From a press release issued by Steve Reeves for Radar’s Team Yamaha:

2001 YAMAHA NSW Road Racing Championships
Oran Park Grand Prix Circuit, NSW
Qualifying Report – Saturday, 18 August 2001

HIGH WINDS CAUSE HAVOC AT ORAN PARK

The high winds that have blown across Sydney in the past 24 hours continued today and wreaked their own form of havoc at Sydney”s Oran Park Raceway, which is hosting the 2001 Yamaha NSW (New South Wales) Road Racing Championship this weekend.

Radar’s Team Yamaha riders Robbie Baird, Jamie Stauffer and Craig Coxhell will be competing in the Yamaha sponsored NSW Formula X Unlimited Championship, while Baird will also be competing in the NSW Supersport Championship event.

The high wind gusts made conditions very difficult for the riders, especially on the exit of the Yokohama Bridge and through the Esses, where the crosswinds were forcing the bikes to run wide, precariously close to the edge of the circuit.

A number of other incidents during the day also meant that the final qualifying sessions for each class had to be cancelled.

Stauffer and Coxhell were able to put their Yamaha YZF-R1s on the front row of the grid for tomorrow’s three 7-lap Yamaha NSW Formula X Unlimited Championship races, while Baird will start from the second row of the grid after setting the sixth-fastest time. Pole position went to Honda’s Alex Gobert, with Wayne Maxwell second-fastest aboard his Kawasaki.

“It was pretty hard out there and the two ahead of me were able to get out early and set their fast times before there was too much traffic out on the circuit,” said Stauffer. “When the track cleared late in the session I wasn’t able to improve on my times.”

“I had a couple of big moments out there in the wind and I just took it a bit easier after that,” Coxhell said. “I had a big moment across the Bridge when the wind just picked up the front end of the bike and moved it about half-a-meter off line. Then through the Esses the same thing happened. It wasn’t pretty out there.”

Baird was able to record the second-fastest time during qualifying for the NSW Supersport Championship event, but like everyone else, missed an opportunity to improve his times when the second qualifying session was cancelled.

“I only did a handful of laps thinking that we were going to be out there later for the second session, but unfortunately it didn’t happen,” Baird said. “I didn”t want to risk it too much in the conditions and I suppose that second was not such a bad result.”

2001 Yamaha NSW Road Racing Championships
Oran Park Grand Prix Circuit
Saturday August 18

2001 YAMAHA NSW Formula X Unlimited Championship Qualifying

1. Alex GobertHonda CBR929RR1:13.936
2. Wayne Maxwell, Kawasaki ZX-9R, 1:14.113
3. Jamie Stauffer, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:14.199
4. Craig Coxhell, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:14.450
5. Alistair Maxwell, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:14.457
6. Robbie Baird, Yamaha YZF-R1,1:14.516
7. Steven Fisher, Honda CBR929RR, 1:15.321
8. Clayton Landells, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:16.403
9. Jay Normoyle, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:16.414
10 Craig McMartin, Ducati 996SPS, 1:16.608
Lap Record, Mat Mladin (Kawasaki), 1:07.7700 on 19/11/1995


2001 Honda NSW Supersport Championship Qualifying
1. Alex Gobert, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:14.517
2. Robert Baird, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:14.767
3. Josh Brookes, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:14.790
4. Wayne Maxwell, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:14.826
5. Rory Rock, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:14.898
6. Ben Attard, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:15.678
7. Mark Aitchison, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:16.329
8. Jay Taylor, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:16.331
9. Craig Trinder, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:16.654
10. Branden Oxford, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:18.204
Lap Record: Kevin Curtain (Yamaha), 1:13.21 set on 05/03/00