Stauffer Does The Double 2006 Australian Superbike And Supersport Champion Jamie Stauffer has claimed his and Yamaha’s first ever Australian Superbike Championship at Eastern Creek today, capping off a brilliant season with two race wins. Stauffer was clearly ecstatic to secure the series crown, proudly flying the Yamaha flag on a deserved victory lap in front of a strong Sydney crowd at the YMF Loan Australian Superbike Grand Final round. He said the win was something he had dearly wanted to achieve, and felt his own performance and the handling of the bike had improved at each and every meeting. “It’s a great feeling to take my first Superbike title and to do it on a Yamaha is great – to dominate both the classes like we have really proves just how strong the bike is and how well the whole team works together,” said Stauffer. “The YZF-R1 has been the perfect race bike this season but the competition has been tough, there is an enormous amount of talent in the series and I’m very proud to have come out on top. “It will probably take a while for the news to sink in, and I’m actually already looking forward to next year and what looks to be an interesting new format.” His results today take his Superbike race win count to 9, with 7 pole positions to his name. He won 5 from 7 rounds in 2006. It is the third year in a row that a rider has recorded the Superbike/Supersport double – Stauffer joins Honda riders Adam Fergusson and Josh Brookes in this elite group. Interestingly, Stauffer’s stellar season kicked off in similar form at Eastern Creek at the start of the season. He fired from the blocks on debut with the team, taking every available win and sending a clear message to his rivals in the competitive field. So dominant was Stauffer in the earlier Supersport rounds, he was able to secure the Supersport title at the penultimate race meeting, and shift his focus back to clinching the premier Superbike class. He finished the 2005 season in 3rd position with the Kawasaki Racing Team, and made the switch to the distinct blue machines to join his brother Daniel on the YZF-R1 at the beginning of 2006. Stauffer recently put pen to paper to race with the Yamaha Racing Team again in 2007 aboard the new YZF-R1, citing the signing as ‘a very easy decision’. A strong challenge this weekend came from the Suzuki duo of Shawn Giles and Robbie Bugden, with the Team Yoshimura pilots trading podium positions in both races to finish the round equal on points. Giles narrowly claims the advantage over Bugden due to the order of his finishing positions, his 3rd and 2nd edged out Bugden’s 2nd and 3rd at the end of the day. The crowd was able to witness the typical style of the former champ as he looked to round out the season on the podium, and he certainly did not disappoint. “Full credit must go to Yamaha and Jamie for taking the title, they’ve been strong all year,” began Giles. “It’s certainly tough racing after being off the bike for such a long time, I can’t say enough about the tyres and the bike this weekend and I’m really pleased to finish on a high note.” Russell Holland struggled to find a comfortable race setup aboard his Demolition Plus Honda this weekend, but is certainly still a worthy recipient of championship runner-up place. “The pace just wasn’t there,” said Holland, post-race. “We were struggling with grip and just didn’t have anything to offer the leaders, which is disappointing considering the fantastic season we have had. “I can’t wait to get underway with the factory team in the new year.” Very rarely does a privateer come so close to challenging for a national series win, and he will certainly be one to watch in 2007 as he launches his assault on the championship with full factory support at Teknic Honda. Mark Aitchison proved unstoppable in today’s Supersport races, and has secured a strong second placing in the series with a dominant display at Eastern Creek. For the second round in a row, Aitchison took pole position and clean swept both races, surely making him favourite to challenge teammate and 2006 champion Jamie Stauffer next season. Jason O’Halloran completed an R6 1-2-3 in the category, cementing Yamaha’s position as the premier manufacturer in the 2006 series. The provisional 2007 YMF Loan Australian Superbike Championship calendar was recently revealed, featuring an earlier start and two ‘double-header’ rounds at Queensland Raceway and Winton Motor Raceway. The series will return to Tasmania’s Symmons Plains after an immensely successful round this year, and the season is expected to conclude much earlier. YMF Loan Australian Superbike Championship, Eastern Creek Race 1 1. Jamie STAUFFER (NSW) / Yamaha Racing Team. Yamaha R1 2. Robert BUGDEN (QLD) / Team Yoshimura Suzuki. Suzuki GSXR 3. Shawn GILES (NSW) / Team Yoshimura Suzuki. Suzuki GSXR 4. Russell HOLLAND (NSW) / Demolition Plus Honda / Pirelli Tyres. Honda CBR RR 5. Bryan STARING (WA) / Jardine Honda. Honda CBR RR 6. Glenn ALLERTON (NSW) / Joe Rocket Honda. Honda CBR RR 7. Andrew STROUD (NZ) / Superbike New Zealand / Brother / SsangYong. Suzuki GSXR 8. Shannon JOHNSON (VIC) / Kawasaki Racing Team. Kawasaki ZX10R 9. Shannon ETHERIDGE (NSW) / Kirk McCarthy Award / Suzuki Aust. / Phil Tainton. Suzuki GSXR 10. Trent GIBSON (VIC) / Team Gibson. Suzuki GSXR YMF Loan Australian Superbike Championship, Eastern Creek Race 2 1. Jamie STAUFFER (NSW) / Yamaha Racing Team. Yamaha R1 2. Shawn GILES (NSW) / Team Yoshimura Suzuki. Suzuki GSXR 3. Robert BUGDEN (QLD) / Team Yoshimura Suzuki. Suzuki GSXR 4. Bryan STARING (WA) / Jardine Honda. Honda CBR RR 5. Shannon JOHNSON (VIC) / Kawasaki Racing Team. Kawasaki ZX10R 6. Russell HOLLAND (NSW) / Demolition Plus Honda / Pirelli Tyres. Honda CBR RR 7. Andrew STROUD (NZ) / Superbike New Zealand / Brother / SsangYong. Suzuki GSXR 8. Glenn ALLERTON (NSW) / Joe Rocket Honda. Honda CBR RR 9. Wayne MAXWELL (NSW) / 1300 Kawasaki / Pirelli. Kawasaki ZX10R 10. Ashley ROE (VIC) / Roe Motorcycles / Chemblast / Michelin. Honda CBR RR YMF Loan Australian Superbike Championship, Eastern Creek Round Results 1. Jamie STAUFFER (NSW) 51 2. Shawn GILES (NSW) 38 3. Robert BUGDEN (QLD) 38 4. Bryan STARING (WA) 33 5. Russell HOLLAND (NSW) 32 6. Shannon JOHNSON (VIC) 29 7. Andrew STROUD (NZ) 28 8. Glenn ALLERTON (NSW) 28 9. Trent GIBSON (VIC) 20 10. Brenden GUROWSKI (QLD) 18 YMF Loan Australian Superbike Championship Final Points Standings 1. Jamie STAUFFER (NSW) 320 (2006 YMF Loan Australian Superbike Champion) 2. Russell HOLLAND (NSW) 264 3. Robert BUGDEN (QLD) 204.5 4. Andrew STROUD (NZ) 201 5. Scott CHARLTON (VIC) 157.5 6. Shannon JOHNSON (VIC) 155.5 7. Daniel STAUFFER (NSW) 150 8. Wayne MAXWELL (NSW) 134 9. Shawn GILES (NSW) 130 10. Shannon ETHERIDGE (NSW) 124.5 YMF Loan Australian Supersport Championship Final Points Standings 1. Jamie STAUFFER (NSW) 305 (2006 YMF Loan Australian Supersport Champion) 2. Mark AITCHISON (NSW) 245 3. Jason O’HALLORAN (NSW) 218 4. Jeremy CROWE (NSW) 193 5. Glenn ALLERTON (NSW) 180 6. Joshua WATERS (VIC) 170 7. Shaun GERONIMI (NSW) 153 8. Bryan STARING (WA) 153 9. Brendan CLARKE (QLD) 138 10. Judd GREEDY (VIC) 130