Motourage

FTR Moto hopes to build on its success at the Aragon round when its Moto2 riders take to the Motegi circuit in Japan for this weekend’s 13th round of the MotoGP World Championship.

Gabor Talmacsi and Andrea Ianonne celebrate in Spain with FIMMCO Speed Up team owner Luca Boscoscuro

FIMMCO Speed Up Team riders Andrea Iannone and Gabor Talmacsi were both on the podium in Aragon, Spain two weeks ago with the Italian, Iannone, securing a sensational victory, adding to his wins in Italy and Holland to sit in third place in the championship.

Talmacsi’s third place and first podium finish of the year was reward for the Hungarian rider’s consistency in the inaugural Moto2 World Championship – having finished all but one of the 12 races and having taken top 10 finishes on nine occasions. Talmacsi’s Aragon result also fired him into sixth place in the World Championship points standings.

Alex Debon will be hoping to improve on his 12th place in the World Championship aboard his Aeroport de Castello-Ajo Team M210 after starting the 2010 campaign in fine style with a podium finish in Qatar but being plagued by injuries throughout much of the season.

Cardion AB Motoracing Team rider Karel Abraham goes into the next three back to back rounds – in Japan, Malaysia and Australia – looking to recapture the form on his M210 that took him to fourth and fifth place finishes in Catalunya and Germany respectively.

While its riders challenge for success in Motegi, FTR Moto’s engineers are currently preparing the 2011 version of their rolling chassis that has proved such a success in 2010. The current model already features recent improvements to the aluminum twin spar design, new triple clamps and an interim fuel tank and seat unit.

“We’re pretty conscious of just how quickly the FTR teams will want to be testing the M211 once the 2010 season is finished so we’re busy preparing for that right now,” said FTR director Steve Bones. “We’ve collected masses of data from 2010 and are able to target the general areas of improvement and those specific to our teams.

“The 2011 season is already looking promising and there’s definitely a buzz about Moto2 in other areas of the sport and it would appear that the class will become common in national championships worldwide in the near future.”

The Championship Cup Series of Florida will be at the Palm Beach International Raceway this weekend for round ten of the eleven round Florida region series. Riders to watch will be the leading expert rider Santiago Villa of Colombia and the top ranked amateur rider, Sean Cassell of Altamonte Springs, Florida.

What: Motorcycle Road Races
Where: Palm Beach International Raceway, W. Palm Beach, Florida
When: Saturday & Sunday, October 1-2, 2010
General Adm. & Pit Pass: Sat. $15, Sun. $20, 2 Day Pass $30.
Children under 12 Free, Parking Free

Saturday Schedule:
Gates Open: 8:00AM
Practice & Time Trials: 9:00AM-5:00PM

Sunday Schedule:
Gates Open: 7:00AM
Practice: 8:00-9:00AM
GT Races: (5) 9:30-11:30AM
Sprint Races: (14) 12:00-5:00PM

FTR Moto and the FIMMCO Speed Up Team completed a hat-trick of victories in the Moto2 World Championship as Andrea Iannone scored his third runaway win of the year in Sunday’s 12th round at the inaugural Motorland Aragon, Spain Grand Prix.

Ianonne scored a decisive win at Motorland Aragon

The Italian rider recorded his fifth pole position of the year before leading the 21-lap race from start to finish and finishing more than six seconds clear of Julian Simon of Spain. Gabor Talmacsi gave the FIMMCO Speed Up Team further cause for celebration as the Hungarian took a first podium finish of the year with third place on his M210.

Iannone commented: “We’ve had two difficult races before Aragon so this is perfect for the team. It’s very satisfying to get pole position and to win and the best reward I can offer the team for their work.”

Iannone’s victory leaves him third in the World Championship with five races remaining, four points behind Simon in second place while Talmacsi moved up to sixth place after his podium finish. Karel Abraham finished in 18th place on the Cardion AB Motoracing’s M210 while Alex Debon – still suffering with an injured shoulder – finished 22nd on the Aeroport de Castello-Ajo Team M210.

Luckless wild card Kev Coghlan was forced out of the race on the opening lap after impressing with the fourth fastest time in Friday’s practice and eventually qualifying in 13th place.

“It’s great to see Andrea get a victory to add to those at Mugello and Assen,” said FTR’s Steve Bones. “He’s regularly shown the promise but different circumstances have delayed the third win until now.

“For Speed Up to get two FTR M210s on the podium is fantastic, Gabor has been tremendously consistent all season, and Sunday’s third place could well lead to him challenging for a first victory soon. It was disappointing for Kev Coghlan and the Monlau guys; a fuel starvation issue was enough to end their hopes of what would probably have been a top 10 finish.”

Bones concluded: “The feedback from the riders regarding the new parts they tested and raced at Aragon was very positive and development will now continue before the teams head off for Japan, Malaysia and Australia next week.”

FTR Moto will field five M210 Moto2 machines in this weekend’s Motorland Aragon round of the Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix. The four regular FTR–mounted riders – Alex Debon, Andrea Iannone, Gabor Talmacsi and Karel Abraham – will be joined at Aragon by wild card entrant, CEV Buckler Spanish Championship Moto2 rider Kev Coghlan on the Monlau Competicion/Joe Darcey Team FTR machine.

“It’s the third time this year that we’ve been able to field five machines and after the last wild card outing of Jason DiSalvo at Indianapolis and his ninth place finish we’re hopeful of a strong showing from Kev and the team at Aragon,” said FTR’s Steve Bones.

Coghlan is second in the Spanish Moto2 Championship, just seven points off the lead, and is relishing the chance to tackle the World Championship competition and on a circuit where he won round four of the CEV Buckler Spanish series in July.

“I had a good run at Aragon two months ago and managed to lead the race from start to finish so I’m keen to get back there,” said Coghlan. “We run Michelins in the Spanish Championship and the World Championship is on Dunlops so we’ve a bit of work to do on set-up; but the guys can handle that OK.”

FIMMCO Speed Up's Andrea Ianonne

Andrea Iannone will be hoping this weekend’s 12th round of the World Championship can complete a hat-trick of wins in the new class, adding to his victories at Mugello, Italy and Assen, Holland in June.

Iannone is fourth in the World Championship, just nine points adrift of second place, while his FIMMCO Speed Up teammate Gabor Talmacsi sits in eighth place after a consistent campaign and just one non-finish on his M210.

Cardion AB Motoracing Team M210 rider Karel Abraham will be aiming to make up for the disappointment of missing the last two rounds while Spaniard Alex Debon and his Aeroport de Castello-Ajo Team will be hoping for success on home soil after also missing the previous round at Misano due to injury.

Bones continued: “In addition to this being the 12th round of 17, there’s also a lot of focus now on 2011, and teams are well under way with their planning. We have a lot of interest from teams for 2011, and hopefully that will be complemented and endorsed by success in Sunday’s Aragon race.

“For Aragon – with a view to the final third of the 2010 World Championship – we have improvements to the M210 with a revised frame, new triple clamps and an interim fuel tank and seat unit all being supplied and tested and available to all of the FTR teams.”

Treasure Racing Take 6th In The 2010 FIM Sidecar World Championship
by Dewy

The final round of the FIM Sidecar World Championship was held at Magny Cours France in association with the Bol Dor 24 Hour race, Australia’s Adam Treasure and Darren Dewhurst of Treasure Racing were there to finalize their challenge on the World Championship and attempt to improve their world ranking.

The track at Magny Cours is not often used as a motorcycle race venue for sidecars and therefore created an unusual scenario in that only a few riders, passengers or teams had actually competed on this track. This fact alone pointed towards there being many unexpected results; add in the highest number of entries for the sidecar field for the year (26) with a large number of French Wildcards with more knowledge of the circuit than the regular World Championship, non French, contenders and the weekend promised to be eventful.

Going into the final round of the FIM Sidecar World Championship, Adam & Darren are in 7th place in the Championship on 37 points, equal with Jacob Rutz and Ueli Waffler (37 points). Both teams, in turn, just 2 points behind Janez Remse and Jamie Biggs who are in 6th place in the Championship on 39 points. Scott Lawrie and James Neeve are an outside chance at jumping up in the standings from their 9th place and 31 points if they have a good meeting at Magny Cours.

With the Bol Dor 24 hour event starting on Saturday afternoon and running until Sunday afternoon the Sidecar World Championship race was held on Saturday, so most teams rolled into Magny Cours on Wednesday to setup in preparation for Thursdays 1st free practice. As seems to be the normal here in Europe this summer, rain followed Treasure Racing all the way from their base in Ludinghausen, Germany late Tuesday night until they arrived in Magny Cour Wednesday afternoon and it continued to rain until mid morning Thursday which created a damp track for the Sidecar teams to use as their 1st adventures onto the interestingly fast but technical layout of the circuit. The track surface was damp, but not excessively wet, but still offered very little in the way of grip and for most teams the session could only really be used as an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the direction and layout of the track. Not a lot could be achieved in learning braking markers or entry and exit points for fast lap strategies at this stage, though at the finish of the session the boys found themselves 9th fastest while riding on slicks in the tricky damp conditions

Friday morning’s 1st timed qualifying session was held in much different, drier, conditions to the previous day. Adam & Darren applied their usual analytical approach to learning another new track, this time for both of them, their lap times were unfortunately quite a lot off the expected qualifying and race pace, but with the 20 minute session only having just begun and a 2nd session still to come in the afternoon there was plenty of time to pick up the pace. As with all new tracks, each lap completed tends to be faster than the last as braking markers are extended and finding better lines through each corner are learned and therefore Treasure Racings lap times were always reducing until disaster struck on just their 5th lap when Adam could no longer find the gear lever under his foot due to the mounting bracket that holds the gear lever to the engine breaking off after months of torturous use became to much for the bracket. With a welder required to repair the problem the boys were left with no other option than to pull out of the 1st qualifying session early and miss valuable track time, leaving the qualifying session early meant that they had only managed to qualify in 25th position.

Repairs were made to the gear lever and with a mounting plate borrowed from Pekka Paivarinta & Adolf Hanni; the No 38 sidecar was ready for Friday’s Afternoon qualifying session 2 with just a small amount of time to spare. Now way behind the 8 ball as far as track time goes Adam and Darren pushed as hard as they could as they battled to improve on their earlier qualifying time, by the end of the session Treasure Racings lack of track time was apparent with the boys posting a qualifying time that had them starting from 15th place on the grid. With a lot of the French wildcards holding grid positions in front of them, the boys had their work cut-out for them for Saturday’s race, their only salvation being that Janez Remse/Paul Knapton and Jacob Rutz/Rita Aeberli had qualified even further down the grid. The Lawrie/Neeve team had qualified in 9th after Lawrie found some good speed and lines throughout his qualifying time on the track.

On the Friday night before the final race of the 2010 World Championship Adam and Darren performed the 1st bit of unexpected maintenance to their Suzuki power plant when they removed the clutch to look for a reason behind some previously un-noticed notchiness in the gear box, with no apparent reason found to explain a notchy gear box the extra curricular work was put down to some nerves and paranoia after the broken gear lever mount earlier in the day had drawn focus to the gearbox.

Saturday’s final race for the 2010 World Championship was shaping up to be an interesting one with Pekka Paivarinta & Adolf Hanni requiring just 6 points to tie up the championship ahead of Tim Reeves & Gregory Cluze who were starting on pole and had a huge determination to win in the hope that Paivarinta & Hanni would not finish giving them the points they needed to steal the title away from the Finish/Swiss pairing. Treasure Racing’s battles to improve their final world ranking were just as serious to the boys from Australia.

For Saturdays 15 lap race, Adam & Darren got a great start, but found themselves boxed in going into the double left sweeper, turns 1 & 2, and still could not get any clear track by turn 3’s big sweeping right, everywhere they looked there were bikes blocking almost all passing attempts that could be made by Treasure Racing, by the completion of the 1st lap the boys found themselves basically holding ground around 14th or 15th place. Half way round the track for the 2nd lap the race was red flagged due to an incident at the last right turn before the start/finish chicane, whilst on the 1st lap Remse & Knapton rolled their sidecar and would no longer be able to continue for the restart of the race. With the DNF of Remse/ Knapton, Adam & Darren just needed to finish in front of Rutz/Aeberli and in 12th place or higher to move up in the World Championship standings, but the pace of the Lawrie/Neeve team had now become a point of concern and Treasure racing needed to keep them insight, or at least finish within 5 places of the Scottish/British team to keep in front of them in the Championship standings.

The restart of the race had Adam and Darren driving hard off the start line and with lessons learned from the 1st start Adam made his way to the outside of turns 1 & 2 to pass several bikes through the double left before swapping to the outside again for the long right turn 3 to pass Milan Spendal & Peter Hill around the outside. The boys found themselves in a group with Mike Rosher/Jonathon Huet, Andy Peach/Charlie Richardson, Scott Lawrie/James Neeve and Josef Moser/Manfred Wechselberger. Many times throughout the next 3 laps Treasure Racing swapped places with Mike Rosher under brakes only to be passed again at another part of the track, until the 4th lap when the red flag made yet another appearance due to another sidecar rolling over after driving over spilt oil on the track.

The race was restarted one more time, for this restart Treasure Racing started from 11th place on the grid due to the race being run as a “2 part race” and all the confusion that creates, with all teams starting from their race positions from lap 3 of the previously interrupted race. Adam got away to another brilliant start and again Treasure Racing found themselves battling with Moser/Wechselberger and Lawrie/Neeve, with all 3 teams having a turn in front of their own little battle for track position, be it for 9th, 10th & 11th, with the race shortened to a total of 8 laps (3 laps (part 2) then 5 laps (part 3)) after the time taken to clean up the track between 2 restarts had set the program way behind schedule. Adam & Darren passed Lawrie/Neeve under brakes, Lawrie then put a heavy passing move straight back on Treasure Racing involving some contact of the 2 sidecars in the process, but this was all good fun and made for exciting racing, eventually both teams moved passed Moser/Wechselberger and cleared out to finish the 3rd part of the race with Lawrie/Neeve in 8th and Treasure racing in 9th place on track but when overall race times were taken into account Moser/Wechselberger just edged out Treasure racing for 9th over all, Adam & Darren dropped back to a 10th place finish overall for the combined “2 part race”.

Finishing in front of Rutz/Aeberli, and within 2 places of Lawrie/Neeve gave Adam and Darren the points they needed to move from equal 7th to finish the year in 6th place overall in the 2010 FIM Sidecar World Championship.

Adam and Darren would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Pekka Paivarinta & Adolf Hanni for winning the 2010 Sidecar World Championship, this is Pekka’s 2nd World Championship, his 1st coming in 2008, and this is Adolf’s 1st World Championship victory after competing in the championship for 28 years, so persistence eventually does pay off for some.
Congratulations Guys!

Adam and Darren would also like to thank Albert Raesfeld from B&R Tire Services and Henry Schwaten for their hard work in the pits and pit wall with the lap board. Adam was always able to be confidant the bike was well prepared and constantly aware of his position on the track and what was needed to achieve the teams best World Ranking so far due to these guys’ efforts.

Finally, The Mick DeWith Performance GSXR 1000 power plants, of which there were 2 for the year were absolutely flawless and at this meeting they were perfect yet again, heaps of power on tap and never an issue, the so called notchy gearbox issues never amounting to anything more than nerves and paranoia as mentioned earlier and the possible need to keep busy doing something the night before the race to ensure a good result in the final race, a distraction if you like. Sorry Mick, how could we have ever doubted your bulletproof engine building skills!

The MotoGP paddock heads to Motorland Aragon this weekend for its last European stop before the triple-leg overseas tour later this month. The Spanish track is a new addition to the calendar and both championship leader Jorge Lorenzo and reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi are looking forward to getting to the grips with what is known as a spectacular racing circuit.

This will be 23-year-old Lorenzo’s third race on home soil this season and, with wins already chalked up at Jerez and Barcelona, the championship leader is eager to get another chance to thrill the Spanish fans. He continues in the imperious form he has shown all season, having won or stood on the podium at every round and with his podium last time out in Misano his 30th since he began in MotoGP in 2008. Lorenzo spent a day testing a Yamaha road bike at Aragon last month in order to familiarize himself with the track and is excited about the challenge of racing there.

Rossi took a trip out to Aragon last week, like Lorenzo taking a day to learn the nuances of the track aboard a Yamaha R1, and reporting back positively. The nine-time World Champion is gradually building back to full strength and was delighted with his podium in Misano last time out, feeling that both his bike and he are nearly back to their best after his injury-hit season. He currently lies fourth in the championship but third is a possible target and would be a superb result considering his troubles this year.

Aragon was drafted in as a replacement for the doomed Hungarian MotoGP round and will remain as a reserve circuit for the MotoGP championship for the next five years. The track lies near the town of Alcaniz in northern Spain, a few hours drive from Barcelona. It was designed by Hermann Tillke and is well known to be an impressive track with spectacular elevation changes and fast, flowing corners. In order to give the riders adequate time to get to know the new track there will be four 45-minute practice sessions over Friday and Saturday instead of the usual three one-hour sessions.

Jorge Lorenzo – “A fun place”
“It’s our third race in Spain but the first time at Aragon and I’m excited. I went to test there last month and it’s an amazing track. The first corner reminds me of Turkey and there’s a lot of up and down, it’s a fun place. I would like to do a great race and dedicate it to Tomizawa. I hope lots of people but especially my fan club are coming because I think it will be a good weekend. My aim is to get on the podium again and to push as hard as I can. We’re ready to start working.”

Valentino Rossi – “Complicated and fun”
“Last week I rode an R1 at the track and I really like it. It’s quite complicated but it’s a lot of fun, and it’s fast, so I think it will be a real test. I think the best bit is the entry to turn 16 and I am looking forward to riding my M1 there. Misano was a very sad weekend for our sport but now we’re looking forward to a new race and we are hoping for a good weekend for everyone in memory of Tomizawa. I am feeling stronger and fitter every day so I will be aiming for the podium again this time.”

Wilco Zeelenberg – “Not easy to learn”
“It’s a great circuit and Jorge really loved it when we went there last month. It’s very hilly, which is always fun, and it has many different types of corners so it’s not too easy to learn but is an exciting challenge for the riders. Our target once again will be the podium and to keep working towards our target of the championship.”

Davide Brivio – “A new challenge”
“It’s exciting to be heading to a new place and of course after Misano it will be very interesting to see Valentino’s progress on his way to recovery. It’s a fantastic track. We went to see it last Wednesday and Valentino had the chance to learn it; he liked it a lot. It’s very technical, fun to ride and for sure all the riders will enjoy the new challenge.”

Valentino Rossi: Information
Age: 31
Lives: Tavullia, Italy
Bike: Yamaha
GP victories: 104 (78 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc)
First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc)
First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc)
GP starts: 235 (175 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc)
Pole positions: 59 (49 x MotoGP/500cc, 5 x 250cc, 5 x 125cc)
World Championships: 9 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 6 x MotoGP)

Jorge Lorenzo: Information
Age: 23
Lives: Barcelona, Spain
Bike: Yamaha
GP victories: 33 (13 x MotoGP, 17 x 250cc, 4 x 125cc)
First GP victory: Brazil, 2003 (125cc)
First GP: Jerez, Spain, 2002 (125cc)
GP starts: 140 (46 x MotoGP, 48 x 250cc, 46 x 125cc)
Pole positions: 40 (14 x MotoGP, 23 x 250cc, 3 x 125cc)
World Championships: 2 (250cc, 2006/7)

Team Suzuki rider Troy Herfoss has extended his points lead to 31 in the Australian Supersport Championship after two hard-fought races at the penultimate round of the series at Victoria’s Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit this past weekend.

Herfoss, who started from pole position on his Team Suzuki GSX-R600, was engaged in two thrilling 10-lap races with Christan Casella and Suzuki rider Brodie Waters. The 23 year old, who is only in his second full season of Supersport racing after swapping from Supermoto at the end of 2008, went elbow-to-elbow with his two adversaries in each race at a meeting run in conjunction with a round of the V8 Supercar Championship Series.

The Team Suzuki rider recorded the fastest lap in race one on his way to a 2.340-second victory over Waters, with Casella third. Waters had led the opening two laps, but Herfoss proved too strong in the latter part of the race.

“I had a couple of scary moments in race one when I nearly hit some seagulls, but I wasn’t sure how close Brodie was behind so I didn’t want to back off,” said Herfoss.  “Then when I came around Turn 12 there was a tortoise trying to cross the track. I was pretty glad to see the checkered flag, that’s for sure.”

In race two Herfoss was engaged in another titanic battle with Casella and Waters, with Waters leading the opening four laps, then Casella the next three, before the Team Suzuki rider forced his way to the front for the next two laps. But a minor error at Turn 10 on the final lap saw Herfoss run slightly wide with Casella eventually winning a drag race to the finish line to take a 0.003sec win in a photo-finish. Waters was 0.967seconds back in third.

“I’m disappointed with my small mistake, but happy to have won the round and extended the championship lead,” said Herfoss.

With one round remaining, Herfoss leads the Australian Supersport Championship with 224pts ahead of Casella with 193 and Waters with 179.

In the Australian Superbike Championship Team Suzuki riders Shawn Giles and Robbie Bugden finished fifth and eighth overall after chasing a set-up they were comfortable with on the fast and challenging 4.45km Victorian circuit. The round was won by Wayne Maxwell from current championship leader Bryan Staring.

Giles, a three-time Australian Superbike Champion, finished fourth and seventh in each race after starting from the second row of the grid. The 40-year-old won an engaging battle with Suzuki rider Scott Charlton and Shannon Johnson in race one by just 0.770sec, but was unable to repeat the result in race two after getting away to a bad start.  Giles’ 31-point haul from the two races sees the Team Suzuki rider just 6.5pts off third overall in the championship.

Bugden, a three-time New Zealand Superbike Champion, finished sixth and eighth in the two 10-lap races in his first outing on the Phillip Island circuit in 2010. Bugden missed the opening round of this year’s Australian Superbike Championship at Phillip Island in February as he was defending his 2009 New Zealand Superbike title.

With one round remaining Bryan Staring leads the series on 211pts from Wayne Maxwell 192.5, Glenn Allerton 149, Scott Charlton (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 143 and Shawn Giles 142.5.

Missing from the grid for Round Six’s two Superbike races was the Team Suzuki GSX-R1000 of reigning Australian champion Josh Waters, the 23-year-old still recovering from an accident in early July in the USA when testing for the US Suzuki Superbike team. Waters is expected to return for the final round in November.

The series now heads to Tasmania’s Symmons Plains Circuit on November 12-14 for the final round, to be run in conjunction with the V8 Supercars.

Phil Tainton – Team Manager:
“Troy’s performance this weekend again showed maturity beyond his years. For someone in just his second full season of road racing his results have been exceptional. Pole position, a win and a second this weekend have put Troy in a strong position for the 2010 Supersport championship as we head to the final round in Tasmania in November.

“It was a challenging weekend finding a set-up for the Superbike guys, especially with the changeable weather conditions. Phillip Island is a circuit that puts big demands on the rear tires of the Superbikes, and the heat generated through the fast corners is the highest we encounter on any circuit.

Troy Herfoss:
“I’m pleased with the overall weekend result and it’s good to win the round, but I’m disappointed with the small mistake I made in race two that cost me the win. It would have been good to win in front of the big Sunday crowd, although I’ve increased my points lead so I am happy with that because our focus is the championship.

“It was a close battle between Brodie (Waters), Christan (Casella) and myself in race two and I was sitting back planning my move. I wanted the win, not just to ride for the points. But I ran wide at Turn 10, and that allowed Christan to close up and then get by. The bike was awesome and the team did a great job. I’m looking forward to Tassie.”

Shawn Giles:
“I was happy with the opening race, and winning the battle for fourth was a good result. Phillip Island is one of my favorite tracks, but it really punishes the tires because of the high speeds. It’s always a balancing act between grip and making the tires last the distance.

“We made some set-up changes for race two and I was confident of getting on the podium. But I got a bad start and got caught up in the pack in the early laps. The team worked non-stop all weekend, and kept making set-up changes until I had the confidence to push harder. I can’t thank them enough. I had one of the fastest bikes through the speed trap at 307km/h.”

Robbie Bugden:
“It was a challenging weekend for me as I haven’t raced at Phillip Island since the final round in November last year, so it was my first time here on the new control tires. Finding a good set-up on such a fast circuit is always a challenge, and losing a session on Friday because of the wet conditions didn’t help. But we made good progress every time we went out on the circuit.

“It’s just a pity the meeting wasn’t starting Sunday afternoon, as I feel I could have challenged for the podium.”

Josh Waters:
“It’s obviously disappointing not to be racing, but it’s important that I’m fully fit before I get back on the bike. Suzuki won’t let me rush my return because they are focused on my long term racing goals.  Team Suzuki and Suzuki Racesafe have been monitoring my progress and making sure I’ve been getting regular medical attention. I expect to be back on the bike for the final round at Symmons Plains in Tasmania.”

Superbike Overall Results – Round 6: 1 Wayne Maxwell; 2 Bryan Staring; 3 Glenn Allerton; 4 Scott Charlton (Suzuki GSX-R1000); 5 Shawn Giles (Suzuki GSX-R1000); 6 Jamie Stauffer; 7 Shannon Johnson; 8 Robbie Bugden (Suzuki GSX-R1000); 9 Craig McMartin; 10 Cru Halliday.

Superbike Championship Points (after 6 of 7 rounds): 1 Bryan Staring 211pts; 2 Wayne Maxwell 192.5; 3 Glenn Allerton 149; 4 Scott Charlton (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 143; 5 Shawn Giles (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 142.5; 6 Jamie Stauffer 127; 7 Shannon Johnson 119; 8 Robbie Bugden (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 115; 9 Josh Waters (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 105.5; 10 John Allen 68.5.

Supersport Overall Results – Round 6 : 1 Troy Herfoss (Suzuki GSX-R600); 2 Christan Casella; 3 Brodie Waters (Suzuki GSX-R600); 4 Ben Burke; 5 Aaron Gobert; 6 Michael Jones; 7 Dylan Mavin; 8 Ryan Taylor; 9 Blake Leigh-Smith (Suzuki GSX-R600); 10 Des Darby.

Supersport Championship Points (after 6 of 7 rounds): 1 Troy Herfoss (Suzuki GSX-R600) 224pts; 2 Christan Casella 193; 3 Brodie Waters (Suzuki GSX-R600) 179; 4 Aaron Gobert 129; 5 Chris Quinn 128; 6 Ben Burke 119; 7 Ryan Taylor 104; 8 Blake Leigh-Smith (Suzuki GSX-R600) 85; 9 Des Darby 85; 10 Sam Heath 80.

Cougar Bourbon Honda Racing rider Bryan Staring edged closer to his goal of becoming 2010 Australian Superbike Champion with a solid points haul and second overall at the weekend’s Phillip Island event.

Round six of the championship proved pivotal, with the 23-year-old Gold Coast rider scoring a race win and a hard-fought second place across the two, 10-lap races. Staring finished equal on points with his closest championship challenger, Wayne Maxwell, who was awarded the spoils by virtue of a higher finish in race two. The incredible streak of five consecutive race wins may have ended, but Staring, who leads the championship by 18.5 points, is focused on the bigger picture.

“We didn’t get too much dry track time on the Friday which made things a little tough heading into Superpole on Saturday morning,” explained Staring. I put in a fairly safe lap to ensure I’d start from the front row and the bike came into its own during the race despite some tire wear. The second race was tough, there was a group of around 6 or 7 bikes locked together for the first few laps and it was only towards the end that we were able to pull away.

“Jamie (Stauffer) made a mistake while leading on the last lap and ran wide. I was positioned to take advantage of any mistakes that he and Wayne (Maxwell) may have made and was able to squeeze through for second. Wayne and I came away with equal points which was the second-best scenario behind being able to extend my lead. The team delivered an incredible bike to me this weekend and we are now well on track with one round left to run at Symmon’s Plains in a few months time.”

Bleak conditions improved across the course of the weekend, with a mixed wet session early in the piece making setup difficult. Staring set the third-fastest time in Superpole, and battled Jamie Stauffer for much of race one before taking the win.

Locked in a six-way battle for position in race two, Staring sat tight until the mid-point before moving forwards and settling in behind the duel for first place between Stauffer and Honda rider Wayne Maxwell. The Cougar Bourbon Honda rider pounced on a mistake from Stauffer in the dying stages to grab second in front of a huge trackside crowd on hand for the 500km V8 Supercar endurance race.

The championship wraps up at Tasmania’s Symmon’s Plains Circuit on November 12-14, with Staring in the box seat to deliver Cougar Bourbon Honda Racing and its sponsors a maiden Superbike title.

Viking Group Australian Superbike Championship, Phillip Island Round 6 Results
1. Wayne MAXWELL (NSW), 45
2. Bryan STARING (QLD), 45
3. Glenn ALLERTON (NSW), 34
4. Scott CHARLTON (VIC), 33
5. Shawn GILES (VIC), 31
6. Jamie STAUFFER (NSW), 29
7. Shannon JOHNSON (VIC), 29
8. Robert BUGDEN (QLD), 28
9. Craig McMARTIN (NSW), 25
10. Cru HALLIDAY (NSW), 22

Viking Group Australian Superbike Championship Standings
1. Bryan STARING (QLD), 211
2. Wayne MAXWELL (NSW), 192.5
3. Glenn ALLERTON (NSW), 149
4. Scott CHARLTON (VIC), 143
5. Shawn GILES (VIC), 142.5
6. Jamie STAUFFER (NSW), 127
7. Shannon JOHNSON (VIC), 119
8. Robert BUGDEN (QLD), 115
9. Joshua WATERS (VIC), 105.5
10. John ALLEN (QLD), 77.5

After a 13-year hiatus, the AMA Pro K&N Filters Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com Series returned to Canterbury Park for the Minnesota Mile. While the track was not perfect, it was much better than the last time the “Rolling Thunder Show” visited Minnesota and it was very good to Harley-Davidson Motor Company’s #2 Kenny Coolbeth.

Pursuing his first Grand National win since Indianapolis of 2009, Coolbeth came from deep in the 18-rider field to capture the 25-lap main by slightly more than three seconds. “We really needed this, we’ve been so close,” said Coolbeth. “When I passed Jared (Mees), I signaled him to get in line so we could run down the leaders, but it didn’t work out. The next thing I knew I was passed (Matt) Weidman and closing on Jake (Johnson). I was following Jake and he started to use my line and I almost hit him, but then I was able to get by and then it was just clear sailing, just stay consistent,” said Coolbeth. “t was hard to see that outside berm and you had to be real careful not to get in too hot.”

At the start, Jake Johnson got the hole shot, and the race looked like it was going to be a two-rider battle as Johnson and Matt Weidman quickly separated themselves from the rest of the field. Weidman was all over Johnson, taking the lead several times, but unable to lead at the finish line.

Coolbeth was reeling in the lead duo and was able to wedge himself into second on lap eleven. Once into second he wasted little time taking the lead and pulling to his first win of the year.

Weidman’s next problem was Rogers Jared Mees, and Mees took third on lap 13. Weidman had Bryan Smith and Chris Carr challenging him after Mees got by.

Henry Wiles was the rider on the move as mechanical problems had knocked him out of a sure heat win and forced him to win the semi to get a third-row start in the main. Wiles was cutting through the field, working his way up from 10th to fourth by lap 22.

Weidman held on for fifth after his brilliant start. Bryan Smith and Chris Carr battled over sixth with Smith edging the seven time Grand National Champion out.

Series points leader Joe Kopp was in the lead pack early, but scraped off his brake pedal on lap two and was forced to ride the tricky race track with no brake. Kopp was leading a huge pack in the battle over eighth place until lap 20 when he broke his chain going into turn one, ending his night.

Johnny Lewis was able to take his Kawasaki to the eighth place finish ahead of Shawn Baer and Jethro Halbert.

Earlier in the night the rejuvenated Chris Carr captured the four-lap Dash for Cash. Carr only led the last few inches of the race as he drafted Jake Johnson at the line.

Johnson’s four points from the Dash moved him to within six points of Joe Kopp and the Grand National points lead.

Johnson’s strong race and then Kopp’s sudden misfortune give Johnson a ten point lead with two races to go. Mees (-19), Wiles (-26), Coolbeth (-34) and Sammy Halbert (-37) all still have a mathematical chance at the title.

Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles Grand National Championship points Jeffery Carver came away with win number five on the season and now holds a 27-point lead over third place finisher and last year’s class champion Brad Baker.

Mike Avila finish second, just one second off the lead. Chaz Springsteen and Corey Crawford filled out the top five.

Canterbury Park, Shakopee, MN
RESULTS: September 11, 2010

AMA PRO MOTORCYCLE-SUPERSTORE.COM PRO SINGLES MAIN (12 laps; 18 riders): 1. Jeffery Carver (Yam); 2. Mike Martin (Hon); 3. Brad Baker (Hon); 4. Chaz Springsteen (Kaw); 5. Corey Crawford (Hon); 6. Conner Anderson (Hon); 7. Gerit Callies (Hon); 8. Michael Toon (Hon); 9. William Cato (Hon); 10. Jake Cunningham (Suz); 11. Wyatt Maguire (Yam); 12. Kurtis Lee (Hon); 13. Justin Minnaert (Kaw); 14. Kevin Walter (KTM); 15. Adam Bushman (Hon); 16. Scott Barrett (Hon); 17. Nicholas Mataya (Yam); 18. Mike Martin (Hon).
Time: 8:30.341

AMA PRO MOTORCYCLE-SUPERSTORE.COM PRO SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP POINT STANDINGS (After 15 of 17 rounds): 1. Jeffery carver (278 pts / 5 wins); 2. Brad Baker (251 / 4 wins); 3. Mike Avila (182); 4. James Rispoli (160); 5. (TIE) JD Beach (4 wins) / Mike Martin (118); 7. (TIE) Chas Springsteen / Mike LaBelle (116); 9. Michael Toon (91 / 2 wins); 10. Jake Shoemaker (90); 11. William Cato (79); 12. Gerit Callies (67); 13. Zakk Palmer (66); 14. Jeremy Hamilton (59); 15. (TIE) Corey Crawford / Shayna Texter (57); 17. Wyatt Maguire (55); 18. Tyler O’Hara (47); 19. Kurtis Lee (38); 20. Brandon Laursen (35).

GNT DASH FOR CASH (4 laps; 6 riders): 1. Chris Carr (H-D); 2. Jake Johnson (H-D); 3. Matt Weidman (H-D); 4. Jared Mees (H-D); 5. Kenny Coolbeth (H-D); 6. Rob Pearson (H-D).
Time: 2:45.440

AMA PRO K&N GRAND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED by MOTORCYCLE-SUPERSTORE.COM MAIN (25 laps; 18 riders): 1. Kenny Coolbeth (H-D); 2. Jake Johnson (H-D); 3. Jared Mees (H-D); 4. Henry Wiles (H-D); 5. Matt Weidman (H-D); 6. Bryan Smith (Kaw); 7. Chris Carr (H-D); 8. Johnny Lewis (Kaw); 9. Shawn Baer (Tri); 10. Jethro Halbert (H-D); 11. Luke Gough (H-D); 12. Jeremy Higgins (KTM); 13. Nichole Cheza (H-D); 14. Mick Kirkness (Suz); 15. Dustin Crow (H-D); 16. Joe Kopp (Duc); 17. Rob Pearson (H-D); 18. Chad Cose (Suz).
Time: 16:57.197

AMA PRO K&N GRAND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED by MOTORCYCLE-SUPERSTORE.COM POINT STANDINGS (After 15 of 17rounds): 1. Jake Johnson (265 pts / 2 wins); 2. Joe Kopp (255 / 3 wins); 3. Jared Mees (246); 4. Henry Wiles (239 / 5 wins); 5. Kenny Coolbeth (231 / 1 win); 6. Sammy Halbert (228 / 1 win); 7. Chris Carr (190); 8. Bryan Smith (177 / 2 wins); 9. Matt Weidman (108); 10. Johnny Lewis (103); 11. Rob Pearson (90); 12. Mick Kirkness (79); 13. Jethro Halbert (77); 14. Stevie Bonsey (69 / 1 win); 15. Luke Gough (46); 16. Brandon Robinson (42); 17. JR Schnabel (41); 18. Shaun Russell (39); 19. Willie McCoy (35); 20. PJ Jacobsen (31).

AMA PRO K&N GRAND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED by MOTORCYCLE-SUPERSTORE.COM TWINS POINT STANDINGS (After 9 of 11 rounds): 1. Jake Johnson (167 pts / 1 win); 2. Kenny Coolbeth (153 / 1 win); 3. Sammy Halbert (147); 4. Jared Mees (146); 5. Joe Kopp (144 / 2 wins); 6. Chris Carr (140); 7. Bryan Smith (125 / 2 wins); 8. Henry Wiles (98 / 1 win); 9. Matt Weidman (73); 10. Rob Pearson (57); 11. Stevie Bonsey (55 / 1 win); 12. (TIE) Mick Kirkness / Luke Gough (39); 14. Johnny Lewis (35); 15. Willie McCoy (33); 16. PJ Jacobsen (31); 17. Jethro Halbert (29); 18. Brandon Robinson (24); 19. JR Schnabel (22); 20. Larry Pegram (17).