Team Suzuki Sweeps Phillip Island Australian Superbike Finale ASBK

Mildura-based brothers Josh and Brodie Waters captured a double victory for Team Suzuki in the Superbike and Supersport categories at last weekend's final round of the Australian Superbike Championship at Phillip Island in Victoria.

Josh Waters & Troy Herfoss

Former series champion Josh Waters raced to the overall victory in the premier Superbike ranks aboard the Phil Tainton Racing-prepared GSX-R1000.
The 24-year-old finished with 2-1 results in the pair of 12-lap races; however it was the point for winning Superpole qualifying on Saturday that clinched him the overall.

Waters and Wayne Maxwell had a tight tussle in the first race on Sunday, with Maxwell gaining the win by just 0.087 of a second in a photo finish, before Waters bounced back with a comfortable 3.478-second victory in the second outing.

"It was a great weekend and I was able to post the fastest times on both Friday and Saturday," Waters reflected. "In the first race on Sunday I led up until three turns to go, but Maxwell is really strong around there and he outsmarted me for the win.

"In the second race I knew I had to break them at the start and I was able to do that. I ran a lot faster pace and got the job done, so that was a great way to finish off the year for myself and Team Suzuki."

Despite contesting a limited schedule in Australia during 2011, Waters rounded out the championship in fifth position overall after winning four races and two rounds for the year.

Teammate Troy Herfoss scored his second podium in a row with third position overall, the 2010 national Supersport title winner taking out a pair of fourth places for the weekend. The result sealed Herfoss a commendable third in the title chase after a superb rookie Superbike season.

"Mixed weather conditions made it tough, but I'm happy to finish on the podium for the round and more importantly for the championship," 24-year-old Herfoss said. "I accomplished my goal of finishing every race this year and I really wasn't sure I could finish in the top three, to be honest. I'm really happy and I have to say thanks to the team and Suzuki!"

Queenslander Robbie Bugden, three times New Zealand Superbike champion, finished fifth overall in the final round at Phillip Island via 5-6 finishes for the Team Mack Trucks Suzuki satellite squad, resulting in a seventh place finish overall in the Australian Superbike Championship for 2011.

"The race weekend went pretty good even though we experienced mixed conditions during the weekend," Budgen said. "I had some really good races with Troy and Glenn [Allerton], so fifth overall was a fair result. I'm looking forward to having a good go next year but will head back to New Zealand to contest the Superbike Championship first."

Team Suzuki Supersport contender Brodie Waters narrowly missed out on the Australian championship with the GSX-R600, finishing second for the season after claiming the overall round victory at Phillip Island.

Waters, 18, also won the round thanks to scoring pole position, that additional point handing him the overall after taking 1-2 finishes in a pair of breathtaking 12-lap Supersport affairs.

"The weekend started off strong when I was quickest in free practice and then I scored pole position in qualifying," Waters said. "I had good pace in both races, put my head down from the start and pushed as hard as I could. Congratulations to Kevin Curtain for winning the championship and I'm happy that I could come back strong with a win in the last round."

Team Suzuki manager Phil Tainton congratulated the entire team on their results in 2011, proud to finish the season on a high note with wins in both classes. He was also pleased to see both Herfoss and Brodie Waters in the top three of their respective classes for the year.

"Josh was impressive again after we initially had some trouble finding a good setting with the rear shock, but once we had that sorted for Sunday he proved what he could do with a great win in race two," Tainton said.

"For Troy to finish third overall at the final round and in his rookie year overall, that's pretty good going and again shows just how talented he is considering the little experience he has in road racing.

"We went into the final round of the Supersport series 21 points off the series lead, but after Brodie won the first race and we realised he had closed the gap to nine points, it was really exciting. It wasn't to be, but that was the best I have seen him ride and we are extremely happy with him."

The team will now begin making preparations for the upcoming Phillip Island 8 Hour, Australian Endurance Championship, where Team Suzuki will contest both the Superbike and Supersport categories on 2-4 December.

2011 Australian Superbike Championship
Round Eight - Phillip Island, VIC

Superbike Round Results:
1. Joshua WATERS (Team Suzuki) 46
2. Wayne MAXWELL 45
3. Troy HERFOSS (Team Suzuki) 34
4. Glenn ALLERTON 34
5. Robert BUGDEN (Team Mack Trucks Suzuki) 31
6. Craig COXHELL 29
7. Ben HENRY (Suzuki) 25
8. Chris TROUNSON 25
9. Trent GIBSON 22
10. Ralph MAMMOLITI 20

Final Superbike Championship Standings:
1. Glenn ALLERTON 327
2. Jamie STAUFFER 259
3. Troy HERFOSS (Team Suzuki) 257
4. Wayne MAXWELL 255
5. Joshua WATERS (Team Suzuki) 243
6. Craig COXHELL 242
7. Robert BUGDEN (Team Mack Trucks Suzuki) 210
8. Ben ATTARD 196
9. Ben HENRY (Suzuki) 176
10. Cole ODENDAAL 123

Supersport Round Results:
1. Brodie WATERS (Team Suzuki) 46
2. Glenn SCOTT 45
3. Rick OLSON 33
4. Kevin CURTAIN 32
5. Paul YOUNG 32
6. Mitchell CARR 29
7. Aaron GOBERT 29
8. Michael JONES 26
9. Ryan TAYLOR 24
10. Chris QUINN 20

Final Supersport Championship Results:
1. Kevin CURTAIN 187
2. Brodie WATERS (Team Suzuki) 180
3. Aaron GOBERT 160
4. Rick OLSON 158
5. Mitchell CARR 149
6. Christan CASELLA 148
7. Glenn SCOTT 120
8. Nicholas WATERS (Suzuki) 113
9. Chris QUINN 105
10. Andy LAWSON 93

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Waters Tames Wild West With Debut Win On 2011 Suzuki GSX-R1000

p>Brodie Waters

Superbike Championship

Round Four
Barbagallo Raceway, Wanneroo, Western Australia

Team Suzuki rider Brodie Waters celebrated his 19th birthday in the best way possible by claiming pole position, overall victory and a new lap record aboard his Suzuki GSX-R1000 in the Prostock category at the fourth round of the Australian Superbike Championship at Perth's Barbagallo Raceway on Sunday, 1 May.

Waters, competing in the Prostock Challenge run in conjunction with the Superbike class, won both 15-lap races at a circuit he'd never raced at before, giving the Team Suzuki GSX-R1000 a debut win in the category and Waters a first-up win at the circuit.

The round, the first of three Australian Superbike Championship rounds to be run alongside the V8 Supercars in 2011, attracted a crowd of 33,000 to the 2.42km Perth circuit with both Superbike/Prostock races broadcast on Channel Seven across the weekend.

In the premier Superbike class, Team Mack Trucks Suzuki rider Robbie Bugden brought his Suzuki GSX-R1000 home in fifth overall, with Team Suzuki riders Troy Herfoss and Scott Charlton seventh and eighth respectively.

Both Superbike races were won by Glenn Allerton who took the overall round win from Wayne Maxwell and Jamie Stauffer, second and third overall respectively.

Charlton, fourth overall in the 2010 Australian Superbike Championship, was deputising for 2009 Australian Superbike Champion Josh Waters, the latter missing the Barbagallo round due to Superbike World Championship commitments in the USA.

The result sees Team Suzuki's Troy Herfoss only 58 points adrift of Allerton on 188pts after the completion of eight of 16 races in the 2011 championship.

The first of three rounds to be run in conjunction with the V8 Supercars in 2011, the Team Suzuki Superbikes regularly hit speeds of 270km/h along Barbagallo's main straight with the new Superbike lap record 0.411sec faster than the V8 Supercar lap record.

The Australian Superbike Championship next heads to Queensland Raceway at Ipswich on 3-5 June for round five in the eight-round series.

PHIL TAINTON - TEAM MANAGER
"It's been a great weekend for Brodie in the Prostock class with the round win, pole position and a new lap record. We didn't get an opportunity to test before this meeting, so it shows how good the Suzuki GSX-R1000 is straight out of the crate.

"It was a challenging weekend for the Superbike riders and the team, so to come away with Troy still second overall in the points in his rookie season and Robbie fifth for the round is a satisfying result.

"Troy is only in his third season of road racing and his first season on a Superbike, and it was his first time at Barbagallo. Six riders went under the Superbike lap record in race two, including Robbie, so it shows just how competitive the class is this year.

"Scott did a great job substituting for Josh this weekend. It's not easy jumping on a Superbike after a five-month break from racing, and he should be pleased with his results.

"It's been great to showcase the Superbike category in front of a big crowd this weekend alongside the V8 Supercars."

TROY HERFOSS 
"After race one I was confident I could run with the leaders if I could get away with them. It was my first time at Barbagallo and it took me a while to learn the bowl (Turn Six), but my bike had the pace to win.

"To be honest, I'm pretty disappointed with how things finished up. I just didn't have the pace in race two, even though my lap times and overall race time were quicker. We made some set-up changes for race two, but the pace was hotter at the front than in race one.

"I want to race for the win, not just points. To be still second overall in the championship is a positive way to start the second half of the championship."

ROBBIE BUGDEN
"I felt good this weekend and it's good to be back to full race fitness. Fifth overall for the round and equal on points with fourth is okay, but I really thought I could have run with the front guys this weekend.

"I'm happy with my lap times, but my starts were pretty ordinary and by the time I made up the time I was into the backmarkers.

"Third fastest time in race two and under the old lap record proves we have the pace to run at the front. I'm looking forward to the next round at my home track in Queensland."

SCOTT CHARLTON
"I'm really grateful to Team Suzuki for the opportunity this weekend. When I got the call three weeks ago to fill in for Josh I didn't hesitate in saying 'yes'.

"I haven't raced since early December last year, but I felt good straight up. The bike is just like the one I raced last year.

"I got a little lost with the set-up in race one, but we got things sorted for race two. I was happy to get into the 55s, and lap nearly a full second faster in the second race."

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BRODIE WATERS
"Two race wins and pole position is a great result for first time on the new bike at a circuit I've never raced at before.

"We didn't get a chance to do any testing beforehand with the Prostock GSX-R1000, but the bike was great straight out of the box. I'm looking forward to the rest of the '2 plus 4' meetings at tracks I've raced at previously.

"The Barbagallo circuit is awesome - technical in the first part and then two long straights."

2011 AUSTRALIAN SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP, ROUND FOUR, BARBAGALLO RACEWAY, WANNEROO, WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Superbike Overall Results - Round 4
1 Glenn Allerton; 2 Wayne Maxwell; 3 Jamie Stauffer; 4 Craig Coxhell; 5 Robbie Bugden (Suzuki GSX-R1000); 6 Ben Attard; 7 Troy Herfoss (Suzuki GSX-R1000); 8 Scott Charlton (Suzuki GSX-R1000); 9 Cole Odendaal; 10 Daniel Stauffer.

Superbike Championship Points (after 4 of 8 rounds) 
1 Glenn Allerton 188pts; 2 Troy Herfoss (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 130; 3 Ben Attard 129; 4 Craig Coxhell 123; 5 Jamie Stauffer 119; 6 Wayne Maxwell 101; 7 Cole Odendaal 98; 8 Robbie Bugden (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 90; 9 Josh Waters (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 88; 10 Ben Henry (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 75.

Prostock Challenge Overall Results - Round 2
1 Brodie Waters (Suzuki GSX-R1000); 2 Linden Magee; 3 Brett Simmonds; 4 Ryan Yanko; 5 Andrew Schrape; 6 Mark Gill; 7 Daniel Moulton; 8 John Phelan; 9 Brett Kitchin.

Prostock Challenge Points (after 2 of 4 rounds)
1 Linden Magee 73pts; 2 Ryan Yanko 65; 3 John Phelan 65; 4 Daniel Moulton 55; 5 Brodie Waters (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 51; 6 Brett Kitchin 48; 7 Cru Halliday 44; 8 Brett Simmonds 34; 9 Andrew Schrape 33; Mark Gill