RACE REPORT Rd3 AUSTRALIAN PRO-THUNDER CHAMPIONSHIP
EASTERN CREEK RACEWAY SYDNEY : 1 3 JULY 2011.
OFF THE PACE & FRUSTRATED IT’S TEMPORARY.
Sportsbike Ducationly rider Peter Martin was off the pace and frustrated at Round 3 of the Australian Pro-Thunder Championships at Eastern Creek last weekend. Martin has dropped from 9th to 11th in the overall Pro-Thunder Championship and from 3rd to 4th in the Formula 1 Championship with two rounds remaining.
With a number of Eastern Creek specialists racing, moving up in the Pro-Thunder Championship was always going to be difficult, the objective was to maintain position in the Championship and if possible through consistency, move up. This objective was frustrated by oil left through turn one from a previous event, stiff competition and Martin’s inability to find the correct suspension settings which resulted in slower lap times. The weather played it’s part for all the riders, with oil and water for Saturday’s Qualifying and low cloud canceling qualifying on Sunday and grids determined using Saturday race 2 results. Disappointed yet determined, Martin is looking forward to Winton in September, a track he goes well at.
RIDER COMMENTS:
PETER MARTIN Australian Pro-Thunder #31
“I am the first to accept that the most adjustable part of a motorcycle is the rider and as the rider I must first push whatever I am riding to the maximum and push myself past comfortable. The suspension changes we made were not correct and we need to look at another direction. It was a frustrating weekend, I was off the pace and racing at slower Lap Times.”
“In every session or race through Friday and Saturday we made changes and went faster yet still off the pace, then on Sunday Terry Hay said to ride what I had and push. I pushed harder, took more risks and tried different lines, I had a number of ‘moments’ and saved a few crashes. I could only lower lap times a fraction more and ended up 2 – 3 seconds slower than Round 1 in March and dropped in the Championship. I am disappointed yet more determined.”
“I have to voice my view that 5 lap races are not a test of rider or machine and not worthy of Australian Championship status. In my view a National Championship Race should be a minimum of 30Km (8 Laps at Eastern Creek) to have Championship status or credibility. I would prefer a mature and proven format of 2 Qualifying and one 10 Lap race Saturday and two 10 Lap races Sunday, this format is more worthy of the status, Australian Championship.”
“I was speaking to Paul McMenamin on Friday morning, he said that he realised how much he loved racing motorcycles and he enjoyed the memory of when he was faster. He appreciated that while he was not the fastest rider on the track, the other competitors included him and he could do what he loved doing, racing a motorcycle. He said that racing was his passion and he loved it. Sadly Paul passed away Saturday afternoon doing what he loved.”
“My thanks to Terry, Gloria, the Officials and Flaggies for their effort and for a very well run race meeting. I wish to express my thanks to Michael Norrie for pit crewing and to Terry Hay from Shock Treatment for his patience, assistance and advice over the weekend.”
More, from a press release issued by Chris Burns’ publicist:
FIRST DUTCH SBK WIN FOR BURNS AT OSCHERSLEBEN
CHRIS Burns celebrated his maiden win in the ONK Dutch Superbike Championship at Oschersleben on Sunday.
The Newcastle rider, onboard the GS Racing Honda, became the first in the championship this year to beat title leader Arie Vos on the BMW as he stormed to victory at the German track.
The win comes after a string of podiums in recent rounds for the former Moto GP rider and the Dutch team, and his brave performance in the wet in Race Two followed a slight setback when he crashed in the afternoon’s earlier race.
Arriving at the track suffering a bad dose of ‘flu, Burns had been told by team manger Gijsbert Spilt that he didn’t have to race if he wasn’t well enough, but the Geordie refused to let the illness get in his way.
Heading out to for the first qualifying session, he chose not to run a qualifying tyre and instead hold it until the second session later on Saturday afternoon. Ending QP1 in fifth place, he was disappointed when it began to rain ahead of the second session.
Taking to a wet track, Burns was more than three seconds faster than any of his rivals, but due to the rain no-one was able to better their earlier times, leaving him to take fifth on the grid for Sunday’s two races.
The weather didn’t change on raceday, and as Race One got underway he launched himself up to fourth place, despite having very little grip.
“There was no grip at all but after a few laps I got it back and the bike felt good,” he said. “I made up loads of time very quickly and was soon on the back of the top three and made my way past the guy in front to take third.
“I was flying at that point and my confidence was really high, and that’s when I made a mistake. We don’t know what happened or how, but on Lap Five in the last turn I high-sided . I tried to get the bike back up but the brake was broken so it was impossible.”
Other than the brake, the bike suffered minimal damage and the team quickly repaired it and he was able to line up for a second go in Race Two later that afternoon, held under similar wet conditions.
This time he didn’t get such a good start and dropped back to sixth. However he was soon on a charge.
“I took my time this time because I didn’t want to crash. I got a bit of wheel spin off the line but I just took it easy, and was soon passing them.
“I went from third to first in one corner and from there I just put my head down. There was a bit of sliding about there but I kept it under control and kept a couple of seconds lead all the way to the flag.
“It’s absolutely great to take my first win here for the GS Racing team and be the first rider to beat the BMW this year.”
Team Manager Gijsbert Spilt said: “After Chris crashed in Race One, winning Race Two was the best way to come back. I think it was possible for him to win both races as he had the fastest lap in Race One and also the fastest in second qualification by far.
“I am very happy that we won the race and that we are the first team to beat Vos on his BMW, and I know many more wins will follow.”
Burns now sits fourth in the championship on 97 points. Vos leads on 195 ahead of Raymond Schouten on 128 and Danny de Boer on 111. He now has a month’s break until his next race at Assen on August 7.
More, from a press release issued by Waznie Racing:
Szoke Moves to Second in Shannonville
The Competition Systems/Canadian Kawasaki team rolled into Shannonville Motorsports Park under sunny skies for Round 2 & 3 of the Canadian Superbike Championship. Szoke was prepared to make up a points deficit after a third place finish at Round #1 Circuit ICAR. With the brand new Kawasaki ZX10 in their stable, Jordan Szoke and the crew prepared to continue to develop aspects of their brand new equipment during the Canada Day long weekend.
After some much needed sunny practice sessions, the 7 time Canadian Superbike Champion locked himself into a second place front row position for Saturday and Sunday’s races during Friday afternoon’s exciting Superpole event with a time of 1:04.664.
Race #1 scheduled for Saturday afternoon started right on time and with ideal temperatures much to the fans and competitors delight. Szoke managed a great start and settled in to second place. Jordan completed the 20 lap race in 21:57.445 to secure second step on the podium and second place in the championship with 85 points. “Once I knew I couldn’t catch Brett, I thought to myself: “Play it safe Jordan, there’s more on the line here.” I want the fans to know there’s more great racing to come, so watch for us tomorrow, we’re going to put our heads together tonight to find that little bit more.”
Race #2 found ambient temperatures reaching well into the 30 degree range, and with the overnight showers the humidex was high. Starting once again on the front row, Szoke was pinched off the start, but squeaked by quickly to finish the race around the 2.4 km Shannonville “Pro Track” in 21:43.506. Szoke and the Competition Systems/Kawasaki team managed to improve their overall race time by almost 14 seconds. “We had a better motorcycle today and I think I should have done better with the package I had,” said Szoke, who is going for his sixth straight national title. “But we made some big strides today, championships are won over the course of a season, and we still have 4 more rounds to go.”
Szoke leaves Shannonville Motorsports Park in second place with 127 points in the Canadian Superbike Championship. With 4 more rounds left in the season, Szoke has a 37 points deficit to make up. “I don’t get discouraged, I get mad and I bounce back. We made a big step forward this weekend and there’s a lot of racing left.” says Szoke.
Watch for Szoke furiously defending his #1 plate during Round #4 of the CSBK series July 8-10 at HYPERLINK “http://www.autodrome.ca/” Autodrome St Eustache.
Jordan Szoke would like to thank: Waznie Racing Inc, Parts Canada, Alpinestars, HJC, Monster Energy, Competition Systems/Kawasaki, Oakley, Ogio, BK Designs, Medical Information Carrier Systems, KTech Suspension, Strodes, Just Transmissions, Bicycle Works, Robot Pirate Ninja Productions, photobOb, PUG, Gas Gas Pacific
More, from a press release issued by KTM Australia:
Reekie extends series lead with Pro-Thunder podium at Eastern Creek on KTM RC8R
KTM Racing’s Angus Reekie extended his lead in the Pro-Thunder category of the Australian FX-Superbike Championship at Eastern Creek Raceway last weekend, 2-3 July.
Reekie raced his fresh new 2011 model 1190 RC8R to a stunning second overall behind experienced veteran John Allen on Sunday, commencing the round with a win in race one before claiming third and second place finishes for the runner-up position overall.
Saturday’s FX Nationals round saw Reekie take an impressive clean-sweep of the Pro-Thunder proceedings, a continuation of the Supermoto champion’s seamless transition to road racing with KTM this year.
“We debuted the brand new 2011 model KTM 1190 RC8R, which was pretty much straight out of the box,” Bowral local Reekie reflected. “It was a great result for a standard bike and considering that I didn’t have any time on it in the lead-up to the event.
“The main thing is that we extended the points lead and my confidence is really high already with the new bike. Now I’m looking forward to the next event, as well as some testing beforehand. We will really be able to show the bike’s potential at Winton.”
In the championship standings, Reekie now enjoys a commanding 52-point lead after three of six FX-Superbike rounds to be contested in 2011. The series will continue at Winton in Victoria on 2-4 September.
Reekie is proudly supported by KTM Australia, PC Motorcycle Engineering, Motorex and Bendix Brake Pads.
For further information on the KTM 1190 RC8R and the entire On Road range available from the Austrian manufacturer, visit www.ktm.com.au.
More, from a press release issued by QMMF Racing Team:
Al-Naimi learns and gains confidence РCard̼s takes race as a valuable experience Ricky Card̼s and Mashel Al-Naimi finished the Italian Grand Prix in 22nd and 31st position. But even though the QMMF Racing Team riders missed out on the stronger results they had hoped for, they both took the weekend on the magnificent but demanding Mugello circuit as a very valuable experience. Even though he was completely exhausted after his first ever race at Mugello, Ricky Card̼s was still satisfied about having completed the 21-lap race and knows that he will be stronger when he returns next time. And even though he lost contact to the last group of riders, Mishal Al-Naimi kept on learning in the race and knows how to improve the set-up of his bike and his riding style, especially under brakes, when he gets to the next race at Sachsenring, Germany.
“Mashel needs a boost of motivation, so let’s see what happens next on circuits he knowsa and where he has ridden before. Maybe he can get some better results there”, said team coordinator Luis Solano. “But it was difficult for Ricky as well. It was a perfect race day with perfect conditions and a brilliant atmosphere, but this also meant that every rider out there was pushing at the maximum. We saw again how close and hard-fought this class is. Ricky made a good start and he was battling all the time, so we must be happy. But he still is far away from what he is capable of, which is a position in the top 15!” Mashel Al-Naimi 31st “It was a difficult race for me, because we didn’t find the right settings all weekend. I didn’t find the best adjustments because I lack experience with the set-up of the bike and with a riding style that suits the bike. The bigger problem is that I am a bit too soft on the brakes compared to the other riders. But I am confident for the next race in Germany because I now understand how to work from the first day of practice through the weekend. I want to say thanks to my team, as we all work in a good direction. Next time, I want to get a better result to pay my team something back!” Ricky Cardús 22nd “It was a hard race. It was tough because of the heat and I also didn’t have enough experience on this demanding circuit. I struggled especially in the fast sections of the track. I really tried not to throw the towel, but I was completely exhausted in the end and physically I hit a real low. The good thing about this race weekend is that I got more experience and that I got to know another circuit so I will be better prepared when we come back here next year!”
More, from a press release issued by Blusens by Paris Hilton Racing Team:
FOURTH PODIUM FOR MAVERICK VIÑALES THIS SEASON AS HE FINISHED IN THIRD POSITION AT THE GRAN PREMIO D’ITALIA WHEREAS SERGIO GADEA FINISHED SEVENTH Mugello. The GP of Italy held this morning at Mugello took place in ideal conditions and Maverick Viñales made yet another breath-taking performance as he finished in third position and got himself a spot on the podium for the fourth time this season, his rate of effectiveness is now 50% -four podiums in eight races and 25% of wins- and these figures speak for themselves when it comes to describe the quality and talent of the man from Roses. The Blusens by Paris Hilton Racing Team rider could not catch up with Terol and Zarco at the start to the race and these latter set a very high pace from the very beginning onwards and were clearly battling to win but Mack got the lead of the followers’ pack throughout the twenty laps of this eighth round of the world championship. Once he reached the third position on the fourth lap he kept away from the pack where Efrén and Faubel were riding except on laps 16 and 17 but he managed to get his position back on lap 18 and maintain it until he crossed the finish. His team-mate Sergio Gadea did not make a good start and got outrun by the lead pack battling for the win and the podium and ended up battling very harshly with Cortese and Folger for the seventh position with many position trades and constant passes between them. The Puçol-born rider were riding in eighth position on the final lap but thanks to a very bold maneuver and taking advantage of Cortese’s slipstream he managed to pass him with great courage and decision, his rival tried to corner him against the wall and Sergio finished in seventh position which his third best result of the year after he got on the podium in Qatar and Assen. Maverick now ranks third with 106 points and Sergio ranks ninth with 61 points. 25. MAVERICK VIÑALES (3rd, 40’00,184, +8.379): “This spot on the podium nearly tastes like a win because we hardly had the opportunity to ride here and this is a very difficult track. It’s very special because yesterday I didn’t think we had an option here but this morning I realised the changes we made to the bike could actually make a difference. It was a difficult race because Efrén and I annoyed each other around the start and Nico and Zarco managed to escape from us. Then I managed to get a good pace I rode at 58 and I am very happy with it and I started to ride pretty fast. The end of the race was complicated as I didn’t know whether to ride fast or not but I was advised to ride fast on the board -which I did- and thanks to that we finished in third position. On the final lap I pulled away a few meters which were decisive not to lose the slipstream and miss the podium. This morning we made improvements to the chassis and the engine we made a good top speed and everything was looking good. Ranking third, having four podiums and two wins so far only means we have been working fine and we have been following the right line. I’d like to dedicate this result to the team.” 33. SERGIO GADEA(7th, 40’15.804, +23,989): “The things didn’t go as we expected especially after we had worked so well throughout the weekend and taking into account we started from the first row it has to be said that we didn’t achieve a good result. I made quite a good start but I found it difficult to ride fast and get a good pace because the set-up was not at 100% and this penalized us a little. I tried my best to finish in seventh position because that was the group where I was battling and eventually Cortese -who knew the score- tried to kick me out of the track but I didn’t chicken out and I have been deft and I managed to get around his maneuver and pass him in the final straight line. Then he got a penalty.”