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2005 Australian Superbike
Championship - Round Two - Eastern Creek Team Report - Yamaha May 2nd, 2005
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2005 Australian Superbike
Championship - Round Two - Eastern Creek Team Report - Yamaha May 2nd, 2005
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| Dan Stauffer led the Yamaha
Racing Team to an excellent result moving into second place
outright in the 2005 YMF Loan Australian Superbike Championship
after the second round at Sydney’s Eastern Creek International
Raceway held over the weekend of April 29 –May 1. Debuting the new 2005 model Yamaha YZF-R1, Dan became the fastest man on a Superbike around the Creek when he claimed pole position smashing the existing Superbike lap record by over a second, the 1:31.274 time just 0.9 sec off Alex Criville’s 500cc GP record – a stunning time on a lightly modified production machine. “It’s been a pretty good weekend considering it was only the first time that we have ridden the new bikes,” Dan said. “It’s given us plenty to work with so the wins won’t be too far away. To get that time on a new bike is just astounding and shows how much potential we have to work with.” Stauffer led both races of the exciting 13-lap heats but had to settle for a second and a third after a suspension problem negated his charge to claim second on the day. “In the first race I just thought I had used up all of the tyre but after the warm up lap of the second race I knew it was something a bit more serious as the rear just wasn’t right. Sitting on the grid it was too late to do anything about it so we just had to battle through it but the result shows that we’re not far away “I’m really happy with the result. It was only the first time we have ridden the new bike and from the beginning I knew that Kev had done a great job. The bike is just fantastic and it was a disappointment that we had a bit of a problem.” Yamaha Racing Team Manager John Redding further explained the team’s feelings saying, “we were all disappointed about what might have been but, it’s not until you have a closer look at the results that you realise how good it is. In the circumstances we made the wrong tyre choice and had a major suspension problem with the rear end so to move into second place in the title is an excellent result for the team and all the hard work they have been doing.” The Superbike races was absolutely enthralling affairs with Dan embroiled in titanic duels with Josh Brooks (Honda) and his brother Jamie on a Kawasaki, Dan leading both races at various times. In some of the closest Superbike action seen at the Creek in year’s the trio swapped the lead many times during the two heats as they stalked each other, jousting for the lead but unfortunately for Dan and the Yamaha Racing Team the suspension problem let the team down in both races. Meanwhile the other pilot of the Yamaha YZF-R1 rocket, Shannon Johnson scored solid points with his results finishing sixth and eighth as he also comes to grips with the characteristics of the new bike. “To say I’m happy with those results would be a lie but I can take a few positives away from the weekend,” Shannon explained. “Eastern Creek has never been one of my favourite circuits and I’ve never had any decent results there but I lapped quicker than I have ever done around there plus I can see how good the new bike is. I was having a bit of a drama finding a decent set up but that will come with more time on the bike.” The third member of the Yamaha Racing Team, Robbie Baird, who races in the ultra-competitive Supersport category had encouraging results with the all-new Yamaha YZF-R6 to score a sixth and a fourth place and claim fourth overall in the cutthroat category with Redding adding, “as Robbie is still getting used to the bike we spent as much time as possible during qualifying on the bike to improve his setup but in that time we tore up one set of tyres too much.” “It’s only a matter of time before Robbie takes his first win as well.” Besides the progress of the Yamaha Racing Team, the meeting was a very successful weekend for the Yamaha brand as it celebrates its 50 anniversary. Up and comer Mark Aitchison took out the YMF Loan Australian Supersport class breaking through for his first Supersport race win on his Fraser Motorcycles Yamaha YZF-R6 and Queenslander Brendan Clarke returned to the form of old to claim third overall on the day. The Yamaha success continued in the GYT-R Australian Superstock Cup for ‘C’ and ‘D’ grade riders as teenager Grant Hay won all three raceson his stock Yamaha YZF-R6 and lowered the existing lap record twice during the weekend. |
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