Yamaha Racing Podium Double At Darwin ASBK Round

Curtain & Olson take 1-3 in the Darwin ASBK Round

Yamaha Racing continues to make their presence felt in the Australian Super Bike Championships (ASBK) with another quality performance by their riders in the 600cc Supersport category at round three of the championships held at Darwin's Hidden Valley Raceway.

The team of Kevin Curtain and Rick Olson crowded the podium with a 1-3 finish respectively for the round while Yamaha also took the points in the 600cc class 'Manufacturers Cup,' nearly 100 points clear of their nearest rival, for the round.

Curtain continues to combine his obvious talent with raw speed and track smarts to rack up another round win in his long and celebrated career. Curtain claimed second in the first of two races and then stormed home to win the final leg to take the round win.

But it wasn't without some tight racing. Curtain missed winning the opening leg by just .152 of a second behind Mitchell Carr, while race two saw Curtain cross the line .054 ahead of his team mate Olson in some extremely exciting racing.

"We had to work for it today," Curtain said. "There wasn't a lot to separate the fast guys on the time sheets, so I knew we were going to be in for a fight on the track. I was able to get myself in the right positions at the right times and winning race two gave me the round win and closed up the points in the championship," Curtain finishes.

Kevin Curtain on his way to victory at Hidden Valley

Curtain now sits in third in the 600cc Supersport class, just five points from the lead.

Rick Olson also turned up the heat in the top end and gave his opponents, including his team mate all that they could handle. Olson charged home for a third in race one after being as low as 11th on the opening lap.

Race two and it was an instant paint swapper with Curtain. Although Curtain lead from start to finish, Olson was all over him from lap five and sweating on a mistake from his older statesman. That mistake never came, but Olson pushed through for a new lap record in his pursuit of Curtain to take second for the race and locked down third for the round.

"It was a pleasing day for the team," comments team owner John Redding. "Both riders up on the podium and we were able to claw some points back in the championship after the tough round we had previously."

"With two rounds to go and only a handful of points between first and third, it will make for some intense racing for this championship."

"The guys will head back to the workshop and get started immediately on preparations for round four and we will continue to build on the momentum from the Darwin round," Redding stated.

Round three Results - Darwin
600cc Supersport

Rider	Manufacturer	Results	Points
1st Kevin Curtain	Yamaha	2-1	45points
2nd Mitchell Carr	Triumph	1-4	43points
3rd Rick Olson	Yamaha	3-2	38 points
4th Nick Waters	Suzuki	5-3	34points
5th Christian Casella	Triumph	4-7	31points
6th Aaron Gobert	Yamaha	8-6	28points
7th Dylan Mavin	Honda	6-8	28points
8th Brodie Waters	Suzuki	10-5	27points
9th Andy Lawson	Yamaha	9-9	24points
10th Jackson L- Smith	Honda	7-11	24points

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Championship Points - After Round three
1st Mitchell Carr - 110
2nd Christian Casella - 108
3rd Kevin Curtain - 105
4th Brodie Waters - 103
5th Aaron Gobert - 99
6th Rick Olson - 89
7th Andy Lawson - 70
8th Nicholas Waters - 66
9th Ryan Taylor - 59
10th Chris Quinn - 55

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Kevin Curtain joins Yamaha Racing Team

ASBK

Suzuki: Troy Herfoss Takes Round Win And Extends Championship Lead

Troy Herfoss - Suzuki

RACE REPORT
2010 Australian Superbike Championship
Round Six
Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, Victoria
10-12 September, 2010

Team Suzuki rider Troy Herfoss has extended his points lead to 31 in the Australian Supersport Championship after two hard-fought races at the penultimate round of the series at Victoria's Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit on 10-12 September.

Herfoss, who started from pole position on his Team Suzuki GSX-R600, was engaged in two thrilling 10-lap races with Christan Casella and Suzuki rider Brodie Waters.

Twenty-three-year-old Herfoss, who is only in his second full season of Supersport racing after swapping from Supermoto at the end of 2008, went elbow-to-elbow with his two adversaries in each race at a meeting run in conjunction with a round of the V8 Supercar Championship Series.

The Team Suzuki rider recorded the fastest lap in race one on his way to a 2.340sec victory over Waters, with Casella third. Waters had led the opening two laps, but Herfoss proved too strong in the latter part of the race.

"I had a couple of scary moments in race one when I nearly hit some seagulls, but I wasn't sure how close Brodie was behind so I didn't want to back off," said Herfoss.

"Then when I came around Turn 12 there was a tortoise trying to cross the track. I was pretty glad to see the chequered flag, that's for sure."
In race two Herfoss was engaged in another titanic battle with Casella and Waters, with Waters leading the opening four laps, then Casella the next three, before the Team Suzuki rider forced his way to the front for the next two laps.

But a minor error at Turn 10 on the final lap saw Herfoss run slightly wide with Casella eventually winning a drag race to the finish line to take a 0.003sec win in a photo-finish. Waters was 0.967sec back in third.

"I'm disappointed with my small mistake, but happy to have won the round and extended the championship lead," said Herfoss.

With one round remaining, Herfoss leads the Australian Supersport Championship on 224pts from Casella 193 and Waters 179.

In the Australian Superbike Championship Team Suzuki riders Shawn Giles and Robbie Bugden finished fifth and eighth overall after chasing a set-up they were comfortable with on the fast and challenging 4.45km Victorian circuit. The round was won by Wayne Maxwell from current championship leader Bryan Staring.

Giles, a three-time Australian Superbike Champion, finished fourth and seventh in each race after starting from the second row of the grid. The 40-year-old won an engaging battle with Suzuki rider Scott Charlton and Shannon Johnson in race one by just 0.770sec, but was unable to repeat the result in race two after getting away to a bad start.

Giles' 31-point haul from the two races sees the Team Suzuki rider just 6.5pts off third overall in the championship.

Bugden, a three-time New Zealand Superbike Champion, finished sixth and eighth in the two 10-lap races in his first outing on the Phillip Island circuit in 2010. Bugden missed the opening round of this year's Australian Superbike Championship at Phillip Island in February as he was defending his 2009 New Zealand Superbike title.

With one round remaining Bryan Staring leads the series on 211pts from Wayne Maxwell 192.5, Glenn Allerton 149, Scott Charlton (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 143 and Shawn Giles 142.5.

Missing from the grid for Round Six's two Superbike races was the Team Suzuki
GSX-R1000 of reigning Australian champion Josh Watters, the 23-year-old still recovering from an accident in early July in the USA when testing for the US Suzuki Superbike team. Waters is expected to return for the final round in November.

The series now heads to Tasmania's Symmons Plains circuit on November 12-14 for the final round, to be run in conjunction with the V8 Supercars.

PHIL TAINTON – TEAM MANAGER
"Troy's performance this weekend again showed maturity beyond his years. For someone in just his second full season of road racing his results have been exceptional.

"Pole position, a win and a second this weekend have put Troy in a strong position for the 2010 Supersport championship as we head to the final round in Tasmania in November.

"It was a challenging weekend finding a set-up for the Superbike guys, especially with the changeable weather conditions.

"Phillip Island is a circuit that puts big demands on the rear tyres of the Superbikes, and the heat generated through the fast corners is the highest we encounter on any circuit.

"It was great exposure for the team and our sponsors to be racing in front of a large crowd with the V8 Supercars, and to have television coverage on Seven in prime time viewing. Team Suzuki is now looking forward to doing it again at Symmons Plains in Tasmania at the final round."

TROY HERFOSS
"I'm pleased with the overall weekend result, and it's good to win the round, but I'm disappointed with the small mistake I made in race two that cost me the win.

"It would have been good to win in front of the big Sunday crowd, although I've increased my points lead so I am happy with that because our focus is the championship.

"It was a close battle between Brodie (Waters), Christan (Casella) and myself in race two and I was sitting back planning my move. I wanted the win, not just to ride for the points. But I ran wide at Turn 10, and that allowed Christan to close up and then get by.

"The bike was awesome and the team did a great job. I'm looking forward to Tassie."

SHAWN GILES
"I was happy with the opening race, and winning the battle for fourth was a good result.

"Phillip Island is one of my favourite tracks, but it really punishes the tyres because of the high speeds. It's always a balancing act between grip and making the tyres last the distance.

"We made some set-up changes for race two and I was confident of getting on the podium. But I got a bad start and got caught up in the pack in the early laps.

"The team worked non-stop all weekend, and kept making set-up changes until I had the confidence to push harder. I can't thank them enough. I had one of the fastest bikes through the speed trap at 307km/h."

ROBBIE BUGDEN
"It was a challenging weekend for me as I haven't raced at Phillip Island since the final round in November last year, so it was my first time here on the new control tyres.

"Finding a good set-up on such a fast circuit is always a challenge, and losing a session on Friday because of the wet conditions didn't help. But we made good progress every time we went out on the circuit.

"It's just a pity the meeting wasn't starting Sunday afternoon, as I feel I could have challenged for the podium."

JOSHUA WATERS
"It's obviously disappointing not to be racing, but it's important that I'm fully fit before I get back on the bike. Suzuki won't let me rush my return because they are focussed on my long term racing goals.

"Team Suzuki and Suzuki Racesafe have been monitoring my progress and making sure I've been getting regular medical attention.

"I expect to be back on the bike for the final round at Symmons Plains in Tasmania."

2010 AUSTRALIAN SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND SIX, PHILLIP ISLAND GRAND PRIX CIRCUIT, VICTORIA

Superbike Overall Results - Round 6
1 Wayne Maxwell; 2 Bryan Staring; 3 Glenn Allerton; 4 Scott Charlton (Suzuki GSX-R1000); 5 Shawn Giles (Suzuki GSX-R1000); 6 Jamie Stauffer; 7 Shannon Johnson; 8 Robbie Bugden (Suzuki GSX-R1000); 9 Craig McMartin; 10 Cru Halliday.

Superbike Championship Points (after 6 of 7 rounds)
1 Bryan Staring 211pts; 2 Wayne Maxwell 192.5; 3 Glenn Allerton 149; 4 Scott Charlton (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 143; 5 Shawn Giles (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 142.5; 6 Jamie Stauffer 127; 7 Shannon Johnson 119; 8 Robbie Bugden (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 115; 9 Josh Waters (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 105.5; 10 John Allen 68.5.

Supersport Overall Results - Round 6
1 Troy Herfoss (Suzuki GSX-R600); 2 Christan Casella; 3 Brodie Waters (Suzuki GSX-R600); 4 Ben Burke; 5 Aaron Gobert; 6 Michael Jones; 7 Dylan Mavin; 8 Ryan Taylor; 9 Blake Leigh-Smith (Suzuki GSX-R600); 10 Des Darby.

Supersport Championship Points (after 6 of 7 rounds)
1 Troy Herfoss (Suzuki GSX-R600) 224pts; 2 Christan Casella 193; 3 Brodie Waters (Suzuki GSX-R600) 179; 4 Aaron Gobert 129; 5 Chris Quinn 128; 6 Ben Burke 119; 7 Ryan Taylor 104; 8 Blake Leigh-Smith (Suzuki GSX-R600) 85; 9 Des Darby 85; 10 Sam Heath 80.

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Team Suzuki Report: Troy Herfoss Extends Championship Lead

TEAM SUZUKI WINS SEASON-OPENER AT SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

TEAM SUZUKI SHINES IN SUNNY QUEENSLAND

17 Year Old Matt Walters Wins 2010 Australian Superstock 600 Championship on Ninja ZX-6R !

Kawasaki is pleased to announce that 17 year old KCR (Kawasaki Connection Racing) rider Matt Walters has won the 2010 Australian Superstock 600 Championship on board his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R.

Matt trailed by 16 points heading into the 5^th and final round at Queensland Raceway on 21-22 August and was hungry for success after tasting victory at the 2^nd round of the series in Darwin, where he won the round.  

Matt’s weekend didn’t start as planned as he qualified his Ninja ZX-6R in 6^th place on the back of a high speed practice crash on board his Superstock 1000 Ninja ZX-10R on a wet track. Starting off the front row of the grid for the first time all year, Matt was unperturbed, focusing solely on the Championship win.

Matt Walters - Kawasaki

Matt rode sensationally throughout the 3 races on Saturday to take 1-2-1 and position himself in equal first in the points standings heading into Sunday’s racing. Thanks to fast, aggressive starts and a steely determination, Matt took 1-1-2 on Sunday to take the round and Championship win.

Matt says, “It feels great to be the Australian Superstock 600 Champion! I’d like to give a big thanks to Kawasaki Australia for supporting both myself and KCR for the last 2 years.”

“I’d also like to give a big thanks to Aaron from Rover Coaches for his support this season and also a special thanks to Murray Sayle for sticking by my side for the last 2 years.”

Matt will now take a well deserved rest from training but will still keep busy riding his KX450F MX bike with his mates and working at the Walters’ family owned Kawasaki dealership, Kawasaki Connection, in Cessnock NSW.

Matt’s next racing commitment will see him competing in the Australian Supersport class at the upcoming Australian MotoGP at Phillip Island in October.

Team Suzuki Report: Troy Herfoss Extends Championship Lead

Troy Herfoss - Team Suzuki

Team Suzuki rider Troy Herfoss has extended his points lead in the Australian Supersport Championship after two hard-fought races at the fifth round of the series at Queensland Raceway on Sunday, 22 August.

Herfoss, who started from pole position on his Team Suzuki GSX-R600, was engaged in two thrilling 16-lap races with experienced international rider, Kevin Curtain.

Twenty-three-year-old Herfoss, who is only in his second full season of Supersport racing, after swapping from Supermoto at the end of 2008, went bar-to-bar with Curtain in each race.

The Team Suzuki rider finished the round second overall, with his 38-point haul from fourth and second placings moving him 28 points clear on the championship points table. Herfoss had entered the round with a 19-point lead.

The Team Suzuki rider recorded the fastest lap in each race, but had his challenge for the win in race one thwarted when the gear-shift knob vibrated loose on lap 10. Despite the difficulty in changing gears on his Team Suzuki GSX-R600, Herfoss was able to complete the race in fourth place and secure 17 championship points.

In race two Herfoss was again engaged in a titanic battle with Curtain, the latter finally prevailing by 1.656sec at the chequered flag.

The ferocity of their battles saw Curtain, a runner-up in the Supersport World Championship, direct praise at his less-experienced rival at the podium presentation.

“I haven’t raced like that since I was in the world championship a few years ago,” said Curtain. “Troy is going well.”

After five rounds, Herfoss now leads the six-round Australian Supersport Championship on 178pts from Christan Casella 150 and Suzuki GSX-R600 rider Brodie Waters 141.

In the Australian Superbike Championship Team Suzuki riders Robbie Bugden and Shawn Giles finished sixth and seventh respectively with 29 points apiece after chasing a set-up they were comfortable with on the bumpy and challenging 3.12km Ipswich circuit. The round was won by current championship leader Bryan Staring.

Bugden, a three-time New Zealand Superbike Champion, finished ninth and fifth in the two 16-lap races, but was fortunate to finish race one when a collision with another rider removed his Team Suzuki Mack Trucks GSX-R1000’s clutch lever.

In race two Bugden was involved in an entertaining battle with 2008 Australian champion Glenn Allerton and fellow Suzuki GSX-R1000 rider Scott Charlton, the Queenslander finishing just 0.196sec behind Allerton in the battle for fourth and 0.403sec ahead of Charlton.

Giles, a three-time Australian Superbike Champion, finished seventh in each race after starting from the third row of the grid. Giles’ 29-point haul consolidated fourth overall in the championship standings, with the Team Suzuki rider now just 3.5pts off third.

With two rounds remaining Staring leads the seven-round series on 166pts from Wayne Maxwell 147.5, Allerton 115 and Giles 111.5.

Missing from the grid for Round Five’s two Superbike races was the Team Suzuki GSX-R1000 of reigning Australian champion Josh Waters, the 23-year-old being ruled out of the meeting on Thursday after medical tests revealed he had not recovered sufficiently from an accident in early July in the USA when testing for the US Suzuki Superbike team.

The series now heads to Victoria’s Phillip Island circuit on September 10-12 for round six of the seven-round series, to be run in conjunction with the V8 Supercars.

PHIL TAINTON – TEAM MANAGER

“Troy’s performance this weekend was exceptional. It’s the first round this year that Troy hasn’t won, but to race like that with Kevin Curtain showed maturity beyond his years.

“It was unfortunate what happened with the gear-lever knob vibrating loose in race one – that’s something we’ve never encountered before.

 “It was a challenging weekend finding a set-up for the Superbike guys that they were happy with, as the circuit is quite bumpy in parts.

“Of course we want to win every time we go out there, and winning both classes was our aim. But Bryan (Staring) got his package working better, so congratulations to him.

“Shawn has closed the points’ gap to third in the championship, so we’re looking forward to the next round at Phillip Island.”

TROY HERFOSS

“I’m really pleased with the weekend results, although I’m a little annoyed with myself for making a few mistakes.

“It was great to race with a person like Kev and I appreciate what he said after the race – he’s a great rider. It was good hard racing, but clean and fair.

“It was unfortunate in race one when the gear-lever knob vibrated loose as it meant I could not race for the win. But to extend my championship lead was more important than race wins this weekend, so I’m happy with that.

“The bike was awesome and the team did a great job.”

SHAWN GILES

“I had a few problems getting a set-up I was happy with, and I couldn’t get the confident feel I was after.

“Misssing Superpole didn’t do me any favours when I got bumped out of the top eight in the last five minutes, and it was always going to be hard starting both races from row three.

“The team worked non-stop all weekend, and kept making set-up changes until I had the confidence to push harder. I can’t thank them enough.

“I’m only a few points off third in the championship now, so I’m looking forward to Phillip Island – a circuit I really enjoy.”

ROBBIE BUGDEN

“It’s always great to race in front of my friends and family at my home round at Queensland Raceway.

“It would have been good to have got on the podium, but the pace up front was pretty hot and I’d struggled throughout practice and qualifying with set-up.

“We got things working for Superpole and in Sunday warm-up, but having my clutch lever knocked off in race one didn’t do me any favours. Up-shifting was okay, but down-shifting was difficult.

“Race two was more like it, and the battle with Glenn and Scotty was a good one.”

JOSHUA WATERS

“It’s obviously disappointing not to be racing, but it’s important that I’m fully fit before I get back on the bike.

“Team Suzuki has been monitoring my progress and making sure I’ve been getting regular medical attention. There was no way the team was going to let me race this weekend unless I had 100 per cent clearance.

“It would be unsafe for me and unsafe for the other competitors if I’m not 100 per cent fit. I’m probably another week away from being fully right, so it’s better to sit out the meeting.

“I’m looking forward to racing at the next round.”

2010 AUSTRALIAN SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP

ROUND FIVE, QUEENSLAND RACEWAY, IPSWICH, QUEENSLAND

Superbike Overall Results - Round 5

1 Bryan Staring; 2 Jamie Stauffer; 3 Wayne Maxwell; 4 Glenn Allerton; 5 Scott Charlton (Suzuki GSX-R1000); 6 Robbie Bugden (Suzuki GSX-R1000); 7 Shawn Giles (Suzuki GSX-R1000); 8 Daniel Stauffer; 9 Shannon Johnson; 10 John Allen.

Superbike Championship Points (after 5 of 7 rounds)

1 Bryan Staring 166pts; 2 Wayne Maxwell 147.5; 3 Glenn Allerton 115; 4 Shawn Giles (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 111.5; 5 Scott Charlton (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 110; 6 Josh Waters (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 105.5; 7 Jamie Stauffer 98; 8 Shannon Johnson 90; 9 Robbie Bugden (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 87; 10 John Allen 68.5.

Supersport Overall Results - Round 5

1 Kevin Curtain; 2 Troy Herfoss (Suzuki GSX-R600); 3 Christan Casella; 4 Rick Olson; 5 Pat Medcalf; 6 Aaron Gobert; 7 Chris Quinn; 8 Ben Burke; 9 Andy Lawson; 10 Blake Leigh-Smith (Suzuki GSX-R600).

Supersport Championship Points (after 5 of 7 rounds)

1 Troy Herfoss (Suzuki GSX-R600) 178pts; 2 Christan Casella 150; 3 Brodie Waters (Suzuki GSX-R600) 141; 4 Chris Quinn 107; 5 Aaron Gobert 98; 6 Ben Burke 87; 7 Ryan Taylor 80; 8 Kevin Curtain; 9 Mitchell Carr (Suzuki GSX-R600) 68; 10 Blake Leigh-Smith (Suzuki GSX-R600) 63.

Vittorio Iannuzzo signs with Triumph

Team ParkinGO Triumph BE1 Racing and Vittorio Iannuzzo have reached a deal that will see the latter race in the second half of World Supersport. The Italian will ride the Daytona 675 starting from the next round, held at Misano Adriatico and will therefore fill the void left by Jason DiSalvo's departure. Iannuzzo, who has been racing in Superbike in the last few seasons, won the European Superstock title with team Alstare in the seat of a Suzuki in 2003. He made his Superbike debut on the same machine the year after. Despite being born in 1982, Iannuzzo has raced for 12 seasons at world level and has the experience to reach important goals.

Vittorio Iannuzzo

Vittorio Iannuzzo: "I was close to signing with the team two years ago, now we've finally reached the deal. I'm sure I can score important results and I will work hard to get to grips with the bike as soon as possible. I'm going to be a factory rider yet again and this makes me really proud, so I would like to thank Giuliano Rovelli for giving me this opportunity. I haven't raced in Supersport for 5 years, my last season in the competition was in fact in the seat of a Suzuki, racing for team Alstare, where I scored great results. Now that I have more experience, I'm confident I can do even better".

Giuliano Rovelli: "After DiSalvo quit, we have received interesting proposals, but we chose Vittorio because we believe he possesses the talent to battle with the front runners right away and his riding style fits our machine's characteristics. I wish him the best of luck for his debut at Misano".