Maxwell the Swann Superbike Champion
Honda goes 1-2-3 at Eastern Creek
23 November 2014: Eastern Creek, NSW
Team Honda Racing rider Wayne Maxwell has overcome some final round flutters to win the 2014 Swann Insurance Australasian Superbike Championship at Sydney Motorsport Park.
Maxwell posted an eighth, fifth and fifth from his three races to finish the year seven points ahead of experienced teammate Jamie Stauffer.
Stauffer had been thrust back into championship calculations when he won the opening race of the day, however he had to settle for second place overall.
Troy Herfoss made it a Team Honda Racing trifecta finishing the championship in third place.
Race 1
Off the line in race one it was Stauffer, Cru Halliday (YRT), Mike Jones (Crazy Dog Kawasaki), and Glenn Allerton (NextGen Motorsports) leading the way into the opening corner.
Maxwell moved his way up into third position early, and by the end of the opening lap it was Stauffer leading the way from Maxwell, Josh Hook (Team Honda Racing), Halliday and Herfoss.
On the second lap the series went to a whole new level of interesting as championship leader Maxwell came off the track and re-entered back in 16th spot.
Hook was looking the goods and applying serious pressure on Stauffer posting a sizzling lap on the third lap of the race of 1:31.135.
However, Hook was given a jump-start penalty for starting the race in the wrong grid position, changing the state of play with the race standings.
Behind Stauffer and Hook, Herfoss was riding smart and was clear in third at the halfway mark of the race.
Allerton was behind him in fourth, while Beau Beaton (Racers Edge Performance) took his Ducati into fifth.
On the fifth lap Hook moved past Stauffer and into the lead, while Maxwell slowly worked his way up the field to get himself into 12th spot with only two laps remaining.
Jones worked his way into fifth spot ahead of the final lap, while Maxwell continued his climb – getting himself into ninth with just the final lap to go.
At the chequered flag it was Hook in front and the young rider was ecstatic until he learned of his penalty when he returned to the pits.
It pushed him back into ninth overall allowing Stauffer to take the race win from Herfoss, with Allerton rounding out the podium placings in third.
The result meant that Stauffer was only nine points behind Maxwell in the championship battle.
Race 2
Off the line Stauffer appeared to be a man on a mission as he shot to an early race lead from Herfoss, Halliday and Hook.
It was an incredible start from Hook coming off ninth into the grid and working himself into podium contention early.
Maxwell settled back into seventh place and tongues were already wagging talking of what this could mean in the overall series standings.
But there was still a whole race of action to be run, and while Stauffer held onto his lead in the opening laps, less than a second separated him from sixth position.
Jones was again on a mission, and like he did in the opening race, worked his way up into the top five – claiming fourth spot from Hook after three laps.
At that point Stauffer was passed by Herfoss and Halliday, and relegated back to third, while Maxwell in seventh was 1.244 seconds off the lead.
There were plenty of changes in the top positions throughout the race, and lap seven saw the action heat up.
Herfoss and Halliday swapped positions four times on the lap, and Jones also had his time briefly at the front of the field.
While the trio were fighting up front, Stauffer dropped back to fifth, and found himself in a tight battle of his own with Allerton.
When Allerton moved up into third on the penultimate lap, the four Hondas were back in fourth to seventh spot, as Jones fizzed passed Halliday into the lead down the straight heading into the last lap.
It was a perfectly timed move by Jones, and he went on to hold his nerve and win the race in emphatic style, while Allerton calculated his move superbly to finish the race in second.
Herfoss took advantage of a momentary lapse in concentration from Halliday, and passed the Yamaha rider to take third.
Maxwell earned important points finishing in fifth, while teammate Hook did him a favour by just edging out Stauffer on the line to claim sixth.
Race 3
From the outset of the final race, Maxwell only needed to finish seventh or better to take out the championship crown.
As they set off it was again Stauffer who rode into the lead at the opening turn, and he was followed by Hook, Herfoss, Halliday and Allerton while Maxwell settled into sixth spot.
Halliday dropped right off the pace on the second lap, which effectively bumped Maxwell into fifth spot – simply needed to hold his nerve and get through the race unscathed to come up trumps.
Up front Stauffer continued to lead though the gap between himself Herfoss in third was less than half a second.
At the mid-point of the race positions remained the same before Hook and then Herfoss both made their ways past Stauffer.
It effectively ended Stauffer’s championship hopes and Maxwell was given the message from his crew that Stauffer was back in third.
It didn’t hold the champion in waiting back, and he worked hard to get past Allerton with two laps to go before Allerton pushed back past him heading into the final lap.
Hook held his nerve to take the race win ahead of Herfoss, with Stauffer finishing third, Allerton in fourth and Maxwell in fifth.
The result handed Maxwell a seven-point championship win from Stauffer, with Herfoss making it a Team Honda trifecta on the final podium.
ROUND RESULTS
1 Troy HERFOSS (NSW) 64
2 Glenn ALLERTON (NSW) 60
3 Jamie STAUFFER (NSW) 59
4 Mike JONES (QLD) 58
5 Josh HOOK (NSW) 52
6 Wayne MAXWELL (VIC) 45
7 Sean CONDON (NSW) 42
8 Cru HALLIDAY (NSW) 38
9 Matthew WALTERS (NSW) 33
10 Robert BUGDEN (QLD) 29
OVERALL CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
1 Wayne MAXWELL (VIC) 362
2 Jamie STAUFFER (NSW) 355
3 Troy HERFOSS (NSW) 324
4 Glenn ALLERTON (NSW) 314
5 Josh HOOK (NSW) 263
6 Cru HALLIDAY (NSW) 258
7 Sean CONDON (NSW) 235
8 Robert BUGDEN (QLD) 235
9 Mike JONES (QLD) 218
10 Glenn SCOTT (NSW) 200
More, from a press release issued by Eskimo Media Group:
Wagner flawless to become Swann Supersport champ
Three wins from three races hands Wagner the crown
23 November 2014: Eastern Creek, NSW
Wagner Soil Testing pilot Aiden Wagner has had the perfect day out at Eastern Creek, winning all three Supersport races to be crowned champion at the 2014 Swann Insurance Australasian Superbike Championship.
In perfect style Wagner finished eight points clear of his on-track rival Aaron Morris (Maxima Yamaha) who had to settle for second after three races where he finished in second spot.
Allsite Concrete Cutting’s Callum Spriggs claimed third outright in the championship series.
Race 1
With one point separating Wagner and Morris in the championship standings leading into the opening race, the action in the Supersport class was expected to be fierce.
In the opening race of the day, Michael Blair (Campbell Home Timber & Hardware) took an early lead from Wagner, Spriggs and Morris.
By the end of the first lap, Wagner had moved into the lead, and while Blair was running second in the race he was issued with a 15-second jump-start penalty pushing him back to the rear of the field.
Morris was effectively second outright before being passed by Spriggs at the halfway point of the race and moving back into third.
On the sixth lap, Morris produces a stunning move to get past both Spriggs and Blair to take a strong hold on second.
But this race was all about the stunning show put on by Wagner – comfortably working his way through the final laps to take a well-earned win, finishing 6.613 seconds ahead of Morris.
The result put Wagner two points ahead in the outright standings with two races left to be run.
Spriggs finished the race in third, with Brayden Elliott claiming fourth and Luke Mitchell (JNL Racing) taking fifth.
Race 2
The battle at the top continued in race two, as Morris shot out to an early race lead from Wagner, with Spriggs, Blair and Elliot behind them.
The gap between the top pair and the rest of the field widened over the first few laps, with Wagner and Morris both taking turns in the lead, and less than half a second separating them at any point in time.
Spriggs battled hard in third, and had put a handy eight-second gap on Elliott in fourth place at the half-way mark of the race, while Blair’s race ended prematurely when he entered the pits on lap six.
At that point, despite the close proximity of Morris, Wagner had spent a fair amount of time in the lead, and he looked comfortable taking on the role of pace-setter.
And heading into the final lap, it was always going to come down to the wire.
On the second turn of the final lap Morris made his move – passing Wagner before running wide and letting his rival regain the lead.
There was not much more Morris could do as Wagner picked the best lines and negotiated a back-rider perfectly in the remainder of the race, to make it two-on-the-trot and take a five-point lead heading into the final race.
Race 3
With everything on the line, it was Wagner taking the early race lead, while Morris had to settle for third spot, tucked in behind Spriggs.
Wagner held onto the lead coming into the third lap with Spriggs and Morris both within a second of the leader.
It felt like the story of the day, and indeed the weekend, where Morris had a good showing of early pace, but once Wagner got in front there was just no stopping him.
Morris did manage to get himself into second spot in the latter stages of the race, but it was Wagner’s race and Wagner’s day – making it three from three to clinch a well-earned championship gong.
ROUND RESULTS
1 Aiden WAGNER (QLD) 75
2 Aaron MORRIS (NSW) 66
3 Callum SPRIGGS (QLD) 60
4 Brayden ELLIOTT (NSW) 51
5 Aaiden COOTE (WA) 45
6 Luke MITCHELL (NSW) 45
7 Jay PRESEPIO (SA) 34
8 Michael BLAIR (NSW) 33
9 Thomas BRYDEN (NSW) 33
10 Cambridge OLIVIER (ACT) 30
OVERALL CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
1 Aiden WAGNER (QLD) 379
2 Aaron MORRIS (NSW) 371
3 Callum SPRIGGS (QLD) 300
4 Aaiden COOTE (WA) 221
5 Jay PRESEPIO (SA) 196
6 Luke MITCHELL (NSW) 191
7 Brayden ELLIOTT (NSW) 169
8 Daniel FALZON (SA) 165
9 Cambridge OLIVIER (ACT) 135
10 Thomas BRYDEN (NSW) 131
More, from a press release issued by Eskimo Media Group:
New champions crowned in Swann Series support classes
Eastern Creek Support Class wrap – Sunday
23 November 2014: Eastern Creek, NSW
Simon Galloway, Angus Reekie, Brandon Demmery and Chris Trounson – just a few of the riders who won Championships in their respective classes at the 2014 Swann Insurance Australasian Superbike Championship at Eastern Creek.
The following is a summation of most of the support races in action at Sydney Motorsport Park, with all results available to be viewed via http://www.computime.com.au/meetings/index.aspx?D…
Pro Twins
In the opening race, Craig McMartin (Racers Edge Performance) took the lead off the start with Kevin Curtain (Trinder Aprilia Racing) hot on his tail.
There was nothing between them through the first two laps and on lap three of the race, Curtain made his move – a lovely pass propelling him into the lead.
It was a lead that he never surrendered in the race – and despite the fact that McMartin was never more than a second behind, the experience of the Aprilia rider was telling as he took the race win.
Simon Galloway (Cessnock Motorcycles) finished the race in third while Aprilia rider Mario Gonzalez claimed fourth.
In race two Curtain looked the goods early, as he flew off the start, and by the end of the opening lap had opened up a three second gap over nearest rival Paul Dutton.
His caused was helped by the absence of McMartin on the grid, but Curtain still rode hard to widen the gap from his closest rivals.
Gonzalez worked his way into second over the first few laps, and at the halfway mark it was Curtain from Gonzales and Dutton.
That’s the way it stayed for the remainder of the race – Curtain making it two from two and finishing nearly nine seconds clear to take another win.
In the third and final race for the day, it was again Curtain who led from start to finish – getting a great start off the line to take a commanding early lead.
He was followed by Dutton and Gonzalez, before Gonzalez (who received a 15-second jump-start penalty) was forced to retire from the race.
Galloway was running third in class but at the half-way mark of the race was already 10 seconds behind leader Curtain.
Curtain continued his push at the front of the field, and by the time he reached the chequered flag had established an 8.594 second lead from Dutton, while Chris Perini ended the race in third.
Galloway’s fourth placing in the race was enough to hand him the overall championship win, and he admitted that he was in conservative mode to make sure he finished all the day’s races.
Galloway finished the series 50 points ahead of James Arnold (The Little Red Grape) in second, with New South Welshman Kris Keen finishing the series in third spot.
Nakedbikes
Angus Reekie (KTM Racing) continued where he left off on Saturday, by storming to the front of the Nakedbike field in the opening race.
He held the lead from fellow KTM rider Luke Follacchio (Lukey Luke Stuntrider), who had managed to put a three second gap to nearest rival Adrian Pierpoint (Quadrant Dev) after four laps.
Follacchio extended that lead to five seconds heading to the chequered flag to claim second, but it was all Reekie putting in another solid display of racing to take the opening race win.
For a wrap up of race two, just re-read opening race report above. That’s because it was a case of déjà vu, as Reekie worked his way into a huge lead in the opening part of the race.
Follacchio again settled in second, while Rennie Scaysbrook (LTR) and Pierpoint were locked in a tight battle for third.
Pierpoint eventually took the third place honours, but it was Reekie and Follacchio who finished above him on the podium.
In the third race Reekie again led from start to finish – streaking clear early from Follacchio who had Pierpoint hot on his tail.
Follacchio held Pierpoint at bay to claim second spot in the race and second overall for the day.
The results ended up giving Reekie a two-point championship win from Pierpoint – the pair being the only riders in the class to have entered every round of the series.
Kawasaki FX300 Ninja Cup
Off the line in the opening race it was Kyle Buckley taking an early lead from Brendan Demmery, Bailie Perriton and Robbie Phillis.
Perriton moved into the lead on the second lap, before Buckley wrestled control of the lead on the next lap.
Demmery soon took the opportunity to have a turn at the front, and as has been the case all year, it looked like being a game of musical chairs all the way to the finish line.
At the halfway mark of the race it was Demmery from Perriton, Buckley and Phillis and it stayed that way for the next couple of maps.
Then there was movement – Buckley snatching the lead at the beginning of the final lap, while Perriton passed Demmery into second.
There was less than half a second between the trio the whole way around the final lap, and as they turned on the final corner heading to the finish line it was anyone’s race.
In the end it was Buckley who claimed the narrowest of wins, with Demmery moving into second on the line and Perriton having to settle for third.
The second race of this class was much like the first – the top three riders battling and jostling for positions, with Phillis not far behind in fourth.
The race saw every possible top-three combination of Buckley, Demmery and Perriton enacted throughout, and again it came down to a photo finish on the line.
It was Demmery who came out on top – learning from his finish earlier to go one better this time round, and the Noise Guard Racing rider pumped his fist in ecstasy as he crossed the line victorious.
Buckley had to settle for second place, with Perriton finishing half a second behind in third.
The third race effectively became the battle for the championship crown, and what a fitting end to the closest competing class in 2014.
It was a battle between Demmery and Buckley all the way to the finish line – with a championship on the line for the race winner.
Heading down the final straight the pair was side by side as Buckley drifted across the straight pushing Demmery off the track.
The pair came together before Demmery held his nerve and finished in front – which was only confirmed after a video review.
After the race Buckley was disqualified by the Clerk of Course for unsportsmanlike riding, but the disqualification did not matter – Demmery was crowned the champion.
Despite the disqualification, Buckley still finished the championship in second place, while Perriton took out the final spot on the podium.
Formula Oz
The opening race of the class saw Matthew Harding (K&R Hydraulics) jump to an early race lead ahead of Chris Trounson (Gas Honda Racing), Brayden Carr (Fastaway Couriers) and Ben Nicolson (NextGen Motorsports).
Harding set about extending his lead in the early stages of the race, as Nicolson made his move past Carr on the second lap, and then Trounson on lap three to push up into second spot.
A couple of laps later Trounson experienced some issues and fell back down to fifth in the field, as Harding put a four-second gap on Nicolson at the halfway mark.
It was status quo for the rest of the race as Harding impressed to take out the win from Nicolson, while Carr just managed to hold onto third – pipping Paul Byrne (LTR Honda) over the finishing line.
The second race saw the first major racing incident take place for the day, when Samuel Slessar and Simon Barbacetto came to blows on the second lap.
The incident saw the red flag raised and a ten-minute delay before racing recommenced with a full race re-start.
When the race did re-start there was more drama to follow, as Harding came off at the opening turn to force another red flag.
The second red flag unfortunately resulted in the race being called, allowing riders to go back and prepare for their final race of the day.
In the final race of the class, it was Irishman Byrne who pipped Phil Lovett (Cessnock Motorcycles) right on the line to take the race win.
The pair was closely followed by Carr who was just one second behind Lovett, while Trounson and David Johnson (Pope Building Services) rounded out the top-five.
Trounson’s fourth place was enough to give him the championship win – finishing the year a mere three points ahead of runner up Carr.
Despite not taking part in the final race, Harding managed to claim third spot overall.
eFXC
The opening three-lap affair in the eFXC class saw four starters take to the track, with Simon Galloway (ELMOFO) getting off to a good start.
However it wasn’t long before O’Hanlon Electric Motorsports rider Danny Pottage showed his speed, getting to the front and streaking clear of the other riders in the race.
On his final lap, Pottage posted a new track lap record for the class, clocking a time of 1:43.705.
Pottage finished the race more than 15-seconds clear of nearest rival Daniel Ripperton (Ripperton Racing), with Jason Morris (Varley Electric Vehicles) and Galloway coming in third and fourth.
Galloway did not compete in the final event making it a race between three, With Pottage again the dominant rider.
Pottage took the race win from Ripperton in second and Morris in third.
The results gave Pottage a comprehensive 40-point championship win from Ripperton, while Morris was a further 86 points behind in third.
FX Challenge Cup
In the only race of the day in the FX Challenge Cup, Ryan Hampton took the race win ahead of Jason Ivkovic.
Check out www.fxsuperbikes.com.au or the fxsuperbikes Facebook page for all the news, results and photos from the weekend.