Staring survives treacherous Tassie conditions to claim Superbike title It was a case of ‘to finish first, first you must finish’ for Bryan Staring today who endured torrid conditions at Tasmania’s Symmons Plains circuit to win a maiden Australian Superbike Championship title. The Cougar Bourbon Honda pilot held the advantage over fellow Honda rider Wayne Maxwell going into the race, needing simply to finish today’s 16-lap finale to take victory. A plume of spray rose as the field headed into the first corner and it was the wet weather warriors that reigned supreme as Staring played it safe. Ducati Motologic Racing’s Jamie Stauffer led momentarily before Team Suzuki’s Josh Waters took over, controlling proceedings until lap 3 where Maxwell made his move. The odds were stacked against Maxwell who needed to win or take second and have Staring fail to finish, and he gave himself every chance should misfortune have struck the points leader. The Demolition Plus GAS Honda rider soldiered on to take an impressive victory ahead of Waters, but the overall spoils went to Staring who survived a breath-taking moment negotiating lap traffic to finish 8th. Staring was elated with his championship victory and said he fought hard to control his nerves during the closing stages of the race. “I feel funny about it because that last race went so terribly. I couldn’t see a thing out there and it was a real battle to finish,” explained the 23-year-old. “I couldn’t help but think about the championship in today’s race, I told myself I’d race to my own agenda but there were people passing me left, right and centre and it was certainly on my mind. “I’m so glad to have raced this season with Honda and the Cougar Bourbon Honda team, we’ve had such a successful year and this championship has come down to the effort of so many people. “This is a huge achievement for us and it will probably take a while to sink in. “Thanks also to Wayne (Maxwell) and the other riders who have pushed me every step of the way.” The title of Australian Superbike Champion will be added to Staring’s previous achievements of Supersport and 125GP victories, making him the only rider in the history of national road race competition to achieve the elusive ‘triple crown’. The Gold Coast based rider started the 2010 season without a race victory next to his name and leaves with 5, an incredible feat considering his team was formed just weeks before the opening round in February. Wayne Maxwell was gracious in defeat and admitted that a few errors earlier in the season cost him the chance to launch a real challenge today. “We were a bit behind the eight ball this year and it probably did cost us the championship but second is a great result,” he said. “I’m a racer, I want to win every time but that’s the way it goes. I’ve had a great year with all the guys and my team has really gotten behind me. “The only option for me today was to go for the win and let the rest take care of itself. “Congratulations to Bryan who absolutely deserves this championship, he’s had a fantastic year.” Maxwell finished season 2010 just 6.5 points shy of Staring after 6 rounds and a total of 12 races. Valvoline Superbike Team rider Glenn Allerton was third today and, combined with his race 1 victory, also secured his first round win for the year. Allerton rounds out a Honda 1-2- 3 in the championship with his eventual finishing place of third outright. Racer’s Edge Suzuki rider Scott Charlton was the first GSX-R1000 home in 2010, building a consistent campaign to finish a credible 4th. Ducati Motologic Racing’s Jamie Stauffer rounds out the overall top 5 on the 1198R after an up-and-down season aboard an all-new bike. A close battle for Viking Group Australian Superstock 1000 A&B honours went the way of Champion’s Ride Days Race Team’s Brendan Clarke, who held out CJC Racing BMW rider Craig Coxhell despite the latter winning both of this weekend’s class races. Team Suzuki’s Troy Herfoss recorded a clean sweep of round 7, capping off his Insure My Ride Australian Supersport Championship victory in spectacular fashion in today’s wet race. A number of riders shone in the difficult conditions, with Aaron Gobert showing his experience on the Yamaha R6 and Triumph racer Des Darby also in contention. Darby was hot on the heels of Herfoss as the laps counted down, and put everything on the line in the final corner in an attempt to take his first race victory. The slippery conditions caught him out, however, and his Triumph 675 slid out from beneath him, allowing the freshly-stickered #1 machine of Herfoss to claim victory uncontested. Herfoss described his season as ‘incredible’ but has already set his sights on bigger and better achievements in 2011. “My second season in Supersport has been close to perfect aboard the GSX-R600, it’s all panned out how I had planned and now I am hoping to get the chance to get on a Superbike and keep chasing my dream,” explained Herfoss. “The Australian championship is very competitive and I really want to get a season or two behind me on a 1000cc machine before I look towards a ride overseas.” Triumph rider Christian Casella finished second for the round and second overall in the championship, a top effort in the team’s first year. Sunstate Racing’s Brodie Waters made it two Suzuki’s in the top three this year, finishing 21 points adrift of Casella. Viking Group Australian Superbike Championship, Round 7 Symmons Plains, Race 2 1. Wayne MAXWELL (VIC) / Demolition Plus GAS Honda Racing 2. Joshua WATERS (VIC) / Team Suzuki” 3. Glenn ALLERTON (NSW) / Valvoline Superbike” 4. Jamie STAUFFER (NSW) / Ducati Motologic Racing” 5. Ben ATTARD (QLD) / The Natural Aprilia Racing Team” 6. Scott CHARLTON (NSW) / Racers Edge Performance Suzuki” 7. Robert BUGDEN (QLD) / Team Suzuki” 8. Bryan STARING (QLD) / Cougar Bourbon Honda Racing 9. Kris McLAREN (VIC) / McLaren Motorsports” 10. Craig COXHELL (VIC) / CJC Racing BMW Viking Group Australian Superbike Championship Overall Standings for 2010 1. Bryan STARING (QLD), 241″ 2. Wayne MAXWELL (NSW), 234.5 3. Glenn ALLERTON (NSW), 192″ 4. Scott CHARLTON (VIC), 172″ 5. Jamie STAUFFER (NSW), 165″ 6. Robert BUGDEN (QLD), 144″ 7. Joshua WATERS (VIC), 143.5″ 8. Shawn GILES (VIC), 142.5″ 9. Shannon JOHNSON (VIC), 119″ 10. Kris McLAREN (VIC), 82 Insure My Ride Australian Supersport Championship, Round 7 Symmons Plains, Race 2 1. Troy HERFOSS (VIC) / Team Suzuki” 2. Christan CASELLA (VIC) / Aark Electrics / Peter Stevens M-cycles / Triumph” 3. Aaron GOBERT (NSW) / AGR Inc / Bell Helmets / Yamaha / Dynojet” 4. Nicholas WATERS (VIC) / Waters Racing 5. Brett SIMMONDS (TAS) / Simmonds Racing / Xlite Helmets / Motul / Dunlop” 6. Brodie WATERS (VIC) / Waters Racing” 7. Ben BURKE (NSW) Yamaha 8. Des DARBY (QLD) / Aark Electrics / Peter Stevens M-cycles / Triumph” 9. Lawrence GUDE (TAS) / Tamar River Cruises” 10. Andy LAWSON Jnr (QLD) / Champion’s Ride Days Race Team / Palfinger Aust. Insure My Ride Australian Supersport Championship Overall Standings for 2010 1. Troy HERFOSS (VIC), 275″ 2. Christan CASELLA (VIC), 233″ 3. Brodie WATERS (VIC), 212 4. Aaron GOBERT (NSW), 164″ 5. Chris QUINN (NSW), 152 6. Ben BURKE (NSW), 149 7. Ryan TAYLOR (VIC), 125 8. Des DARBY (QLD), 111″ 9. Andy LAWSON JNR (QLD), 100″ 10. Blake LEIGH-SMITH (QLD), 85 More, from a press release issued by Ducati Motologic Racing Team: Another racing season completed and the Ducati Motologic Racing Team departs Symmons Plains Raceway in 5thplace for the 2010 Australian Superbike Championship. The first factory Ducati team to be fielded in the Australian Superbike Championship in 10 years made its mark early in the series and continued to feature on the time sheets and on the rostrum as a brand to be reckoned with in the Superbike category in Australia. The final race event of the season finished with an extremely wet race this afternoon, #27 Jamie Stauffer getting off the line in strong form from his P1 position. His lead was soon taken from him though and Stauffer’s final race of the season had him crossing the finish line in 4thplace. Although his 5thranking in the championship is not ideal, the experienced racer is already flashing his trademark cheeky smile and taking it like a professional. #27 Jamie Stauffer: “The conditions today were quite tricky in the wet for the last race. Although I got a good start, we just weren’t quite on the pace with the frontrunners and we had a bit of trouble with the set-up going into the race. Still, all in all it wasn’t too bad and I brought the bike home in 4thplace. Overall, it has been quite a good year as far as being the first year on a Ducati and with the team at Motologic. We’ve been very fast at times and had some strong results. I would like to thank everyone at Motologic for their continuous hard work and also Ducati and all the sponsors for their support throughout the year. I’m looking forward to next year; I know it will be a very positive year.” Jordan Burgess struggled with grip in the extremely wet conditions for his final race of the year and the Newcastle rider takes a very respectable 12thplace in the championship. Contending with injury during the season and in his first year on a Superbike, Burgess should return home proud to have mixed it with some of the most experienced riders on the Australian racing scene as he looks back on a number of top 10 finishes. #33 Jordan Burgess: “It’s been a bit of a difficult season for me. The team has put in a lot of effort to provide me with the best motorcycle I could possibly hope for in the races. Due to some unfortunate circumstances I couldn’t always provide the results we would have wanted. Still it has been a very exciting year with the factory Ducati team. I particularly want to thank the team and the sponsors in particular Paul Free and my technician Shaun Clarke for their hard work and support throughout the season. I would also like to thank my family for their continued support during the year. I will return home now and regroup so that I can go into the 2011 season strong and focused.” The team at Ducati Motologic Racing have worked extremely hard all year through some terrific highs and some unfortunate moments, always putting in 100% at each and every round. Their dedication and tenacity sees the team finishing the season in good spirits. Ducati Motologic Racing owner and team manager, Paul Free is proud of his team and his riders. Free: “Jamie’s result today was quite a good one really, with the small amount of experience we have with the 1198R, it was good to see him finish as high as 4thin wet conditions. I didn’t get the set-up quite right for the wet race today which made it really difficult for Jamie and Jordy to contest for better positions than what they achieved. Overall, I am extremely happy with the team’s result and what we have achieved this year with the Ducati 1198R. When we started the year our team had no experience at all with the Ducati, and our riders had never ridden the bike. Now, at the end of the season we have won a race, qualified in pole position on 3 separate occasions and have a motorcycle that is extremely capable of winning the Australian Superbike Championship. I can honestly say I am extremely proud of what we have achieved as a team in the 2010 Australian Superbike Championship; it has not been easy but it has been a great challenge and a fantastic learning experience. I would like to take the opportunity to thank all our racing partners that have helped us throughout the year; NF Importers, Oleon Oils, Doric Products, Power House Group, Teterin Engineering, Freightliner, SP Tools, Fujitsu, Saeco and of course our business, Motologic.” More, from a press release issued by TwoThree Public Relations: Gobert claims Symmons Plains podium to round out 2010 ASBK season Gobert Motorsports Yamaha’s Aaron Gobert finished in third place on the podium at Symmons Plains Raceway in Tasmania on 13-14 November, clinching fourth in the InsureMyRide Australian Supersport Championship for season 2010. The season finale marked a breakthrough of sorts for the experienced international star, qualifying his Yamaha YZF-R6 on the front row during Saturday morning’s qualifying session before going on to finish the opening race of the weekend in fourth after leading early on in dry conditions at the two-plus-four event alongside the V8 Supercars Championship Series. Sunday’s second and final race of the weekend saw Gobert again lead in the early laps after a thrilling dice with newly crowned champion Troy Herfoss in the rain, before vision difficulty in treacherous conditions forced him to settle for third to round out the weekend. “The weekend has gone really well and it’s great to get the Gobert Motorsports Yamaha on the podium overall to round out the season here in Tasmania,” Gobert, a former AMA champion in the U.S, commented. “We lead both races after qualifying on the front row, so it’s been a really positive finish to the year for us. We’ve worked hard all year, so to finish 2010 on the podium means a lot and I really appreciate the support that I’ve been given this year.” The result clinched Gobert a well deserved third overall for the round, his first overall podium of the season in his first year contesting the Australian series after a successful career in the United States from 2001-2009. Following a consistent season, Gobert completed the year fourth in the national Supersport championship, also claiming third overall in the Privateer Cup after an 11th-hour decision was made to contest the series just weeks out from the season opener in February. Gobert Motorsports is proudly supported by Yamaha Motor Australia, YRD, Graves Motorsports, Bell Helmets, Alpinestars, Hotbodies Racing, Galfer, Bel-Ray, D.I.D, Terry Hay’s Shock Treatment and Ian Irving Race Engines. Symmons Plains Supersport Overall Results 1. Troy HERFOSS 2. Christan CASELLA 3. Aaron GOBERT (Gobert Motorsports Yamaha) 4. Brodie WATERS 5. Nicholas WATERS Final 2010 Australian Supersport Championship Standings 1. Troy HERFOSS 275 2. Christan CASELLA 233 3. Brodie WATERS 212 4. Aaron GOBERT (Gobert Motorsports Yamaha) 164 5. Chris QUINN 152