JOE ROCKET HONDA LAUNCHES SERIES OPENER WITH A ONE, TWO, THREE Leaving all traces of last year’s horrific injuries behind, Joe Rocket Honda’s Josh Brookes was in a class of his own this past weekend at round one of the Australian Superbike Championships. Brookes skillfully launched this season’s 600cc class with an overall win after taking pole position with a laptime of 1:38.7, subsequently obliterating the competition in each of the three races. After rain cancelled out the third Oz SBK race, Brooksey also claimed the win in the class on points, taking him to round two as outright leader in both championships, a superb accomplishment for the young man whose future was looking unclear after a careerthreatening accident in round four of last year’s series. In Supersport, Adam ‘Krusty’ Fergusson – who also shone in the Superbike class – stayed close by but couldn’t close the gap on his team mate. Through three steady, consistent outings, Krusty nailed second position for the weekend primarily battling with Honda’s junior development team rider Jason O’Halloran (Rocket Racing) who kept the veteran at bay in the first two races for as long as possible. From the front row of the start grid, all three factory riders led the 32 strong field in race one and two with Mark Aitchison and Robbie Baird keeping them honest early on, however the Yamaha riders couldn’t get any distance on the Honda men and their latest release CBR600RR’s. On his win, Brookes said he is “feeling great and I’m really happy with the new bike.” “We had some time to test a lot of different set ups prior to the first round here at the Island so that was well worth the effort.” Brooke’s right hand man and Team Technician Garry House noted however that the motorcycle is still in its development stage having only arrived in the country two months ago. “I think we’ll see even more performance out of the 600 as the year goes on,” House said. Commenting on his results, last year’s Champ Fergusson said that they “played around with the suspension a little for the second Supersport race but I still wasn’t getting quite as much grip as I would have liked so I didn’t push the envelope to catch Josh.” Race three was a blueprint of the earlier outings for Joe Rocket’s two top guns, however young Rocket racer O’Halloran had to settle for seventh after a shaky start in the wet. With a third overall for the day, the Wollongong teenager was thrilled. “I’m happy to be on the podium after all the problems I had last year with my foot and ankle. It’s a good start to 2005 for me.” The Team had equal success in the Superbike class with Brookes finishing first and third in the two races that did run as planned. “I actually didn’t get the best start in race one but I managed to get up to the front fairly quickly,” Josh noted. The ‘master of slide’ put on a spectacular show for the remainder, eventually taking the win by 3.4 seconds in front of Kawasaki’s Jamie Stauffer. 2004 Champion Fergusson took the honours in race two after muscling by Shawn Giles (Suzuki) on more than one occasion, keeping the crowds highly entertained with some world-class racing. After finishing near the back of the pack in race one due to a technical problem, Adam came in at 7th for the day. In his matter of fact manner, Adam explained the day. “Superbike race two was under control, no problems whatsoever. Unfortunately I didn’t pick up points in the first race due to a tyre issue. That was just one of those things. I spun it a bit on the start line and it got unbalanced which is never good for a tyre on a race track. Prior to that I was having a good race.” That he was. Krusty clocked the fastest lap for race one with a 1 minute 35.5 seconds. The fourth member of the factory Honda crew, Judd Greedy, unfortunately had to sit by the sidelines and watch due to a multiple vertebrae injury sustained during testing last month. “The latest doctor’s orders are that I need to rest for a couple of months,” Greedy said. “All going to plan, I should be able to race at round three.” With a smile on his face, Team Manager Paul Free was clearly pleased about his Team’s first foray into 2005. “There are always a lot of eyes watching the Championship winning team when a new season starts so I think we’ve shown here today that we have the machinery and the talent to keep the ball rolling, I’m really pleased that Josh is starting right back where he left off before he was taken out last year in West Australia. In fact, JB will be going to Suzuka in the next couple of weeks to test for the 8 Hour which is a fantastic opportunity for him. Krusty and Jason were also in form today. I’m particularly happy to see Jason up on the podium where he belongs. He is an incredible young talent who has a bright future.” The Joe Rocket Honda and Rocket Racing Teams will compete in the next round of the Australian Superbike Championships to be held on April 28 to May 1 at Eastern Creek, NSW. More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Australia: Australian Superbike Championship Round 1 Phillip Island. Kawasaki Racing Team enjoy a successful first round of the Australian Superbike Championship. The Kawasaki Racing Team enjoyed their first hit out of the 2005 season with a new domestic Superbike lap record and some very competitive riding being the highlights. The flowing nature of Phillip Island always allows riders to show their potential and this first round of the ASC provided some sparkling racing. “Overall we had a pretty good weekend”, said Kawasaki’s senior team co-ordinator Scott Breedin. “Jamie Stauffer set a new Australian Superbike lap record of 1 minute 35.247 seconds in the first of the two Superbike races and proved the Ninja ZX-10R to be an extremely competitive package. Josh Waters improved throughout the weekend and showed us all his tenacity. He’s still getting used to the new ZX-6RR and the Michelin tyres and although he can take a little while to wind up, his natural ability allows him to be more than competitive as his confidence builds.” Jamie Stauffer was also happy with his weekend. “Qualifying soon showed us that we were up to speed and although I qualified 4th, it was pretty tight at the top and a front row start was important. I really enjoyed the first race even though I rode alone for much of it, I was dicing at the beginning with Shawn Giles and Adam Fergusson and took a while to get past both of them. In the meantime Josh Brookes had got a break on us and I set about catching him. Unfortunately I didn’t quite get there, but it was a great race anyway. “The second race was also shaping up well, with Shawn and me dicing for the lead. “Krusty (Adam Fergusson) made a dive under Shawn while I was trying to go around the outside as we went into Honda corner for the second time. Shawn sat his bike up and ran wide; unfortunately I had nowhere to go and ran off. I re-entered the race in 14th or 15th and set about catching up. The bike was handling really well and the new Michelins let me really push things. Unfortunately it was only a five lap race and although I got up to 9th, it would have be nice to have had a longer race and overtake a few more people. Then they cancelled the third race due to weather and bad light so I didn’t get the chance to fight for an overall podium spot”¦ a pity, but 4th overall is a reasonable start even if it doesn’t show what we can really do.” Josh Waters was full of confidence and felt he and the team achieved a lot throughout the weekend. “Qualifying was tough as I had very little dry track time prior to the qualifying session. I dropped two and a half seconds from the first qualifier to the second, which was a good improvement, giving me 7th on the grid. “I got a great start in race one, and was 5th after the first lap, gradually building up and eventually finishing 4th. The bike’s really quick and holds its own with anything out there, so I’m happy with the power and top speed. As the weekend progressed we worked hard on the settings and achieved a lot and the Michelin tyres proved themselves by hanging on well all weekend. In the second short race I used a tyre that had done more than 20 laps in qualifying and it worked really well as I had to make my way through the field to finish 7th after a shocking start when I got boxed in and dropped to 11th or so on the first lap. “I didn’t do so well in the third race, finishing 8th. The track was damp in places and I took a while to get used to the conditions. I fell back through the field to about 14th or 15th but then gradually got a feel for it and again started to work back towards the front. As I get more and more used to the bike I’m sure I will improve more and I’m really looking forward to Eastern Creek. I worked hard to be consistent and give the team good feedback and I think we achieved a lot. I’m pretty happy.” With the next round just four weeks away, Scott Breedin was also in a positive mood. “We got a lot done down here even if the results are not a true reflection of just how competitive we are. Jamie proved himself and the ZX-10R to be a front runner and with some better luck, at Eastern Creek we’ll be in a position to show just how much we have achieved. The bike is very good, the rider is riding extremely well and the new Michelin slicks are fantastic. I’m expecting podium positions and with any luck at all a win or two. “Josh also had a good weekend down here and as he adjusts to the bike he’ll continue his momentum and get some good results. He’s a fast learner and has the ability to be consistently fast, and I’ve no doubt at all that he’ll shine this year. Kawasaki Racing Team’s manager, Murray Sayle, was pleased with his team’s weekend’s work. “With both riders 4th overall, we’ve had a reasonable start and I feel sure we’ll build on it”¦ I’m really happy with the team, everybody’s working well together and it’ll show in future results.” The Kawasaki Racing Team will be competing in Round Two or the Australian Superbike Championship at Eastern Creek on 29, 30 April and 1st May 2005. See you there. Superbike Championship Pointscore Round 1 Position Rider/Team Pole Position Race 1 Race 2 Overall Pointscore 1 Joshua BROOKES / Joe Rocket Honda 0 25 20 45 2 Shawn GILES / Team Suzuki 1 20 22 43 3 Daniel STAUFFER / Yamaha Racing Team 0 18 18 36 4 Jamie STAUFFER / Kawasaki Racing Team 0 22 12 34 5 Scott CHARLTON / BTX Motorcycles 0 16 16 32 6 Shannon JOHNSON / Yamaha Racing Team 0 15 15 30 7 Adam FERGUSSON / Joe Rocket Honda 0 0 25 25 8 Shaun GERONIMI / Sydney Mesh & Steel 0 11 13 24 9 Tony REES (NZ) 0 12 11 23 10 Glenn ALLERTON / Team Suzuki 0 13 10 23 Supersport Championship Pointscore Round 1 Pos Name Pole Position Race 1 Race 2 Race 3 Total 1 Joshua BROOKES / Joe Rocket Honda 1 25 25 25 76 2 Adam FERGUSSON / Joe Rocket Honda 0 22 22 22 66 3 Jason O’HALLORAN / Rocket Racing 0 20 20 14 54 4 Joshua WATERS / Kawasaki Racing Team 0 18 14 13 45 5 Jordan COOTE / Yamaha GYTR / Valter Moto 0 15 12 16 43 6 Jeremy CROWE / Rapid Bikes Magazine 0 14 11 15 40 7 Jarradd CURRAN / MSC Products 0 12 9 18 39 8 Robbie BAIRD / Yamaha Racing Team 0 0 16 20 36 9 Caleb STALDER / John Holland 0 13 15 8 36 10 Mark AITCHISON / Fraser Motorcycle Yamaha Team 0 16 18 0 34 More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: DEBUT 2ND FOR NEW GSX-R1000 Team Suzuki’s Shawn Giles raced his new GSX-R1000 into second overall at the weekend’s opening round of the Australian Superbike Championship at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. An all-new model, the 2005 Suzuki GSX-R1000 is at the beginning of its development phase, indicating that there is more speed to be drawn out of the machine and giving series rivals much cause for concern. The three-time Australian Superbike Champion claimed pole position in convincing fashion and dipped below the previous race lap record set by him in 2003. Said Giles: “This new GSX-R1000 Superbike is amazing; to be this fast straight out of the box is fantastic for Suzuki and it’s certainly a promising start to the season.” The year’s first Australian Superbike race saw Giles launch off the line and retain his advantage through turn one. He continued to hold the lead withstanding fierce challenges until midway through lap two. Struggling with a lack of grip, he slid back to fourth place before re-claiming third place from reigning Superbike Champion Adam Fergusson on lap eight of 10. Stepping up to the national Superbike class, Giles’ team mate Glenn Allerton made an impressive five-position gain during lap one, moving up into ninth place. Allerton ultimately managed to defend his well-earned ninth place after being engaged in a series of battles throughout the race, including Anthony Gobert, whose disqualification from race one saw Allerton elevated to eighth. Saturday afternoon’s second race saw Giles again rocket away from the start line for the five-lap contest. On the second lap, he came under intense pressure from Fergusson with the pair swapping backwards and forwards for the lead over the ensuing laps as Josh Brookes joined the fray in third place. The thrilling three-way battle eventually saw Giles greet the chequered flag in second place; the leading pair separated by a mere .044 seconds followed by Brookes a further .211 seconds down. Again starting from 14th, Allerton made massive gains in his lap times and despite being caught up with traffic in the mid-pack, the young New South Welshman moved forward to seal 11th place. Due to inclement weather conditions, the weekend’s third and final Australian Superbike race was cancelled for safety reasons. Said Allerton: “For my first on-track session with Team Suzuki, I was more conservative than usual throughout qualifying so I had my work cut out for me in both races. “My times improved by nearly 1.5 seconds per lap in race two so I’m pleased with my progress at this early stage of the season. “This is a great start to the season for the Suzuki team. We had some hard, close racing here this weekend and the new bike was absolutely brilliant. I’m really looking forward to the next round in Sydney where we should be very strong again,” he added. Team Suzuki Team Manager Phil Tainton said: “The new GSX-R1000 is an incredible piece of engineering and has already achieved so much success globally. At this early stage in development we’re all very pleased with its performance here this weekend.” The 2005 Australian Superbike Championship will continue later in the month with round two at Eastern Creek International Raceway on 29 April 1 May. TEAM SUZUKI RESULTS ROUND 1: QUALIFYING: 1st: Shawn Giles – 1:11.448 14th: Glenn Allerton – 1:10.998 RACE 1: 3rd: Shawn Giles (Fastest Lap 1:36.286) 8th: Glenn Allerton (Fastest Lap 1:38.657) RACE 2: 2nd: Shawn Giles (Fastest Lap 1:35.431) 11th: Glenn Allerton (Fastest Lap 1:37.299) CURRENT POINTS: 1 Josh Bro okes (Honda) 45 points 2 Shawn Giles (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 43 points 3 Daniel Stauffer (Yamaha) 36 points 4 Jamie Stauffer (Kawasaki) 34 points 5 Scott Charlton (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 32 points 6 Shannon Johnson (Yamaha) 30 points 7 Adam Fergusson (Honda) 25 points 8 Shaun Geronimi (Yamaha) 24 points 9 Tony Rees (Yamaha) 23 points 10 Glenn Allerton (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 23 points