Australian Superbike 2006 - World Superbike Support Events

Yamaha Racing Team flew the flag for the Australian factory operation in the best possible style at this weekend’s 2006 Yamaha Phillip Island World Superbike round, taking every race win in both the Superbike and Supersport support classes.

The international audience was obviously a motivating factor for the team who have emerged as a serious championship threat in 2006 on the back of some key rider signings.

Newcomer Jamie Stauffer who joined brother Dan at the team was the standout performer of the event, registering all of the 6 race wins – 3 in each class.

Team Principal John Redding was understandably ecstatic with the string of victories considering the YZF R1 and YZF R6 were close to showroom specification.

“This has been a terrific result for Jamie and the entire Yamaha Racing Team,” Redding said.

“The bikes have yet to be developed to their full racing potential which is an exciting prospect for us, and we’re looking forward to similar success once the championship begins.”

“The team enters the season with the strongest possible lineup and the potential to go all the way in 2006 with strong Yamaha factory backing,” he added.

The weekend consisted of three races per class – 2 on the Saturday and a final race on Sunday morning.

Australian Superbike Championship - Yamaha Racing Team

On his debut outing for the Yamaha Racing Team, 26-year-old Jamie Stauffer has taken a trio of Superbike race victories aboard the tried and tested 2005 Yamaha R1 Superbike.

As a dual-entrant across both Superbike and Supersport classes, Jamie looked to have his hands full with 6 individual races, but made light work of any challenge from his fellow Superbike competitors.

The early pace of the Yamaha R1 was encouraging and kept him clear of the field when it counted.

“The qualifying session was a little disappointing for me, I had only just started to come up to speed on the bike when the session ended, preventing me from going for pole,” Stauffer reflected.

“It was a different story in the races though, with some very competitive dices in the first ten-lapper and then the short five-lap sprint, where I passed Glenn Allerton under slipstream right on the line for the win.”

“It’s been an amazing weekend aboard the R1 taking all three races, and I just hope it is a sign of things to come,” ended Stauffer.

Brother Dan came into the weekend with a renewed competitiveness and physical strength after spending much of the off-season training to be race fit and ready.

Unfortunately for Stauffer, a persistent hand injury became aggravated pre race training and slowed him significantly when it came to racing. Dan’s results reflected his discomfort with 6,7 and 5th places respectively over the tree races.

“The weekend was a mixture of highs and lows for me, whilst I came into the weekend with an injured hand I wasn’t one hundred percent on the bike, and this combined with the fact that we were developing the new 2006 machine the weekend was two steps forward and one step back,” Stauffer said.

“Besides Jamie’s win, the best thing about the weekend was the great data that we’ve compiled for our next test day at Eastern Creek.”

“A combination of a great base product in the R1 and the resources of YRT and Yamaha Motor Australia, I know we’ll move forward in leaps and bounds from here,” he concluded.

Australian Supersport Championship - Yamaha Racing Team

Handling the dual-class transition with ease, Jamie Stauffer blitzed the field on the way to winning all three Supersport races aboard the Yamaha R6 to compliment his Superbike whitewash.

Stauffer started the weekend where he finished aboard the striking blue Supersport machine, taking pole position for Saturday’s first race before greeting each chequered flag as the first rider home.

Experiencing one success after another had far surpassed Jamie’s expectations for the weekend.

“We came into the weekend expecting to do well, knowing that we had a good race package beneath us, but this level of success has just been amazing,” Stauffer explained.

“The Supersport wins on the new Yamaha R6 were particularly satisfying as I had only done a few laps on the bike before the first session, and its performance for a bike so close to showroom spec is really encouraging.”

“It’s been a few years since I have been with Yamaha, and I can say it is great to be back – it really is a fantastic team environment and Yamaha Motor Australia are a great company to be working with.”

Jason O’Halloran rounded out a mixed weekend of results with an impressive second placing in Race 3 boosting him to third overall in the round.

A mature and measured ride from the youngster proves he is well prepared to take on the more established riders in the field.

“This is a great way to start the year, the potential of the new R6 is just amazing,” O’Halloran said.

“I can’t wait for the Australian Supersport Championship to begin next month, we are really looking good to secure some solid results,” he added.

Mark Aitchison also looked poised to take a good result from the weekend before he crashed out while in the lead of the third Supersport race.

Aitchison lost the front end of the bike while putting down the power and the resulting spill removed him from contention.

“It’s obviously very disappointing to crash out like this, especially when you are leading the race,” Aitchison reflected.

“The positive to come from the weekend though is that the team really has a handle on the new R6 package and they will be very competitive come round 1 of the championship next month,” he said.

The first round of the YMF Loan Australian Superbike and Supersport Championship begins on April 9 at Eastern Creek, the test track of both Yamaha Racing Team squads.