Gobert fourth in Queensland Raceway round of ASBK Supersport Gobert Motorsports/CycleOnline.com.au Yamaha’s Aaron Gobert finished a solid fourth overall at Queensland Raceway’s fourth round of the Australian Supersport Championship on 3-5 June. Gobert narrowly missed the overall podium by four points with 4-6 results in the pair of 17-lap races, now sitting fourth in the series overall and second in the Privateer Cup. “It was a weekend where we got some important points, but it would have been nice to get on the podium overall for our sponsors,” Gobert said. “The battle for second in the championship is tight at the moment with just a few points separating us, so we need to keep pushing for the final round. “The championship isn’t out of reach even though [Kevin] Curtain has a pretty comfortable lead we’re not giving up hope of that just yet. I was able to win the opening round at Phillip Island to start the year, so hopefully I can repeat that and see where we end up come November.” Gobert now sits 24 points behind factory Yamaha rider Curtain in the championship standings with two races to go, also just four points off leader Christan Casella in the Privateer Cup championship. The former AMA Superstock Champion remains in title contention with just one round remaining, set to be contested at Phillip Island in Victoria on 18-20 November. 2011 Australian Supersport Championship Round Four Queensland Raceway, QLD Round Results: 1. Kevin CURTAIN 50 2. Brendan CLARKE 40 3. Rick OLSON 36 4. Aaron GOBERT (Gobert Motorsports Yamaha) 32 5. Brodie WATERS 31 6. Nicholas WATERS 31 7. Chris QUINN 30 8. Glenn SCOTT 25 9. Christan CASELLA 24 10. Andy LAWSON 23 Championship Standings (after 4 of 5 rounds): 1. Kevin CURTAIN 155 2. Brodie WATERS 134 3. Christan CASELLA 132 4. Aaron GOBERT (Gobert Motorsports Yamaha) 131 5. Rick OLSON 125 6. Mitchell CARR 120 7. Nicholas WATERS 97 8. Andy LAWSON 93 9. Chris QUINN 85 10. Glenn SCOTT 75 More, from a press release issued by TwoThree Public Relations: Waters continues consistent run with sixth in Supersport at Queensland ASBK Mildura rising star Nick Waters has continued his consistent run in the penultimate round of the Australian Supersport Championship, finishing a fine sixth overall at Queensland Raceway on 3-5 June. The Waters Racing/Sunstate Racing Suzuki privateer has been a revelation in 2011 as a rookie in the premier 600cc ranks of Australian road racing, finishing with 6-5 results during Sunday’s pair of 17-lap races. Waters’ results tied him with elder brother Brodie, who is Team Suzuki’s factory Supersport contender, for fifth overall, however the latter was credited with the position due to his higher finish in race two. “It was good to get a fair few points wrapped up for the weekend even though it wasn’t what I was hoping,” the talented 18-year-old reflected. “It was difficult coming into the round after not riding for six weeks since we’ve been struggling with funding, so hopefully we can gain more support for the final round and I’ll be able to show them what I can do.” “It’s going to be hard at the final round at Phillip Island, but I had the pace there at the start of the year, which was my first race on the bike when I was still getting used to it. We have Steve Mudford from Technical Partners working the suspension now, so we’ll come back fighting strong and it should be good.” Waters now sits seventh in the championship standings after four of five rounds, also maintaining a strong fourth place in the standings for the Privateer Cup with a single round remaining. The final round of the 2011 Australian Supersport Championship will take place at Phillip Island in Victoria on 18-20 November. 2011 Australian Supersport Championship Round Four Queensland Raceway, QLD Round Results: 1. Kevin CURTAIN 50 2. Brendan CLARKE 40 3. Rick OLSON 36 4. Aaron GOBERT 32 5. Brodie WATERS 31 6. Nicholas WATERS (Waters Racing/Sunstate Racing Suzuki) 31 7. Chris QUINN 30 8. Glenn SCOTT 25 9. Christan CASELLA 24 10. Andy LAWSON 23 Championship Standings (after 4 of 5 rounds): 1. Kevin CURTAIN 155 2. Brodie WATERS 134 3. Christan CASELLA 132 4. Aaron GOBERT 131 5. Rick OLSON 125 6. Mitchell CARR 120 7. Nicholas WATERS (Waters Racing/Sunstate Racing Suzuki) 97 8. Andy LAWSON 93 9. Chris QUINN 85 10. Glenn SCOTT 75 More, from a press release issued by TwoThree Public Relations: Podium performance in Queensland sets Halliday up for ASBK Prostock title YRD/Carbon Imports & Accessories Yamaha rider Cru Halliday has positioned himself in the box seat for the 2011 Australian Prostock Championship following a third place finish at Queensland Raceway’s penultimate round on 3-5 June. Halliday, 23, had enjoyed a perfect season to date with victories in the opening rounds of the series, however he had his work cut out for him in Queensland and rose to the challenge with a hard-fought third overall after clinching pole position on Saturday. Saturday’s opening race saw Halliday finish third, just 0.398sec off the win after a chaotic 10 laps, before he again captured another pair of consistent third place finishes on Sunday. “We went into this round thinking about the championship, just trying to ride smart and to maintain the series lead,” Halliday explained. “I was going for the win but just didn’t quite have the pace on the weekend. There were no silly mistakes and I managed to keep it on two wheels, which was good. “I’ve been on the podium at every round so far, so hopefully I’ll put it back up on the top step next time. We have some things we need to work on to improve after this round, but consistency is the key for the title and I’m happy enough with third and the points that go with it.” Halliday now enjoys a healthy 64-point lead in the championship with a single round remaining, now in the box seat to add the Prostock title to the Superstock 1000 Championship that he captured last season. “I obviously want to win the final round at Phillip Island, so we’ll see how it goes and it’d be nice to get that number one plate with another round win to finish out the season,” Halliday concluded. Halliday is supported by Calypso Travel Systems, YRD Yamaha, GYTR, Berik Leathers, Shark Helmets, Bel-Ray Oils, Capit Tyre Warmers, MWR Air filters, bike-photos.com, Carbon Imports, G.M.D Computrack, Go Boating, Xsportz.com.au and Whites Racing Products. The final round of the 2011 Australian Prostock Championship will take place at Phillip Island in Victoria on 18-20 November. 2011 Australian Prostock Championship Round Three Queensland Raceway, QLD Round Results: 1. Pat MEDCALF 65 2. John ROSS 59 3. Cru HALLIDAY (YRD/Carbon Imports & Accessories Yamaha) 55 4. Linden MAGEE 48 5. Ben NICOLSON 47 6. Nathan HOUTERMAN 45 7. Scott YATES 43 8. Corey SNOWSILL 38 9. Anthony QUINN 33 10. Chris WACKER 31 Championship Standings (after 3 of 4 rounds): 1. Cru HALLIDAY (YRD/Carbon Imports & Accessories Yamaha) 207 2. Linden MAGEE 143 3. Scott YATES 132 4. John ROSS 130 5. Ben NICOLSON 122 6. Nathan HOUTERMAN 119 7. Matthew WALTERS 113 8. Anthony QUINN 107 9. Daniel MOULTON 90 10. Richard PARRY 68 More, from a press release issued by Bel-Ray: FARMINGDALE, NJ June 6, 2011 Bel-Ray Company, Inc. Bel-Ray Racing Around the World- Weekend Wrap Up The Yamaha Racing Team led the way with multiple victories in Australian Superbike Racing Action. In 600cc Supersport Racing, the Yamaha duo of Kevin Curtain and Rick Olson scored excellent 1st and 3rd places overall, respectively. Curtain’s victory gives him a 21 point lead in the championship standings, with just 1 round left. In the 1000cc Pro Stock class, teammate Rick Olson used 2-2-1 race finishes to take the overall victory. “To win two classes and have every rider on the podium at the end of a round always means the team has had a great day,” said Team Manager, John Redding who was pleased with the weekend results. Round 5 of the 17-Round 2011 Moto2 Championship Series was less than ideal for the Bel-Ray backed Tech3 racing team. After setting a 6th fastest qualifying time, Bradley Smith lost many places on the first lap and found himself in 14th place. Working his way through the field, Smith was just outside the top 10, when he was caught up in a high speed crash involving other competitors. Smith’s machine was damaged but he soldiered on and on the final lap was into 8th place when he ran off track in a braking zone. He kept the bike under control but the damage was done and he could only finish 19th place. Teammate Mike DiMeglio has been struggling all season long and round 5 in Cataluyna was no exception. DiMeglio was moving forward early when he went down. He was uninjured but the bike was damaged too much to continue. He was credited with a 30th place finish for the afternoon. The team returns to action this weekend in the United Kingdom. International motocross racing took place this weekend on both France and Canada. Round 5 of the MX1 World Motocross Championship Series took place in Saint Jean D’Angely, France. TM Factory racer Tanel Leok was 10th overall with 10-10 moto finishes. In Canada, the Kini / Red Bull / KTM / IMX / Bel-Ray Racing team made its debut with Mason Phillips, finishing 14th overall in the MX1 class and teammate Kieran Leigh finishing 9th overall in the MX2 class. Follow Bel-Ray’s professional and amateur racing action all year long at www.belray.com. Bel-Ray – made in the USA and racing around the world. More, from a press release issued by Indianapolis Motor Speedway: MotoGP RACE REPORT: GRAND PRIX OF CATALUNYA Stoner gains ground on Lorenzo with comfortable win; Edwards misses race with injury INDIANAPOLIS, Monday, June 6, 2011 – Defending World Champion Jorge Lorenzo is hearing the wail of a Honda engine more closely than ever after Casey Stoner won the Grand Prix of Catalunya on June 5, cutting Lorenzo’s lead in the MotoGP World Championship to just seven points. 2007 MotoGP World Champion Stoner took the lead from Lorenzo on Lap 1 of the 25-lap race on the Circuit de Catalunya and rode his Repsol Honda to a comfortable, 2.403-second victory over Lorenzo’s Yamaha Factory Racing machine. It was Stoner’s second consecutive victory and third of the season, and he closed to within 98-91 of leader Lorenzo in the series standings. “We got a reasonably good start but not as good as Jorge,” Stoner said. “I wanted to try to pass him early on but had to wait until the end of the first lap. From this point, I just tried to put in the consistent laps, as we did in the practice sessions, to see if he could stay with me. Fortunately I was able to open up an advantage without pushing too hard or feeling too much pressure.” Lorenzo’s Yamaha Factory Racing teammate, American Ben Spies, finished third, 4.291 seconds behind Stoner. It was Spies’ first podium finish of the season. “The bike was great, and I felt good on it and just needed a good result,” Spies said. “After the first couple of laps, I realized we had a shot at a podium, so I rode as hard as I could.” The starting grid was missing two of its top riders, 2010 Red Bull Indianapolis GP winner Dani Pedrosa and American veteran Colin Edwards, both recovering from broken collarbones. Pedrosa suffered his injury in a crash with Marco Simoncelli last month at the Grand Prix of France, while Edwards was hurt in a practice crash Friday. Edwards had surgery Saturday to insert a titanium plate and 13 screws into his shattered right collarbone and wanted to try to start the race Sunday to extend his streak of never missing a Grand Prix during his MotoGP career, which started in 2003. But he was not granted medical clearance by track doctors and saw his streak of 141 consecutive starts end. Edwards is expected to be back aboard his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 machine June 10-12 for the Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone. Pedrosa’s return remains uncertain. The other American on the grid, 2006 MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden, finished eighth on his Ducati. Once surprise pole sitter Simoncelli was passed by five riders on the first lap, the remaining drama came about midway through the race when very light rain began to fall. Teams began to prepare backup bikes with rain tires, but the skies never opened enough for riders to need to switch to their rain machines. RESULTS BARCELONA, Spain – Results of the 25-lap Grand Prix of Catalunya MotoGP race, with position, rider, country, motorcycle, time behind winner. All riders on Bridgestone tires: 1. Casey Stoner Australia Honda 2. Jorge Lorenzo Spain Yamaha +2.403 3. Ben Spies United States Yamaha +4.291 4. Andrea Dovizioso Italy Honda +5.255 5. Valentino Rossi Italy Ducati +7.371 6. Marco Simoncelli Italy Honda +11.831 7. Cal Crutchlow Great Britain Yamaha +26.483 8. Nicky Hayden United States Ducati +33.243 9. Loris Capirossi Italy Ducati +43.092 10. Karel Abraham Czech Republic Ducati +43.113 11. Hector Barbera Spain Ducati +44.224 12. Alvaro Bautista Spain Suzuki +45.239 13. Toni Elias Spain Honda +58.268 NC Randy de Puniet France Ducati +22 laps NC Hiroshi Aoyama Japan Honda +22 laps NC – Not classified Fastest lap: Stoner, 1:43.084, Lap 5; Pole lap: Simoncelli, 1:42.413 POINTS Riders: Lorenzo 98, Stoner 91, Dovizioso 63, Pedrosa 61, Rossi 58, Hayden 47, Spies 36, Aoyama 36, Simoncelli 32, Crutchlow 30, Barbera 26, Abraham 24, Edwards 21, Elias 20, Capirossi 16, Bautista 11, De Puniet 6, Hopkins 6. Manufacturers: Honda 120, Yamaha 98, Ducati 63, Suzuki 17. PODIUM QUOTES CASEY STONER (Repsol Honda Team, winner): “We got a reasonably good start but not as good as Jorge. I wanted to try to pass him early on but had to wait until the end of the first lap. From this point, I just tried to put in the consistent laps, as we did in the practice sessions, to see if he could stay with me. Fortunately I was able to open up an advantage without pushing too hard or feeling too much pressure. I was really happy; the bike was feeling fantastic. And then it started to rain. There was enough rain there to make you think that it will affect the bike, and in the last corner there was enough rain to make the track slippery. As I was always the first to arrive to the wet area of the track, I watched what the others were doing, and if they had started to catch me, then I would push. And if I start to pull an advantage, then I would back off a little. I’m just happy I kept the bike upright at this stage, and I want to thank all my team at Repsol Honda for all the hard work this weekend.” JORGE LORENZO (Yamaha Factory Racing, second): “I’m really happy with the result. I gave it the maximum! I overtook Casey on the start, but I knew he could overtake me. I tried to stay with him and not to lose his back wheel for as long as possible. At the end, it started to rain a little and it was tough to keep concentration in the last sector, but we managed it. We are still leading the championship, so let’s see what happens in Silverstone.” BEN SPIES (Yamaha Factory Racing, third): “We just kept pushing and pushing, and we were slowly catching up to Jorge, not necessarily to try and catch and pass him but to stay away from Andrea. The bike was great, and I felt good on it and just needed a good result. After the first couple of laps, I realized we had a shot at a podium, so I rode as hard as I could. The tire was a good choice for us today. We did what we came here to accomplish, and that’s good enough. Big thanks to the team who worked hard to deliver a great package this weekend. Bring on Silverstone!” MORE AMERICAN RIDER QUOTES NICKY HAYDEN (Ducati Team, eighth): “I thought I could do better than that. I actually got a good start and the tires came right in, so the first couple laps I thought we might be on for a good result. We used up the tire really quickly, though, and almost immediately I was spinning a lot, especially in the long corners. We had some ideas to maybe help that, but we couldn’t try them in the morning because it was wet, and it was too much of a gamble to try in the race. The rest of the bike felt really good. When the raindrops came, you definitely had to stay on your toes. I ended up in eighth, where we qualified, which I’m not thrilled with since normally we’ve been able to move up in the races. It will be a short week, so we need to understand the data and see what we get in Silverstone.” COLIN EDWARDS (Monster Yamaha Tech 3, did not start): “I’m a little bit disappointed with the decision not to let me ride because while it’s not a lifelong ambition never to miss a MotoGP race, it was a run I was pretty proud of. I understand the decision, but my shoulder feels great. Dr. Xavier Mir has done an amazing job on my collarbone because it was smashed, but it was never my intention to do the full race. I just wanted to start, do a couple of laps and pull in. I only considered it because I was here in Barcelona, and it seemed pointless breaking the streak. But I’m too big and too old to get upset, and I’m going to rest up now and concentrate on getting ready for Silverstone. I know I can race next weekend, and I’m already looking forward to it. I can’t remember the last time I missed a race and I definitely don’t like watching on TV, so I’m desperate to get back working with my Monster Yamaha Tech 3 crew.” MotoGP SUPPORT CLASS WINNERS Moto2: Stefan Bradl, Germany, Viessmann Kiefer Kalex. American Kenny Noyes was not classified. 125cc: Nicolas Terol, Spain, Bankia Aspar Team 125cc Aprilia. NEXT RACE Grand Prix of Great Britain, Silverstone Circuit, Northamptonshire, England, June 10-12, Round 6 of 18. 2011 Red Bull Indianapolis GP tickets: 2011 Red Bull Indianapolis GP tickets are on sale now. To buy tickets, visit www.imstix.com, call the IMS ticket office at (317) 492-6700 or (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area or visit the ticket office at the IMS Administration Building at the corner of Georgetown Road and 16th Street. Ticket office and phone hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) Monday-Friday. The 2011 Red Bull Indianapolis GP is scheduled for Aug. 26-28 at IMS. Race Day general admission tickets cost $40, with Friday general admission $10 and Saturday general admission $20. A three-day general admission ticket is $60. A Friday-Saturday general admission ticket is $25. Children ages 12 and under will be admitted free any of the three days of the event when accompanied by an adult with a general admission ticket. Race Day reserved seat prices will start at $70.