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YMF Australian Superbike
2005 - Round Six - Queensland Raceway Team Report - Suzuki September 20th, 2005
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YMF Australian Superbike
2005 - Round Six - Queensland Raceway Team Report - Suzuki September 20th, 2005
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| Team Suzuki celebrated a
sensational 1-2 finish in the penultimate round of the 2005
Australian Superbike season to reclaim the championship series
lead at Queensland Raceway this weekend. Three-time Australian Superbike Champion, Shawn Giles was awarded the round victory after two hard-fought second place finishes in both of the day's 16-lap races, giving the Suzuki rider a 10-point advantage in the championship with only one round remaining. Meanwhile Giles' Suzuki teammate and Superbike rookie, Glenn Allerton scored his breakthrough race win aboard the GSX-R1000, and clinched second spot overall for the meeting. Getting the weekend off to a strong start, Giles posted the second fastest qualifying lap-time with his Suzuki, positioning himself well for Sunday's racing action as his main championship rivals Josh Brookes and Adam Fergusson sat further a field in third and sixth places respectively. Sitting on top of the timesheets for most of Saturday's qualifying session before being edged out into fourth spot in the dying minutes, Allerton's confidence was boosted as he secured his first front-row grid position in the premier category. Race one saw Allerton launch into second place ahead of Giles in third with the pair chasing Jamie Stauffer until red-flags were brought out for a crashed bike that stopped the action on lap 11, creating a two-part race. The two Suzuki riders dominated the ensuing five-lap sprint with Allerton assuming the lead on the re-start closely followed by Giles, before the Superbike veteran muscled past his teammate to reverse the order. The Team Suzuki riders greeted the chequered flag line astern with Giles heading the field, however Allerton's lead over Giles in the first part of the race saw the 24-year-old take out his maiden race win in the Australian Superbike class by 0.626 seconds on aggregate time. Oil dropped on the circuit in the opening laps of the second Superbike battle saw another two-part contest - halting the race with Giles and Allerton again in hot pursuit of Stauffer. Another brilliant start in the day's second re-start saw both GSX-R1000's shoot straight to the front of the pack with Allerton again leading Giles, but the former champion was quick to snatch the lead up the inside of the back straight. The most successful rider ever in the Australian Superbike class, Giles lead for the much of the second race before a minor error allowed Jamie Stauffer to challenge for the lead. Lapped traffic held up Giles in the closing laps allowing Stauffer to draw out a few bike lengths, leaving the Suzuki rider to focus on collecting a solid haul of points and consolidating his championship position. “This track really suited the Suzuki… it's a big horsepower circuit and it's really hard on brakes,” Shawn Giles said. “The speed and top-end power down the long straights is awesome, and the GSX-R1000 is far superior under braking too - we had a definite advantage here this weekend. “Even more than usual, our Dunlops were the tyres to be on here this weekend - we had much more grip while other guys were obviously struggling.” Allerton also produced another stunning ride in race two, setting the second fastest lap of the race - even out-pacing Giles around the 3.1km Queensland Raceway track. The rising Suzuki star held on to third place for the majority of the race before former Suzuki privateer Robert Bugden slipped past. The pair battled to the end with Allerton finishing fourth. “I'm stoked. I won a race and came second overall while Shawn took out the round win…It's the perfect result for the team,” Glenn Allerton said. Celebrating his birthday at the racetrack, Team Suzuki Team Manager, Phil Tainton was delighted with the performance of both his riders and their Suzuki Superbikes. “Shawn rode brilliantly as always and the GSX-R1000 really delivered,” Phil Tainton said. “Glenn has been showing continual improvement throughout the season and he really found his legs here - he looked so comfortable on the bike all weekend. “This result will really lift Glenn's confidence… I think we'll see a new rider in him at Phillip Island.” Team Suzuki will contest the non-championship MotoGP support races at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit (VIC) on 14 - 16 October. Heading into the final round of the 2005 Australian Superbike Championship with a ten point advantage, Giles will be chasing a record fourth Australian Superbike title at Phillip Island on 11 - 13 November. “It's great going into the last round with a 10-point margin, but there's still 50 points up for grabs so it's a long way from being decided… we'll be working hard to give the championship everything we've got,” Shawn Giles concluded. |
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