Yamaha launches Aus Race Season
Yamaha’s new look factory Superbike and Supersport teams are gearing up for the ultimate pre-season challenge this weekend, as World Superbike competition kicks off at Phillip Island
Yamaha’s new look factory Superbike and Supersport teams are gearing up for the ultimate pre-season challenge this weekend, as World Superbike competition kicks off at Phillip Island. Although they’re only racing in a support class capacity, the team will still be exerting every effort in order to impress in front of the international fraternity and a packed crowd.
2008 marks 80 years since the start of motorcycle racing at Phillip Island, one of the world’s most revered and respected two-wheel circuits.
Yamaha’s Superbike lineup, which remains unchanged from 2007, sees the Stauffer brothers return to the fore for another front-running year. Jamie delivered his second straight win on the YZF-R1, with Dan running in close behind in third (equal second on points, third on count back). The R1 pilot-pairing have enlisted the help of Yamaha legend Stephen Gall to push their training routine and race fitness to even greater heights in 2008 through the new Yamaha Elite Training Program. This new initiative sets out to develop a rider’s fitness in the off-season to ensure they hit the ground running from the first round.
Jamie Stauffer said the benefits of the program were already paying dividends and he was looking forward to a competitive weekend.“The off-season has been busy, with the help of Yamaha’s new training program we are now preparing ourselves to be race fit from the very first race,” he explained. “I’m feeling very good about my fitness levels, it’s certainly a great motivator.”
“We have been able to have a very competitive testing session at Eastern Creek in the past few weeks, and made some good gains with the setup of the R1 which was already very good. The team is motivated to take a third championship for Yamaha and it looks very promising. I didn’t get to put in as many laps on the R6 as I would have liked, but we have a good base setup for Phillip Island and will also use the event to prepare for the first round of the Australian Superbike Championship at Eastern Creek.”
Dan Stauffer made his intentions clear last year with a strong return to form, one he hopes to continue as the series heads into 2008.
At last year’s World Superbike support event, Dan recorded three strong finishes, grabbing a hard-fought podium with a second place in race 2. He is aiming to capitalise early and pull out all stops in order to finish on the podium.
Yamaha’s successful factory Supersport team sports a new lineup in 2008, with Jeremy Crowe joined by Bryan Staring. The young gun pairing will look to kick things off on a positive note as the Supersport class gets set for its support appearance on the world stage. Recent tests have shown that the R6 has lost none of its presence and prowess on the track, and at the hands of the vastly experienced pairing should be challenging for the podium from the outset of the event.
The Phillip Island event will mark the first competitive hit out on a Yamaha for West-Australian Bryan Staring. He is looking to turn the tables on a lacklustre 2007 season which, due to injury, didn’t yield the results he had been chasing.
"This is a great team to be a part of, we’re all hungry for success and the R6 is definitely the bike to be on. My results at last year’s event were mixed, including missing out on the race win from Jason O’Halloran, who was riding an R6, by less than two-tenths of a second. A good, confident start at Phillip Island means we will carry a lot of momentum through to Eastern Creek."
