A1 motorcycles BCperformance Asia team rider Ben Burke claimed two hard fought wins in the headlining Chinese Superbike Class and Patrick Li backed up his first round success with two 5thplace finishes in the Superstock 600 class.
In addition to contesting the Australasian Superbike Championship, the Brighton-based motorcycle dealership, A1 Motorcycles and BCperformance will be contesting the remaining rounds of the Chinese Superbike Championship with Ben Burke and Patrick Li.
Competing in the Chinese Superbike class for the first time after completing the first round in the Superstock 600 category, Burke on his second visit to the circuit was fastest in every practice session and qualified his Kawasaki ZX-10R on pole by 0.456sec. Li placed his Kawasaki ZX-6R in 5thplace for the Superstock 600 class.
With two ten-lap races around the 4.5km Zhuhai International Circuit scheduled over the Saturday and Sunday as part of the Pan Delta Festival and soaring temperatures in the high 30’s mixed with high humidity, it was to be gruelling for both Burke and Li. Saturday’s race saw Burke get a great start but hot on his heels was the local factory Yamaha rider, Huan. Both riders then battled it out over the complete race distance with Burke holding his rival off to the line. The second outing on Sunday afternoon was to be a repeat of the previous day’s battle and both riders were not giving an inch, the race came down to a last lap fight which saw Burke again come out on top resulting in a perfect weekend for the Aussie.
Li had a solid weekend and rode well after two practice crashes resulting in some light injuries. The first race saw Li fight for 5th in his class and Sunday’s all important race was a similar outing for the ever improving Li, holding 5th to the line, which was broadcast live across all five Chinese TV networks.
After taking his first Chinese Superbike wins, Burke said “I am very pleased about my weekend. The team and I worked so well together to set up what is essentially a new bike for the circuit. I am really enjoying riding the Kawasaki ZX-10R and look forward to racing back on Aussie soil. I massive thanks must go to Patrick Li, Vicky Gan and their respective families for their hospitability and support in China”
Melbourne-based Li gives his thoughts, “Firstly I am so happy for Ben to win both races, he was consistently fast all weekend.
My race was good and I am pleased with the end result as I had a few injuries to ride around after my practice crashes. Thanks to my team and Ben for a perfect weekend!”
The team will return to China for the final round of the series again at Zhuhai on 20-21st September but next up will be the third round of the ASC at QLD Raceway over the weekend of 27,28 and 29th June where Burke and Li will be joined by Ninja 300 cup riders Kyle Buckley, Phil Burke and Di Jones.
