2006 Australian Superbike Championship (YMF Loan)

Qualifying Report

The grid has been decided for Sunday's highly-anticipated opening race of the YMF Loan Australian Superbike Championship at Sydney's Eastern Creek, with Jamie Stauffer delivering Yamaha the first official pole position for the 2006 season today.

The two days of tough and trying testing and qualifying for race position began yesterday morning with the big name riders from big manufacturers the likes of Suzuki, Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha all out to prove their worth and stamp their intentions on the highly-competitive field.

The championship, widely considered to be the proving ground for international Superbike stars, has experienced monumental growth this season with new sponsors and broadcast networks coming on board for what promises to be an intense and exhilarating seven rounds of racing, and it's no wonder Yamaha sensation Stauffer is elated with grabbing bragging rights to start the season off on top.

Final qualifying results were based on the riders' best lap time following two thirty minute sessions today, giving them and the team’s valuable time to iron out any issues in the midday break.

The Kurri Kurri based 26-year-old has had a quick and consistent weekend for the blue brigade, and is understandably pleased with beating riders the likes of Kawasaki's Shannon Johnson and Honda's Adam Fergusson to the forefront.

"It's all really come together early in the season for us, with a great Dunlop tyre package and of course strong support from our sponsors and the Yamaha factory backing," said Stauffer.

"The R1 is an amazing bike and we've got it working very well across all areas of the track, it should be good in the races tomorrow."

"I'm expecting the guys to show some tough competition though, with (Adam) Fergusson close behind and Shannon Johnson doing very well."

"Both bikes are really performing well, and I'll try to keep up the pace during tomorrow's four races," finished Stauffer.

Joe Rocket Honda's Adam Fergusson made some gains late in the session to climb to third overall on the grid, though he was less than pleased with the way he rode.

"It was pretty average really, the bike kept sliding around and I made mistakes on every lap out there," said a disappointed Fergusson.

"I was a bit too over-ambitious in that session, we can definitely go quicker and hopefully I'll have it together for the race tomorrow."

"We're still learning what makes the bike go fast at the moment, I don't think anyone will be able to touch Jamie (Stauffer) going by his pace."

The green machine of Kawasaki's Shannon Johnson split the two after bolting into contention late in the second session, shuffling local privateer rider Russell Holland down the order from a strong placing.

New-Zealand Superbike champion Andrew Stroud has made steady progress across the course of the weekend's practice and qualifying, finishing just shy of the top ten grid spots for tomorrow's all important race in 13th.

The Yamaha Racing Team has maintained its untouchable form in today's combined Supersport qualifying showdown, taking another 1-2-3 finish spearheaded once again by the in-form Jamie Stauffer.

Riders took to the track for two separate 30-minute sessions today in the hunt for an elusive pole position, but there was little anyone could do about the trio of blue factory riders once they came up to speed on the brisk Autumn day in Sydney's west.

Tyre preservation quickly became the name of the game for the YRT once it became apparent that the rest of the pack were struggling to extract the necessary speed to challenge for a top 3 spot, and Stauffer, Aitchison and O'Halloran were afforded the luxury of checking back in to pit lane after setting their fast laps early.

A desperate scrap ensued behind them, with riders the likes of privateer Jeremy Crowe, Kawasaki Racing Team's Josh Waters and the Joe Rocket Honda duo Glenn Allerton and Adam Fergusson chasing a good grid spot for the first of tomorrow's two races.

South-Australian based privateer Mandy Beales had a scare heading around onto the front straight, bringing out a red flag that put a temporary halt to the second qualifying session when she came off her Kawasaki. The Honda Racesafe team arrived at the scene quickly but fortunately Beales had not sustained any injuries.

With the riders now having arrived at the business end of the weekend, the obvious question will be asked, can anyone match the speed of the Yamaha charge up front? With a big bag of championship points on offer tomorrow, it is time for the serious contenders in both the Superbike and Supersport classes to stand up and be counted.