BILANSKY CAPS CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON ON DAYTONA PODIUM Buell Riders Win Seven CCS National Titles at Race of Champions EAST TROY, Wis. (October 20, 2009) Hal’s H-D/Buell/Hal’s Speed Shop rider Dan Bilansky, the 2009 Pro Thunderbike champion, rode a Buell XB12R to a third-place finish in the final round of the ASRA Michelin Pro Series at Daytona International Speedway. The Pro Thunderbike race was won by Nate Kern on a BMW. Bilansky clinched the 2009 ARSA Pro Thunderbike championship on September 20 at Virginia International Raceway. Bilansky also won the Pro Thunderbike title on a Buell in 2006. At Daytona, Ducati rider Christopher Boy led all qualifiers for the Pro Thunderbike final, but it was Kern who led the eight-lap race from start to finish. Boy was second, followed by Bilansky. Bison Racing rider Walt Sipp rode a Buell XB12R to a fourth-place finish, followed by Buell riders Jordan Richardson (Ray Price Harley-Davidson/Buell), Joel Spalding (Hal’s Harley-Davidson/Buell/Hal’s Speed Shop), Sam Rozynski (Soundwaves.com/H-D/Buell of Frederick), and Joe Rozynski (Soundwaves.com/H-D/Buell of Frederick). “Daytona is such a big horsepower track, and I was working too hard in the infield to keep up with the Ducati,” said Bilansky. “I got ahead of him a few times but then he would draft past me on the oval section, and finally I decided it was more important to put the Buell on the podium in this last race, so I backed off. We already had the championship and I wanted to be on the podium, too. I’d like to thank Hal’s and Buell for all of their support during the season.” Bilansky closed the 2009 ASRA Pro Thunderbike season with 252 points. Kern, the defending Pro Thunderbike champion, finished second with 197 points. Joe Rozynski was third 196 points, followed by Spalding with 190 points, Sam Rozynski with 186, and Richardson in sixth with 145 points. Buell Riders Earn Seven Motorsports.com CCS National Championships Buell riders were winners in seven classes during the 26th Annual Race of Champions to determine national titles in Motorsports.com CCS sprint competition. Jordan Richardson (Ray Price Harley-Davidson/Buell) rode a Buell 1125R to win Amateur Heavyweight Superbike and Amateur SuperTwins, and won Amateur Thunderbike on a Buell XB12R. Sam Rozynski (Soundwaves.com/H-D/Buell of Frederick) rode a Buell XB12R to wins in Expert Lightweight Grand Prix and Expert Lightweight Superbike. Dan Bilansky (Hal’s H-D/Buell/Hal’s Speed Shop) won the Expert Heavyweight Superbike title on a Buell 1125R. Joe Rozynski (Soundwaves.com/H-D/Buell of Frederick) rode a Buell XB12R to win the Expert Lightweight Superbike championship. AMA SunTrust MOTO-GT 8 Hours at Daytona In the season-ending AMA Pro Racing SunTrust MOTO-GT 8 Hours at Daytona endurance race, Shawn Higbee, Paul James and Jeff Johnson rode the James Gang/Hoban Brothers Racing Buell 1125R sponsored by H-D/Buell of Appleton to a 9th place finish in Moto-GT1 after qualifying third. The team suffered several mechanical setbacks throughout the race but managed a motor swap at the mid point and finished the final two hours of the race The Liberty Waves/H-D/Buell of Antelope Valley team of Eric Pinson, Walt Sipp and David Sadowski Jr., also suffered mechanical problems and finished 11th in the Moto-GT1 class. The Liberty Waves team clinched third place in the final 2009 season Moto-GT1 standings with four podiums and 129 points, followed by James Gang/Hoban Brothers Racing in fourth with one win, two podiums and 119 points. The Moto-GT1 championship was won by Crozier Motorsports with two wins, three podiums and 181 points. The race was won by Westby Racing Yamaha and riders Josh Hayes, Dane Westby, Jeff Wood and Dustin Meador. “We had a great qualifying effort and a strong early run going with Shawn Higbee on board,” said James Gang/Hoban Brothers team co-owner Paul James. “The 8 Hours at Daytona is always a tough race. But this team never quit and we fought hard to the end and finished the race.” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Sebastien Gimbert stepped up on Sunday to add another title to the incredible success story of the 2009 YZF-R1 with victory and the title in the 2009 French National Superbike Championship. Gimbert was on track for success from the beginning of the weekend, claiming his fourth pole of the season, nearly a second faster than the closest competition at the Albi circuit. Gimbert took the title with 195 championship points, 14 ahead of rival Vincent Philippe on 181. “Yamaha could not have built me a better motorcycle,” said Sebastien Gimbert. “This new R1 is the perfect fit for me, combining performance and pleasure. I want to thank my mechanics and the entire GMT 94 team for their hard work this year which has allowed me to run a fantastic season with multiple wins and pole positions. I am also very happy for all our partners who have been supporting us for a long time and are enjoying this moment with us. My club and the GMT 94 club made the trip there, and seeing their happiness at the end of race was a great moment for me” “I am very happy for Sebastien who really deserves this title,” said Christophe Guyot, Yamaha France GMT94 IPONE Team Manager. “Our Yamaha R1 is a great motorcycle. With such a combination, we knew that the title was within our reach this year and we clinched it at Albi which represents the rebirth of a French championship on the rise with media coverage and a deep field of competitors. Spectators are now coming in ever increasing numbers and the competition level is very high.” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Team Joe Rocket Suzuki rider Josh Waters has moved to within two points of the championship lead after executing a thrilling last-gasp pass to take a 0.024sec victory in the second race at the sixth round of the Australian Superbike Championship at Victoria’s Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit on Sunday. Run as a support event to the 2009 Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, the 22-year-old thrilled the Sunday crowd of over 50,000 as he battled with race-one winner Wayne Maxwell over the six-lap journey before timing a slipstream pass to perfection in the run down Gardner Straight to the chequered flag. “Turns 11 and 12 are my favourite corners on the circuit and I knew I had to get drive out of them to have a chance of pulling off the pass,” said Waters. Waters, who finished second in the opening eight-lap Superbike race behind Maxwell by just 0.166sec, has now moved to 251 points in the seven-round series, just 2 points behind defending champion Glenn Allerton. Allerton finished third in each of the two championship races, with the 2009 title to be decided at the final round at Phillip Island on November 27-29. Just nine points separates the three riders, setting up a thrilling finale. Waters’ Team Joe Rocket Suzuki team mates Shawn Giles and Robbie Bugden rounded out a great day for the team with fourth and fifth placings overall, giving the new 2009 GSX-R1000K9 three of the top-five positions in only its fourth race meeting. Bugden, the reigning New Zealand Superbike Champion, got the better of Giles by just 0.053sec in the opening eight-lap race to claim fifth place, with the three-time Australian Superbike Champion reversing the result in race two and finishing 0.044sec ahead of two-time champion Jamie Stauffer and Bugden seventh. Waters recorded the fastest lap of race two with a 1:32.622 on his final lap as he set up for his pass on Maxwell, but the 22-year-old Superbike ‘rookie’ saw his national Superbike lap record of 1:32.471 fall to Maxwell in race one when the latter recorded a 1:32.316. Waters, in his first season of Superbike racing, had entered the round 11pts adrift of Allerton and 8pts ahead of Maxwell, with Maxwell’s bonus point for pole position giving him the overall round win from Waters. “It’s been a great day to be only 2 points off the championship lead – I’m looking forward to Phillip Island in a month’s time,” said Waters. With one round remaining, Allerton leads on 253 points to Waters’ 251. Maxwell lies third on 244 with Giles fourth (196pts) and Bugden fifth (184pts). In the Australian Supersport Championship, also run as a support class at the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, 22-year-old Troy Herfoss qualified his Team Joe Rocket Suzuki GSX-R600 on the front row of the grid, but had his challenge for a podium result dampened with a jump-start penalty in race one. The 10-second penalty dropped Herfoss from fourth to 10th in the race one results, a fourth in race two securing sixth overall for the weekend. The overall Supersport win went to current points leader Bryan Staring from defending champion Jamie Stauffer with Shannon Johnson third. Herfoss, in his first full season of road racing, proved how quickly his learning curve is developing by recording a lap of 1:35.914 in race two, the fastest lap the 2008 US Supermoto Champion has done around the 4.45km Phillip Island circuit. The three riders ahead of him, all Australian road racing champions, also lapped in the 1:35 bracket, all below the previous Supersport lap record. Staring claimed a new Supersport record of 1:35.200, 0.622sec below the old mark. The final round of the 2009 Australian Superbike Championship is at Victoria’s Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit on 27-29 November. Phil Tainton – Team Manager: “It’s been another great weekend for the team – and Josh has put himself in a great position heading into the final round. “Three riders in the Superbike top five, the pace of the new GSX-R1000K9s in only their fourth race meeting, and Troy proving he can mix it at the front of the Supersport field made for a pretty good weekend all round. “It was good to showcase our national championship in front of the big grand prix crowd and international teams. I’m sure they would have been impressed with the racing and the professionalism.” Joshua Waters: “That win in race two is so important for the championship. Wayne is riding so well I knew it would be difficult to get past, but I knew where he was strong – and where I was too. “I’d had a go at him in an earlier race, but made a small mistake and couldn’t close down the gap. I knew I had to get good drive on to the straight to have a chance in that final race, but I really like those last two corners and everything worked as planned. The bike was great all weekend. I can’t thank the team enough.” Shawn Giles: “I’m happy to come away with fourth overall and remain fourth in the championship. It’s been a buzz to race in front of the GP crowd. “The weather conditions across the weekend made it a challenge to find a good set-up, as each session was different and the track conditions kept changing. The team worked tirelessly, and the bike was great. The pace was hot this weekend, and our Superbike times weren’t far off the tail-end MotoGP times. I’m looking forward to coming back to the Island next month.” Robbie Budgen: “I struggled a bit finding a set-up that I was comfortable with this weekend, so fifth overall is a good result. Phillip Island is a track that places big demands on set-up as the corners are so fast. You need everything spot-on, and that’s a challenge when the weather conditions keep changing. I’ve no complaints about the GSX-R’s performance – my bike was really fast.” Troy Herfoss: “I was happy with my front-row qualifying and with my lap times, and my race pace was good. It’s the fastest I’ve been around the Island. “The jump-start penalty was disappointing, but getting into the 35s in the final race was great. It proves how good the bike is. I feel I’m still learning every time I go out. I’m still getting used to having to hang my body off the bike after years of Supermoto racing. I’m looking forward to the final round at Phillip Island, as it’s a track I’ve raced at twice now.” Superbike Overall Results – Round 6: 1 Wayne Maxwell; 2 Josh Waters (Suzuki GSX-R1000); 3 Glenn Allerton; 4 Shawn Giles (Suzuki GSX-R1000); 5 Robert Bugden (Suzuki GSX-R1000); 6 Jamie Stauffer; 7 Jake Holden; 8 David Anthony; 9 Kevin Curtain; 10 Jordan Burgess. Superbike Championship Points (after 6 of 7 rounds): 1 Glenn Allerton 253pts; 2 Josh Waters (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 251; 3 Wayne Maxwell 244; 4 Shawn Giles (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 196; 5 Robert Bugden (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 184; 6 Jamie Stauffer 163; 7 Craig Coxhell 163; 8 Dan Stauffer 140; 9 Kevin Curtain 138; 10 Chris Trounson 104. Supersport Overall Results – Round 6: 1 Bryan Staring; 2 Jamie Stauffer; 3 Shannon Johnson; 4 Ben Attard; 5 Scott Charlton; 6 Troy Herfoss (Suzuki GSX-R600); 7 Christian Casella; 8 Brodie Waters; 9 Mitchell Pirotta; 10 Cameron Keevers. Supersport Championship Points (after 6 of 7 rounds): 1 Bryan Staring 275pts; 2 Jamie Stauffer 258; 3 Ben Attard 189; 4 Shannon Johnson 177; 5 Troy Herfoss (Suzuki GSX-R600) 155; 6 Scott Charlton 155; 7 Christian Casella 141; 8 Chris Quinn 126; 9 Cameron Keevers 123; 10 Jed Metcher 114. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: 2009 British Superstock Champion Alastair Seeley added the Irish Superbike title to his list of achievements at the weekend’s end-of-season Sunflower Trophy Races in Northern Ireland. The Relentless Suzuki rider, on a run of 12 successive Irish Superbike wins, brought a 45.5 point lead into the final two races at Bishopscourt. In race one, Seeley shadowed his team-mate Ian Lowry across the line to take second place and 20 points to secure the title, before winning race two to end the season the way he knows best – on the top step of the podium, which was a phenomenal achievement for both Relentless Suzuki and Seeley, taking into account that the Carrickfergus man missed 12 races during 2009 due to British Championship commitments. Seeley will now join team-mate Ian Lowry in an end of season holiday race in Perth, Western Australia at the beginning of November: a prize offered as part of the ISB champions’ package for 2009. Seeley also claimed an international win at the North West 200 back in May and the Mondello Masters title just last month – increasing his win tally in Relentless Suzuki colours to 27 in 2009. Alastair Seeley: “It’s been a dream year for me in Relentless Suzuki colours and a lot of credit must go to the team. You only understand how professional the set-up really is at TAS Racing when you become part of it, and I have a lot to be thankful for. I’ve ridden really well this year and gained a new focus in my racing. “I always said, in the right team with the right package I can be a top rider in British Championship and we’ve proved that this year. To win the Irish Superbike title and the trip to Australia is a nice wee bonus at the end of the year. I’m sure Ian and I can have some fun and maybe try out some water-sports and other things we couldn’t do at home during the winter months. “Thanks again to everyone in the team for their support and a special thank you to Ian Glen at Beacon for helping me get this ride and Leigh and Davy Laptop for helping me find my feet on the Superbike – much appreciated lads.” More, from a press release issued by Wayne Maxwell’s publicist: ASBK series showdown set for Maxwell following victorious Island MotoGP weekend A thrilling finale to the Australian Superbike Championship is set to take place at Phillip Island next month, with Oleon Motologic Racing Honda rider Wayne Maxwell setting himself up as a legitimate threat for the title after winning the ASBK category at the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island on the weekend. Maxwell wrapped up his weekend with a close second in Sunday’s second championship point-scoring race of the weekend, leading onto the final straight and being passed by championship rival Josh Waters in the race to the line still enough to secure the overall victory thanks to his extra point for pole position. The win marked Maxwell’s third overall in succession after he also won the Mallala ASBK round in August, and the Australian Superbike Open event that was held alongside the V8 Supercars Phillip Island 500 last month. Maxwell now sits just nine points behind championship leader and teammate Glenn Allerton in the overall standings, closing the gap from 19 points going into the weekend, with a three-way fight set to take place between third placed Maxwell, second placed Waters and leader Allerton when the series continues on 27-29 November. Earlier in the morning’s non-championship race, Maxwell scored his third victory of the weekend after a spectacular four-way battle for the lead, a result that also went toward him sealing the overall victory for the support category for the weekend. Wayne Maxwell Superbike #47 Overall I’d say this weekend was good, starting fastest in the first session before taking pole and winning three out of the four races, so I couldn’t really ask for much more than that. It would have been nice to win the last championship race, but it wasn’t meant to be, so hopefully we can make some changes and move forward. I would have like to be a little closer going into the final round, but we will reassess our strategy and we should be fine. I’ll be trying to improve myself in a few areas, there’s always room for improvement, and I feel like I only rode eight out of 10 if I was to give myself a scorecard for the round. I’m happy to leave the Island with the lap record, although I would have much preferred the victory for the final race of the weekend. I’m not so disappointed that I didn’t win every race, but more that I didn’t feel I rode my best in that final race, so I’ll try to improve my riding at the last round and see if I can make up the gap in the championship. AUSTRALIAN SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND SIX PHILLIP ISLAND RESULTS: Superbike Overall Round Results 1 Wayne Maxwell 46 (Oleon Motologic Racing Honda CBR1000RR) 2 Joshua Waters 45 3 Glenn Allerton 36 4 Shawn Giles 31 5 Robert Bugden 30 6 Jamie Stauffer 28 7 Jake Holden 26 8 David Anthony 25 9 Kevin Curtain 22 10 Jordan Burgess 22 Superbike Championship Points 1 Glenn Allerton 253 2 Joshua Waters 251 3 Wayne Maxwell 244 (Oleon Motologic Racing Honda CBR1000RR) 4 Shawn Giles 196 5 Robert Bugden 184 6 Jamie Stauffer 163 7 Craig Coxhell 163 8 Daniel Stauffer 140 9 Kevin Curtain 138 10 Chris Trounson 104 More, from a press release issued by Pirelli: Pirelli Riders Rack Up Race Wins at Daytona Race of Champions Daytona Beach, Florida: Experts and Amateurs alike enjoyed Pirelli’s win-extracting performance on the high banks of Daytona International Speedway, at the 2009 season-ending CCS/ASRA Race of Champions, taking the top prize in 15 classes. Racer Nate Kern won the ASRA Thunderbike race on his BMW, topping off the total of 15 wins by riders on Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa and Superbike Slicks in the CCS/ASRA finals. The other winners on Pirelli’s best include: Amateur Middleweight Superbike, James Cohrs, Suwanee GA; Amateur Heavyweight Superbike, Jordan Richardson, Fuquay Varina NC; Amateur Lightweight Grand Prix, Jim Berard, Villa Park IL; Expert Lightweight Supersport, Steve Kennedy, Chesapeake VA; Expert Lightweight Grand Prix, Sam Rozynski, Sparta NJ; Amateur Middleweight Grand Prix, James Cohrs; Amateur GT Lights, Jim Berard; Expert GT Lights, Joe Rozynski, Sparta NJ; Amateur GTU, James Cohrs; Amateur Heavyweight Supersport, James Cohrs; Amateur Thunderbike, Jordan Richardson; Amateur Lightweight F40, Jim Berard; Expert Lightweight F40, Ed Key; and Amateur Supertwins 1 Jordan Richardson. Pirelli congratulates these champions, who with their skills applied through Pirelli’s predictable traction managed to top the podium in 44% of the CCS/ASRA races at the annual Biketoberfest championships at Daytona International Speedway. Pirelli Tire North America designs, develops, manufactures, and markets tires for passenger vehicles in both the original equipment and replacement markets, as well as marketing tires for motorcycles and race cars. Located in Rome, Georgia, Pirelli’s Modular Integrated Robotized System (MIRS) employs state-of-the-art technology to manufacture tires for both export and domestic markets. For more information please visit: www.us.pirellimoto.com. More, from a press release issued by ESG Evolution Sports Group: International guests highlight solid weekend for ESG at Phillip Island ASBK round six For Immediate Release: Monday, 19 October 2009 The Woodstock Bourbon-sponsored Evolution Sports Group team had an action-filled weekend at the sixth round of the Australian Superbike Championship, contested as a support category at the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix last weekend. American AMA Superbike rider Jake Holden and American-based Australian David Anthony joined regular team riders Chris Trounson and Shannon Johnson for the round, making for a star-studded line-up in front of a race day crowd of over 50,000 spectators. Supersport star Johnson was once again the top performer of the ESG effort, wrapping up the Privateer Cup for the Supersport title after setting pole position and finishing third overall for the weekend to continue his podium run. The Supersport category featured three races over the weekend, with races one and three counting for championship points, where Johnson took a pair of hard fought thirds narrowly behind Yamaha factory riders Bryan Staring and Jamie Stauffer. In the non-championship race, Johnson finished second to reigning champion Stauffer, missing out on the victory by just 0.004sec in a declaration that the privately run ESG outfit has risen to the challenge of the factory YRT team. Top Superbike runner for ESG over the weekend was Holden, winning the Privateer Cup for the round ahead of teammate Anthony, also securing seventh overall in the championship point-scoring round after running off the circuit in the opening championship race, where he rejoined to finish 12th. Holden scored his best result in the final championship leg of the weekend in fourth, while he finished fifth and ninth in the earlier separate non-championship races. Anthony returned back to compete in his home country after a number of years in the Unites States, finishing eighth overall after scoring ninth and eighth in the championship races, also taking eighth and sixth places in the non-championship races. In the combined results for all four races across the weekend, Holden and Anthony finished fourth and sixth overall respectively. It was yet another vital weekend of building experience for regular ESG Superbike young gun Trounson, resulting in an 11th place finish for the championship round after scoring 14-11 results for the weekend. Trounson’s results have seen him maintain his 10th place overall in the championship, also continuing to hold down second overall in the Privateer Cup series, a title which he won in last year’s Superbike standings. The Australian Superbike and Supersport titles will stage the final round of 2009 at Phillip Island once again on 27-29 November, where the ESG team will again be out in force to wrap up what has been a stellar first season for the Victorian-based privateer effort. Shannon Johnson Supersport #42 First of all I need to send out a massive praise to Evolution Sports Group. What they have achieved in a short amount of time to run with one of the most established teams in the country (Yamaha Racing Team) and to even beat them, is a great thing. It was great to qualify on pole position and it will help me in the overall championship with the extra point. I’m happy to wrap up the privateer championship, winning it a round early even though we didn’t start contesting the series until the third round. I had some really good battles this weekend, and we knew that we’d be strong here after a successful test prior to the round. We didn’t make one adjustment to the motorcycle once we got here because we had such an amazing chassis package. We didn’t win results wise this weekend, but the fans really enjoyed it and that’s great, we’re really building a strong fan base for myself and ESG. Jake Holden Superbike #59 Overall the weekend was good and I’m happy to be able to develop my skills further while also learning a new track. I didn’t really know what to expect of how fast these guys would be at this track, but obviously Wayne [Maxwell] and Josh [Waters] are really quick. I knew that it would take some time to get used to the track, and overall I think the guys at ESG gave me a good package to work with for the weekend. To end up as the top privateer was a good result, even though we had some electrical issues, so it was nice to finish the weekend strong in that final race. There are a lot of fast turns here, a lot different to back home, and it’s really exciting to be at a circuit like Phillip Island. Our Superbikes aren’t too much different to what the ASBK runs, overall it is pretty close apart from the wheels and brakes. Everybody is so nice in Australia, made us feel really welcome, so it’s been a cool weekend. David Anthony Superbike #52 It was good to come back, see some old friends and be back racing in Australia at Phillip Island, but it’s all still the same as I remember. It was great to be able to ride for the Evolution Sports Group team on the weekend, the bike was great, but I did take some time to adjust to the Honda as I’d never ridden one before. My starts let me down a little this weekend, I was always fighting to make my way through the pack, but it was fun and I had a lot of battles throughout the four races. I fly back to the States on Monday and will start preparing for another year in the AMA in 2010. Chris Trounson Superbike #26 I gave myself a lot of work to do after qualifying on the fourth row of the grid, but the boys sat me down and we spoke about some things, got us back on track and then we were able to go on to finish 11th for the weekend. We didn’t manage to go as quick as what I did last year, but from the beginning of the weekend to the end I improved in leaps and bounds. We’re pumped and excited for the final round, we have a good set-up on the bike and I just need to keep working on my riding and will hopefully continue to improve with more experience. AUSTRALIAN SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND SIX PHILLIP ISLAND RESULTS: Supersport Overall Round Results 1 Bryan Staring 45 2 Jamie Stauffer 45 3 Shannon Johnson 36 (Evolution Sports Group Honda CBR600RR) 4 Ben Attard 32 5 Scott Charlton 32 6 Troy Herfoss 27 7 Christan Casella 27 8 Brodie Waters 26 9 Mitchell Pirotta 25 10 Cameron Keevers 18 Supersport Championship Points 1 Bryan Staring 275 2 Jamie Stauffer 258 3 Ben Attard 189 4 Shannon Johnson 176 (Evolution Sports Group Honda CBR600RR) 5 Troy Herfoss 155 6 Scott Charlton 155 7 Christan Casella 141 8 Chris Quinn 126 9 Cameron Keevers 123 10 Jed Metcher 114 Superbike Overall Round Results 1 Wayne Maxwell 46 2 Joshua Waters 45 3 Glenn Allerton 36 4 Shawn Giles 31 5 Robert Bugden 30 6 Jamie Stauffer 28 7 Jake Holden 26 (Evolution Sports Group Honda CBR1000RR) 8 David Anthony 25 (Evolution Sports Group Honda CBR1000RR) 9 Kevin Curtain 22 10 Jordan Burgess 22 11 Chris Trounson 17 Superbike Championship Points 1 Glenn Allerton 253 2 Joshua Waters 251 3 Wayne Maxwell 244 4 Shawn Giles 196 5 Robert Bugden 184 6 Jamie Stauffer 163 7 Craig Coxhell 163 8 Daniel Stauffer 140 9 Kevin Curtain 138 10 Chris Trounson 104 (Evolution Sports Group Honda CBR1000RR) More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Australian Grand Prix debrief with Tohru Ubukata Round 15: Australian GP Post-race debrief Phillip Island, Tuesday 20 October 2009 Bridgestone compounds available: Front: Wets Soft Slicks Soft, Medium Rear: Wets Soft Slicks Hard, Extra hard (asymmetric) The Australian Grand Prix was challenging and changeable in equal measures. Early rains left the track dirty on Friday, and then Saturday’s free practice was interrupted by another downpour, but it held off for the qualifying session and the race. Casey Stoner won from Valentino Rossi and Dani Pedrosa, all of whom favoured the softer Bridgestone slick options for the extra grip they provided in the cool conditions. Only the Suzuki Team’s Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen used the harder option rear tyre, with the rest of the field on the softer options. With just two races left this season, Valentino Rossi’s championship lead is now 38 over teammate Jorge Lorenzo with 50 points still available, and a resurgent Casey Stoner has reclaimed third from Dani Pedrosa. Q&A with Tohru Ubukata – Manager, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department How can you summarise the weekend from the point of view of tyre performance? “We know that Phillip Island is a difficult track for tyres but I am happy with the new specifications of rear tyre that we developed specifically for this weekend. The conditions throughout were quite cool so the softer option was clearly the faster choice because of the improved level of outright grip it provided, but even the extra hard rear gave good consistency. We had no problems with durability all weekend and this was the intention of the new specification rear tyres so I can say they worked well. More durability always comes as a trade-off with peak grip, but the laptimes were within 0.03seconds of the lap record indicating that overall performance was still good, so I believe we achieved the right balance.” The track temperature was quite cool during the weekend, certainly cooler than we are likely to see in Sepang next weekend. What is it about Phillip Island that stresses the rear tyres? “We saw a lot of TV coverage and slow motion clips of bikes sliding through the turns, especially the left-handers at the end of the lap. This looks spectacular and is a very impressive display of bike control by the riders, but it is tough for the tyres! It is this spinning and sliding of the rear tyre that generates significant temperature in the rubber, especially in the left shoulders given the number of fast left-handers at Phillip Island, and this is the reason that we developed the more durable asymmetric rear tyres for this grand prix. As a tyre spins, the friction between the rubber and the track generates heat. The more it spins, the higher the temperature. Above its optimum operating temperature, the hotter a tyre gets the less grip it has and so the more it will spin, and so on. This is why it was important to strike the right balance of heat durability to prevent this happening whilst maintaining a good level of overall grip, and I think that the lap times and the overall race time show that we achieved this.” What can you say about wet tyre performance after the rainfall on Saturday? “At Phillip Island heavy rain can come suddenly, so the track can very quickly go from dry to very wet. Also, the track does not dry too quickly, so there were no intermediate conditions on Saturday, just full wet. At this time of year here the temperature is cool, and the rain cools the track surface even more, so we decided to bring the soft compound wet tyres, as we last used at Donington Park for the British Grand Prix. Of course in the wet, the tyres generate less temperature so we can use softer compounds to maximise peak grip. With a lot of water on the track and in the cold ambient conditions, the soft wet tyres provided good grip and consistency which allowed the riders to set some good laptimes so I am pleased.” More, from a press release issued by The Way to Happiness Racing Team: The Way to Happiness Racing Team Caps a Stellar Racing Season at Daytona At the CCS/ASRA Race of Champions held October 15th-18th at Daytona International Speedway, The Way to Happiness Racing Team capped a steady rise through the CCS Expert rankings with its best finish ever. Greg Gorman, riding a 2008 Kawasaki ZX 10R, did an outstanding job bringing home a top-ten finish in every class. With new crew chief, Ray Atchley at the helm, the team dialed in setup changes on the bike during Friday and Saturday’s races resulting in Expert GTO 4thplace, Expert Unlimited SuperSport 5th place, and ASRA Michelin Pro SuperStock 6th place. With temperatures on Sunday in the low 60’s and a strong ocean breeze, the conditions called for extra effort and skill. Gorman took the challenge in the Unlimited GP class, fighting off heavy competition in the last half of the race to bring in a season-high 3rd place finish. Riding high from his first Daytona podium, Gorman took to the track on the #406 bike to finish the weekend strong in the Unlimited SuperBike event. Gorman, Charlie Mavros and Antal Halasz put on quite a show as they jockeyed for 3rd place until a bike failure pulled 2nd place rider Jeff Lampe off the track. With Gorman suddenly in 2nd place, Mavros and Halasz increased the pressure. At the start of the last lap, Gorman lost time negotiating around a lapped rider, allowing Mavros and then Halasz to overtake. Unwilling to let it go, Gorman poured it on all through the back half of the track bringing himself within a bike length of 3rd-place Halasz as they roared through the east banking. All eyes were on the finish line as Gorman edged past Halasz just as the checkered flag came down, taking 3rd. In the post-race interview, Greg Gorman thanked Dunlop Race Tire Services, his crew chief Ray Atchley, his wife and his mother for their help and support this weekend.