2000 Australian Road Racing Championships - Round 4 - Eastern Creek

Sydney’s Eastern Creek Raceway, just west of Parramatta will play host to Round 4 of the Shell Advance Australian Superbike Championships on the weekend of August 26 and 27^th . Not only will there be action aplenty in the Superbike Class but also the battle is hotting up in the Supersports class. A total of seven championship classes will be contested on the race weekend, including the 125 and 250GP’s, 250 Production, Sidecars and Harley Sportsters.

Anthony Gobert heads the list of talented Australian riders competing at Sydney's Eastern Creek Raceway Sunday August 27th in round 4 of the national Shell Advance Australian Superbike Championships.

Gobert returns to Australia with the folding of the Bimota Team to finish the season riding for Nick Meskos and the Advantage Honda Team aboard a Honda CBR 929 and will be competing in the Superbike class against current Championship leader, Ansett Airfreight Suzuki's Shawn Giles and a field of over 40 of Australia's best. Teenager Craig Coxhell riding for Radar's Team Yamaha sits in 2nd position with Honda rider's Adam Fergusson and Shannon Johnson holding down the minor placings.

Gobert became the youngest World Superbike race winner at 19 on his international debut at the end of 1994 on a Kawasaki ZXR750R and his stunning win in cold and wet conditions at this year's Phillip Island World Superbike Championship round will still be fresh in everyone's minds. He is sure to bring pressure to Giles' domination in the Superbike events on Sunday.

Team Ansett Airfreight Suzuki rider Shawn Giles has continued his winning streak by taking both race wins at the recent Queensland round to extend his unbeaten lead. Giles, is riding the only FIM spec Superbike in a strong field of Production superbikes lead by 17 year old Craig Coxhell riding an R1 for Radar’s Team Yamaha battled vigorously with ex Australian Superbike Champ Marty Craggill riding the Advantage Honda CBR 900RR.Current points standing sees Giles on 152pts, Coxhell 99pts, Mobil Honda’s Adam Fergusson on 71pts, privateer Shannon Johnson on 64pts followed by Craggill on 58pts (having missed the opening round).

The hotly contested supersport class will produce plenty of action with Mobil Honda’s Adam Fergusson holding onto a slim lead from Yamaha’s Robbie Baird who leaped up the points table in the Supersport class after exceptional riding at his home track in Queensland last month. Both Ducati Dealer Team’s Steve Martin (748R) and Team Yamaha’s Kevin Curtain will be out to take maximum points this round after both having a less than impressive result at the previous round. Newcastle based Curtain struggled in the pack of front runners, with a recent arm injury, to keep his title hopes open by gaining 21 points on the day to hold down third position in the championship. Steve Martin had to be content with riding a stock standard engine supplied by a local dealer after his race engine expired. But this was not to be his meeting with a non finish in both races. Fergusson has extended his lead slightly to 88 pts, Baird now moves into second on 84pts, with Curtain on 62 and Team Kawasaki’s Chad Turnbull on 52pts ,Martin just behind on 51 pts.

Four local riders with only 3 pts separating the top three are currently in contention for the 125 GP Championship .Joshua Brookes took both race wins at the last round with Jay Taylor, Peter Galvin and Andrew Brooks desperately fighting it out for minor placings. Taylor leads the points tally on 106pts, Galvin on 103, Joshua Brookes 101 and Michael Teniswood 79pts.

Victorian based Aaron Gobert riding a 250 Aprilia continues to hold his lead in the competitive 250 Production Class on 125pts, ahead of Ben Attard on 88pts, Dean Coote on 70pts and Canberra rider Glen Kelleher on 64pts. 16 year old Queensland sensation, Brendan Clarke could be a threat to these front runners if he contests the remaining rounds of the championships Clarke, riding in only his fourth road race meeting took the field by surprise at his home round, setting the fastest time in qualifying and winning both races on the day, to only be given a rear grid relegation for the start of race one and then exclusion from race one for infringement of the rules.

Current 250GP Championship leader and defending champion, Shaun Geronimi continues his winning performances by taking 6 wins from 6 starts increasing his championship lead by 62pts.His main threat in competition should come from the Aluma-Lite RS250 team-mates – Judd Greedy and John Allen, if he can get some reliability out of the Honda. . Geronimi leads the points tally on 152, Jason Boyle in 2^nd on 90pts, Terry Carter 3^rd on 80pts with Judd Greedy sitting on 62pts.

Past Australian sidecar champions Andre Bosman and Dave Kellett still hold the lap record at Eastern Creek set in 1991 at 1.42.78. Maybe this will be the year that current championship leaders Ray Spence and Jon Winders can break the drought, having won 4 of the 5 races so far this season and keen to take their first Australian title this year. Victorian’s Vince Messina and passenger Alison Scoullar currently hold 2^nd place on 85 pts, ahead of the Curran brothers on 76pts , West Australian Rob Hair and Chris Burrows on 55pts followed by Karen Gregory and Mick Moloney. Karen is one of only two female sidecar drivers known in the world.

The Harley-Davidson Sportsters will also be a feature of the weekend with Wollongong based Wayne Clarke putting in strong performances at all previous rounds to currently lead the championship on 142 pts from Queenslander John Allen on 131 pts and Rob Hermans on 42 pts.

An added feature of the race day will be the return of the Superbike Legends, see these great Australian riders – Rob Phillis, Mal Campbell, Andrew Johnson, Roger Heyes, Dennis Neill and more. “Lunch with the “Legends” tickets are available for tables of 10 at $100 each all inclusive of food, beverages, ticket and program.

The weekend’s Race Schedule:

Friday 25^th August	Practice all classes	9am – 4.30pm
Saturday 26^th August	Timed practice/qualifying	9am – 4.30pm
Sunday 27^th August	Race Day - warm-ups First Race	9am – 10.45 10.45am

SUPERBIKE LEGENDS - EASTERN CREEK RACEWAY - SUNDAY AUGUST 27

KEVIN MAGEE ex World 500GP rider - Winner of '87 Spanish, '88 Portuguese and '88 Australian World Championship rounds, Suzuka 3 Hour in '87 and '88. World Superbikes, Phillip Island in '91 and 92 and the Nippon Denso 500km races at Winton in 1985 and 86, plus many more titles in his 12 year career.

ROBBIE PHILLIS Team Kawasaki Australia rider of the 80's winning 9 Superbike Championships in Australia and World Superbike Championship placegetter 1990-91 and 92 riding for Kawasaki Switzerland in the German and World Superbike Championships.

MALCOLM CAMPBELL better known to his fans as "Wally" Campbell not only winner of a number of Australian and Malaysian titles but also was the holder of numerous lap records and pole positions in his career which spanned over 20 years - 10 of which were riding for Honda Australia.

ANDREW JOHNSON holder of 16 major titles, setting 27 lap records in his road racing career. His first major wins were in 1980 when he took out 4 wins in one year, the Australian Unlimited Title, Australian Grand Prix, Superbike Championship and Castrol Six Hour.

ROGER HEYES winner of a number of long distance endurance races in the 70's and 80's, plus winner of the Castrol Six Hours in '76 and '78. First NSW Championships 1977 and 1980, 1st Surfers 3 Hour race '79 and 82, Hume Weir 1 Hour '79 and Bathurst 1986.