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The Viking Group Australian Superbike Championship points leader, Honda’s Wayne Maxwell, has identified this weekend’s ASBK round at Queensland Raceway near Brisbane as the highest hurdle in the second half of his race for title honors.

The 27-year-old Victorian hopes to have overcome a gripe with tire grip which saw him slide backwards from pole position when the series last visited the 3.12km circuit in June.

Wayne Maxwell alongside Ducati's Jamie Stauffer

The Demolition Plus GAS Honda CBR1000RR pilot left the event noting there was plenty to be done to match the pace of the riders he was battling for the points lead and has worked hard to turn around the result.

“It wasn’t our weekend, that’s for sure,” said Maxwell. “With pole position I thought I’d gotten the momentum going but we struggled with tires during both races and ended up going backwards.”

Maxwell, winner of the opening round of 2010, also identified race fitness as a factor and felt he had made good progress from the point he was at in June.

“My training had been affected by injury and I wasn’t feeling as fit as I could have. I’ve added running back into my program which seems to have helped quite a bit. The opportunity to race in the heat and humidity at the Suzuka 8 Hour where endurance is vital was another good way to keep focused and allowed me some good time on the bike.”

Trailing championship leader Bryan Staring by 4.5 points, Maxwell was hopeful of overturning a run of lackluster results in the Sunshine State.

“This needs to be a good weekend, I need to perform at every round. I’m confident I can do well at both Phillip Island and Symmon’s Plains in the final two rounds but Queensland Raceway has been a sticking point in the past. I need to be scoring consistent points at every event we go to in order to keep the pressure on Bryan (Staring, fellow Honda rider and championship leader).”

The top three contenders in the Superbike class have shared an equal spread of race and round wins in 2010 – Maxwell went two for two at Phillip Island, Josh Waters went two for two at Hidden Valley and Staring went two for two at Queensland Raceway.

Separated by just 9.5 points in total, the top three have set the bar high but are not yet clear of a handful of experienced riders ready to pounce given the opportunity.

Three-time Superbike titleholder, Team Suzuki veteran Shawn Giles is steadily closing the gap to third place and is only 22.5 points shy of teammate and defending champion Waters.

“I’m looking forward to getting back on the Superbike this weekend and feel I can really challenge the leaders for race wins,” said Giles. “Our season has been solid – it’s all about being consistent and picking up every point that’s on offer. It’s been a long break between rounds but I’ve kept up the intensity in training. Riding works best for me so I try and get out on the mountain bike or dirt bike every day to maintain fitness and strength.”

2008 champion, Valvoline Superbike Team rider Glenn Allerton is in hot pursuit, 2.5 points back, and top privateer performer Racer’s Edge Suzuki rider Scott Charlton is just a point shy of Allerton.

Local crowds will be cheering for Brisbane-based rider, Team Mack Trucks Suzuki’s Robbie Bugden, who has lapped the circuit thousands of times in his competitive career and knows every bump and braking point like the back of his hand.

Bringing two new manufacturers into the mix for 2010, KTM Superbike Team’s Shannon Johnson and The Natural Aprilia Racing’s Daniel Stauffer also cannot be discounted as they continue to make significant progress with the development of their race machines.

Two-time champion, Ducati’s Jamie Stauffer will be hoping for a better run of results after the last round where he was quickest in Friday practice but plagued by mechanical problems on race day.

The action gets underway at 9am on Saturday August 21 for qualifying and Motul Superpole, and again on Sunday August 22 for all the day’s racing action including two 16-lap Superbike races.

A host of support classes will be on show, as well as all the action of the Aussie Racing Cars and Australian Supermoto Open plus exciting freestyle motocross demos from the Showtime FMX team.

Tickets start at just $20AU, with the Family Pass ($80 for 2 adults and 3 children for 2 days) offering best value.

Visit the ASBK website or Facebook page for more details.

Viking Group ASBK Top-10 Standings
1 Bryan Staring 115pts
2 Wayne Maxwell 110.5
3. Josh Waters 104.5
4 Shawn Giles 82.5
5 Glenn Allerton 80
6 Scott Charlton 79
7 Shannon Johnson 66
8 Jamie Stauffer 60
9 Robbie Bugden 58
10 Jordan Burgess 53.5.

International Entertainment Group (IEG), the official promoters and organizers of the Viking Group Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) has announced that the Broadford round of the series, originally scheduled for July 3-4, will now be combined with the upcoming Queensland Raceway round, August 20-22.

Due to unmet financial obligations within the ASBK State Cup classes, the event has been deemed financially unfeasible. Though regrettable, after much consultation within the Industry, IEG feels the decision is in the best interest of those involved – riders, teams and spectators.

In fairness to competitors in the scheduled championship classes – Superstock C&D 1000, Superstock 600 and 125/250GP Mono – a double-header round will be held at the August 20-22 event at Queensland Raceway. All other classes will run as originally planned, and an updated schedule will be provided.

IEG will be releasing information on next year’s calendar and classes as soon as possible. Discussions have taken place with Motorcycling Australia, riders (both privateer and factory) and sponsors. IEG believes the new direction will suit a more-diverse range of competitors, while ensuring the current competitors have higher-profile premier categories in which to compete.

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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Ducati Motologic Racing’s Jamie Stauffer topped today’s merged practice session at the third round of the Viking Group Australian Superbike Championship at Queensland Raceway. The two-time series champion showed early pace and was able to edge out current points leader, Demolition Plus GAS Honda’s Wayne Maxwell, on his final flying lap of the 3.12km circuit.

The 1198R-mounted Stauffer stopped the clock at 1:10.376, just over a tenth quicker than the CBR1000RR of Maxwell. It’s a welcome return to form for the New South Welshman who is racing in his first year with the Ducati factory outfit.

“We’ve been trying a few new things with the bike today and got a good handle on it this afternoon,” explained Stauffer. There’s a bit more to be found, the team are working hard at understanding how the bike responds to the changes and how it rides the bumpy sections of the track. With the progress we’re making we should be on for a good shot at the Superpole, its a fairly high-pressure lap and one you can’t afford to make mistakes on.”

Stauffer praised the efforts of his team who said were making good inroads with the bike.

“It was all new for us at the start of the year so the learning curve was steep. Everyone has put their heads together and each time we hit the track we make some sort of progress.”

Maxwell, who was named as a starter at the iconic Suzuka 300 and 8 Hour events earlier this week, felt certain he would have a better package for tomorrow’s qualifying sessions. He is focused on maintaining the slender advantage he currently enjoys over 2009 champion, Team Suzuki’s Josh Waters. Waters wrapped up the day’s proceedings in third position, ahead of two Queensland riders battling for supremacy at their home race.

Gold Coast-based talent Bryan Staring of the Cougar Bourbon Honda Racing team finished fourth, and was the final rider to record a lap in the 1-minute, 10-second bracket.

“We’re in good stead, we’re pretty happy with fourth but know we need to step it up tomorrow. The goal is to start off the front row and I’m confident we’re well and truly up to that challenge,” said Staring. The layout here might be boring but the bumps give it character. It’s very hard on the rider, the fast acceleration, hard braking and slow corners really make it physically demanding. But if anyone looks at the layout here and thinks its not challenging, they need to think twice.”

Brisbane’s Robbie Bugden slotted his Team Mack Trucks Suzuki GSXR-1000 into fifth ahead of 2008 champion Glenn Allerton, and Daniel Stauffer made it three Queenslanders inside the top 10, enjoying a better run on his factory Aprilia Superbike after a terrible start to the season.

In the Insure My Ride Supersport class it was again a battle between the Victorian Suzuki riders, with Troy Herfoss setting a flying lap of 1:13.316 ahead of Brodie Waters with a 1:13.461. The Yamahas of Aaron Gobert and Chris Quinn were in close check, separated from the leader by less than a second.

The first local rider home was Dylan Mavin in fifth.

The second day of competition features qualifying for all classes, including the fan-favourite Superpole where the top 8 qualifiers from both Superbike sessions will have one flying lap to set their fastest time and determine the front two rows of the grid.

Action begins at 9am. Visit asbk.com.au for ticketing details.

Viking Group Australian Superbike Championship Round 3, Queensland Raceway
Combined Practice Results

1. Jamie Stauffer (NSW), Ducati, 1:10.376
2. Wayne Maxwell (Vic), Honda, 1:10.490
3. Josh Waters (Vic), Suzuki, 1:10.543
4. Bryan Staring (Qld), Honda, 1:10.870
5. Robert Bugden (Qld), Suzuki, 1:11.165
6. Glenn Allerton (NSW), Honda, 1:11.357
7. Scott Charlton (Vic), Suzuki, 1:11.545
8. Kris McLaren (Vic), Honda, 1:11.578
9. Dan Stauffer (Qld), Aprilia, 1:11.731
10. Shawn Giles (NSW), Suzuki, 1:11.889

Fans of the Viking Group Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) will be able to watch the nation’s leading road racers do battle via live video streaming this Sunday June 6 as round 3 rolls on at Queensland Raceway.

The ASBK has teamed up with Nsane Technologies to bring on-track action online, allowing those who can’t be trackside to share in the thrills and spills of all classes of competition.

Two high-quality cameras will be positioned atop the control tower with a broad view of the 1.94-mile spectator-friendly circuit.

Vision will be paired with the series’ expert commentary feed making for a complete, FREE viewing experience..

ASBK Director Yarrive Konsky said the new feature was another way to connect with the championship’s growing legion of fans.

“We’re committed to innovation at the ASBK series and the addition of this live video streaming service will allow us to showcase the action across all classes on the Sunday,” said Konsky. The broadcast will run live all day and will feature course commentary from our regular team, making it the next best thing to being there.”

Fans can access the live streaming service by logging on to www.asbk.com.au and following the links from 9am on Sunday June 6.

Round three of the Viking Group Australian Superbike Championship comes to Queensland Raceway in Willowbank on June 5 and 6.
Here’s just a small taste of what you can expect: