Bryan Staring stretched his win streak to four as he dominated proceedings at today’s fifth round of the Viking Group Australian Superbike Championship at Queensland Raceway. The 23-year-old Cougar Bourbon Honda Racing rider proved unstoppable from pole position in today’s two 16-lap races. Field frontrunners had his measure on the start but Gold Coast-based Staring was able to muscle his CBR1000RR through to the lead and fend off all challengers, collecting maximum points in the process. He came under fire in race one as Jamie Stauffer, starting from 8th on the grid, zeroed in on board the Ducati Motologic 1198R. Stauffer, a two-time Superbike titleholder, looked menacing but ran out of laps to attack, finishing 1.525 seconds adrift of Staring. Valvoline Superbike Team rider Glenn Allerton, who led the race early on, finished a lonesome third. Allerton and Honda frontrunner Wayne Maxwell took turns at leading race two, but once Staring stole the lead on lap 6 he looked unstoppable. Maxwell, on board the Demolition Plus Gas Honda, scored solid championship points with a second place finish. Stauffer ranged up on the pair but soon lost grip and could only consolidate with third. Staring scored 51 points today to go alongside 50 from round three, and must now be considered a title favourite heading into the penultimate event at Phillip Island with an considerable 18.5 point advantage. “It’s great to take away two more race victories, in terms of the championship Queensland Raceway has been vital for us,” said Staring. “The bike was strong all weekend long, and was quick over race distance without sacrificing grip. “The bike was only a few weeks old so full credit goes to my team for getting it up to speed so quickly, it was a group effort this weekend. “This sets us up for a strong run home at Phillip Island and Symmon’s Plains, but I know Wayne will be strong and guys like Josh and Glenn will be eager to win races too.” Stauffer sealed a deserved second-place for the round on the back of two consistent races today. The powerful 1198cc Ducati was exceptional on the straights and looked certain to challenge for a win. Stauffer, who has played an instrumental role in the development of the bike, was optimistic about the weekend and his chances at the final two rounds of the season. “I really made things hard for myself with a bad run in Superpole 8th yesterday meant I had to work extra hard to make back ground in the first half of both races,” he said. “We had a really good first race. Once I got past people the bike showed good speed and we were comfortable in second, everything felt good and I really just ran out of time to challenge Bryan. “In the second race I got through the traffic much quicker but then lost a lot of grip; it was a struggle home from there and I wasn’t anywhere near Wayne or Bryan in the end. “We’re definitely moving forward though, a track like this is always going to be hard on us and the progress was good. “The bike has a lot more power than it did for the first round at Phillip Island so we should be pretty strong.” Positions 1 and 2 in the championship remain unchanged, but the fight for third place is now wide open with less than 10 points separating four riders. Gains were made by Allerton and Racer’s Edge Suzuki’s Scott Charlton who again shone at the 3.12km circuit. Team Suzuki’s Josh Waters slid to sixth on the standings, sidelined from riding this weekend due to a head injury sustained while testing in the United States. His GSX-R1000-mounted teammate Shawn Giles maintains fourth place with another solid performance at a circuit he knows well. CJC Racing’s Craig Coxhell was a standout today, hauling the Superstock-spec BMW S 1000RR through to 6th overall in race 1 and backing it up with 9th in race two following his second consecutive appearance in the Motul Superpole. Two 4th place finishes see Ben Attard remain in command of the Superstock 1000 championship. None could match experienced campaigner Kevin Curtain in today’s thrilling pair of Insure My Ride Australian Supersport Championship races. The Yamaha Racing Team’s one-off entry shook up the class, with Curtain leading home polesitter and points leader, Team Suzuki’s Troy Herfoss. Triumph’s Christian Casella also rode strongly, finishing second in the opening race. Herfoss leaves round five with a 28-point lead over Casella, while Suzuki rider Brodie Waters slips to third after a tough showing. Three Australian championships were decided in front of encouraging crowds today. Yamaha rider Cru Halliday won 5 of the 6 races run this weekend to easily claim victory in the Cougar Bourbon Australian Superstock 1000 C&D Championship. The Suzuki Superstock 600 title fight went down to the wire, with New South Welshman Matthew Walters sealing the win thanks to four race wins and two second places. Aaron Morris came home second ahead of Mike Jones, the pairing separated by just 2 points after a hard-fought season. The fight for Motul 125cc Grand Prix honours went down to the wire between two Queenslanders. James Mutton took the title away from Jordan Zamora, the latter slipping back with two zero-points races at a crucial stage of the double-header meet. Lincoln Gilding built his Dunlop 250cc Mono championship on consistency, with pole and four second-place finishes securing victory. The next round of the Viking Group Australian Superbike Championship will be held at Phillip Island, September 10-12, alongside the L&H V8 Supercar endurance race. Viking Group Australian Superbike Championship, Round 5 Results 1. Bryan STARING (QLD), 51” 2. Jamie STAUFFER (NSW), 38 “3. Wayne MAXWELL (NSW), 37″ 4. Glenn ALLERTON (NSW), 35” 5. Scott CHARLTON (VIC), 31 “6. Robert BUGDEN (QLD), 29″ 7. Shawn GILES (VIC), 29″ 8. Daniel STAUFFER (QLD), 27” 9. Shannon JOHNSON (VIC), 24 “10. John ALLEN (QLD), 22 Viking Group Australian Superbike Championship Points 1. Bryan STARING (QLD), 166 “2. Wayne MAXWELL (NSW), 147.5” 3. Glenn ALLERTON (NSW), 115 “4. Shawn GILES (VIC), 111.5″ 5. Scott CHARLTON (VIC), 110” 6. Joshua WATERS (VIC), 105.5 “7. Jamie STAUFFER (NSW), 98” 8. Shannon JOHNSON (VIC), 90 “9. Robert BUGDEN (QLD), 87″ 10. John ALLEN (QLD), 68.5 Insure My Ride Australian Supersport Championship, Round 5 Results 1. Kevin CURTAIN (VIC), 50” 2. Troy HERFOSS (VIC), 38 “3. Christan CASELLA (VIC), 37″ 4. Rick OLSON (VIC), 36” 5. Pat MEDCALF (VIC), 31 “6. Aaron GOBERT (NSW), 30″ 7. Chris QUINN (NSW), 29″ 8. Ben BURKE (NSW), 26″ 9. Andy LAWSON JNR (QLD), 22” 10. Blake LEIGH-SMITH (QLD), 20 Insure My Ride Australian Supersport Championship Points 1. Troy HERFOSS (VIC), 178 “2. Christan CASELLA (VIC), 150 “3. Brodie WATERS (VIC), 141 “4. Chris QUINN (NSW), 107″ 5. Aaron GOBERT (NSW), 98″ 6. Ben BURKE (NSW), 87″ 7. Ryan TAYLOR (VIC), 80” 8. Kevin CURTAIN (VIC), 70 “9. Mitchell CARR (NSW), 68 “10. Blake LEIGH-SMITH (QLD), 63 More, from a press release issued by Ducati Motologic Racing Team: The Ducati Motologic Racing Team depart Qld Raceway tonight in good spirits after finishing both the day’s races on the podium. In front of a terrific crowd #27 Jamie Stauffer recorded the fastest lap time of the weekend in the Superbike class with a 1:10.581 sec on lap 4 of race 2. With a 2nd placing in Race 1 and 3rd placing in Race 2, Jamie comes away from the event with a 2nd place overall for Round 5. Although entering the weekend determined to win both races, Stauffer is pleased with the results in general. Starting from 8th position on the grid was always going to add an extra challenge for Stauffer after his brief moment of angst with an unpredicted slide during his Superpole lap. He admits his start in Race 1 was not ideal, however he weaved his way through the field like the experienced professional he is and although not quite able to catch Staring in time, his 2nd place finish has him smiling. #27 Jamie Stauffer: “The weekend was really positive for us; we got a podium result for both the races, and learned a lot yet again about the 1198R. I didn’t get good starts for the races so I had to work hard to get past quite a few riders, but my lap times are extremely consistent, the Ducati definitely has the speed so I know going into PhillipIsland in a few weeks we will be even more competitive.” Race 2 saw Stauffer get a better start off the line, however he did have to work his magic one more time to move through the field and stepped onto 3rd place on the podium. Ducati Motologic Racing Team Manager Paul Free is pleased to see his team back on the rostrum. Paul Free: “I am definitely happy with the results from the weekend although Jordan’s crash did subdue the mood somewhat on Saturday. We are relieved that he should heal well with some rest. Sunday’s races gave us some valuable information to look at and maintain the development path we are currently on with the 1198R, I am really enjoying working with Jamie and the Ducati, our development path is so steep at the moment and we are learning so much, “it really is exciting”. Overall, 2nd place for Round 5 of the championship and the fastest lap time of the event has provided some very definite motivation for the Ducati Motologic Racing Team as they look to the next round at Phillip Island which will be held in conjunction with the V8 Supercars as part of the L&H 500 in September.