Taking It All In – Team Honda Racing’s Year in Review
3rd Dec 2014 – Team Honda Racing has been an irrefutable Superbike force in 2014, competing against Australia’s elite and managing to secure 3 championships in 10 months. The 2014 Australasian Superbike Champions, Team Honda Racing took 1st, 2nd, 3rd and also 5th in the Swann Series, 1st and 2nd in the FX-Superbike Championship and also 1st and 2nd in the inaugural Phillip Island Championship.
The focus of the 2014 campaign was the Swann Insurance Australasian Superbike Championship and Team Honda Racing took to the race track onboard the Honda CBR1000RR SP in powerhouse fashion and did not look back. The CBR1000RR SP package combined with the skill and professionalism of both the technicians and riders made the team almost unstoppable.
In the Swann Series, there were 18 Superbike races to be won and the 2014 Champion, #47 Motul Honda rider Wayne Maxwell won 6 of them. In total, Team Honda Racing won 14 of the 18 Superbike races with #17 Troy Herfoss winning 4 races, #27 Jamie Stauffer 3 and #16 Josh Hook 1 race.
There were 6 Pole positions up for grabs and Team Honda Racing took all of them with Herfoss taking 3, Stauffer taking 2 and Maxwell taking 1. Likewise, the Honda force won every Round of the Swann Series with Maxwell taking the honours at 3 events and Stauffer, Herfoss and Hook, winning a Round each.
As well as winning the Swann Series, Team Honda Racing won the FX-Superbike Championship which formed Saturday’s program at each ASC event. Wayne Maxwell took the title, winning 5 of the 18 races with team mate Troy Herfoss 2nd in the FX Championship winning 3 races. Winning 10 of the 18 FX-Superbike races over the season, Team Honda Racing also took Round honours at 5 of the 6 FX events.
The FX and Swann Insurance Superbike Championships belonged to Maxwell, but the 3rd feather in Team Honda Racing’s cap in 2014 was the inaugural Phillip Island Championship won by Josh Hook. The two-round championship comprises the World Superbike event and the MotoGP event. Competing as support classes in front of huge crowds at Phillip Island, Team Honda Racing’s Josh Hook Qualified on Pole at both events and won 4 of the 5 races in the championship. The battle was well and truly on for the title between Hook and team mate Stauffer with Stauffer taking Round 1 honours and fighting hard at the front of the field for race wins in Round 2, only to be outfoxed by Hook.
Team Honda Racing Qualified 1-2-3 on the grid at both events in the P.I. Championship and in the final two races at the MotoGP event, the Hondas filled the podium, taking 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th. The Round 2 honours went to Hook with Stauffer in 2nd and Herfoss in 3rd. Josh Hook won the Phillip Island Championship ahead of tea m mate Jamie Stauffer, the CBR1000RR SP in the spotlight again.
The Honda CBR1000RR SP stood out from the crowd in the 2014 season and the Team Honda Racing riders coaxed the very best from their machines time and time again. Lap records fell many times throughout the year at various circuits with Troy Herfoss breaking the Superbike lap record a total of 6 times throughout the season, Wayne Maxwell 5 times, Jamie Stauffer twice and Josh Hook once.
The hard work involved and the support needed to win 3 championships is immense. None of it would be possible without the invaluable support of Honda Australia and all our team partners; Team Honda Racing would like to say a big thank you to you all.
The 2014 racing season has drawn to a close and team HQ at Motologic in Melbourne is now busy with planning and preparation for next year’s challenge. Winning three titles in one season is hard to top, but Team Honda Racing is certainly looking forward to next year’s battle of the best.