Superbikes at Symmons – Results from the 2011 Tasmanian round of the ASBK

ASBK 2011 – Symmons Plains Tasmania

BMW’s Glenn Allerton has won the Tasmanian round of the 2011 ASBK championship with a 2nd race win, backing up a 3rd place in race one. Team Suzuki rider Josh Waters won the opening 20-lap race of the Viking Group Australian Superbike Championship, breaking the lap record in the process.

Allerton leads the championship on 93 points, 23 ahead of Team Suzuki’s Troy Herfoss who finished fifth overall this weekend.

Superbike Race One

In Race One, the closing stages of the race saw an entertaining five-rider battle play out, with the positions changing lap after lap as riders dove deep under brakes from the 270km/h back straight. Polesitter Team Honda’s Wayne Maxwell and Procon Maxima BMW’s Glenn Allerton both had turns in the lead, but the Suzuki of Waters soon came on strong and his pace proved tough to match. Before his pass for the lead on lap 16, Waters set about re-writing the record books, lowering the best race lap mark to 53.475. He resisted the final corner challenge of Maxwell to win by 0.048 seconds, scoring maximum points in his first race of the 2011 championship after missing round one with World Superbike duties.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better result for my first race,” said Waters. “I didn’t get a great start but knew the bike would be strong so kept at the leaders. “I was able to get by with a few laps to go and from then it was a matter of riding smart. It’s a great feeling and a good result for us considering we had a slow start to the weekend – I’m looking forward to another strong race this afternoon.”

Allerton faded with brake issues after leading for 5 laps early in the piece, but recovered to finish third. Team Suzuki’s Troy Herfoss and Team Honda Racing’s Jamie Stauffer were both in the podium picture but were muscled back late in the race, finishing fourth and fifth respectively.

Superbike Race Two

After his brake problem in this morning’s race, the 2008 Australian Superbike Champion GlennAllerton bounced back in the second 20-lap stoush, winning by a 1.444-second margin over Team Honda Racing’s Wayne Maxwell.

Maxwell took the lead from pole and controlled the race until mid-distance when Allerton pounced, the power of the BMW S 1000 RR apparent on the back straight sweeper, the fastest corner in Australian motorsport at over 270km/h. Today’s result also marks Allerton’s third round win in a row. He won here in November last year before switching manufacturers and dominating last week’s Phillip Island opener. The Sydneysider said he was determined to make amends for this morning’s race where he felt a win went begging. “I felt really comfortable on the bike today,” said Allerton.

“The problem with the front brake in race 1 cost me a chance to attack and I knew I had to make it up this afternoon. “We pulled together as a team and got it done, thanks to everyone involved for a huge effort this weekend. “We’ll look to Darwin now and try a few more things to develop the bike further. There’s more progress to be made and I can’t wait to get to Hidden Valley and try to work on building my championship lead further.”

Second place for the round went to race 1 winner, Team Suzuki’s Josh Waters. Waters was unable to match the pace of Allerton and the Team Honda duo this afternoon and has already set his sights on Hidden Valley, a track he dominated at last year. Wayne Maxwell finished third, adding a valuable 41 points to his tally. The top three were separated by a point each at the conclusion of a thrilling day of racing.

Supersport

Supersport pole-sitter Christian Casella took victory in the category’s opening 20-lap race, taking advantage of a first-lap stoush between brothers Brodie and Nick Waters. Points leader Aaron Gobert was also involved, taking the pressure off the Triumph-mounted Casella who headed home Yamaha’s Kevin Curtain.

In the second QBE Supersport race, Team Suzuki’s Brodie Waters emerging the victor, a result that could have gone to any one of the five lead riders. Eager to make amends after a morning mishap, Sunstate Racing’s Nick Waters took the early advantage but soon found himself under fire from four more evenly-matched machines. The lead changed almost every lap as riders dared to dive further and further under brakes in the final complex of corners. AARK Racing polesitter Christian Casella and the Yamaha Racing Team’s Kevin Curtain had their time at the front but Brodie Waters prevailed with an advantage of just 0.059 seconds. Waters, who limped to ninth after crashing into brother Nick in the opening 20-lap dash, praised his team for providing such a competitive race bike.

“I knew I had to make up for this morning’s mistake and the team put everything they had behind me,” said Waters. “It’s a good end to the day and a good way to thank them for their effort.”

It was a triumphant weekend for Casella, who won the opening race, the round, and takes a 1-point lead in the championship. “It was a pretty hectic race,” said Casella. “There’s some big braking areas around this track and everyone was having a big go, it was a bit like the Superbike race, a real flip of the coin as to who’s going to get there in the end. To be honest I’m pretty happy to be still sitting on the bike after that one, it was pretty crazy!

ProStock, Superstock, Superlites

Cru Halliday rode his Yamaha R1 to two Prostock race victories today, and, combined with his pole position and race 1 win yesterday, leaves Symmons Plains with maximum points. Matthew Walters edged out Linden Magee by a single point today to claim second for the round. Brett Simmonds was the highest finishing Tasmanian rider this weekend, placing fourth overall in the competitive Prostock category.

In Superstock, Mike Jones’ perfect points haul continued this weekend, with the Yamaha rider securing pole and three race wins from as many starts. Mirroring his round win from Phillip Island last weekend, he now has a substantial lead in the Suzuki Superstock class, 34 points clear of Mark Wilkinson in second. Zack Thackeray rounded out the top three in the class today, with this weekend’s results reflecting the top three in the championship.

The Motul Superlites class saw Josh Hook also in fine form, dominating races 2 and 3 today to take maximum points and a clear round win over Nicky Diles and Alex Phillis. Hook leads fellow Aprilia rider Diles by 16 points heading into round 2.

The next round of the Viking Group Australian Superbike Championships will be held at Darwin’s Hidden Valley Raceway from April 14-17.

Symmons Plains Superbike Race 1

1. Joshua WATERS, Suzuki GSX-R
2. Wayne MAXWELL, Honda CBR RR
3 .Glenn ALLERTON, BMW S 1000 RR
4. Troy HERFOSS, Suzuki GSX-R
5. Jamie STAUFFER, Honda CBR RR
6. Ben ATTARD, Aprilia RSV4
7. Robert BUGDEN, Suzuki GSX-R
8. Craig COXHELL, Honda CBR RR
9. Kris McLAREN, Honda CBR RR
10. Cole ODENDAAL, Honda CBR RR

Symmons Plains Superbike Race 2

1 .Glenn ALLERTON, BMW S 1000 RR
2. Wayne MAXWELL, Honda CBR RR
3. Jamie STAUFFER, Honda CBR RR
4. Joshua WATERS, Suzuki GSX-R
5. Troy HERFOSS, Suzuki GSX-R
6. Robert BUGDEN, Suzuki GSX-R
7. Ben ATTARD, Aprilia RSV4
8. Kris McLAREN, Honda CBR RR
9. Craig COXHELL, Honda CBR RR
10. Cole ODENDAAL, Honda CBR RR

Viking Group Australian Superbike Championship Overall

1. Glenn ALLERTON (VIC), 93
2. Troy HERFOSS (VIC), 70
3. Jamie STAUFFER (NSW), 66
4. Ben ATTARD (QLD), 65
5. Wayne MAXWELL (VIC), 60
6. Craig COXHELL (VIC), 58
7. Robert BUGDEN (QLD), 57
8. Cole ODENDAAL (NSW), 45
9. Ben HENRY (QLD), 45
10. Joshua WATERS (VIC), 42