Team Suzuki’s Josh Waters has clinched his second QBE Australian Superbike Championship with a measured and mature ride at Queensland Raceway on Sunday. The 25-year-old becomes just the sixth rider in the sport’s history to record multiple Championship wins, both coming with Suzuki. The Victorian rider was dominant early in the season, winning four races in quick succession and making his mark with a string of consistent podiums. He came to Queensland Raceway with a 19.5-point lead and chose to maintain the necessary advantage rather than attempt to race wheel-to-wheel with outright pacesetter and round winner Jamie Stauffer. Waters finished the morning race in fourth and was a comfortable sixth in the afternoon to seal the title by 13.5 points over Team Honda’s Wayne Maxwell. The elation was evident for Waters who has not campaigned a full season since his rookie year in 2009. “It’s just great to make it official, I can’t thank the team enough for everything they’ve done and preparing a bike that I love to ride,” said Waters. “It’s not been my best track and I knew I would have to be careful, I couldn’t match it with Jamie (Stauffer) today but for me it was more about just getting two consistent race finishes. “It’s a great feeling and good to win my second title as it’s only my second full season on the Superbike. “Wayne (Maxwell) was massively competitive all year and he did a really good job to cut back my lead – he had some bad luck early on and if it weren’t for that then it would have been neck and neck today (Queensland Raceways event).” Maxwell acknowledged Waters’ exemplary season and said he’d done everything possible to bridge the gap. “We’ve been up against it since the early DNF,” said Maxwell. “We’ve been able to make up a lot of ground but in the end Josh was just too consistent. “The team was obviously very quick this weekend and I’m happy with the progress we made but it was more of a case of something having to go wrong with Josh rather than us having to win. “It’s been a really strong season for Team Honda and the whole team can hold their heads up at the end of the day.” Stauffer’s clean sweep over the weekend has him finishing a clear third in the Championship. He added a new race lap record to his barn-storming run of results on Saturday’s race and said he couldn’t have asked for much more from the weekend. “The bike has been good from Friday and been getting faster and faster each session,” said Stauffer. “I seem to get my best results here and the conditions were good enough this weekend to be able to get out and run at the front. “It’s a good finish to the season for myself and for Honda to get the 1-2.” Stauffer has won 6 of the 8 races held at Queensland Raceway over the last two years. Outgoing Superbike Champion Glenn Allerton was third overall for the round on the back of a strong second place. The Procon Maxima BMW rider has been unable to match the form he showed when he carried the manufacturer to its first title in 2011, but has offered strong opposition to the frontrunners throughout every race. He rounds out the year in fourth place, ahead of Suzuki’s Ben Attard, who was fifth. A clean sweep of qualifying and Sunday’s races secured Allerton’s teammate Linden Magee the Prostock Championship honours. Magee took over the lead from Chas Hern who fought back gallantly from mishaps in both races. Mitchell Carr claimed Triumph’s first-ever Motul Australian Supersport Championship crown in a drama-filled day for the class. The 24-year-old entered the event with a half-point lead, but lost the advantage by a point on Saturday when Team Suzuki’s Brodie Waters trumped him for pole position. The day’s opening race saw Carr, Waters and Honda rider Josh Hook engage in a spirited battle, with the lead swapping on a lap-by-lap basis. Carr’s strengths were in the straights, with his Triumph 675 pulling away from the factory Suzuki and factory Honda out of the corners. In a sudden the title hopes of Hook and Waters were dashed, suffering separate issues within seconds of each other at the end of lap 13. Hook ran on at turn 6, a gearbox problem ending his race, while Waters lasted just a few hundred metres more before a cloud of smoke began trailing from his Suzuki on the front straight. Neither were classified finishers, and Carr, the race winner by over 5 seconds, found himself back in charge of the Championship by a considerable margin. The Triumph rider stayed clear of a ferocious four-rider battle in the second race which went the way of a resurgent Hook. It moved the Honda rider to second and turned the spotlight to the arm wrestle between Waters and Glenn Scott. Waters slipped underneath Scott in the final corner of the race to steal back second for the race and third for the Championship in what has been a testing day. Finishing a solid sixth in race 2, Carr signed off his season 18.5 points clear of the runner-up. The Triumph 675’s victory is a significant achievement for the manufacturer which was far outnumbered in the Supersport field. Carr said he was proud to be able to deliver victory on the machine which he has ridden for the past two seasons. “We’ve had our ups and downs this season and worked really hard to bounce back from a DNF earlier in the year,” said Carr. “Unfortunately it was Josh and Brodie’s turn, it was bad luck for them to end the season the way that they did. “The bike has been amazing, I’ve really enjoyed racing it and developing it with the team. “Consistency kept us right in the hunt there and we had the pace this morning to get the win, it’s an amazing result and testament to the team’s hard work.” Carr took round 7 honours, with Chris Quinn a competitive second and Glenn Scott third. Class Champions were crowned across the board in an exciting day of racing today. Suzuki Australian Superstock Championship honours went to Daniel Falzon, the Bargain Bike Gear 250 Production class was won by Luke Burgess, Lachlan Hill wrapped up the Dunlop Australian Superlites and Lincoln Gilding held on for Moto3 spoils. Akrapovic Supermoto S1 victory went to Luke Traill, and the S2 class to Ben Nicolson. AUSTRALIAN SUPERBIKE C’SHIP at Queensland Raceway, Ipswich. Rd 7:  Superbike: Race 1: J Stauffer (Honda) 19m44.730s 1, G Allerton (BMW) 19m46.204s 2, W Maxwell (Honda) 19m48.424s 3, J Waters (Suzuki) 19m51.740s 4, B Attard (Suzuki) 19m52.485s 5, R Bugden (Suzuki) 20m14.700s 6, L Magee (BMW) 20m17.145s 7, N Waters (Honda) 20m19.921s 8, B Beaton (Suzuki) 20m22.762s 9, C Quinn (Yamaha) 20m28.687s 10. Race 2: J Stauffer (Honda) 19m47.499s 1, W Maxwell (Honda) 19m48.880s 2, B Attard (Suzuki) 19m54.678s 3, G Allerton (BMW) 19m54.872s 4, R Bugden (Suzuki) 20m05.657s 5, J Waters (Suzuki) 20m08.758s 6, B Henry (Suzuki) 20m13.863s 7, B Beaton (Suzuki) 20m15.281s 8, L Magee (BMW) 20m16.989s 9, C Quinn (Yamaha) 20m30.037s 10. Round: J Stauffer (Honda) 51pts 1, W Maxwell (Honda) 38pts 2, G Allerton (BMW) 37pts 3, B Attard (Suzuki) 34pts 4, J Waters (Suzuki) 32pts 5, R Bugden (Suzuki) 31pts 6, B Henry (Suzuki) 27pts 7, B Beaton (Suzuki) 27pts 8. Championship: J Waters (Suzuki) 279.5pts 1, W Maxwell (Honda) 266pts 2, J Stauffer (Honda) 251.5pts 3, G Allerton (BMW) 235pts 4, B Attard (Suzuki) 212.5pts 5, R Bugden (Suzuki) 211pts 6, B Henry (Suzuki) 174.5pts 7, S Charlton (Suzuki) 159pts 8, B Waters (Suzuki) 45pts 9, B Beaton (Suzuki) 40pts 10.  

The QBE Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) travels around the country throughout the year and hits some of the best track this country has to offer. In 2013 the championship will return to New South Wales at the recently refurbished Sydney Motorsport Park which is an exciting move for the sport’s competitors and fans. Sydney’s famous track, formerly Eastern Creek, has had an extensive makeover wince the ASBK circus raced there in 2009. The re-developments have transformed Sydney’s only permanent race facility into a world-class venue with a host of upgrades to pit facilities, grandstands, and spectator areas. The circuit is a favourite for many riders and has been the site of Championship-defining battles for over two decades. Its mix of challenging corners and high-speed sections have allowed some of the most famous names in Australian road racing to hone their skills. Australian Racing Drivers’ Club (ARDC) CEO Glenn Matthews said that the return of the Australian Superbike Championship was great for the sport, and for the facility. “We’re very pleased to be able to welcome the Australian Superbike Championship back to Sydney Motorsport Park in 2013,” said Matthews. “It will be fantastic to see Australian Championship motorcycle racing back at this facility, which has been very much improved since ASBK raced here in 2009. “The many changes that have happened here have been in operational and physical forms, and the ASBK return demonstrates these changes in full effect. “We can’t wait to have a full field of Superbikes racing here, and we’re sure that it will get great support from Sydney-based racing fans.” International Entertainment Group Managing Director Yarrive Konsky was exceptionally pleased to announce the Championship’s return to New South Wales and the new Sydney Motorsport Park. “The Australian Superbike Championship has been a platform for many World Champions and as the economy has tightened, less international opportunities have presented themselves, hence the phenomenal level of racers currently remaining in Australia to compete,” said Konsky. “To enable these riders to once again be able to showcase their talents to people of Sydney is great and I appreciate the opportunity to bring the Championship back to the famous Sydney Motorsport Park, formerly Eastern Creek Raceway. “I recently returned to the venue and its upgrades presented a professional and inviting feel for fans of motorsport – I am looking forward to bringing the colour and life of Australian Superbike racing back to New South Wales. “The return coupled with many new changes will aid in propelling the 2013 Championship forward as we continue to drive the spirit of motorcycle racing.” Motorcycling Australia CEO David White said the Championship’s return to Sydney was a significant step forward for motorcycle sport. “Motorcycling Australia is delighted that the Australian Superbike Championship will return to the Sydney Motorsport Park from next year, completing the geographical jigsaw and opening up new opportunities,” said White. “The return is fantastic news for NSW-based teams and competitors, who will enjoy competing in front of their home crowd for the first time since 2009. “Having recently undergone major changes, the new-look Sydney Motorsport Park is an excellent choice for the Championship and will provide a great weekend out for riders and spectators alike. “Our thanks go to the Australian Racing Drivers Club, in particular their CEO Glenn Mathews for facilitating the use of this exciting venue.” QBE Insurance Motorcycle Marketing Partner, Jacinta Siracusa welcomed the news on behalf of the Australian Superbike Championship’s naming rights sponsor. “The return to NSW is wonderful news for the QBE Australian Superbike Championship,” said Siracusa. “This has been long-awaited by all in the Australian motorcycling community – those directly involved in racing and spectators alike. “We are excited that the Championship has returned to Australia’s largest city and Sydney-siders will now be privy to the spectacular that is Australian road racing at its finest in their own backyard.” The last race at Sydney Motorsport Park (then Eastern Creek Raceway) was held in August 2009 and was won by eventual champion and standout rookie, Suzuki’s Josh Waters. Wayne Maxwell finished in second place, a co-incidental result that reflects the current title race which will conclude at Queensland Raceway next weekend.

Team Honda’s Jamie Stauffer showed he is determined to break clear of the QBE Australian Superbike Championship battle-pack, scoring another blistering pole position at Queensland Raceway on Saturday afternoon. Clear conditions prevailed for the opening 25-minute qualifying session which saw Stauffer head the field with a 1m09.073s lap in the closing stages. The break between sessions allowed the factory Honda outfit to further tweak the bike to Stauffer’s liking, and as a blanket of cloud settled over a scorching track the lap times began to tumble. It took 14 laps for Stauffer to better the standing record of Shawn Giles, making his recent dominance at the circuit official with a 1:08.577s effort. He eclipsed the performance in the QBE Superpole session by blasting out a flying 1:08.382 lap, 0.582s clear of point’s leader Josh Waters. Stauffer was pleased to add his name to another lap record but remained focused on the maximum points-paying positions in Sunday’s races. “The Superpole ended up being a really good lap, I thought I’d stuffed it up in a few spots so I was pushing pretty hard to try and make up some time,” said Stauffer. “The bike was getting consistently faster this morning and the conditions towards the end of the second qualifying session were right to get in some good laps. “I’ve been happy with the bike and really confident on the tyres which is a big part of it – knowing just how hard you can push is always a good thing as a rider. “We’ve been able to come here and win pretty regularly so hopefully we can get out front and set the pace tomorrow.” 0.158s seconds separate positions two and three on the grid, with Championship leader Waters gaining a slight edge over his closest title rival Wayne Maxwell. Maxwell comes to Queensland on the back of a clean sweep at Phillip Island and acknowledges that getting to grips with the 3.12km circuit hasn’t been as easy. “We’ve been slowly progressing all weekend and just trying to bridge that gap to Jamie (Stauffer),” said Maxwell. “It’s been good having him to bounce ideas back and forth with, obviously he’s the pacesetter and it looks likely that he’ll be the one to beat. “We went from half a second gap and we’ve cut that down again but race pace will be the real test. “I have only one option and that’s to win both races, everything beyond that is out of my hands.” The Team Honda rider needs to make up 19.5 points on Waters to claim a maiden Australian Superbike Championship title. Defending Champion, Procon Maxima BMW’s Glenn Allerton held off a fast-finishing Ben Attard to secure a spot in the QBE Superpole, and held his fourth position for tomorrow’s pair of 17-lap races. Allerton’s teammate Linden Magee continues to demonstrate the potential of the BMW in Prostock-spec, slotting his bike into 7th outright on the grid as the first in his class. Team Suzuki’s Brodie Waters edged a point closer to his goal of becoming Motul Australian Supersport Champion today, taking pole position ahead of Triumph’s Mitchell Carr. Waters came to the event 0.5 points in arrears and will go to tomorrow’s races 0.5 points in front, though he admits the hard yards are still ahead of him. “I had to push as hard as I could that lap, I thought the first sector was slow and knew that was where Josh (Hook) would be strong,” said Waters. “It’s good to get that extra point but there’s still a lot to do tomorrow – it’s so close between the top 3 and the races are going to be the hardest of the year.” The Superbike and Supersport classes will contest a pair of 17-lap races each tomorrow to determine the overall Champions. AUSTRALIAN SUPERBIKE C’SHIP at Queensland Raceway, Ipswich. Rd 7:  Superbike Superpole: J Stauffer (Honda) 1m08.382s 1 *LAP RECORD, J Waters (Suzuki) 1m08.964s 2, W Maxwell (Honda) 1m09.122s 3, G Allerton (BMW) 1m09.434 4. Qualifying: J Stauffer (Honda) 1m08.577s 1, W Maxwell (Honda) 1m08.856s 2, J Waters (Suzuki) 1m08.936s 3, G Allerton (BMW) 1m09.002s 4, B Attard (Suzuki) 1m09.134s 5, R Bugden (Suzuki) 1m09.746s 6, L Magee (BMW) 1m10.362s 7, B Beaton (Suzuki) 1m10.407s 8, B Henry (Suzuki) 1m10.632s 9, N Waters (Honda) 1m10.818s 10.

The QBE Australian Superbike Championship welcomed two more names to the 2012 winner’s circle over the weekend with Scott Charlton taking a popular privateer victory in race one and Jamie Stauffer returning to form to claim race two. It was an eventful day for the championship, with a damp but drying track creating setup headaches for riders as they lined up for the opening 17-lap race. From seventh on the grid, Racer’s Edge Suzuki rider Scott Charlton took the ultimate gamble, pitting following the warm-up lap to swap to his second bike and a dry setup with slick tyres. Factory Suzuki riders Ben Attard and Josh Waters were in command early, with the point’s leader stretching his legs to build what would appear to be a comfortable gap. However, the counter-strategy of Charlton proved to be a master stroke and one that saw him pick off rider after rider with relative ease. By lap seven Charlton had taken the lead, and greeted the chequered flag close to 24 seconds clear of Waters who was battling on worn wet rubber. “I went out there on the wet bike in the warm-up lap and there were a few dry lines,” said Charlton. “We were going to leave the dry bike in the shed but the team looked at the radar and said there was no more rain coming so we brought it into the pit lane in case. “Six or seven laps in I could see the rubber was coming off the wets of the leaders and I knew I’d made the right choice. “I can’t believe it actually, it’s a real confidence booster for me and such a great reward for the team who were spot on with the strategy and setup.” Jamie Stauffer made forward progress from grid position six to claim the final podium placing. Midday sun saw the track dry out and a hectic pace set from the outset of race two, with the lead changing between polesitter Robbie Bugden and fellow Suzuki rider Attard in the early stages. Stauffer made his move to the front on lap two, clearly confident with his Honda’s settings in the dry, and maintained the advantage for the remaining fifteen laps as the scrap for the minor podium placings played out behind him. He crossed the line 4.833 seconds clear of defending champion Glenn Allerton and polesitter Robbie Bugden who recovered from a problematic opening race. Stauffer was relieved to get his first win of the season and hoped he had put his struggles on the bike behind him. “I haven’t had a good season and today was a good confidence booster,” said Stauffer. “We made a big change last night that worked pretty well in this morning’s conditions, and then we kept the same kind of setup for the dry race which I was really comfortable with. “I was able to control the race and keep a lead which was good, it shows we’re making progress with the bike. “We didn’t get much dry running here but when we come back in September I definitely think everyone will be quick and the lap record will be easily broken.” Bugden was left to rue a disastrous opening race where he fell from pole position to an eventual finishing position of 16th. Like the rest of the field, he struggled on the treaded tyre but found himself caught up in another rider’s incident and ran onto the wet in-field. He knew he had the speed in the dry and pushed hard to salvage third this afternoon. “The opening race was a disaster – like everyone I was on the wrong tyres and I didn’t have a good feeling for what the bike was doing,” said Bugden. “As I was coming out of turn three there was a crash in front of me and I had to run off the track. The out-field was wet and I went down a lap trying to get back on and re-join. “I thought we had the speed to go with Jamie this afternoon but I was caught in a battle with Glenn so had to settle with third.” Wayne Maxwell circulated a lap down in the second race to collect points after his charge was slowed with a brake problem on lap 8. While title rival Waters didn’t enjoy his best run of results, he was still able to increase his points advantage and now leads by 30.5 points with two rounds remaining. The race for third in the championship is tight, with just half a point separating Stauffer (164.5 points) from Allerton (164 points). Chas Hern led home the field in the Honda Prostock Championship taking the round win ahead of Linden Magee and Ben Nicolson. A series of crashes cut short a dramatic day of racing in the Motul Australian Supersport Championship, with Brodie Waters emerging the victor despite crashing out of the second race. Yamaha’s Glenn Scott gapped the field to convert his pole position to a win in the opening race, heading home Triumph rider and point’s leader Mitchell Carr. Team Suzuki’s Brodie Waters battled back from seventh on the grid to claim third ahead of Hook and local favourite Brendan Clarke. The second race was red-flagged after a turn 1 crash involving Yamaha rider Mike Jones, with the field resetting to their original grid positions for a full re-start. Scott took the lead and began to stretch his legs again, unaware of a championship-changing crash behind him involving Mitchell Carr. Carr came unstuck at the tricky turn five and was forced to wait out the rest of the race on the in-field. The damage to his title charge was minimised when Waters and Scott crashed heavily into the turn one sand trap, resulting in a red-flag and the early declaration of the race. Hook was awarded the win and half points, but a post-race protest saw Waters re-instated as race winner. Carr leaves Queensland Raceway with a lead of just 4.5 points over Hook, with Waters still in check just 8 points further behind. Daniel Falzon won a closely-contested Suzuki Superstock weekend ahead of local riders Callum Spriggs and Brad Gross. Bargain Bike Gear 250 Production spoils went to Luke Burgess ahead of pint-sized Olly Simpson and local favourite Zac Levy. Lachlan Hill emerged as Dunlop Superlites winner, with cross-entered Olly Simpson coming up trumps in the Akrapovic Moto 3 Championship. Ben Nicolson backed up from Prostock duties to take Akrapovic Supermoto S2 class honours, with Dave Oliver winning the S1 class. The QBE Australian Superbike Championships resume at Phillip Island on August 17, the penultimate event on the seven round calendar. AUSTRALIAN SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP Round 5 Race 1 S Charlton (Suzuki) J Waters (Suzuki) J Stauffer (Honda) B Attard (Suzuki) W Maxwell (Honda) G Allerton (BMW) L Magee (BMW) Race 2 J Stauffer (Honda) G Allerton (BMW) R Bugden (Suzuki) J Waters (Suzuki) B Attard (Suzuki) S Charlton (Suzuki) B Henry (Suzuki) Round Points J Stauffer (Honda) 43pts S Charlton (Suzuki) 40pts J Waters (Suzuki) 37pts G Allerton (BMW) 35pts B Attard (Suzuki) 33pts R Bugden (Suzuki) 32pts W Maxwell (Honda) 29pts B Henry (Suzuki) 28pts 8. Championship Points J Waters (Suzuki) 207.5pts W Maxwell (Honda) 177pts J Stauffer (Honda) 164.5pts G Allerton (BMW) 164pts R Bugden (Suzuki) 150pts B Attard (Suzuki) 148.5pts B Henry (Suzuki) 134.5pts S Charlton (Suzuki) 129pts B Waters (Suzuki) 45pts C Trounson (BMW) 26pts

Young up and coming Honda rider, Josh Pickering, has thrown his leg over a Honda CBR250R for the very first time. The 15 year old said it took a few laps to feel comfortable on the production 250cc allowing him to work on his lap time at Mac Park in South Australia last weekend. Josh is in training for the 2012 Asia Dream Cup where he will ride alongside fellow Aussie and ASBK Supersport competitor Josh Hook on Honda’s CBR250R. Excited that his debut into road racing was so successful, Josh said “I was a little nervous at the beginning hoping that I would pick it up quickly, but right from the start I really enjoyed it. The fast speeds and the slow corners were particularly exciting and I can’t wait for the next training session.” After qualifying at 1min 29sec, the young Aussie said he concentrated his efforts on handling the CBR250R to pick up speed and shaved his time down to 1min 27sec which has become the production 250cc lap record at the South Australian circuit. With previous experience in off-road racing in Australia, Josh has claimed many podiums including the Australian Junior Dirt Track Championship title in 2009 (U13) and 2010 (U16). The Asia Dream Cup will be held as part of PETRONAS Asian Road Racing Championship and will see all riders competing on Honda’s popular CBR250R. Official testing for the Asia Dream Cup will kick off in Sepang in early April followed by round one of the 2012 series shortly after on May 13.