Max Neukirchner made a welcome return to the winner’s rostrum in this weekend’s IDM German Superbike championship seventh round at Assen in the Netherlands. Riding a Honda CBR1000RR prepared by Ten Kate Racing Products the customer racing division of the World Superbike championship’s Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team the German ace won the first IDM race and followed it up with an impressive third in race two. Neukirchner had qualified in third position on Saturday, just two tenths of a second behind pole man and local rider, Barry Veneman. In the Assen opener, he passed Veneman within three laps and, after consistently fast lap times, had extended his lead to a comfortable margin at the flag. Race two was initially delayed and then red flagged early as rain fell on the Dutch circuit. However, with the track drying quickly, the field was back out for ten dry laps with Neukirchner finishing in third plac e. Max Neukirchner 1st and 3rd The first race was brilliant and I felt so happy to be back on the podium especially on the top step. Qualifying on Saturday was quite difficult because the Dunlop qualifiers behaved a little differently to the Pirellis that I am more accustomed to. However, the front row was OK and we knew that our race pace was very strong. In race one I was able to pass Veneman quite early and just kept pushing throughout the race. In the end it was a comfortable victory. It felt fantastic to beat the other guys who have been racing with their teams and against each other all season. Race two was a little chaotic but third place and another podium was good for me. The weekend was a great personal motivation for my home race in Germany in two weeks, and we have another test at Assen before we go. I hope we can continue the good progress we made at Silverstone in the last SBK race and I’m sure t hat we can start at Nurburgring with a good feeling. Rutger Belt technical co-ordinator It’s been a great weekend for Max, for Ten Kate Racing Products and for us as a team. We knew it would be tough, especially against these regular IDM guys who have had all season together on their bikes. However, Max and his crew worked hard all weekend and, after qualifying in third place on Saturday, we knew his race pace was looking good. It’s also been a great exhibition of Ten Kate Racing Products in action and the weekend gave us the opportunity to try a few new things which we can now offer our customers with quite an endorsement! Race one: 1. Max Neukirchner (GER Ten Kate Racing Products Honda), 2. Barry Veneman (NED BMW), 3. Martin Bauer (AUT KTM), 4. Karl Muggeridge (AUS Honda), 5. Werner Daemen (BEL BMW), 6.Jorg Teuchert (GER Yamaha). Race 2: 1. Veneman (NED BMW), 2. Smrz (CZE), 3. Neukirchner (Ten Kate Racing Products Honda), 4. Muggeridge (AUS Honda), 5. Bauer (AUT KTM), 6. Daemen (BEL BMW). More, from a press release issued by Ryan Farquhar’s publicist: Four timer for Farquhar at Munster 100 Ryan Farquhar’s excellent form at the Irish National road races continued on Sunday when he took four wins at the Munster 100 Dunmanway road races in Cork, Southern Ireland. The KMR Kawasaki rider won the Open race and Grand Final on his 1000cc machine, the 450cc/125cc race on the 450cc Kawasaki and also the Super Twins race on his ER6 650cc machine. The re-introduced races, held on a 1.8-mile circuit, were a popular addition to the 2010 calendar after a long absence although the weather on Saturday did its best to spoil things and constant rain meant that practice was untimed and grid positions determined by Championship positions. Thankfully, race day was a lot better and Ryan kicked off his day with victory in the Open race although it was a close run thing with Michael Dunlop pushing him all the way, the gap between the two just 0.7s at the chequered flag. Dunlop then turned the tables on Ryan in the Supersport 600cc race and he had to settle for second on this occasion, seven seconds adrift of his younger rival. That proved to be Ryan’s only defeat of the day and he made it win number 2 with a comprehensive 12.5s victory over William Dunlop in the concurrently run 125cc/450cc race. Again proving his excellent versatility, Ryan was then back out on the ER6 Kawasaki for the Super Twins and he duly completed his hat-trick with another dominant performance, this time coming home ahead of similarly-mounted John Burrows by 13 seconds. That left just the Grand Final and Ryan wasn’t going to be denied his fourth win of the day and he again romped home for the victory, this time ending the race 3.6seconds ahead of his nearest rival, Michael Dunlop. He also set the fastest lap of the day, a new outright lap record, at 81.075mph. Speaking later, a delighted Ryan said: “It’s been another really enjoyable weekend of racing and although the circuit was one of the bumpiest, tightest ones I’ve ever ridden on, the club did an absolutely fantastic job. They made everyone feel very, very welcome and they really couldn’t have done any more for us so it was great to see race day have some fine weather a real good crowd turn out. The circuit was a bit like a mini-Macau or like the go-kart track that was used in Peel on the Isle of Man and it was real hard work on the 600cc and 1000cc machines so the smaller bikes definitely suited the circuit more but I was able to take another 4 wins and had a great time. I’ll definitely look forward to coming back here in 2011.” Ryan now has a well-earned break from racing with his next outing coming at the Killalane road races on September 11-12, the final round of the 2010 Irish Road Race Championship. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Team Suzuki rider Troy Herfoss has extended his points lead in the Australian Supersport Championship after two hard-fought races at the fifth round of the series at Queensland Raceway at the weekend. Herfoss, who started from pole position on his Team Suzuki GSX-R600, was engaged in two thrilling 16-lap races with experienced international rider, Kevin Curtain. Twenty-three-year-old Herfoss, who is only in his second full season of Supersport racing after swapping from Supermoto at the end of 2008, went bar-to-bar with Curtain in each race. The Team Suzuki rider finished the round second overall, with his 38-point haul from fourth and second placings moving him 28 points clear on the championship points table. Herfoss had entered the round with a 19-point lead. The Team Suzuki rider recorded the fastest lap in each race, but had his challenge for the win in race one thwarted when the gear-shift knob vibrated loose on lap 10. Despite the difficulty in changing gears on his Team Suzuki GSX-R600, Herfoss was able to complete the race in fourth place and secure 17 championship points. In race two, Herfoss was again engaged in a titanic battle with Curtain, the latter finally prevailing by 1.656sec at the chequered flag. The ferocity of their battles saw Curtain, a runner-up in the Supersport World Championship, direct praise at his less-experienced rival at the podium presentation. “I haven’t raced like that since I was in the World Championship a few years ago,” said Curtain. “Troy is going well.” After five rounds, Herfoss now leads the six-round Australian Supersport Championship on 178pts from Christan Casella 150 and Suzuki GSX-R600 rider Brodie Waters 141. In the Australian Superbike Championship Team Suzuki riders Robbie Bugden and Shawn Giles finished sixth and seventh respectively with 29 points apiece after chasing a set-up they were comfortable with on the bumpy and challenging 3.12km Ipswich circuit. The round was won by current championship leader Bryan Staring. Bugden, a three-time New Zealand Superbike Champion, finished ninth and fifth in the two 16-lap races, but was fortunate to finish race one when a collision with another rider removed his Team Suzuki Mack Trucks GSX-R1000’s clutch lever. In race two Bugden was involved in an entertaining battle with 2008 Australian champion Glenn Allerton and fellow Suzuki GSX-R1000 rider Scott Charlton, the Queenslander finishing just 0.196sec behind Allerton in the battle for fourth and 0.403sec ahead of Charlton. Giles, a three-time Australian Superbike Champion, finished seventh in each race after starting from the third row of the grid. Giles’ 29-point haul consolidated fourth overall in the championship standings, with the Team Suzuki rider now just 3.5pts off third. With two rounds remaining Bryan Staring leads the seven-round series on 166pts from Wayne Maxwell 147.5, Allerton 115 and Giles 111.5. Missing from the grid for Round Five’s two Superbike races was the Team Suzuki GSX-R1000 of reigning Australian champion Josh Waters, the 23-year-old being ruled out of the meeting on Thursday after medical tests revealed he had not recovered sufficiently from an accident in early July in the USA when testing for the US Suzuki Superbike team. The series now heads to Victoria’s Phillip Island circuit on September 10-12 for round six of the seven-round series, to be run in conjunction with the V8 Supercars. Phil Tainton – Team Manager: “Troy’s performance this weekend was exceptional. It’s the first round this year that Troy hasn’t won, but to race like that with Kevin Curtain showed maturity beyond his years. “It was unfortunate what happened with the gear-lever knob vibrating loose in race one – that’s something we’ve never encountered before. It was a challenging weekend finding a set-up for the Superbike guys that they were happy with, as the circuit is quite bumpy in parts. “Of course we want to win every time we go out there, and winning both classes was our aim. But Bryan Staring got his package working better, so congratulations to him. “Shawn has closed the points’ gap to third in the championship, so we’re looking forward to the next round at Phillip Island.” Troy Herfoss: “I’m really pleased with the weekend results although I’m a little annoyed with myself for making a few mistakes. It was great to race with a person like Kev and I appreciate what he said after the race – he’s a great rider. It was good hard racing, but clean and fair. “It was unfortunate in race one when the gear-lever knob vibrated loose as it meant I could not race for the win. But to extend my championship lead was more important than race wins this weekend, so I’m happy with that. The bike was awesome and the team did a great job.” Shawn Giles: “I had a few problems getting a set-up I was happy with and I couldn’t get the confident feel I was after. “Missing Superpole didn’t do me any favours when I got bumped out of the top eight in the last five minutes and it was always going to be hard starting both races from row three. “The team worked non-stop all weekend and kept making set-up changes until I had the confidence to push harder. I can’t thank them enough. I’m only a few points off third in the championship now, so I’m looking forward to Phillip Island – a circuit I really enjoy.” Robbie Budgen: “It’s always great to race in front of my friends and family at my home round at Queensland Raceway. It would have been good to have got on the podium, but the pace up front was pretty hot and I’d struggled throughout practice and qualifying with set-up. “We got things working for Superpole and in Sunday warm-up, but having my clutch lever knocked off in race one didn’t do me any favours. Up-shifting was okay, but down-shifting was difficult. Race two was more like it and the battle with Glenn and Scotty was a good one.” Joshua Waters: “It’s obviously disappointing not to be racing, but it’s important that I’m fully fit before I get back on the bike. Team Suzuki has been monitoring my progress and making sure I’ve been getting regular medical attention. There was no way the team was going to let me race this weekend unless I had 100 per cent clearance. “It would be unsafe for me and unsafe for the other competitors if I’m not 100 per cent fit. I’m probably another week away from being fully right, so it’s better to sit out the meeting, but I’m looking forward to racing at the next round.” 2010 AUSTRALIAN SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP Superbike Overall Results – Round 5: 1 Bryan Staring; 2 Jamie Stauffer; 3 Wayne Maxwell; 4 Glenn Allerton; 5 Scott Charlton (Suzuki GSX-R1000); 6 Robbie Bugden (Suzuki GSX-R1000); 7 Shawn Giles (Suzuki GSX-R1000); 8 Daniel Stauffer; 9 Shannon Johnson; 10 John Allen.. Superbike Championship Points (after 5 of 7 rounds): 1 Bryan Staring 166pts; 2 Wayne Maxwell 147.5; 3 Glenn Allerton 115; 4 Shawn Giles (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 111.5; 5 Scott Charlton (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 110; 6 Josh Waters (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 105.5; 7 Jamie Stauffer 98; 8 Shannon Johnson 90; 9 Robbie Bugden (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 87; 10 John Allen 68.5. Supersport Overall Results – Round 5: 1 Kevin Curtain; 2 Troy Herfoss (Suzuki GSX-R600); 3 Christan Casella; 4 Rick Olson; 5 Pat Medcalf; 6 Aaron Gobert; 7 Chris Quinn; 8 Ben Burke; 9 Andy Lawson; 10 Blake Leigh-Smith (Suzuki GSX-R600). Supersport Championship Points (after 5 of 7 rounds): 1 Troy Herfoss (Suzuki GSX-R600) 178pts; 2 Christan Casella 150; 3 Brodie Waters (Suzuki GSX-R600) 141; 4 Chris Quinn 107; 5 Aaron Gobert 98; 6 Ben Burke 87; 7 Ryan Taylor 80; 8 Kevin Curtain; 9 Mitchell Carr (Suzuki GSX-R600) 68; 10 Blake Leigh-Smith (Suzuki GSX-R600) 63.