Team Honda Racing goes 1-2-3
Hook takes Superbike win at Queensland Raceway
29 June 2014: Queensland Raceway
Consistency was the key on Sunday as Team Honda Racing’s Josh Hook took out overall hounours in the Superbike class at the 2014 Swann Insurance Australian Superbike Championship at Queensland Raceway.
Hook managed to record second, second and third placings from the three races to finish five points clear of teammate Jamie Stauffer (first six and fourth) and another point ahead of Troy Herfoss (fourth, fourth and second).
The result capped off a wonderful weekend for Team Honda Racing – the Superbike podium stamping the team’s authority on the prestigious class.
An accident in the opening race proved costly for Next Gen Motorsports BMW’s Glenn Allerton, as his 18th place finish netted him a measley 3 round points.
Allerton bounced back to win the second and third races of the class, but it was only enough to hand him fourth place overall for the round.
Leading the class coming into the day, Team Motul Honda rider Wayne Maxwell had a mixed day of results (15th, third and fifth), rounding out the top-five.
At the halfway point of the series, Stauffer has taken an 11-point lead in the outright standings from Maxwell, with Herfoss a further 23 points behind.
In the Supersport category, South Australian Daniel Falzon performed a clean sweep, winning all three races and laying his claim as a series championship contender.
Series leader Aaron Morris had a consistent day out on the track, finishing second in all three of the races to finish clear in third outright.
Maxima Yamaha rider Aiden Wagner rounded out the overall round podium with a fourth and two third-place finishes from his three races.
On the overall championship leaderboard, Morris has a five-point lead from Falzon, with Wagner a further 10-points behind in third. Callum Spriggs, who was leading heading into the round, was a non-starter due to injury.
Round 4 of the 2014 Swann Insurance Australian Superbike Championship will take place at Winton Raceway from 1-3 August.
For a full list of results visit http://www.computime.com.au/meetings/index.aspx?D…
Superbikes – Round Two Results:
1. Josh Hook 64 (22, 22, 20)
2. Jamie Stauffer 59 (25, 16, 18)
3. Troy Herfoss 58 (18, 18, 22)?
4. Glenn Allerton 53 (3, 25, 25)
5. Wayne Maxwell 42 (6, 20, 16)
6. Robbie Bugden 40 (14, 12, 14)
7. Glenn Scott 40 (15, 14, 11)
8. Cry Halliday 39 (16, 11, 12)
9. Linden Magee 35 (12, 10, 13)
10. Mike Jones 35 (25, 15, 0)?
Superbikes – Overall standings:
1. Jamie Stauffer 190
2. Wayne Maxwell 179
3. Troy Herfoss 156
4. Glenn Alerton 149
5. Cru Halliday 131
6. Sean Condon 127
7. Glenn Scott 114
8. Robbie Bugden 113
9. Josh Hook 102
10. Rick Olsen 99
Supersport – Round Two Results:
1. Daniel Falzon 75 (25, 25, 25)
2. Aaron Morris 66 (22, 22, 22)
3. Aiden Wagner 58 (18, 20, 20)
4.?Jay Presepio 50 (16, 16, 18)
5. Aiden Coote 42 (13, 15, 14)
6. Sam Lambert 38 (11, 14, 13)
7. Mason Coote 38 (14, 18, 6)
8. William Davidson 35 (10, 13, 12)
9. Mitch Levy 34 (9, 10, 15)
10. Cambridge Oliver 31 (8, 12, 11)
Supersport – Overall standings:
1. Aaron Morris 195
2. Daniel Falzon 190
3. Aiden Wagner 180
4. Callum Spriggs 132
5. Mason Coote 107
6. Aiden Coote 98
7. Patrick Medcalf 96
8. Jay Presepio 95
9. Justin Di Giandomenico 74
10. Mitchell Levy 73
More, from a press release issued by Team Honda Racing:
Team Honda Racing 1-2-3 at Round 3 ASC!
29th June 2014 – Team Honda Racing maintain their championship lead in the Australasian Superbike Championship and take the podium as their own in the overall Round 3 standings at Queensland Raceway today.
Making a definitive comeback this weekend, #16 Josh Hook departs the overall Round winner ahead of #27 Jamie Stauffer and #17 Troy Herfoss.
The starting grid also housed a predominance of red with #47 Wayne Maxwell on Pole, Herfoss in P2 and Stauffer in P3 for today’s races after recording the 3 fastest times in yesterday’s AFX-Superbike races. Josh Hook just missed out on completing an all Honda front row and started today’s races in P5 on the grid.
An impressive start in Superbike Race 1 this morning saw a formidable line of Honda CBR1000RR SPs surge to the front of the field immediately. However, Race 1 belonged to Stauffer who was unchallenged throughout and crossed the finish line with a clear gap and the fastest lap time of 1:09.347 sec. Team mate Josh Hook took 2nd with Herfoss having to settle for 4th place after a solid battle for the 3rd position on the podium. An extremely unfortunate incident mid-race saw Maxwell run off the track with 2 other riders only to rejoin the race and finish down the field.
Race 2 saw another terrific start from Team Honda Racing, but it was Allerton that took the lead. The Hondas did not give the BMW of Allerton any breathing space and the battle for the win was race long. Hook proved he is well and truly back in form and finished 2nd by just .112 sec, recording the fastest lap of the race, a 1:09.286 sec. Maxwell finished 3rd, Herfoss 4th, and Stauffer in 5th place with just .485 sec between the top 4 positions.
The final race of the day looked set to bring a second Superbike race win for Troy Herfoss as he took the lead and held it until the dying moments. Herfoss raced extremely well, but was pipped at the post by Allerton across the finish line by just .032 sec. Hook finished 3rd, Stauffer 4th and Maxwell 5th.
Overall, #16 Josh Hook took Round 3 honours and was very happy with his weekend. “Today was a great day for us after struggling a little yesterday with set up. We made changes overnight and the bike worked really well in today’s races which meant I was able to score solid points. I am really happy to take the overall round win and would like to thank the team for all their hard work. It feels good to give them the win.”
Second overall for Round 3 and now back in the championship lead is #27 Jamie Stauffer. “It was a really good day for us to come away with the championship lead. I had a very good run in the first race and felt really comfortable on the bike, but just didn’t quite get there in the other two races. I am looking forward to Round 4 where hopefully I can keep the momentum going and come away with maximum points.”
#17 Troy Herfoss finished 3rd for Round 3 and also now sits in 3rd place in the championship after a successful weekend. “I am really happy for Team Honda Racing to take the top 3 spots on the podium overall this weekend and pleased with my own results. I have really moved forward and to take my first Superbike race win yesterday was terrific. I am now 3rd in the championship so I look forward to racing again at Winton for Round 4 in August.”
#47 Wayne Maxwell now sits in 2nd place in the championship standings. “Today was not ideal for me obviously, but it is just one event and I have to look ahead and focus on Round 4. There are still many races to go in the championship and I am still in a good position. We have a strong team and a strong bike in the CBR1000RR SP so I will remain positive and look to Round 4 to get the winning momentum back.”
Team Principal, Paul Free departs Queensland Raceway pleased with his team’s results. “This weekend went extremely well for Team Honda Racing. To finish 1-2-3 on the podium and to hold onto the championship lead is fantastic. All 4 riders put in 100% and the crew likewise. Not everything went according to plan, but overall we had a very successful event. The next event will be held at Winton Raceway where I believe the CBR1000RR SP will be very competitive. There is a long way to go in the championship, but we have a solid team and a good package in the CB1000RR SP so I look forward to our next event at Winton in August.”