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2006 Australian Superbike
Championship (YMF Loan) - Round Six - Winton Motor Raceway - October
20/21/22 |
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2006 Australian Superbike
Championship (YMF Loan) - Round Six - Winton Motor Raceway - October
20/21/22 |
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Team Report - Team Yamaha
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| The Yamaha Racing Team has
shone at Winton Raceway this weekend, with Jamie Stauffer
taking Superbike honours and Mark Aitchison the winner in
the Supersport field. The factory operation completed a clean sweep of both classes at round 6 of the YMF Loan Australian Superbike Championship, and Stauffer and Aitchison were unchallenged on their way to dual wins. Cloudless blue skies may have been an indication of things to come, and the team certainly has its competition scratching its head as to where the extra pace is found. A successful pre-round test session put the team in good stead and the riders took full advantage of the setup improvements that were made. The team has now secured an unbeatable lead in the Supersport class and stretched its Superbike points advantage to 37, with just 51 points on offer for the final round at Eastern Creek next month. Superbike Jamie Stauffer has displayed a relentless dominance at today’s round of the YMF Loan Australian Superbike Championship at Winton Raceway, blasting away from pole position to record dual race wins. Stauffer was simply unstoppable, and only needed a few corners before he began to put clear air between himself and his rival competitors. He completed the challenge with ease, and at the end of race 2 he had put 17 seconds between himself and second place. He shattered the Winton lap record easily, and cruised home in the closing stages as riders behind him struggled to break free of their own battles. He now leads the YMF Loan Australian Superbike Championship by 37 points, with his closest rival struggling this weekend and failing to finish on the podium. “I’m very pleased with the result today, it was fairly easy I had a fantastic bike beneath me and as usual the Dunlops were up to the task,” said Stauffer. “The setup was spot-on and I felt very confident about setting fast lap times consistently around here, its good to take maximum points away from the weekend as that makes the job that little bit easier at Eastern Creek.” The only low point of the weekend for the Superbike team was Dan Stauffer’s spill in Saturday’s opening qualifying session, with the third-placed championship rider tumbling from his bike and dislocating his shoulder. As a result, he was unable to continue on the R1 for the weekend, and will spend the next few weeks resting and preparing himself to return to racing at Eastern Creek. The non-starts in today’s Superbike races means Stauffer drops to 5th in the championship, and he is determined to bounce back as soon as possible. “It’s a real shame not to have been out there today, I went into turn three yesterday and just found myself with no front brakes,” said Stauffer. “It was a fairly quick and awkward crash, I ended up skidding into the dirt and actually hit my head against the wall before coming to a stop.” “It’s obviously disappointing too in terms of the championship, especially with the strong form we had been showing. On the other hand it is a great result for the team in terms of Jamie’s win and I’m looking forward to returning for Eastern Creek.” Supersport The penultimate round of the YMF Loan Australian Supersport Championship has been a resounding success for the Yamaha Racing Team’s Supersport division, with positions 1 to 4 filled by the dominant R6 machines. Mark Aitchison took the round honours after he recorded back-to-back victories in the two 17-lap races, an unique achievement in his professional motor racing career. Aitchison was relentless in his pursuit of the round win, delivering the team a convincing pole position yesterday and not looking back when the racing got underway. His maximum points haul from the round – 51 points – elevated him to second place in the championship with a single round remaining. He was elated with the result, one he had been chasing all season, and was glad to have shaken off the bad run of luck which had plagued him in the past. “It’s definitely a long time coming, a few things haven’t gone our way this year but this was the round to make up for it, it was absolutely awesome,” said Aitchison. “I can’t thank the guys enough within the team and all the hard work they’ve done throughout the year.” “It’s looking great for the championship now, so we’ll try to carry on at Eastern Creek.” “I think it’s the first time I’ve done the double in my career, it’s very satisfying.” Jason O’Halloran provided strong backup for his teammate, riding to a solid second position on the back of two second place finishes in the races. O’Halloran kept the fight for race victory alive, and his pace helped to push Aitchison and was a visible motivator for both riders. He also made gains in his own championship campaign, climbing to third overall on the ladder. “I went with Mark for the first few laps of the last race, I was pushing pretty hard but he was just too fast today, I was struggling to keep up,” said O’Halloran. “I just wanted to bank some good points, and it puts me in a good position for the championship. Thanks to the team who did a great job, and bring on Eastern Creek.” While Jamie Stauffer seemed to keep a low profile this weekend in the Supersport races, he only had one thing on his mind – championship points. At the conclusion of the Winton round the team was ecstatic to discover Stauffer had bridged the points gap between himself and second place, building an unassailable lead and effectively taking the title with a round still remaining. Stauffer kept a close eye on his teammates as they set the pace ahead of him, and cruised to third overall for the round. He was understandably pleased to learn his championship lead could not be beaten, and thanked the team for the contribution they made to his stellar Supersport season. “I’ve had a really good year, the bikes and tyres have worked very well in my favour and made it easy for me to wrap up the championship today,” said Stauffer. “It wasn’t really about going out there and going for the win, I’ve concentrated on the Superbike for the last few rounds so I’m happy to have scored enough points to win the championship with a round left.” He will be officially crowned 2006 YMF Loan Australian Supersport Champion when the series heads to Eastern Creek in mid-November, with the team looking to round out of the most dominant seasons in motor racing in fine style.
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2006 Australian Superbike Championship (YMF Loan) - Round Six - Winton Motor Raceway, Victoria - October 20/21/22 |
