Points leader Glenn Allerton fired the first shots at Perth’s Barbagallo Raceway today with standout laps to top both practice and qualifying at round 4 of the Viking Group Australian Superbike Championships. The lone Superbike-spec BMW S 1000 R pilot laid down 14 laps in both sessions and in this afternoon’s 20-minute qualifier became the only rider to dip into the 55-second bracket with a 55.869s lap. Compared to four-wheel counterparts who share the track this weekend for the Trading Post Perth Challenge, Allerton’s lap was close to a second quicker than V8 Supercar pacesetter Jamie Whincup managed a 56.676s effort. The signs are ominous for his championship rivals who have so far had no answer to the 2008 champion’s blistering pace. “I’m extremely excited to put the Procon Maxima BMW in P1 today, I’ve got my son Judd here watching on and that makes it extra special,” said Allerton. “We didn’t have too much time to make major changes in the sessions but everything we did pushed us further in the right direction and has us feeling confident about tomorrow.” This weekend Allerton has changed his customary race number to #111 as a tribute to local rider Levi Di Candilo and hopes to be able to dedicate another round victory to him come Sunday. The Team Honda pairing of Wayne Maxwell and Jamie Stauffer qualified second and third respectively, a solid result considering their disastrous outing in Darwin a fortnight ago. Last-lap specialist Maxwell rattled off a 56.048s lap in the closing stages of this afternoon’s session and is hoping to make up more ground on Allerton in the QBE Superpole tomorrow. “Obviously Darwin wasn’t ideal but to the team’s credit they have turned things around very quickly,” said Maxwell. “We’ve got a number of new components on board and again it’s just a matter of working through these in the time we have available. “A positive to come from today is that we were able to close the gap to Glenn between practice and qualifying. Now it’s time to get the job done!” The 2006 round winner at Barbagallo Raceway, Jamie Stauffer too knows the importance of delivering this weekend as the season hits the half-way mark. His 56.340s lap was also set late in the piece, with both Team Honda Superbikes benefiting from small setup changes over the course of the session. “We’re really looking to redeem ourselves from a few weeks ago and it’s so far, so good for us,” said Stauffer. “We’ll try a few things and give Superpole a real crack tomorrow morning while focusing on making the bikes good over the shorter race distance.” Experienced Team Suzuki rider Robbie Bugden edged out hometown favourite, Cube Racing’s Ben Henry by just 0.004 seconds to qualify fourth. Positions 2 and 3 in the points, Troy Herfoss and Ben Attard, will need to extract some extra pace tomorrow if they are to keep Allerton in their sights. Team Suzuki’s Herfoss got his first glimpse of the 2.42km circuit this morning but there was little time for introductions. He finished 5th in practice but on a slippery track this afternoon fell back to 8th. Ben Attard fared slightly better, slotting his iStyle The Natural Aprilia Racing machine into sixth place. Attard has showed the genuine race pace of the RSV4 at the opening three rounds and will be eager to work his way up the field and challenge for his second Superbike podium in as many rounds. Splitting the pair on today’s timesheets was a familiar face to the ASBK, Daniel Stauffer. Stauffer piloted Attard’s Aprilia for much of 2010 before concentrating on competing in New Zealand earlier this year. He returns this weekend, and for the remainder of the season, on the DGS Ducati, and is eager to make his mark on the powerful Italian Superbike. Team Suzuki’s Brodie Waters was the fastest of today’s Prostock competitors setting a 59.547s lap to head up the fifth row of the grid for the combined-class races. Linden Magee slotted his BMW S 1000 RR into second place with Mark Gill close behind on his Honda CBR 1000RR. The 25-rider field will take to the track at 8.15am (WST) tomorrow morning for their warm-up session before the top 8 qualifiers duke it out in the QBE Superpole at 10.15am. Race 1 will follow from 11.55am. This weekend’s races will be televised on Channel 7 from 2.00pm on Saturday and 1.00pm on Sunday (Check local guides for variations). Viking Group Australian Superbikes Qualifying 1. Glenn ALLERTON (NSW) / Procon Maxima BMW, BMW S 1000 RR, 55.869 2. Wayne MAXWELL (NSW) / Team Honda Racing, Honda CBR RR, 56.048 3. Jamie STAUFFER (NSW) / Team Honda Racing, Honda CBR RR, 56.340 4. Robert BUGDEN (QLD) / Team Mack Trucks Suzuki, Suzuki GSX-R, 56.515 5. Ben HENRY (WA) / Cube Racing / Australian Outdoor Living, Suzuki GSX-R, 56.519 6. Ben ATTARD (QLD) / The i-Style Natural Aprilia Team, Aprilia RSV4, 56.755 7. Daniel STAUFFER (NSW) / DGS Ducati, Ducati 1198, 57.002 8. Troy HERFOSS (NSW) / Team Suzuki, Suzuki GSX-R, 57.007 9. Craig COXHELL (VIC) / GAS Honda, Honda CBR RR, 57.057 10. Cole ODENDAAL (QLD) / NSW Compensation Lawyers / GAS Honda Racing, Honda CBR RR, 57.687 More, from a press release issued by Team Honda Racing: 29th April 2011 Team Honda Racing are merely .179 sec from the top of the time sheets after Qualifying 1 today at Barbagallo Raceway for Round 4 of the Australian Superbike Championship which is being held in conjunction with the Trading Post Perth Challenge Round of the V8 Supercar Championship. After a whirlwind trip back to Team HQ to rectify problems encountered in Darwin during Round 3, the team took to the track today with a fresh outlook and a clear direction. #47 Wayne Maxwell appears 2nd on the time sheets after the first qualifying session with a lap time of 56.048 sec and team mate #27 Jamie Stauffer, only .292 behind him recorded his fastest lap of the session on lap 14 with a lap time of 56.340 sec placing him 3rd on the timesheets. Both riders are pleased with their start to the weekend’s racing and are looking forward to taking to the track tomorrow for Q2 and Superpole. Maxwell: “We are definitely moving forward after a set-back in Darwin which just shows the professionalism and determination of Team Honda Racing. We have a really clear direction for tomorrow’s second qualifying session and with a few minor adjustments to the set-up of the CBR1000RR we are looking forward to moving up the order and gaining valuable points.” The sentiment appears to be shared by both sides of the Honda pits. Stauffer: “I am definitely feeling positive going into tomorrow’s qualifying session and Superpole; the CBR1000RR really doesn’t require many adjustments to give me what I need to challenge for P1 now. I’m looking forward to just getting out there on the track tomorrow and seeing what I can make happen.” The second qualifying session tomorrow for the Australian Superbikes will commence at 8:15am before Superpole at 10:30am and Race 1 at 11:55am.