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.

Queensland Raceway was the scene of the action packed round three FX Australasian Superbike Championships where a southerner took victory. Yamaha’s Kevin Curtain was the headline act as he continued to enhance his status in Australian domestic road racing with another polished performance at QR, taking five wins from six starts and cementing his name at the top of the points’ charts in both classes. Curtain won all three races on his Yamaha R1 and proved to be too good for his rivals. The perfect three from three is a reflection of the work Curtain and his Yamaha Racing with Ipone team put into their racing and he now has a sizeable 34 point gap back to second place. Curtain also fronted the grid in the FX600cc category, only this time he faced much tougher competition in the form of his Yamaha stable mate, Mike Jones. The pair battled from the moment the bikes were unloaded and they were less than a bike length apart the entire weekend. Curtain finished in second place for the round with 2-2-1 results in three of the most exciting battles seen at Queensland Raceway. Race two proved to be a thriller with just 8 hundredths of a second between the Yamaha duo as the charged for the finish line. “I had a great time racing today and the battles I had with Jones on the 600 were awesome. I like racing close and battling hard and it was a lot of fun as we were going at it pretty hard.” “Good on Mike, he raced well and deserved the win.” Yamaha Racing with Ipone team mate Rick Olson was on track to make it a Yamaha R1 1-2 in the FX Superbike class when he finished the opening two races in second place behind his team mate. Race three was also on track with Olson leading early before Curtain slipped by. Then in the later stages of the race, Olson fell from his machine and was unable to finish. His 2-2-DNF left him in seventh for the round. “I just made a mistake in that last race and that’s all it took for me to hit the pavement,” Olson said of his race three DNF. “I was just working on staying close to Kevin and learn as much as I could but I can’t do that when I’m on the ground.” “Fortunately, I’m still second in the series but my goal is to race with Kevin as often and as close as possible because he is the best guy going around at the moment,” a disappointed Olson finishes. The championship now has a month break before the riders and teams grid up at round four at Wakefield Park, NSW. Round Three Results – QR FX Superbike 1st Kevin Curtain – 75 2nd Russell Holland- 60 3rd John Allen – 49 7th Rick Olson – 44 FX 600cc 1st Mike Jones – 72 2nd Kevin Curtain – 69 3rd Brendan Clarke – 58 Championship Standings – After Round Three FX Superbike 1st Kevin Curtain – 214 2nd Rick Olson – 177 3rd Matthew Walters – 161 FX 600cc 1st Kevin Curtain – 213 2nd Sean Condon – 176 3rd Michael Lockhart – 162 Main photo by Yamaha Other Photos by Chris Nissen

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

A calculated pass in the closing stages of race two has sealed a clean sweep for Team Honda Racing rider Wayne Maxwell at round four of the QBE Australian Superbike Championship at Phillip Island. Setting himself the goal of maximum points from the weekend, the pole sitter bided his time in Sunday’s 12-lap race, pouncing on race leader Josh Waters with two laps remaining to take his second win from as many starts. Team Volvo Group Suzuki’s Robbie Bugden was the early leader but fellow GSX-R rider Waters wasted little time with a swift pass by turn three of the opening lap. Maxwell muscled his way through to second before the Honda and Suzuki heavyweights went to war once more. Evenly matched for pace, Maxwell seemed to have the measure of Waters but, fighting his own handling issues, waited until lap 10 to make his move at Lukey Heights. As it did on Saturday, a spirited battle played out for the final spot on the podium. Bugden got the nod from defending champion, Procon Maxima BMW’s Glenn Allerton and Team Honda’s Jamie Stauffer, with just 0.2s separating them as they crossed the finish line. Fastest in practice, qualifying, winner of Superpole, race 1 and 2 and the round, Maxwell proved the man to beat this weekend and would not have been satisfied with anything less. “I got a better start today (Sunday), Robbie led it into turn one and I could see Josh was eager to get by and stretch his legs,” explained Maxwell. “By turn four I was right back on Josh and I could see he was struggling for grip. “We’d made some changes for the warm-up but it was wet so we couldn’t test them out, and when it came to the race it turned out they weren’t ideal at all. “I just had to make the most of it. I was honestly struggling and with two laps to go [and] knew I just needed to make quick work of it. “It gives us the result we needed – we came here to get maximum points so hats off to the team who has worked hard for this.” The Victorian rider collected 51 points, and moves to within 22.5 points of Waters. Still in the box seat for his second title, Waters could feel the Honda of Maxwell breathing down his neck and had no answer once the deciding move was made. “The first 10 laps of the race were good, the last two, not so good,” said Waters. “Wayne got the pass done at the place he passes everyone. “The bike was pretty good but again I was struggling for grip and couldn’t find a way to break clear. “We’ll look forward to Queensland Raceway now which is a place we do pretty well at.” Bugden was pleased to finish on the podium at a place he identified as his bogey track. “The races were really tough this weekend, it was on for the full 12 laps both races, so it’s good to come away with the third,” he said. “We had a really tough round in Perth and they guys have worked extra hard to get the bike ready for this weekend so I’m glad I could pay them back with a result. “I’m pretty sore still and it was uncomfortable work on the bike but once the adrenaline kicked in I just focused on the job. “We’ve got a couple of rounds at Queensland Raceway coming up which is my home track so that always gives me a bit of a boost, it should be a good finish to the season.” Stauffer finished fourth for the round collecting 34 points, with Allerton a point shy in fifth. The 2011 champion is now 19 points adrift of Maxwell and will need to be on maximum attack in the remaining rounds if he is to defend his crown. Linden Magee and Chas Hern traded Prostock race wins and second places across the weekend, with Magee taking the round win thanks to his additional point for pole. Hern remains in the championship lead, 9 points ahead of Magee, with Nicholas Waters, absent this weekend with a broken wrist, holding down third. The QBE Australian Superbike Championships resume at Queensland Raceway from June 1st to 3rd featuring a full complement of classes. Race 1 1. W Maxwell (Honda) 2. J Waters (Suzuki) 3. J Stauffer (Honda) 4. R Bugden (Suzuki) 5. G Allerton (BMW) 6. B Attard (Suzuki) 7. B Henry (Suzuki) 8. S Charlton (Suzuki) 9. B Waters (Suzuki) 10. L Magee (BMW) Race 2 1. W Maxwell (Honda) 2. J Waters (Suzuki) 3. R Bugden (Suzuki) 4. G Allerton (BMW) 5. J Stauffer (Honda) 6. B Attard (Suzuki) 7. S Charlton (Suzuki) 8. B Waters (Suzuki) 9. C Hern (Suzuki) 10. L Magee (BMW) Round: W Maxwell (Honda) 51pts 1, J Waters (Suzuki) 40pts 2, R Bugden (Suzuki) 35pts 3, J Stauffer (Honda) 34pts 4, G Allerton (BMW) 33pts 5, B Attard (Suzuki) 30pts 6, S Charlton (Suzuki) 27pts 7, B Henry (Suzuki) 26pts 8, B Waters (Suzuki) 25pts 9. Championship: J Waters (Suzuki) 170.5pts 1, W Maxwell (Honda) 148pts 2, G Allerton (BMW) 129pts 3, J Stauffer (Honda) 121.5pts 4, R Bugden (Suzuki) 118pts 5, B Attard (Suzuki) 115.5pts 6, B Henry (Suzuki) 106.5pts 7, S Charlton (Suzuki) 89pts 8, B Waters (Suzuki) 45pts 9, C Trounson (BMW) 26pts 10.

Wayne Maxwell has taken overall victory by a knife-edge at Perth’s Barbagallo Raceway, winning a closely-contested contest over Josh Waters by a mere half-a-point at round 3 of the QBE Australian Superbike Championship. A final turn, final corner pass in Sunday’s race was the clincher for Team Honda’s Maxwell, who wasn’t going to let victory pass him by. Maxwell and Team Suzuki’s Waters battled for the full 17-lap distance, with Waters appearing to take the advantage after Maxwell relinquished the lead running wide behind a backmarker. Maxwell staged an entertaining fightback, and set up the thrilling pass with a strong run onto the long back straight. There were millimetres in the move between the pair, great friends off track, but the fiercest of rivals with the visor down. Greasy conditions saw riders contending with changing levels of grip throughout the race, with WA local using Ben Henry his intimate knowledge of the track to claim a hard-fought third place finish. Cameron Stronach rounded out the top 5 on his BMW in a strong showing for local riders. Sunday’s race was bittersweet for Suzuki riders Waters and Robbie Bugden. The Team Volvo Group Suzuki pilot stormed into the lead before Waters assumed control after a lap. Bugden pounced on Procon Maxima BMW Glenn Allerton rider at mid-race distance, taking second and setting the quickest lap of the race. Unfortunately, his charge came to nothing when he was thrown spectacularly from his bike in a high-side crash at turn 1 a lap later. The race was red-flagged on lap 9, with Waters declared victor and Allerton returned to second place. Officials awarded half-points after the shortened affair, meaning Waters only claimed 12.5 points for his win while Maxwell took the full 25 on Saturday. 34 points played 33.5 in a narrow victory for Maxwell, who moves to second in the race for QBE Australian Superbike Championship honours. “It was a tough weekend with the conditions being wet and dry,” said Maxwell. “We had reasonable pace in the wet early on but it wasn’t ideal, and we were lucky to adapt quickly when it dried out. “The bike wasn’t quite there but we worked hard to improve it. “In the first race the conditions were really wet, and although we had good pace I nearly blew it 2 laps from the finish. “We were lucky enough to get out of jail on the last corner and I was really stoked to get my second win of the year. “In the dry we’re still working hard to find a setting with the new suspension. We’re slowly bridging the gap and it’s not for lack of trying – everyone’s giving it 110%. “It’s only a matter of time until we’re back at the top.” Waters added a fourth win to his 2012 tally and now leads the championship by 33.5 points. “The whole weekend went pretty good,” said Waters. “Unfortunately that final race got cut short so I didn’t get full points and didn’t get the overall which would normally happen if you got a pole, a second and a first but these things happen. “I have to say a huge thank you to the team who did a great job to be in the top 2 all weekend and I hope Robbie is okay after his crash.” Defending champion Allerton battled hard on the BMW and holds down third on the standings despite a tough run in damp conditions. The QBE Australian Superbike Championship returns to the track in a fortnight at Phillip Island, again racing alongside the V8 Supercars. AUSTRALIAN SUPERBIKE C’SHIP at Barbagallo Raceway, Perth. Rd 3: Overall: W Maxwell (Honda) 34 pts 1, J Waters (Suzuki) 33.5 pts 2, B Henry (Suzuki) 25.5 pts 3, G Allerton (BMW) 25 pts 4, B Attard (Suzuki) 23.5 pts 5, C Stronach (BMW) 21.5 pts 6, J Stauffer (Honda) 20.5 pts 7, B Waters (Suzuki) 20 pts 8, S Charlton (Suzuki) 19 pts 9, L Safranek (Honda) 14.5 pts 10. Championship: J Waters (Suzuki) 130.5pts 1, W Maxwell (Honda) 97pts 2, G Allerton (BMW) 96 pts 3, J Stauffer (Honda) 87.5pts 4, B Attard (Suzuki) 85.5pts 5, R Bugden (Suzuki) 83pts 6, B Henry (Suzuki) 80.5pts 7, S Charlton (Suzuki) 62pts 8, C Trounson (BMW) 26pts 9, C McMillan (Yamaha) 24pts 10.