Team Honda Racing’s Wayne Maxwell Claims Victory at Phillip Island #47 Wayne Maxwell takes the overall round honors today for the 2nd event in a row in the Australian Superbike Category at the 2011 IVECO MotoGP at Phillip Island. With 4 races scheduled for the Superbikes at the MotoGP only 3 were run as Race 2 yesterday was cancelled due to an oil spill on the track causing lengthy delays. After a convincing win in Race 1, Maxwell gave a repeat performance in Race 3 winning with a 2.514 sec gap ahead of Allerton. Race 3 for Jamie Stauffer was not so positive when he lost the front end of his CBR1000RR on lap 4; his race was finished. Today’s final race of the event for the Superbikes, Race 4 was declared wet when the heavens opened just before the race start and it was then shortened to 5 laps. Maxwell got off the starting line in the lead, but a spectacular moment on the first lap saw Maxwell leap from his seat yet somehow manage to recover his composure, dropping him back to 3rd where he remained until the chequered flag. From his P1 position on the grid, #27 Jamie Stauffer finished Race 4 in 2nd place just .398 sec behind Allerton. Stauffer finished 8th overall for the event. Stauffer: “It was good to finish the final race in 2nd place although I would have liked to have had more success in the previous 2 races. This round does not count towards our Australian Championship points though so it was useful to gain more information on the set up of the CBR1000RR as we head to Tasmania for Round 7 of our Championship.” Maxwell is also focusing on the penultimate round of the Australian Superbike Championship as he looks to increase his points and take a place on the podium. Maxwell: “Today’s race was a bit different to the other 2 with such changeable weather and having to swap bikes on the grid when the rain started. I got a bit caught out on the first lap with a near crash, but managed to recover which was good. Towards the end of the race I felt comfortable and was able to increase my pace. I finished 3rd which is ok and to take the overall win for weekend was terrific.” Team Principle Paul Free is pleased to take the overall round win for Honda and comes away from the MotoGP with some valuable data to take into Round 7 of the Superbike Championship. Free: “It has been a very successful but trying weekend for Team Honda Racing. It is awesome for Wayne to take his 2nd round win in a row and some race victories, but disappointing for Jamie to have the weekend that he had. The schedule for the GP for the Australian Superbike category is not ideal but it does provide some valuable track time on the very circuit we will finish our championship on at the end of the year. The information gathered throughout the weekend with incidents like Jamie’s crash highlights areas we need to develop to strengthen our motorcycle. Moving forward we know exactly what we need to do to win both remaining rounds of the Australian Superbike Championship in Tasmania and Phillip Island.” Team Honda Racing will compete in Round 7 of the ASBK at Symmons Plains Raceway on November 12th and 13th. More, from a press release issued by Team Pedercini: Dry track and sunny weather conditions today in Portimao for the last round of the World Superbike championship and the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup. A fourth row start for Aitchison and the sixth row for Barragan in today’s 22-lap Superbike races. In race one Aitchison suffered from some problems with his tyres. The Aussie rider was not able to find a good rhythm due to the lack of grip on his rear tyre. Mark obtained the seventeenth position while teammate Barragan was forced to return to the box near to the end of the race to change the tyres. The Spanish rider rejoined the race ending in twentieth position. In race two Aitchison’s start was pretty good but as the race progressed Mark lost some positions, ending the race in twentieth position. Another difficult race for Barragan who was forced to retire due to technical problems. Superbike Race 1 : 1) Checa (Ducati) – 2) Guintoli (Ducati) 3) Rea (Honda) 4) Biaggi (Aprilia) “¦.. 17) Aitchison (Kawasaki) “¦. 20) Barragan (Kawasaki) Superbike Race 2 : 1) Melandri (Yamaha) 2) Laverty (Yamaha) 3) Rea (Honda) – 4) Checa (Aprilia)”¦.. 20) Aitchison (Kawasaki) ..”¦ Ret) Barragan (Kawasaki) Santiago Barragan : “Two very difficult races for us. In race one a few laps after the start I felt a lot of chattering coming from the rear wheel and shifting also on the front wheel. The problem only got worse as the race laps continued. I went back to the box to change the tires, but the race was nearly finished. In race two I found a lot of difficulties riding my bike. With worn-out tires I felt some vibrations coming from the rear wheel and so I preferred to re-enter the box and end the race. In any case it was an important experience for me and I would like to thank team Pedercini for this great opportunity and all my technicians for their help”. Mark Aitchison: “It was quite a difficult day in Portimao with our two races. I was hoping for a much more positive day for the final round of the year, but unfortunately the tyre choises for each race did not work at all. In the first race we took a small risk with the harder tyre with the hope that we would come stronger forward the end of the race, but the tyre never came into work. In the second we went to other extreme of the tyre range, with the soft, something we tested yesterday, but the result was even worse. After around 5-6 laps I had no grip at all and I lost a lot of time to the mid pack of riders. When we lost all grip from the rear this also had a major effect on the front end of the bike, so it was a little frustrating, but this is racing sometimes. This year for me with the Pedercini family has been great fun. I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience and I want to say thank you to my personal technicians, the entire team and all the sponsors who helped make this year happen”. Sunny conditions today in the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimao for the last Superstock 1000 FIM Cup race of the season. After his strong qualifying performance Brian Staring started from the second row while Marco Bussolotti lined up from the fourth and Tati Mercado from the fifth. A very good start for Staring who reached third place, Bussolotti was lying in thirteenth and Mercado twentieth. As the race proceeded Staring lost one position while Bussolotti and Mercado recovered a lot of positions to reach respectively tenth and fifteenth place. Staring ended the race with an amazing fourth place! In the last laps Bussolotti and Mercado were able to pass some riders. The Italian rider was ninth while Tati reached the points zone, ending in thirteenth position. Superstock 1000 race : 1) Petrucci (Ducati) 2) Barrier (BMW) – 3) Morais (Kawasaki) – 4) Staring (Kawasaki) “¦”¦ 9) Bussolotti (Kawasaki)”¦”¦..13) Mercado (Kawasaki) Marco Bussolotti: “What an amazing recovery! My start was not so bad but us often happens in the Superstock races, in the first curve there was a crash and a lot of confusion. I lost a lot of positions and I damaged my bike’s fairing. Starting from the first few laps I pushed very hard and found a very fast pace. I was able to overtake a lot of riders and I’m pretty happy with the ninth position reached. I want to thank my whole team because today my bike was very fast”. Brian Staring: “I’m really very happy because today I was able to fight for the podium. Unfortunately I did not understand that it was the last lap and I didn’t try to overtake Morais. But I’m happy with the results reached today and if I had had a bit of better luck we could have taken an even better result. I want to thank the whole Pedercini team because they gave me the great opportunity to race in Europe. They gave me a great deal of help, especially through some difficult moments in my first European season. Thanks to them and to all my supporters”. Leandro “Tati” Mercado: “My start was bad and in the first curve I made a mistake, starting the race in the worst possible way. I was in twenty third position, but fortunately I quickly found a good race pace and I was able to overtake a lot of riders to reach thirteen place and the points zone. I’m pretty happy with today’s result considering the difficulties I found in the first lap. I want to thank my crew for doing such a wonderful job, not only this weekend but all season”. More, from a press release issued by FTR MOTO: FTR ACE ESPARGARO CONTINUES RUN WITH FIFTH IN AUSTRALIA FTR MOTO rider Pol Espargaro extended a run of consecutive World Championship point-scoring finishes to five as the young Spaniard finished fifth in Sunday’s 15th round of the Moto2 series at the Phillip Island circuit in Australia. The HP Tuenti Speed Up rider who qualified in sixth place, just 0.068s off the front row led in the early stages of the 25-lap race before running wide out of the left-hand Siberia corner, dropping as low as ninth place before eventually taking fifth place. “Pol has continued to show some great form since that runner-up finish at Indianapolis six weeks ago,” said FTR’s Steve Bones. “He has continually improved during 2011 since he moved from the 125cc class and he’s already won five 125cc grands prix so hopefully he can add a Moto2 win before the 2011 Championship closes. Simon Corsi, on the Ioda Racing Project FTR M211, continued his run of scoring in every race with 15th place to retain fifth in the Championship while Kenny Noyes (FOGI/GP Tech M211) finished 22nd, Joan Olive on Alex Debon’s Aeroport de Castello M211 took 23rd with Yonny Hernandez 24th on the Blusens STX machine. Santiago Hernandez (SAG Team) finished 26th, 1.7s ahead of Australian wild card and Spanish Championship regular Blake Leigh-Smith on the BRP Racing FTR machine. Speed Up’s Valentin Debise was a retirement on the 19th lap while there were first lap crashes for the MZ-FTR pairing of Max Neukirchner and Anthony West, Ioda Racing Project’s Mattia Pasini and Blusens STX youngster Esteve Rabat. Ratthapark Wilairot (Thai Honda Singha SAG) was unable to start the race after suffering minor injuries in a qualifying session crash on Friday. Bones added: “Having four riders crash out on the first lap wasn’t the start to the race that anyone wants but we got an M211 in the top six for the 14th time this year and we have plenty to be optimistic about for the final two races in Malaysia and Valencia.” More, from a press release issued by Supersonic Racing Team: Best result for this year for Maxime Berger at the World Superbike Championship Today was the end of the World Superbike Championship 2011 with two races at Portimao. But also the last two races for the Supersonic Team. Maxime Berger and the technicians from the team from Danilo Soncini worked hard to end the season in the best way. Maxime Berger won the best result ever in race one, finishing seventh in a race between the leaders. The French rider was fighting with some riders and gave the show with overtaking and then, pulls to the limit. The second race started in the worst way, with an electronic problem that forced Maxime Berger with a departure from the last position. But the young French Supersonic Team rider was fighting back and was able to overtake many of the riders ahead of him, finishing in tenth position at the end of the race. Another great result for Maxime and for the whole team. Here closes the adventures from the Supersonic Team in the World Superbike Championship. Maxime Berger: “Today I gave everything I could and I ran both races at the limit. In race one, I really enjoyed the moments I struggled with riders such as Biaggi, Haga and Haslam. Seventh place in the first race is the best result of my first season in Superbike and I am very happy with my performance. In race two we had a problem with the “ride-by-wire” exact on the moment to get on track. My technicians are immediately intervened and solved the problem, but I needed to line up behind the starting line and therefore I went on the last place on the grid. I threw myself into the race and was pushing more than I could to recover position after position, up to finish the race in tenth. I want to thank from the bottom of my heart, Danilo Soncini and my whole team who helped me this season. They believed in me and allowed me to get good results. To them goes my great gratitude.”