Oz MotoGP Support classes announced
The 2012 AirAsia Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix will bring together the best road racers in the country and the cream of international motorcycle competition with a packed on-track line-up now confirmed for Phillip Island this October.
The penultimate round of the 2012 MotoGP season will see Casey Stoner take to the cliff-top circuit chasing a sixth consecutive premier class victory at his home track, while the Moto2 and new-for-2012 Moto3 categories feature a talented trio of Australians looking to mix it with the world’s best.
In addition, the best home-grown racers in the country will provide an action-packed support race bill, with the Australian Superbike/Superstock 1000 and Australian Supersport/Superstock 600 categories promising fast and furious racing at Australia’s premier two-wheel event from October 26-28.
David White, Chief Executive Officer of Motorcycling Australia, said support category riders would once again relish the chance to demonstrate their skill in front of such a large audience.
“The riders in the Australian Superbike/Superstock 1000 and Australian Supersport/Superstock 600 categories are the best in Australia, and they’ll be keen to put on a show at Phillip Island,” White said.
“Nearly 100,000 people attended the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix last October, and none of them would have gone home disappointed with the action they saw across three days of racing.”
Stoner will be the man to catch in the MotoGP class; remarkably, the Australian has led all but one lap of the last five Grands Prix at his home track. World Champion in 2007 and again last year, the 26-year-old Honda rider is likely to be right in the championship mix come the second-last round of the 2012 campaign.
Queensland’s Anthony West is Australia’s representative in the competitive Moto2 category, with the 30-year-old riding a Moriwaki for the QMMF Racing Team in the intermediate class.
Two young guns will represent Australia in the Moto3 category, the new four-stroke 250cc championship that made its debut as a replacement for the 125cc two-stroke class at this season’s opening World Championship round in Qatar.
Townsville’s Jack Miller, 17, will ride a Honda for the Caretta Technology team, while 16-year-old Arthur Sissis will make his maiden World Championship appearance at home for the Red Bull KTM Ajo team. The Adelaide native finished second in the prestigious Red Bull Rookies Cup feeder series in 2011.
Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, Andrew Westacott, said the local contingent in the international classes and the packed fields in the support races will offer plenty of high-class racing at the 2012 AirAsia Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix.
“With five separate categories of racing all featuring Australian riders on one of the world’s most revered motorcycle circuits, we have a fantastic line-up of events for fans in October,” he said.
“The Superbike and Supersport categories always put on a show, and we’ll all be keen for the Australians in the World Championship classes to put in top performances in front of a passionate home crowd.”
