YAMAHA RACING TEAM DOMINATES THE COMPETITION AT WINTON The Yamaha Racing Team has shone at Winton Raceway this weekend, with Jamie Stauffer taking Superbike honours and Mark Aitchison the winner in the Supersport field. The factory operation completed a clean sweep of both classes at round 6 of the YMF Loan Australian Superbike Championship, and Stauffer and Aitchison were unchallenged on their way to dual wins. Cloudless blue skies may have been an indication of things to come, and the team certainly has its competition scratching its head as to where the extra pace is found. A successful pre-round test session put the team in good stead and the riders took full advantage of the setup improvements that were made. The team has now secured an unbeatable lead in the Supersport class and stretched its Superbike points advantage to 37, with just 51 points on offer for the final round at Eastern Creek next month. Superbike Jamie Stauffer has displayed a relentless dominance at today’s round of the YMF Loan Australian Superbike Championship at Winton Raceway, blasting away from pole position to record dual race wins. Stauffer was simply unstoppable, and only needed a few corners before he began to put clear air between himself and his rival competitors. He completed the challenge with ease, and at the end of race 2 he had put 17 seconds between himself and second place. He shattered the Winton lap record easily, and cruised home in the closing stages as riders behind him struggled to break free of their own battles. He now leads the YMF Loan Australian Superbike Championship by 37 points, with his closest rival struggling this weekend and failing to finish on the podium. “I’m very pleased with the result today, it was fairly easy I had a fantastic bike beneath me and as usual the Dunlops were up to the task,” said Stauffer. “The setup was spot-on and I felt very confident about setting fast lap times consistently around here, its good to take maximum points away from the weekend as that makes the job that little bit easier at Eastern Creek.” The only low point of the weekend for the Superbike team was Dan Stauffer’s spill in Saturday’s opening qualifying session, with the third-placed championship rider tumbling from his bike and dislocating his shoulder. As a result, he was unable to continue on the R1 for the weekend, and will spend the next few weeks resting and preparing himself to return to racing at Eastern Creek. The non-starts in today’s Superbike races means Stauffer drops to 5th in the championship, and he is determined to bounce back as soon as possible. “It’s a real shame not to have been out there today, I went into turn three yesterday and just found myself with no front brakes,” said Stauffer. “It was a fairly quick and awkward crash, I ended up skidding into the dirt and actually hit my head against the wall before coming to a stop.” “It’s obviously disappointing too in terms of the championship, especially with the strong form we had been showing. On the other hand it is a great result for the team in terms of Jamie’s win and I’m looking forward to returning for Eastern Creek.” Supersport The penultimate round of the YMF Loan Australian Supersport Championship has been a resounding success for the Yamaha Racing Team’s Supersport division, with positions 1 to 4 filled by the dominant R6 machines. Mark Aitchison took the round honours after he recorded back-to-back victories in the two 17-lap races, an unique achievement in his professional motor racing career. Aitchison was relentless in his pursuit of the round win, delivering the team a convincing pole position yesterday and not looking back when the racing got underway. His maximum points haul from the round 51 points elevated him to second place in the championship with a single round remaining. He was elated with the result, one he had been chasing all season, and was glad to have shaken off the bad run of luck which had plagued him in the past. “It’s definitely a long time coming, a few things haven’t gone our way this year but this was the round to make up for it, it was absolutely awesome,” said Aitchison. “I can’t thank the guys enough within the team and all the hard work they’ve done throughout the year.” “It’s looking great for the championship now, so we’ll try to carry on at Eastern Creek.” “I think it’s the first time I’ve done the double in my career, it’s very satisfying.” Jason O’Halloran provided strong backup for his teammate, riding to a solid second position on the back of two second place finishes in the races. O’Halloran kept the fight for race victory alive, and his pace helped to push Aitchison and was a visible motivator for both riders. He also made gains in his own championship campaign, climbing to third overall on the ladder. “I went with Mark for the first few laps of the last race, I was pushing pretty hard but he was just too fast today, I was struggling to keep up,” said O’Halloran. “I just wanted to bank some good points, and it puts me in a good position for the championship. Thanks to the team who did a great job, and bring on Eastern Creek.” While Jamie Stauffer seemed to keep a low profile this weekend in the Supersport races, he only had one thing on his mind championship points. At the conclusion of the Winton round the team was ecstatic to discover Stauffer had bridged the points gap between himself and second place, building an unassailable lead and effectively taking the title with a round still remaining. Stauffer kept a close eye on his teammates as they set the pace ahead of him, and cruised to third overall for the round. He was understandably pleased to learn his championship lead could not be beaten, and thanked the team for the contribution they made to his stellar Supersport season. “I’ve had a really good year, the bikes and tyres have worked very well in my favour and made it easy for me to wrap up the championship today,” said Stauffer. “It wasn’t really about going out there and going for the win, I’ve concentrated on the Superbike for the last few rounds so I’m happy to have scored enough points to win the championship with a round left.” He will be officially crowned 2006 YMF Loan Australian Supersport Champion when the series heads to Eastern Creek in mid-November, with the team looking to round out of the most dominant seasons in motor racing in fine style. YMF Loan Australian Superbike Championship, Winton Round Race 1. 1 Jamie STAUFFER (NSW) / Yamaha Racing Team 2 Robert BUGDEN (QLD) / Team Yoshimura Suzuki 3 Shawn GILES (NSW) / Team Yoshimura Suzuki 4 Andrew STROUD (NZ) / Superbike New Zealand / Brother / SsangYong 5 Russell HOLLAND (NSW) / Robern Racing Honda / Pirelli Tyres 6 Glenn ALLERTON (NSW) / Joe Rocket Honda / Honda Australia 7 Joshua WATERS (VIC) / Kawasaki Racing Team 8 Wayne MAXWELL (NSW) / Floyd Parkes Kawasaki / Pirelli / Michelin 9 Shannon ETHERIDGE (NSW) / Kirk McCarthy Award / Suzuki Aust. / Phil Tainton 10 Ashley ROE (VIC) / Roe Motorcycles / Chemblast / Michelin YMF Loan Australian Superbike Championship, Winton Round Race 2. 1 Jamie STAUFFER (NSW) / Yamaha Racing Team 2 Robert BUGDEN (QLD) / Team Yoshimura Suzuki 3 Andrew STROUD (NZ) / Superbike New Zealand / Brother / SsangYong 4 Scott CHARLTON (VIC) / Tarmac Civil Constructions 5 Russell HOLLAND (NSW) / Robern Racing Honda / Pirelli Tyres 6 Shawn GILES (NSW) / Team Yoshimura Suzuki 7 Wayne MAXWELL (NSW) / Floyd Parkes Kawasaki / Pirelli / Michelin 8 Joshua WATERS (VIC) / Kawasaki Racing Team 9 Shannon ETHERIDGE (NSW) / Kirk McCarthy Award / Suzuki Aust. / Phil Tainton 10 Ashley ROE (VIC) / Roe Motorcycles / Chemblast / Michelin YMF Loan Australian Superbike Championship, Winton Round Overall Points. 1 Jamie STAUFFER (NSW) 51 2 Robert BUGDEN (QLD) 40 3 Andrew STROUD (NZ) 35 4 Shawn GILES (NSW) 33 5 Russell HOLLAND (NSW) 32 6 Wayne MAXWELL (NSW) 27 7 Joshua WATERS (VIC) 27 8 Shannon ETHERIDGE (NSW) 24 9 Ashley ROE (VIC) 22 10 Cole ODENDAAL (QLD) 19 YMF Loan Australian Supersport Championship, Winton Round Race 1. 1 Mark AITCHISON (NSW) / Yamaha Racing Team 2 Jason O’HALLORAN (NSW) / Yamaha Racing Team 3 Jeremy CROWE (NSW) / Sydney Mesh & Steel / Yamaha 4 Jamie STAUFFER (NSW) / Yamaha Racing Team 5 Bryan STARING (WA) / Jardine Honda / Honda Australia 6 Joshua WATERS (VIC) / Kawasaki Racing Team 7 Glenn ALLERTON (NSW) / Joe Rocket Honda 8 Shaun GERONIMI (NSW) / Sydney Mesh & Steel / Geronimi Concreting 9 Christopher SEATON (VIC) 10 Judd GREEDY (VIC) / Redwing Honda / Clearmake / Dickies YMF Loan Australian Supersport Championship, Winton Round Race 2. 1 Mark AITCHISON (NSW) / Yamaha Racing Team 2 Jason O’HALLORAN (NSW) / Yamaha Racing Team 3 Jamie STAUFFER (NSW) / Yamaha Racing Team 4 Jeremy CROWE (NSW) / Sydney Mesh & Steel / Yamaha 5 Joshua WATERS (VIC) / Kawasaki Racing Team 6 Glenn ALLERTON (NSW) / Joe Rocket Honda 7 Craig SHIRRIFFS (NZ) / Team Yoshimura Suzuki 8 Christopher SEATON (VIC) 9 Shaun GERONIMI (NSW) / Sydney Mesh & Steel / Geronimi Concreting 10 Judd GREEDY (VIC) / Redwing Honda / Clearmake / Dickies YMF Loan Australian Supersport Championship, Winton Round Overall Points. 1 Mark AITCHISON (NSW) 51 2 Jason O’HALLORAN (NSW) 40 3 Jamie STAUFFER (NSW) 35 4 Jeremy CROWE (NSW) 35 5 Joshua WATERS (VIC) 31 6 Glenn ALLERTON (NSW) 29 7 Christopher SEATON (VIC) 25 8 Shaun GERONIMI (NSW) 25 9 Craig SHIRRIFFS (NZ) 22 10 Judd GREEDY (VIC) 22 More from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: BUGDEN RACES TO 2ND AT WINTON Team Yoshimura Suzuki’s Robbie Bugden raced to a stunning second place, while three-time champion Shawn Giles made a triumphant return from injury to finish fourth in round six of the Australian Superbike Championship at Winton Raceway on Sunday. Starting the weekend in very competitive fashion, Bugden qualified second while Giles was quick to get back up to speed and was fourth fastest, putting both Suzukis on the front row of the grid. Race one saw Giles make a blinding start and lead the pack through the first turn and heading the field for the opening two laps around the 3km circuit. Bugden climbed into second place and decisively assumed the lead. Both Team Yoshimura Suzuki riders settled into a rhythm and pulled a solid gap on fourth placed Suzuki privateer Andrew Stroud. In a stellar effort, Giles preserved his third place across the full race distance and was closing in on Bugden in the final laps with the pair greeting the chequered flag in third and second places respectively. Giles took another stunning holeshot in race two, but was again passed by Stauffer and Bugden in a replica of the opening contest. Withstanding massive pressure in the closing stages, Bugden prevailed by a narrow margin and brought the GSX-R1000 home in second place again to claim second overall for the round. Meanwhile Giles’ tenacious effort saw the Suzuki veteran cross the finish line in sixth, rounding out the weekend in fourth overall. Bugden’s outstanding performance at the rural Victorian circuit elevated him to fourth overall in the championship with third place in sight for the final round of the series. Team Yoshimura Suzuki now heads to Sydney as the 2006 Australian Superbike Championship wraps up with round seven at Eastern Creek Raceway on November 17-19. Robbie Budgen: “Winton is a track that I am very comfortable on I finished second here last year as a privateer and it’s good to back that up again this year with Team Yoshimura Suzuki. “The balance and horsepower of the GSX-R1000 was fantastic and I was running in second spot virtually all weekend with qualifying and both races which is a great result for me and the team. “We’ve now moved up the championship table into fourth place with a podium in sight, so hopefully we can finish the year on a high in the next round at Eastern Creek.” Shawn Giles: “After so many months off the bike I was fairly nervous heading into this weekend and it’s really good to have that first round under my belt. “It was great to be out on the GSX-R1000 in race conditions instead of looking on from the sidelines. “I’d set myself a goal of a top five finish for this weekend, so I’m pretty happy to come away with fourth overall. “There’s only one round to go this year and I’ll be chasing a podium and hopefully a race win to end 2006 on a positive note and set us up for the 2007 title challenge.” Phil Tainton Team Manager: “Robbie was very quick in testing here at Winton two weeks ago and I knew he would be a serious contender for this event. “I’m very pleased with his performance across the whole weekend and he set us up for a strong run home in the final round. “Robbie’s up into fourth now, only six and a half points off third spot, so hopefully the Yoshimura Suzuki can snatch the final podium place in the championship at Eastern Creek next month. “It was great to have Shawn back on the bike this weekend. He got back up to speed extremely quickly and really exceeded our expectations. “He did a brilliant job to qualify up in fourth and he put in a fantastic effort across both 17-lap races. “With such a big break from riding, we didn’t know how well Shawn’s race fitness would hold up, but he’s a real racer and he showed his true measure it’s that combination of talent and determination that won him three titles with Suzuki.” 2006 AUSTRALIAN SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP Superbike Class Overall Results: 1 Jamie Stauffer 51, 2 Robbie Bugden (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 40, 3 Andrew Stroud 35, 4 Shawn Giles (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 33, 5 Russell Holland 32, 6 Wayne Maxwell 27, 7 Joshua Waters 27, 8 Shannon Etheridge 24, 9 Ashley Roe 22, 10 Cole Odendaal 19. Superbike Class Championship Points (After 6 rounds: 1 Jamie Stauffer 269, 2 Russell Holland 232, 3 Andrew Stroud 173, 4 Robbie Bugden (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 166.5, 5 Daniel Stauffer 150, 6 Scott Charlton 147.5, 7 Shannon Johnson 126.5, 8 Wayne Maxwell 122, 9 Shannon Etheridge 112.5, 10 Ashley Roe 97.