4. The iStyle Natural Aprilia Racing Team rider led the opening lap of race 1, and showed pace again this afternoon. Attard had the measure of Waters at mid-race distance but consolidated for third place after his pace faded slightly.

“After a season of development the team has really come on strong with the Aprilia, it’s still early days but these results are really promising,” he said. “It’s really good to be up here racing in the top three and showing what the bike can do.”

Consistent finishes in each round to date have Attard placed third in the championship, just a point off Team Suzuki’s Troy Herfoss. Herfoss held onto second place with two top five finishes today as he continues to come to grips with the GSX-R1000 in his rookie season.

Craig Coxhell took over the top Honda placing in the championship with two fifth places today for the Demolition Plus GAS Honda outfit.

The factory Honda Superbikes struggled in the Darwin heat, with Jamie Stauffer and Wayne Maxwell both failing to finish.

Kevin Curtain took the QBE Australian Supersport Championship round victory with another a strong ride today. The Yamaha Racing Team rider won race 2, holding off teammate Rick Olson who had an improved showing in second.

Polesitter Mitchell Carr looked set to challenge the factory Yamaha team following his maiden Supersport race win this morning but didn’t have the pace to stay in touch.

The experienced Curtain said he had hoped to make a break early after falling back in the first race.

“The plan was to get out there and get as much as a gap as I could,” said the YZF-R6 mounted rider. “I knew there would be nothing in it, Rick caught me in the closing stages and I wore the tire down trying to stay in front. It’s a good result for my own championship and for Yamaha this weekend.”

He may have narrowly missed the round victory but Carr accumulated enough points to overtake fellow Triumph rider Christian Casella in the title chase.

“It’s been a breakthrough weekend, everyone’s really chipped in and we’ve taken the Triumph to another level,” said Carr.

After three rounds he holds a two-point lead over Casella, with Curtain a further three points in arrears.

Team Suzuki’s Brodie Waters went from second to fourth on the standings after a problematic weekend which included a crash in this afternoon’s race.

Today’s support classes provided close and entertaining racing for the Darwin crowd.

The Honda Prostock spoils went to Cru Halliday, Mike Jones extended his Suzuki Superstock lead with another clean sweep, and Josh Hook did the same in Motul Superlites.

Shane Soutar and Jeff Rowe put on a show in the Superside class, taking two race wins from three and the overall.

The Viking Group Australian Superbike Championships heads to Western Australia as part of the Perth Trading Post Challenge from April 29 – May 1 where Superbike and Prostock classes will race as a combined field.

Viking Group Australian Superbike Round 3 Overall
1. Joshua WATERS (VIC) Team Suzuki, Suzuki GSXR, 46
2. Glenn ALLERTON (VIC) Procon Maxima BMW / Dynomotive / Zoom Recruit. BMW S 1000 RR, 45
3. Ben ATTARD (QLD)     The i-Style Natural Aprilia Team Aprilia RSV4, 35
4. Craig COXHELL (VIC) Demolition Plus GAS Honda, Honda CBR RR, 32
5. Troy HERFOSS (VIC) Team Suzuki, Suzuki GSXR, 31
6. Cole ODENDAAL (NSW) GAS Honda Racing / NSW Compensation Lawyers, Honda CBR RR, 30
7. Kris McLAREN (VIC) McLaren Motorsport / Kirk McCarthy Memorial Award, Honda CBR RR, 27
8. Jamie STAUFFER (NSW) Team Honda Racing / Oleon Oils / Motologic, Honda CBR RR, 18
9. Ben HENRY (QLD) Cube Racing / Australian Outdoor Living / Weld West, Suzuki GSXR, 13

QBE Australian Supersport Championship Standings
1. Glenn ALLERTON (VIC) 138
2. Troy HERFOSS (VIC) 101
3. Ben ATTARD (QLD)     100
4. Craig COXHELL (VIC) 90
5. Joshua WATERS (VIC) 88
6. Jamie STAUFFER (NSW) 84
7. Cole ODENDAAL (NSW) 75
8. Wayne MAXWELL (VIC) 60
9. Ben HENRY (QLD) 58
10. Robert BUGDEN (QLD) 57

QBE Australian Supersport Round 3 Overall
1. Kevin CURTAIN (VIC) Yamaha Racing Team Yamaha, YZF-R6, 45
2. Mitchell CARR (NSW) Carr Bros M-sport / Triumph / Peter Stevens M-cycles Triumph Daytona, 43
3. Rick OLSON (VIC) Yamaha Racing Team Yamaha, YZF-R6 38
4. Nicholas WATERS (VIC) Arai Helmets, Suzuki GSXR, 34
5. Christan CASELLA (VIC) Aark Electrics / Triumph Aust. / Alpinestars / AGV Triumph Daytona, 31
6. Aaron GOBERT (NSW) Yamaha / Graves / Hot Bodies Yamaha, YZF-R6, 28
7. Dylan MAVIN (QLD) Champion’s Ride Days / Honda / Palfinger Cranes Honda, CBR RR, 28
8. Brodie WATERS (VIC) Team Suzuki, Suzuki GSXR, 27
9. Andy LAWSON (QLD) Avweld Pty Ltd / Trucks Australia, Yamaha YZF-R6, 23
10. Jackson LEIGH-SMITH (QLD) Champion’s Ride Days / Honda / Palfinger Cranes, Honda CBR RR, 23

QBE Australian Supersport Championship Standings
1. Mitchell CARR (NSW), 110
2. Christan CASELLA (VIC), 108
3. Kevin CURTAIN (VIC), 105
4. Brodie WATERS (VIC), 103
5. Aaron GOBERT (NSW), 99
6. Rick OLSON (VIC), 89
7. Andy LAWSON (QLD), 69
8. Nicholas WATERS (VIC), 66
9. Glenn SCOTT (NSW), 62
10. Ryan TAYLOR (VIC), 58

Viking Group Australian Superbike Championship frontrunners have Glenn Allerton in their sights as the points leader guns for his fourth round win in succession at Darwin’s Hidden Valley Raceway this weekend.

The Sydney native has taken the series by storm on his Procon Maxima BMW, managing the transition to a vastly-different bike with relative ease over the off-season. Allerton recorded the final round victory of 2010, and has notched up two more round wins from two starts at Phillip Island and Symmons Plains. Allerton enjoys a 23-point advantage at the lead of the Superbike field after two rounds.

The 2.87km Hidden Valley circuit’s front straight will demonstrate the blistering speed of the BMW S 1000 R, an advantage that Allerton hopes will keep him ahead of the field.

“The bike is coming along in leaps and bounds,” said Allerton. “We’ve tried a few new settings with forks and brakes which we feel will make it a complete package. It comes off the corners well and will really come into its own down the long front straight.”

The series’ second visit to the “Top End” will be crucial to the championship chances of a number of riders; none more so than Wayne Maxwell who is desperate to convert pace to points. The Team Honda rider has headed both QBE Superpole sessions so far, but a race win has eluded him.

“We’ve been working hard on bridging the gap to Glenn (Allerton),” said the fifth-placed rider.  “It’s time to start winning races if we’re going to reel him in and the team has been working hard on developing some new parts to give us the best chance.

One of the championship’s fittest riders, Maxwell has approached the challenge of the Territory’s taxing heat with a strategy.

“The key is to train hard in the lead-up and keep something in reserve for the races – you don’t want to be spent by the time the weekend comes around.”

iStyle The Natural Aprilia Racing’s Ben Attard is another rider who has put in the hard yards prior to Hidden Valley. Attard impressed with a second place during the wet Phillip Island opener and hoped there was more to come from the powerful Italian machine.

“I think we’ll be strong whether it’s wet or dry,” said Attard. “We’ve got some new fork kits for the bike this round and the development as a whole has come on strong since Phillip Island. I’d consider myself a pretty fit racer and I’ve been competing in a few running races between rounds to keep that competitive edge.”

The Queensland-based rider sits fourth on the Superbike standings on 65 points.

2010 Australian Supersport Championship victor Troy Herfoss heads to Hidden Valley with few expectations, pointing out the vast differences between the Team Suzuki Supersport machine he won on last year and his current ride, the GSXR-1000.

“My goal this year has been to finish every race, and so far I’m on track,” said Herfoss.  “I haven’t ridden on a 1000cc bike at Hidden Valley and it’s going to be very different to last year. All I can do is hope to be competitive and improve on my results from Tasmania.”

A two-wheel enthusiast, Herfoss has kept himself busy on other forms of cycle to keep his eye in.

“I’ve been doing as much as I can, my training is primarily bike-related, so I’ve been on my mountain bike, my dirt bike and road bike at every opportunity.”

Herfoss’ strong season start has him placed second on 70 points after two rounds.

2010 Hidden Valley victor, Team Suzuki’s Josh Waters will be another one to watch this weekend. Waters won the opening race in Tasmania with lap record pace, and is showing no signs of slowing.

Riders will get two practice sessions on Friday to find a suitable setup ahead of Saturday’s qualifying sessions. QBE Superpole will follow to determine the top 8 places for Sunday’s grid. Sunday’s race will consist of two 17-lap races.

The bumper event also features action from the QBE Supersport, Honda Prostock, Suzuki Superstock and Motul Superlites classes plus the new sidecar class, Superside.
Read more…

Procon Maxima BMW rider Glenn Allerton extended his Viking Group Australian Superbike Championship points lead with a dominant race win at Symmons Plains on Sunday. Hindered by a brake problem in the morning’s race, the 2008 Australian Superbike Champion bounced back in style in the second 20-lap battle, winning by a 1.444-second margin over Team Honda Racing’s Wayne Maxwell.

Procon Maxima BMW's Glenn Allerton dominated in Tasmania

Maxwell took the lead from pole and controlled the race until mid-distance when Allerton pounced, the power of the BMW S 1000 RR only too apparent on the back straight sweeper, the fastest corner in Australian motorsport at more than 270km/h.

Sunday’s result also marks Allerton’s third round win in a row. He won in Tasmania in November last year before switching manufacturers and dominating last week’s Phillip Island opener. The Sydneysider said he was determined to make amends for the morning’s race where he felt a win went begging.

“I felt really comfortable on the bike today,” said Allerton. “The problem with the front brake in race 1 cost me a chance to attack and I knew I had to make it up this afternoon. We pulled together as a team and got it done, thanks to everyone involved for a huge effort this weekend. We’ll look to Darwin now and try a few more things to develop the bike further. There’s more progress to be made and I can’t wait to get to Hidden Valley and try to work on building my championship lead further.”

Allerton leads the championship on 93 points, 23 ahead of Team Suzuki’s Troy Herfoss who finished fifth overall this weekend.

Second place for the round went to race 1 winner, Team Suzuki’s Josh Waters. Waters was unable to match the pace of Allerton and the Team Honda duo in the afternoon’s race and has already set his sights on Hidden Valley, a track he dominated at last year.

“I was really happy with the race 1 result but today I didn’t quite have enough for the leaders in race 2,” said Waters. “It’s good to get a win on the board. Hopefully I can add a few more when we go back to Darwin in a few weeks.”

Wayne Maxwell finished third, adding a valuable 41 points to his tally. The top three were separated by a point each at the conclusion of a thrilling day of racing.

Spectators were treated to a second incredible QBE Supersport race Sunday afternoon, with Team Suzuki’s Brodie Waters emerging the victor, a result that could have gone to any one of the five lead riders. Eager to make amends after the morning’s mishap, Sunstate Racing’s Nick Waters took the early advantage but soon found himself under fire from four more evenly-matched machines.  The lead changed almost every lap as riders dared to dive further and further under brakes in the final complex of corners.

AARK Racing pole sitter Christian Casella and the Yamaha Racing Team’s Kevin Curtain had their time at the front, but Brodie Waters prevailed with an advantage of just 0.059 seconds. Waters, who limped to ninth after crashing into brother Nick in the opening 20-lap dash, praised his team for providing such a competitive race bike.

“I knew I had to make up for this morning’s mistake and the team put everything they had behind me,” said Waters. “It’s a good end to the day and a good way to thank them for their effort.”

It was a triumphant weekend for Casella, who won the opening race, the round, and takes a 1-point lead in the championship.

“It was a pretty hectic race,” said Casella. “There’s some big braking areas around this track and everyone was having a big go, it was a bit like the Superbike race, a real flip of the coin as to who’s going to get there in the end. To be honest I’m pretty happy to be still sitting on the bike after that one, it was pretty crazy! Thanks to AARK Racing, they’ve given me a good bike to ride in the Triumph and we’ve really turned around our championship this weekend.”

Cru Halliday rode his Yamaha R1 to two Prostock race victories, and, combined with his pole position and race 1 win yesterday, leaves Symmons Plains with maximum points.
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Procon Racing BMW rider Glenn Allerton dominated a drama-charged day at Phillip Island this weekend, winning both races of the opening round of the Viking Group Australian Superbike Championships in spectacular style.

BMW's Glenn Allerton

The field was forced to gamble with a damp circuit sending some riders scrambling for spare bikes with wet tires fitted. The BMW S 1000 RR-mounted Allerton elected to remain on slicks, and, despite being swamped in the opening laps, soon found pace as a dry line around the 4.45km circuit emerged.

The 30-year-old picked off place after place, and by the fifth lap found himself in the lead after blazing past pole sitter Wayne Maxwell who was struggling on deteriorating wet rubber. Allerton greeted the checkered flag with a lead of more than 20 seconds, with second-place going to another European machine, the Aprilia RSV-4 ridden by Ben Attard.

Proving the victory was no fluke, the NSW-based rider backed up the performance by winning race two in dry conditions, again by a solid margin. Two wins from two starts, on debut with a new team and race bike, has Allerton excited about his championship chances in 2011.

“This is the best start to a season I’ve ever had,” said an ecstatic Allerton. “The weekend really could not have gone better for us given we are a new team and racing a new bike. We made a good choice this morning on the slicks but in the second race showed that the pace was genuine. Given the limited time we’ve had to work on the bike, the team at Hepburn Motorsport have done an awesome job and I cannot fault them at all. Thanks also has to go to all at BMW.”

Allerton leaves Phillip Island with a 13-point advantage over second-placed rider Troy Herfoss, who was impressive in his first ever Superbike outing with Team Suzuki. Herfoss’ result was built on both speed and consistency. The GSX-R1000 rider settled for a strong fourth place in the opening race when unable to attack, but was on song in the second 12-lapper and raced to a comfortable podium position.

“It was a tough weekend and I’m very glad to come away sitting second,” said Herfoss. “Our testing pace was great so I was a little confused as to why I was taking a while to get comfortable on the bike. Getting a good result on wet tires in the first race gave me the confidence I needed, and I was able to mix it with the leaders in the second. I’m taking steady steps in my approach to this season and this weekend has provided me with a solid start.”
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