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2006 Australian Superbike
Championship (YMF Loan) - Round Four - Queensland Raceway July 9th, 2006 |
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2006 Australian Superbike
Championship (YMF Loan) - Round Four - Queensland Raceway July 9th, 2006 |
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Team Report - Yoshimura Suzuki
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| Team Yoshimura Suzuki's
sole Superbike rider, Robbie Bugden finished fourth at
Queensland Raceway for round four of the Australian
Superbike Championship, today. Putting in a strong performance at his home track in Queensland, Bugden achieved his best result since joining the Suzuki factory race team. Qualifying fifth fastest around the 3.12km circuit, Bugden capitalised on the outright horsepower of the Suzuki GSX-R1000 to make gains in both races. Race one saw the first four riders mixing in a tight battle group throughout the duration of the 16-lap contest with Bugden holding third place until the very last lap when he was passed by Adam Fergusson. Unwilling to relinquish third place without a fight, Bugden shot back past Fergusson and the pair continued squabbling over the final podium place, with his rival ultimately getting the upper hand. Superbike race two saw Bugden off to a blinding start into second place, dicing among the leading trio before slipping back to fourth place. Unlike race one's tight duelling for the lead, the second race saw the front riders spread out with Bugden completing a lonely ride to come home in fourth place to claim fourth overall for the round. Making its debut in the Supersport class, the Team Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R600 impressed many of its rivals with exceptional straight-line speed. Piloted by Australian Motorcycle News' Alex Gobert, the all-new Suzuki Supersport entry had completed 15 of 16 laps in race one when Gobert was the victim in an unfortunate incident, tangling with another rider and crashing out on the last lap. With limited time between races to repair the machine, the GSX-R600's maiden race meeting was brought to a premature end. The former racer turned Sports Editor was very impressed with the 600cc machine's race package, in particular the Suzuki's impressive straight-line speed. Team Yoshimura Suzuki heads to the Apple Isle for round five of the 2006 Australian Superbike Championship at Tasmania's Symmons Plains Raceway on 8 - 10 September. ROBBIE BUGDEN - "I'm fairly pleased with this weekend. It's good to walk away with a solid result, a decent points haul and the knowledge that we can run in the lead pack. "Queensland Raceway is my home track and I enjoy racing here, particularly on the GSX-R1000 which is really suited to the layout of the circuit. "I think we have turned a corner today, and I believe that Team Yoshimura Suzuki can achieve even stronger results at the next round in Tasmania." ALEX GOBERT - "Joining Team Yoshimura Suzuki as a guest rider for this event has been a really good experience - I've had a lot of fun. "It's been fantastic to have been welcomed into the Suzuki team and made to feel like a part of the team. "The GSX-R600 is already a really good race bike and it has a lot of potential, so it will be good to watch it progress in the coming rounds." PHIL TAINTON - TEAM MANAGER "Robbie rode very well today and was obviously really comfortable on his home track. "He made excellent starts in both races and showed real determination to stick with the leading riders. "Heading to Tasmania next, it's very good for Robbie to know that he can mix it with the front runners. "Alex performed very well on the GSX-R600, particularly when you consider that he's been away from racing for over a year. "With limited time on the bike before this race meeting, he's done a great job and was very unlucky not to finish the first race today. "The GSX-R600 looked good out on the track and I'm very happy with the straight-line speed. "Alex has a wealth of racing experience, and has given us a lot of very valuable feedback to assist with the GSX-R600 Supersport development program. |
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2006 Australian Superbike Championship (YMF Loan) - Round Four - Queensland Raceway |
