Australian Superbike Championship 2010 – Round One – Phillip Island – Team Reports
— Demolition Plus GAS Honda
Demolition Plus GAS Honda’s Wayne Maxwell has won the opening round of the 2010 Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) at Phillip Island this past weekend, taking a clean sweep of the points ahead of fellow Honda rider Bryan Staring who claimed 38 points to make it a Honda 1-2 on the podium at day’s end.
Maxwell, who finished the round on 51 points, battled fiercely for a race one win against Staring, as well as Josh Waters and Jamie Stauffer. The four riders certainly kept the crowd on their toes after breaking away from the rest of the pack by about five seconds.
The final race for the Australian Superbike class was postponed until late in the afternoon due to an earlier crash in World Supersport, and was subsequently reduced to 10 laps, however, the racing was just as close with the original four, plus another Honda mounted rider – Glenn Allerton – swapping the lead position numerous times.
With less than half a second between them at the pointy end of the race, Maxwell was able to take the chequered flag, with Stauffer a close second and Bryan in third.
“I couldn’t be happier with our weekend,” Maxwell said. “This is a new Team so to be able to pull off really a perfect round so early into the season is very confidence inspiring.”
“The next round at Darwin should be interesting as the circuit is new to most of the riders. The conditions will also have a big part to play in who can win so I’ll be training as much as possible in the lead up.”
The second round of the 2010 ASBK will take place in Darwin, Northern Territory on 8-11 April.
— Motologic Ducati
Round 1 of the 2010 Australian Superbike Championship is now complete and the Ducati Motologic Race Team departs the World Superbike event at Phillip Island in high spirits after finishing 3rd overall for the round.
Although the heavens threatened to open the track remained dry for both the Australian Superbike races.
After qualifying 4th and 10th on the grid for Saturday, Jamie Stauffer and Jordan Burgess were eager to take to the track today to place their Ducati 1198Rs under race conditions and learn more about their capabilities.
Race 1 for the season was not short on excitement with Jamie Stauffer taking the Ducati 1198R to the front of the field early in the race. The #27 lead the field for the first 5 laps only to be passed by Wayne Maxwell as he encountered an issue with the rear tyre which saw Stauffer drop back through the race to hang on to 4th place.
In a fantastic first race on the Ducati for the two-time Australian Superbike Champion, Stauffer recorded the fastest lap with a 1:34.266 sec on lap 3.
Jordan Burgess began his maiden Superbike year extremely well, taking 10th place in the first race of the year. A top 10 result for Burgess is very encouraging at this initial stage of the championship.
The second race of the day was reduced to 10 laps due to timing constraints and saw a fierce battle for the podium between the Ducati of Stauffer and the Hondas of Maxwell and Staring after Stauffer got a less than ideal race start to weave his way from 5th place off the start to finish in 2nd place behind Maxwell.
Jamie Stauffer: “Today was very important for us to see where we were at in full race condition. In race one we were very fast and got into the lead early on and I was setting a quick pace, After 4 laps I slowed down to try not to over heat my rear tyre and was sitting in 3rd position. With 5 laps to go I had tyre issues and had to manage it as best as I could and ended the race in 4th position.
Race two I didn’t get the start I wanted and had a busy time in the race to get to the front guys, once I was with the leaders I sat behind them in 3rd trying to keep my tyre in good condition for the end of the race. On the last lap I passed Bryan Staring on the entry of southern loop but couldn’t quite chase Wayne down before the finish of the race. Over all we had a great weekend on the Ducati 1198R and I’m looking forward to developing the bike more and going to the next round in the Northern Territory.
Jordan Burgess completed his first Superbike event on an impressive note, moving up 2 places from his first race to finish 8th in race 2. With an overall round placing of 9th Burgess is pleased with his season’s beginning.
#33 Jordan Burgess: “I’m pleased with my overall result for the weekend and very happy for the team overall. As this is my rookie season in SBK and first season as a factory rider, everything is new and I am having a load of fun so far on the 1198R! This was the first time all of us have worked together and everything ran very smoothly and professionally. I must say I am humbled at the welcoming we have received by the Ducati Family and I am becoming very passionate about the brand and look forward to a great year ahead with Ducati Motologic Racing”
The first round is over and the team are fast gaining momentum, Ducati Motologic owner and manager Paul Free knows that the hard work put in by the team to get to the World Superbike Event this weekend has paid off. Paul Free: “This weekend was extremely inspirational, we have put this team package together in an extremely short period of time, and this weekend was actually the first time that a number of our staff has come together. I am so happy to see the team get a result; it is confidence building for everyone involved. Before this event no one in the ASBK really knew what the 1198R was capable of in race conditions under our Australian regulations. The Ducati 1198R is an awesome motorcycle and responds so well to small changes, it is a dream to work with; additionally we made some fantastic friends this weekend within the Ducati family and are looking forward to working with them and sharing information in the years to come. ”
Overall, the first official outing for the new Ducati Motologic Race Team which is the Ducati brand’s first Australian Superbike Championship race for 10 years was a terrific success and the team are eager to develop the 1198R further in the coming weeks in readiness for round 2 in Darwin to be held at Hidden Valley Raceway April 8th-11th.
— Cougar Bourbon Honda
Cougar Bourbon Honda’s Bryan Staring has claimed 2nd overall in the first round of the Viking Group ASBK at Phillip Island’s infamous race track this past weekend.
Bryan couldn’t contain his appreciation for the team’s effort as he sprayed them with champagne on the podium.
“This is more than I ever imagined going into round 1. The Honda CBR1000RR is awesome; I made a few mistakes in the 2nd race whilst I was leading and I started to over think. I must extend my thanks to everyone on the team as well as the sponsors that got behind us. It feels great knowing these guys had faith in me,” said Bryan.
The team is looking forward to the next five weeks as they prepare a new motorcycle for Bryan to compete on in round 2.
The team’s technicians have their work cut out for them, but are eagerly awaiting the arrival of their new motorcycle, whilst Bryan is also confident that with more preparation, a win isn’t out of the question.
“We really put this together with 4 tests in 3 weeks. It is remarkable what the team has done. We had a 2008 CBR1000RR that had done two seasons; we modified the suspension, freshened it up, and worked on the gearing and set it up as best we could to suit my style. The Honda is a dream to ride and that made the whole job easier. I am looking forward to a new motorcycle and some more testing before round 2. In saying that, I don’t want to take anything away from the team or the winner on the day. Wayne (Maxwell) did an amazing job on his Honda and I just need to concentrate on getting more prepared,” said Bryan after race two.
Tony Hinton, General Manager of Honda Motorcycles was equally proud of the Honda mounted teams results.
“This is a great result for both Honda mounted riders. The Honda CBR1000RR is a great motorcycle and it’s wonderful to see Wayne and Bryan come away in 1st and 2nd. The Cougar Honda team has done a great job in piecing this together and their decision to race Hondas has been rewarded.”
The team next competes at round 2 of the Viking Group ASBK.
— Team Suzuki
Team Suzuki rider Troy Herfoss kicked off his 2010 season with the overall win in the opening round of the Australian Supersport Championship, run in conjunction with the Superbike World Championship first round at Victoria’s Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit at the weekend.
In only his second full season of Supersport racing, Herfoss had a near-perfect start to his title assault with a close third in the opening race, backed up with a dominant win in race two.
The 23-year-old missed victory in race one by just 0.059sec after a race-long battle with eventual winner Christian Casella and fellow Suzuki GSX-R600 rider Brodie Waters; the trio flashing across the finish line with less than 600ths-of-a-second covering all three bikes.
After some minor suspension adjustments between the two 12-lap races, Herfoss powered to a 5.410sec victory in race two over experienced international competitor Kevin Curtain, with Waters third.
Herfoss’s 43pt tally across the two races gives the 2008 US Supermoto Champion a narrow one-point lead over Casella in the six-round series, with Waters third (38pts) and Suzuki GSX-R600 rider Chas Hern fourth (30pts).
In the opening round of the Australian Superbike Championship reigning champion Josh Waters had a mixed commencement to the defence of his title. The 23-year-old Team Suzuki rider, who won the 2009 title in his rookie Superbike year, missed pole position by just 0.001sec to fastest-qualifier Wayne Maxwell.
Third in the opening 12-lap race, just 1.293sec behind race-winner Maxwell, and only 0.123sec behind second-placed Bryan Staring, was followed by disappointment in race two when a gear lever malfunction on lap four left Waters’ GSX-R1000 stuck in third gear. He completed the 10-lap journey in third gear to secure 9pts, his tally of 27pts across the two races leaving the defending champion 24pts off the series lead.
Shawn Giles finished sixth overall on 29pts after recording sixth and seventh placings; the three-time Australian Superbike champion admitting that his tactics to combat Phillip Island’s tyre-punishing high speeds did not work in his favour.
“I didn’t encounter those sort of grip problems when we tested here earlier in the year, but Phillip Island is one of the world’s most-punishing tracks on tyres. The track temperature on Friday was up to 54 degrees, and the conditions were affecting the world teams as well. It was a matter of balancing fast lap times with tyre conservation, and setting the bike up to cope,” added Giles.
The Phillip Island Superbike World Championship race meeting also marked the one-year anniversary of Team Suzuki’s custom-built New Breed Mack Trident transporter, the impressive rig drawing plenty of admirers from the visiting international Superbike teams.
Phil Tainton – Team Manager: “It’s been a great weekend for Troy and I’m extremely happy with his results. We were looking for a good start to the 2010 season, and he delivered. Troy’s just entering his second full season of road racing and he rode with a maturity beyond his years. With three Suzuki GSX-R600s in the top-four positions after the opening Supersport round, it shows the strength of the current model.
“It was a frustrating meeting for the Superbike guys, Josh and Shawn. Sometimes those things happen in racing, but a good team will always bounce back. And we will: Josh was on his game across the weekend – as he has been in recent pre-season testing. It looked like race two was going to be his until the linkage problem. Shawn had some minor problems too – none of which we experienced in our pre-season testing.
“I’d like to congratulate the Suzuki Alstare Team and Leon Haslam in leading the World Championship. With Leon and his team mate Sylvain Guintoli also getting the fastest laps in races one and two respectively, it shows just how strong the 2010 GSX-R1000 is.”
Troy Herfoss: “I’m really pleased with the weekend results. My plan for race two was to get in front early and avoid the close battle that I had with Christian and Brodie in race one. It was hard to settle down and be consistent in race one as we were fighting for position all the time. Race one was a real hard scrap – nobody gave a millimetre.
“The team made some suspension changes for race two which gave me more confidence in the front-end and I could push harder. The plan for race two worked and we got the result we were after. It’s great to be leading the championship.”
Joshua Waters: “My bike had the pace to win both races, so it’s disappointing to be eighth in the championship after the opening round. The good news is that there are still five rounds remaining, so it’s up to me to haul back some points.
“In race one I lost some rear grip in the closing laps and couldn’t challenge for the lead, but the 18 points for third was a steady start to the year. In race two I felt I had their measure – my bike had the pace, that’s for sure. I had a one-second gap after three laps, but as I went into Turn Two on lap four, the gear-linkage broke and I was stuck in third gear for the rest of the race. I managed a 1:37.9 doing a whole lap in third!
“Eighth overall is not the way I wanted to start my championship defence, so it’s up to me now to knuckle down and keep winning races to close down the gap.”
Shawn Giles: “Phillip Island always creates good racing – I really love the circuit – but I’d be fibbing if I didn’t say it was a frustrating weekend for me.
“I had a few problems with set-up in qualifying and couldn’t get a clear run at a good time. To end up fifth fastest and leading row two on the grid was a good outcome: In race one I got a good start and my tactic was to conserve my rear tyre and then make a run for the lead near the end – but that plan didn’t work. In race two I changed the tyre pressures, but found I didn’t have the same level of grip as race one. Then I got run wide at Turn Two, and that dropped me back.
“The Superbike class looks like being really competitive this year – one of the toughest yet. To be sixth overall isn’t too bad given some of the problems I had and I’m looking forward to the next round at Hidden Valley and clawing back some points.”
— Yamaha Racing
The 2010 Australian road race calendar kicked off at Phillip Island over the weekend as the iconic venue played host to the opening round of the Australian Road Race Championship in conjunction with the World Superbike Series.
Yamaha filled the top 10 of both the Superstock and Supersport classes and already has a commanding lead in the manufacturers championship after the opening round. Individual performances from Yamaha Racing Team’s (YRT) Kevin Curtain and Rick Olson also leave the team feeling confident for the looming FX Series which Yamaha Racing will contest in 2010.
SUPERSPORT
The weekend started strongly for YRT with Pat Medcalf running up the front in race one of the two points paying races. Medcalf ran at the head of the field until the final few laps where he lost the front end and went down on his wrist, breaking it in the process.
Luck also didn’t feature in Kevin Curtain’s opening race as a mechanical gremlin had him sidelined in the early stages, while Rick Olson soldiered on for a 16th place finish after running in the lead group early in the race before an off track excursion.
Race two saw the Yamaha team fight back. Despite Medcalf being unable to race, Curtain slotted his R6 near the front of the field and was in a tight battle for the podium spots. He crossed the line in second place, in a great rebounding effort from race one.
Olson also was on the pace in moto two and he improved eight places over race one to collect seventh place in a solid effort.
“It wasn’t the perfect start for the guys, with a broken wrist and a DNF in moto one. But everyone showed good spirit and the guys bounced back strongly in the remaining races. Curtain’s second position was a ride that only an experienced campaigner could produce while Olson showed he belongs deep inside the top 10. We have something to build on now and round two will see the team improve even more,” states YRT manager, John Redding.
SUPERSTOCK 600cc
Yamaha riders hogged the podium in the Superstock division with all three riders being Yamaha R6 mounted. It was an impressive display for the R6, as the Superstock class showcases production based racing. Phillip Island again proved you can wheel an R6 from the dealer floor and be instantly competitive on the race track.
Carew Dickinson (NSW) took the round win with consistently good performances highlighted with a win in the final race. Micheal Jones (QLD) and Aaron Morris (NSW) battled over the minor positions, both finishing on 51 points, with Jones getting the nod on a count back.
Morris dominated the early events taking pole in qualifying and winning the opening two legs before coming unstuck in the final race. Despite the DNF, he was still able to grab a podium positon.
“The results are another testament to the quality and performance of Yamaha’s R6, offers Yamaha Motorsport Manager, Ray Howard. “Yamaha riders filled the podium and 14 out of the 28 bikes entered were Yamahas. Yamaha congratulates Carew, Michael and Aaron on todays performance and hope to see it continue for the upcoming rounds,” he finishes.
SUPERSTOCK 1000cc
Yamaha also claimed the round points in the Superstock 1000cc division with Dustin Goldsmith leading the Yamaha charge in third place in the ‘A’ grade race. Cameron Keevers also slotted into the top five in a solid display. ‘B’ grade saw four Yamaha R1’s in the top eight with Danny Moulton, Chris Beck, Craig Nicholson and Liam Daniels flying the flag.
Yamaha riders went home with 122 points in total, over 29 points ahead of Honda in the manufacturers table.
YRT support co-ordinator, Ian Irving, was impressed by the performance of all the Yamaha support riders and commented, “It was a top effort from all the Yamaha riders in the Superstock 600cc class. To win every race and dominate the podium is a huge effort and we also made good progress in developing the bikes for the remainder of the series.”
“We also showed a lot of promise in the 1000cc class and I expect the riders will only improve now the first round is out of the way and the bikes tested under full race conditions.”
— KTM Report 1
SHANNON JOHNSON – Superbike Class Racer
“It was a hectic lead up with planning, structuring and building a brand new team leading up to this event, and I couldn’t praise the guys at Evolution Sports Group (ESG) and KTM enough for their combined efforts to get us here in the best possible position to race.
“Qualifying was really frustrating for me, I wasn’t riding very well and that reflected in my results,” said Johnson. “Having a great team behind me really lifted my spirits and my riding after the first qualifying session, as the crew analysed data and made some set up changes to the KTM 1190 RC8 R to shave seconds off my lap times.
“I qualified in sixth position and started both races from the second row. I progressed through the first race maintaining good lap times, but I felt I could have been going faster. I finished ten seconds behind the race leader and rode home in fifth place further improving my previous best lap time, a position I wanted to improve on come the second race.
“Between races the ESG team again made some changes based on data they could see on the screen, and we shaved five seconds off my previous race time, in doing so we closed the gap to five seconds behind the race winner Wayne Maxwell, and positioned myself in fourth crossing the chequered flag.
“Combined my 5-4 result gave me fourth overall for the opening round. I’m a little disappointed I didn’t podium, but now that the cobwebs have cleared and the most nerve racking round is out of the way it’s only on-ward and up-ward from here. Together with ESG we’re up for the challenge and are looking forward to the next round at Darwin.
“Leading up to the next round I plan to do a lot of testing on the KTM 1190 RC8 R with ESG, and also adopt a more structured fitness program. I feel that’s an area I need to work on to maintain momentum during my racing.”
CHRIS TROUNSON – Super Stock A Class Racer
“I qualified third in the Super Stock A Class, which would have given me a front row grid start if we were not combined with the Superbike class, so I was pretty happy with that result,” said Trounson.
“Combined classes put me 16th on the starting grid and although I felt confident race one didn’t go to plan. I went back to 26th off the start line, but it was my first official race start on the KTM 1190 RC8 R, and I took off a bit slow, considering the potential of the bike. I fought back through the pack though, and made some solid passes to catch up and finish second in my class.
“I got a much better start in race two, and from the word go I was making passes on every corner, but then on the fifth lap I blew a tyre and had to ride a controlled race to the finish. Thankfully, I had made enough passes to maintain a good position and again rode home in second, which gave me second overall for the opening round.
“I found the KTM 1190 RC8 R is awesome on the exit of the corners, it’s much more dominant than any other bike I have ridden, it easily launches out at top speed. This bike combined with the Brembo brakes is an unbelievable package, I was able to pass three people in one corner under brakes.
“Phillip Island would be the toughest circuit for the Stock Bike A Class, and if the opening round was an indication of how well the KTM 1190 RC8 R handles, I can’t wait to the second round of the ASBK at Darwin.
“The entire team is travelling in a motor home to Darwin, where we will take three weeks out from our day-to-day working regime for a road trip, which will entail a lot of cycling sessions travelling alongside the motor home, and also various promotional stops along the way.”
MARK TROUNSON – Race Team Manager
“It’s been a huge effort by everyone involved in the KTM Superbike Team just to get here, and I’m proud of both our racers with their achievements at the opening round,” said Trounson.
“Out on the track, both Shannon Johnson and Chris Trounson did amazing job adapting to the chosen Dunlop Tyres, which were a pre-requisite of the promoters for competitors on race day. Both racers did very little testing on these tyres, and you wouldn’t have known considering their solid results.
“From a technical view point we only got the software for Shannon’s KTM 1190 RC8 R Superbike one day before racing started, so we entered the weekend’s event with a clean sheet of paper, and to Shannon’s credit he managed to improve his lap times every time he hit the track.
“Chris started the weekend very well, being the fastest Super Stock A Class rider in free practise. He also adapted to the KTM 1190 RC8 R well, showing great improvement in every session.
“The KTM Superbike Team has now left round one with some good data, and an understanding of how the KTM 1190 RC8 R motorcycle works. It’s a great reward for the team to have shown everyone that the KTM will be competitive, and we can now really start to develop the KTM 1190 RC8 R in the direction we need.
“The whole factory KTM Superbike Team is pumped, and we’re really looking forward to Darwin, as this is a track that should really suit both our riders and the race bike.”
— KTM Report 2
After narrowly missing a front row grid position by only 0.224 of a second in the final round of qualifying for the first round of the Australian Superbike Championship at Phillip Island KTM Superbike racer Shannon Johnson started race 1 from 5th position on the grid. Throughout the first race Johnson continued to improveon qualifying lap times, finishing ten seconds behind the race leader and rode home in fifth place further improving my previous best lap time, a position that Johnson wanted to improve on come the second race.
KTM Superbike Team technicians team again made adjustments to the race machinery based on Johnson’s feedback and data they could see on the screen, the result in race 2 had Johnson showing blistering speed through the first and second sectors of the track and pacing with the front runners however Johnson was as held up by two slower racers which allow the lead pack to make a break on the RC8R rider, once past, Johnson gave a spirited chase shaving five seconds off his previous race time, in doing so positioned himself in fourth crossing the chequered flag.
After race 2 Johnson said “Combined, my 5-4 result gave me fourth overall for the opening round. I’m a little disappointed I didn’t podium, but now that the cobwebs have cleared and the most nerve racking round is out of the way it’s only on-ward and up-ward from here. Together with Evolution Sports Group we’re up for the challenge and are looking forward to the next round at Darwin. Leading up to the next round I plan to do a lot of testing on the KTM RC8 R with my KTM Team technicians, and also adopt a more structured fitness program. I feel that’s an area I need to work on to maintain momentum during my racing.”
Superstock A racer Chris Trounson stalled his KTM RC8R at the start line in race 1 and entered turn one in 26th position however the performance and handling of the KTM RC8 R allowed Chris to push the limits and work through the field eventually finishing 2nd in Superstock A and 16th overall. Race 2 started better initially maintaining his track position before starting to push through the field. Unfortunately rear tyre issues struck at the mid race mark that meant the KTM RC8R Superstock machine could not be pushed to it limits eventually finishing in 2nd position in Superstock A.
“The performance of my RC8R is blistering, the KTM Team has burnt the midnight oil in preparation of my race machines and in finishing 2nd overall in the Superstock A category, I am extremely happy to score the first ever KTM RC8R podium finish in Australian Superbike Championship history.” said Trounson at the conclusion of race 2.
An Evolution Sports Group spokesperson said “To battle the with the front runners in both Superbike and Superstock categories at this early stage of the KTM RC8R’s development phase is simply inspirational, both Johnson and Trounson have provided our technical team with quality feedback, this rider input backed up by our technical data acquisition system has allowed for rapid and precise changes to machine set-up, which all translates to an improvement in race results. To say that the ASBK debut for the KTM Superbike Team was a resounding success would be a gross understatement the Team technicians have important engine and suspension data to analyse that will further advance the development of the KTM RC8R race machines in readiness for our next ASBK outing at Hidden Valley in the Northern Territory on April 7th to 11th 2010.”
— Valvoline Honda
Glenn Allerton, former champion and current #2, debuted on the Evolution Sports Group owned Valvoline Superbike Team in the Australian Superbike Championship opener held at Phillip Island over the weekend.
The weekend held mixed results for the Valvoline Superbike Team, Honda CBR100RR’s. “We have had very limited testing time on the new Dunlop control tyres, we missed one on the pre-season test sessions and some of the team have had the new tyres for months on an evaluation basis so The Valvoline Superbike Team is playing catch up, but we will catch up very quickly.” said a Valvoline Superbike Team spokesperson.
After qualifying in the second row grid position of 7th, Allerton unleashed a flyer, powering his CBR1000RR through the field completing the first lap in fourth position and battling within the leading pack for the next two laps, during lap four a delaminating rear tyre caused Allerton to lose touch with the lead group and gradually be over run from behind, finally taking the chequered flag in 9th position at the end of the 12 lap race.
“That was a disappointing race, to charge through to forth position in the first lap, mix it up with the leaders and then to have tyre problems was frustrating, I felt the rear tyre coming apart and I decided to salvage as many championship points as possible” Allerton said at the conclusion of race one.
The second leg of the ASBK was reduced to ten laps and delayed due to a crash in an earlier World Supersport race. The Valvoline Superbike Team technicians made adjustments to the race machine searching for better drive and greater tyre longevity for the second race. At the green light again Allerton made a charge through the field improving the Valvoline Superbike to forth position by the end of the first lap and advancing to second position by the completion of lap 2. However the Valvoline CBR1000RR again had grip and tyre issues on lap 4 with Allerton fighting to maintain fourth position on the track which he did until the tenth and final lap when he was pushed into 5th place by Shannon Johnson (KTM RC8R) .
Allerton said; “Apart from the tyre issues, we showed that the Valvoline Superbikes are on the pace and that we can run at the front, driving through to lead the race from 7th position on the grid in 3 laps will send a loud and clear message to all of the competition, that the Valvolines Superbikes are here and that Glenn Allerton is back.”
An Evolution Sports Group representative said “This weekend was inspirational, Evolution Sports Group and Glenn with fantastic help from Valvoline have put this team together in an extremely short period of time, overall, the first outing for the new Valvoline Superbike Team was a success, we have important engine and set-up data to analyse and the team are eager to develop our race machinery readiness for round 2 in Darwin to be held at Hidden Valley Raceway April 8th-11th.
— Aluma Lite Ducati
The opening round of the Viking Group Australian Superbike and Superstock 1000cc Championship at Phillip Island was a weekend of mixed emotions for the Aluma-Lite Team as it made its return to the Australian Championships after a five year absence.
On the up-side, Ben Attard on the Aluma-Lite Ducati 1198S dominated the Superstock 1000cc class taking the fastest lap in qualifying and backed it up with two dominate victories that included a new lap record in the class. The icing on the cake was a 9th place in the second race proving that the privateer team can certainly mix it with the distributor backed teams, missing out on a better position by just 0.25sec over the factory Ducati team. He backed this fine result up with a determined 11th overall in the frantic opening race of the year with his consistency in lap times reflected that his fastest lap in both legs was on the third lap of the opening stanza.
Team mate, John Allen on the Aluma-Lite Ducati 1098R proved to be more than competitive in the premier Superbike class but conditions conspired to halt his progress as the team endeavoured to, literally, come to grips with the new control tyre introduced to the class for 2010. Allowing for a crash that had a bearing on the development process, the Queensland veteran qualified 13th and scored a 14th and 10th to finish 11th overall in the Superbike class to provide a solid foundation for the remainder of the championship season.
Team owner, manager and sometime tyre changer Derek Williams was satisfied with the overall results but is more enthused of the future prospects of the team explaining, “we knew it would be difficult for us as we had been unable to do any testing on the new control tyre to evaluate what we needed in bike setup. Saying that however, I’m delighted with the effort of the boys and also the team as they worked tirelessly to get the most out of the bikes.
“Ben was excellent in what he achieved and proved that we will be mixing it at the front of the field and proved he will be favourite for the Superstock title. John had a difficult weekend that wasn’t made any easier by a crash on Friday that upset his progress. That was unusual because I can’t remember the last time he hit the deck.
“We can take a lot of information out of the weekend to move forward and we now know we have the talent and the equipment to mix it at the very front. The biggest problem for us and the rest of the field is to get the most out of the new control tyre.”
Ben Attard, “I suppose I can’t start a season better than that but the Ducati 1198S is just superb to ride. I so very happy to be back with the team. It’s one of the best weekends I’ve had in a long while and it was so much fun to be racing there. To finish ninth overall in the second race with John right behind me shows what potential we have for the rest of the year.
“Combined with the backing of the team and all the work the boys put in getting the bike ready, it makes my job a little easier. I knew after qualifying that we had a great chance of a top ten in one of the races and I think with a bit better start in the first race we could’ve got a double.
“The second race was a lot better and I had some great dices with a few other riders as I was able to push really hard to get past a few after another average start. The Ducati seems to love the Phillip Island layout and I’m not disappointed with any of the results although we still have a bit of work to do to get the combination at its best between the new control tyres and the Ducati.”
John Allen, “It’s definitely not the sort of weekend I had in mind before we went down there but we had a lot of issues trying to get the tyres to work. The older1098R is a sensational bike and I’m very disappointed in myself for crashing on the Friday. That put us all behind but saying that I suppose I shouldn’t be too disappointed as considering the lack of testing with the bike and tyres compared to some of the other teams we are not too far off and I don’t think it will be too long before we bridge the gap to the factory teams. The team did a sensational job to get the bike back to its best after I put some crash damage on it!
“The next meeting up in Darwin should give us a further improvement and get us a little closer to the front plus it will be the firs time that everyone has been up there so we will be on more of an even playing field.”
The next meeting for the Aluma-Lite Racing Team will be at the Hidden Valley circuit in the Northern Territory, April 8-11 2010.
— Shannon Johnson
I can happily say I’m glad to have the season finally started. After spending many, many hours over the past months with everyone involved with the entire ESG KTM Superbike team planning, building, and preparing for our official debut it’s great to finally start racing. It’s also a huge relief for me as I have had a big roll with the team, a new challenge for me both on and off the circuit this year.
The weekend was a very positive event, although it felt like it started out a bit slow. Friday in free practice was the first time I got the chance to ride the RC8R in full Superbike spec, engine, chassis, and electronics. To be honest at first the bike felt not one bit familiar. As the sessions went by we made change after change. Friday night we sat down and went through all the gathered data from the two sessions and made some changes. I was a bit frustrated and this was showing in my times.
Saturday morning qualifying highlighted this the most, I made a number of rider errors that made me lose my feeling with the bike. At the end of the session I sat down for a long time with all the team and we looked at data, my notes, and lap times. We collectively put our thoughts together and made a plan on where and how to improve, the bike and myself. Its moments like this that make me know we have a great team. The second session in contrast was night and day better! Not only did I have a much better feel with the bike, we made the bike look after the tyre better and of course we went much faster. Improving our qualifying position also. I slept much better Saturday night.
Race one Sunday I figured we had done all we could and it was simply about putting a complete race together. I made a decent start and went with the lead group, after a 1/3 distance I got caught up in a battle that slowed me and allowed the front group to get away. However we set faster lap times than we did in qualifying so again we improved our RC8R Superbike. Still 10 seconds from the win over a 12 lap race I feel was too much. Now we just needed some small tweaks.
Race two was delayed a couple of hours due to oil spill in another class. When we finally started the circuit temp had dropped a lot. Again I made a solid start and went with the lead group, this time I stayed with them longer than the first race, however as the front group broke up I got caught up in the riders going backwards as I was still going forward. Still finding my feel with the new RC8R Superbike I was riding a little reserved and was too cautious making passes. I have a much better understanding of the bike now and the passes I’m renowned for are ready to surprise at the next round. Finishing fourth was another improvement, this time only 5 seconds from the win. That time gap was a big leap forward.
To be sitting fourth in the championship on debut is a great starting point, lots to improve, lots to learn, and lots of potential. I can’t wait.