Olson wins Mallala FZ6 Cup round

New South Welshman Rick Olson won the second round of 2008 FZ6 Cup at Mallala in South Australia.

New South Welshman Rick Olson made up for a disappointing finish to his opening round campaign to win the second round of the GYTR FZ6 Cup Championship at Mallala Motorsport Park on the weekend. Olson finished the opening race in second after qualifying on the front row in third place. Polesitter and 2008 series debutant Adam Dawes was the winner of race 1 in front of an appreciative crowd of family and friends.

But it was 19-year-old Olson who bounced back when it counted, getting off to a good start in race two to win by almost two seconds after a red-flag restart.
The class C&D rider was there again when it counted in the decider for the day, taking victory by a small margin over race 1 victor Dawes. Olson said the win was satisfying considering the horror end to his weekend at Eastern Creek where he was in the running for a clean sweep of race wins before crashing out in spectacular fashion.

“First of all I need to thank everyone who has helped me put the bike back together and get it working so well after the crash at Eastern Creek,” said Olson.
“That certainly was a low point and this is a good way to erase those memories and get back on top. It was a great weekend, everyone is riding very well. There is a lot of pressure at the front and the boys would not let me get away. Some good starts really set it up for me as there was nothing between us after the 7-laps.”

“After three races the Dunlop tyres were holding up pretty well, the lap times suggest I didn’t really lose too much grip towards the end of the weekend which is a good sign. I’d also like to say a special thanks to (current Australian Superbike Champion) Jamie Stauffer, for showing me the perfect line through the turn 3 complex, that helped me a lot to get good drive for the straight,” he finished.

Olson moves up to first in the standings with this weekend’s terrific showing, sitting on 120 points – 3 points ahead of round 1 winner Brendan Watson.

Adam Dawes recorded second overall for the weekend, netting a strong 63 points from his race win, followed by a third and second placing. Competing at his home track, Dawes was especially pleased with his first outing on the FZ6 at Mallala, where he said the bike had undergone much of its development.

“What a weekend, my first time racing on my home track and Mallala and a win straight up is fantastic,” said Dawes. “To have my family and friends here watching on is something special, I’m glad I was able to deliver a result for them.”

“The bike looks and feels awesome, a lot of work has been put into its preparation. I am happy to have held my own against some of the top riders, they had me under brakes in the second race but I fought back in the third.”

The result sees Dawes leapfrog his way from sixth to fourth in the standings, on 103 points.

A point ahead of Dawes on the ladder is Beau McKenzie, who backed up a solid outing at Eastern Creek with third overall at the technical Mallala circuit.
McKenzie made some swift moves in race 1 after qualifying off the front row in sixth, moving up to third as the chequered flag was waved. Second place in race 2 and fourth place in race 3 made for a solid Sunday for the Queenslander, who is also third in the overall points standings after 2 of 7 rounds.

Nakeeta Quayle was once again the quickest in the battle between the GYTR FZ6 Cup’s 3 female riders, taking a solid 29 points away from the weekend ahead of Amy O’Mara on 26 and Karen Webb on 17. The next round of the series will be played out at Winton Motor Raceway at the end of May, with a maximum of 75 points (plus a point for pole) up for grabs for a clean sweep.

Entries are still available for this class, please contact Simon Thomas (Training Manager/ Marketing Technical Support, (02) 9757 0018) for more information on getting involved in Australia’s most affordable road-racing category.

GYTR FZ6 Cup Championship Results, Mallala Motorsport Park.

Round Results.

1. Rick OLSON (NSW) 70
2. Adam DAWES (SA) 63
3. Beau McKENZIE (QLD) 55
4. Brendan WATSON (NSW) 52
5. Chris KNOX (NSW) 46
6. Gavin HAINSWORTH (NSW) 45
7. Keith GREENTREE (NSW) 40
8. Rohan TUNGATE (NSW) 37
9. Danny MOULTON (VIC) 37
10. Duncan MIDDLETON (NSW) 34
11. Nakeeta QUAYLE (NSW) 29
12. Amy O’MARA (NSW) 26
13. Phillip BURKE (NSW) 23
14. Michael MARSH (VIC) 20
15. Karen WEBB (VIC) 17
16. Rennie SCAYSBROOK (NSW) 14

Championship Standings (after round 2 of 7)

1. Rick OLSON (NSW) 120
2. Brendan WATSON (NSW) 117
3. Beau McKENZIE (QLD) 104
4. Adam DAWES (SA) 103
5. Chris KNOX (NSW) 96
6. Keith GREENTREE (NSW) 96
7. Gavin HAINSWORTH (NSW) 74
8. Danny MOULTON (VIC) 69
9. Duncan MIDDLETON (NSW) 65
10. Rohan TUNGATE (NSW) 59
11. Nakeeta QUAYLE (NSW) 58
12. Phillip BURKE (NSW) 53
13. Rennie SCAYSBROOK (NSW) 53
14. Zach THACKERAY (NSW) 48
15. Amy O’MARA (NSW) 47
16. Michael MARSH (VIC) 37
17. Karen WEBB (VIC) 31