Motourage

The Australian Superbike Championship factory Honda team held its team launch this past weekend at the Watermark Bar at Docklands in Melbourne, Australia in the lead-up to the World Superbike event at Phillip Island this coming weekend.

The Team Honda Racing riders, #27 Jamie Stauffer, #47 Wayne Maxwell and #34 Josh Hook all gave their thoughts on the season ahead before unveiling the stunning, bright red livery of their new model CBR1000RRs and the CBR600RR. It was their first opportunity to view their machines in the new livery and all 3 riders were keen to take a closer look.

Special guest at the launch of Team Honda Racing was World Superbike Rider Hannspree Ten Kate Honda’s Jonathan Rea. Pleased to start the season at the Phillip Island Circuit, Rea spoke of his preparation for the 2012 season and wished the Australian contingent all the best for the year.

Team Principle Paul Free echoed the thoughts of Honda Motorcycles general manager Tony Hinton when he expressed his excitement at returning to the 600 Supersport category in 2012. Both Free and Hinton agreed it will be a very strong season for the new Honda CBR1000RR and the CBR600RR with such a strong and competitive rider line-up in Maxwell, Stauffer and Hook.

Managing Director of Honda MPE, Mr Zenjiro Sakurai along with General Manager of Motorcycles, Tony Hinton and the marketing team at Honda were a testament to the strong and invaluable factory support given to Team Honda Racing, with marketing manager Glyn Griffiths even taking a leading role as MC for the launch.

Team Honda Racing will compete at the first round of the ASBK which takes place at the World Superbike Event February 24-26.

Team Honda Racing will return to the Australian 600 Supersport category in 2012 with last year’s ASBK 125GP Champion Josh Hook joining the team onboard a Motologic-prepared CBR600RR.

The young rider from Taree in New South Wales has already gained valuable experience in Australia and overseas, having competed in the Red Bull Rookies cup in the USA series two years in a row and competing as a wildcard entry in the IVECO Australian MotoGP 125cc class in both 2010 and 2011.

Excited to be racing with the factory Honda team, Josh believes he is ready for the challenge ahead saying “I am really looking forward to getting on the track on the Honda CBR600RR and I’m very excited to join Team Honda Racing. I know I will learn a lot working with the team as well as from Wayne and Jamie. It is a pretty competitive class so it’s not going to be easy, but I’m confident that we will find a good setup for me in testing and that I will feel comfortable on the bike going into Round 1 at Phillip Island.”

Team Principle, Paul Free is keen to see what the season brings for his expanding team and feels confident that the re-entry into the 600 Supersport class will be a notable one.

Paul Free:
“This is very exciting news for Team Honda Racing. The Motologic-based team has not competed in the 600 Supersport class for a few years now and we are all looking forward to returning to the category with Honda this season. Josh shows great potential and will fit in very well with everyone in the team. He will get his first taste of the CBR600RR soon in our first official test and I am sure he will do well going into the first event.”

Looking forward to Honda’s re-entry into the Supersport class, Tony Hinton, General Manager Honda Motorcycles said “Honda is excited to be re-entering the Supersport class in 2012 and welcoming Josh Hook into Team Honda Racing. Honda has a strong history in Supersport racing both here and on a World Championship level. Josh is a talented rider with fantastic potential and we look forward in helping him develop further, and to the prospect of challenging for the Australian Supersport Championship in 2012.”

Team Honda's Jamie Stauffer

The battle is over for another season of the Australian Superbike Championship, and Team Honda Racing takes 2nd and 4th in the Championship for 2011.

The series finale held over the weekend was nothing if not dramatic for the factory Honda team with Wayne Maxwell lucky to walk away from a high-speed crash at turn 12 of the Phillip Island Circuit in practice on Friday and go on to win the first race of the event.

The drama not over, Jamie Stauffer posted a DNF in race 1 due to a crash of his own midway through the race during which he sustained multiple burns to his neck from his own tire after being violently flicked from the bike. Sauffer was able to remount in an attempt to finish the race, but returned to the pits before the checkered flag when he realized he and his machine were in need of some medical and mechanical attention.

The resilience and determination of a Superbike racer shone through in Stauffer when he gingerly donned his leathers for the final time this season in race 2 to finish the job he began and secure second place in the Championship. Stauffer held on in race 2 to finish third behind teammate Wayne Maxwell in second and Josh Waters in first.

Maxwell raced strongly in the second race with a never-say-die determination and took second place behind Josh Waters. Taking second overall for the weekend, Maxwell finished the year fourth in the championship.

Wayne Maxwell:
“We have had a fairly mixed year this year and with a run of bad luck early in the season we had a lot of work to make up the points. The team have worked really hard and we did manage to come back solidly which is a credit to the team. I took 5 Superpole wins this season and only just missed my 6th here at the last round. The team have also taken three round wins, my own being at Queensland Raceway for Round 6.

Jamie Stauffer:
“The final round was a hard one really in that we were looking to secure second in championship and I crashed in the first race. I lost a lot of points then, and the gap for second closed right up. The second race went well although I was injured we pulled through and got 3rd in the race which was enough to take second in the championship. Overall the year was a tough year after some issues at the start of the season, but we got going mid-way through year and Wayne and I were up there every race from there on in. The team worked really hard to bring us back into the mix and we were able to finish strongly with a place in the championship overall.”

Team Honda Racing have seen all the highs and lows of racing during the 2011 season of the Australian Superbike Championship and have displayed an unwavering determination and passion in their craft to finish the season with a strength that most definitely indicates their intentions for the new year.

Team Principle Paul Free:
“When we reformed a Honda team at the beginning of the year in Team Honda Racing we knew we would be strong on the CBR1000RR. With Jamie and Wayne as pilots I knew we had a good package. We did encounter some issues in the first part of the season, but full credit goes to the team and the riders for turning it all around and bringing the Honda to the front on many occasions throughout the season. With many race wins, Superpoles, overall round wins and to finish up 2nd and 4th in the championship I believe we have shown that our focus and determination is solid and I am extremely excited about what 2012 race season holds for Team Honda Racing. On behalf of the team I would like to thank Honda for their invaluable support throughout the season. We are looking forward to getting started on the new model CBR1000RR and unleashing its potential on the race track.