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2005 AUSTRALIAN SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP

2005 AUSTRALIAN SUPERBIKE / SUPERSPORT CHAMPIONSHIP

ROUND 1, PHILLIP ISLAND, APRIL 1-3, 2005

RACE RESULT:

RACE 1, SUPERBIKE

• 1 Joshua BROOKES Honda CBR1000RR
• 2 Jamie STAUFFER Kawasaki ZX-10R
• 3 Shawn GILES Suzuki GSX-R1000
• 4 Daniel STAUFFER Yamaha
• 5 Scott CHARLTON Suzuki
• 6 Shannon JOHNSON Yamaha
• 7 Russell HOLLAND 8 Glenn ALLERTON 9 Tony REES 10 Shaun GERONIMI

RACE 2, SUPERBIKE

• 1 Adam FERGUSSON Honda CBR1000RR
• 2 Shawn GILES Suzuki GSX-R1000
• 3 Joshua BROOKES Honda CBR1000RR
• 4 Daniel STAUFFER Yamaha
• 5 Scott CHARLTON Suzuki
• 6 Shannon JOHNSON Yamaha
• 7 HENDERSON 8 GERONIMI 9 J STAUFFER 10 STAUFFER

RACE 3, SUPERBIKE *** CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER ***

RACE REVIEW: HONDA

• JOE ROCKET HONDA LAUNCHES SERIES OPENER WITH A ONE, TWO, THREE
• Leaving all traces of last year’s horrific injuries behind, Joe Rocket Honda’s Josh Brookes was in a class of his own this past weekend at round one of the Australian Superbike Championships. Brookes skillfully launched this season’s 600cc class with an overall win after taking pole position with a laptime of 1:38.7, subsequently obliterating the competition in each of the three races.
• After rain cancelled out the third Oz SBK race, Brooksey also claimed the win in the class on points, taking him to round two as outright leader in both championships, a superb accomplishment for the young man whose future was looking unclear after a career-threatening accident in round four of last year’s series.
• In Supersport, Adam ‘Krusty’ Fergusson - who also shone in the Superbike class - stayed close by but couldn’t close the gap on his team mate. Through three steady, consistent outings, Krusty nailed second position for the weekend primarily battling with Honda’s junior development team rider Jason O’Halloran (Rocket Racing) who kept the veteran at bay in the first two races for as long as possible.
• From the front row of the start grid, all three factory riders led the 32 strong field in race one and two with Mark Aitchison and Robbie Baird keeping them honest early on, however the Yamaha riders couldn’t get any distance on the Honda men and their latest release CBR600RR’s. On his win, Brookes said he is “feeling great and I’m really happy with the new bike.” “We had some time to test a lot of different set ups prior to the first round here at the Island so that was well worth the effort.”
• Brooke’s right hand man and Team Technician Garry House noted however that the motorcycle is still in its development stage having only arrived in the country two months ago. “I think we’ll see even more performance out of the 600 as the year goes on,” House said.
• Commenting on his results, last year’s Champ Fergusson said that they “played around with the suspension a little for the second Supersport race but I still wasn’t getting quite as much grip as I would have liked so I didn’t push the envelope to catch Josh.”
• Race three was a blueprint of the earlier outings for Joe Rocket’s two top guns, however young Rocket racer O’Halloran had to settle for seventh after a shaky start in the wet. With a third overall for the day, the Wollongong teenager was thrilled. “I’m happy to be on the podium after all the problems I had last year with my foot and ankle. It’s a good start to 2005 for me.”
• The Team had equal success in the Superbike class with Brookes finishing first and third in the two races that did run as planned. “I actually didn’t get the best start in race one but I managed to get up
  to the front fairly quickly,” Josh noted. The ‘master of slide’ put on a spectacular show for the remainder, eventually taking the win by 3.4 seconds in front of Kawasaki’s Jamie Stauffer.
• 2004 Champion Fergusson took the honours in race two after muscling by Shawn Giles (Suzuki) on more than one occasion, keeping the crowds highly entertained with some world-class racing. After finishing near the back of the pack in race one due to a technical problem, Adam came in at 7th for the day. In his matter of fact manner, Adam explained the day. “Superbike race two
  was under control, no problems whatsoever.” “Unfortunately I didn’t pick up points in the first race due to a tyre issue. That was just one of those things. I spun it a bit on the start line and it got unbalanced which is never good for a tyre on a race track. Prior to that I was having a good race.” That he was. Krusty clocked the fastest lap for race one with a 1 minute 35.5 seconds.
• The fourth member of the factory Honda crew, Judd Greedy, unfortunately had to sit by the sidelines and watch due to a multiple vertebrae injury sustained during testing last month. “The latest doctor’s orders are that I need to rest for a couple of months,” Greedy said. “All going to plan, I should be able to race at round three.” With a smile on his face, Team Manager Paul Free was clearly pleased about his Team’s first foray into 2005. “There are always a lot of eyes watching the Championship winning team when a new season starts so I think we’ve shown here today that we have the machinery and the talent to keep the ball rolling,” “I’m really pleased that Josh is starting right back where he left off before he was taken out last year in West Australia. In fact, JB will be going to Suzuka in the next couple of weeks to test for the 8 Hour which is a fantastic opportunity for him.” “Krusty and Jason were also in form today. I’m particularly happy to see Jason up on the podium where he belongs. He is an incredible young talent who has a bright future.”
• The Joe Rocket Honda and Rocket Racing Teams will compete in the next round of the Australian Superbike Championships to be held on April 28 to May 1 at Eastern Creek, NSW.

QUALIFYING:

FRI, APR 1, 2005

• 1 Shawn GILES, Suzuki GSX-R1000 1m 35.896 2
• 2 Adam FERGUSSON, Honda CBR1000RR +0.64
• 3 Joshua BROOKES, Honda CBR1000RR +0.86
• 4 Jamie STAUFFER, Kawasaki ZX-10R
• 5 Scott CHARLTON, Suzuki GSX-R1000
• 6 Daniel STAUFFER, Yamaha
• 7 Shannon JOHNSON, Yamaha
• 8 Russell HOLLAND, Honda
• 9 Nick HENDERSON, Honda
• 10 Shaun GERONIMI, Yamaha

HONDA PREVIEW:

• JOE ROCKET HONDA READY FOR FIRST GREEN LIGHT OF THE SEASON
  After an intensive four weeks of testing, incorporating the Mallala, Winton, Eastern Creek and Phillip Island circuits, the Joe Rocket Honda Team are fully prepared and saddle-ready for the first round of the Australian Superbike Championships to be held this weekend.(April 1-3)
• Last year’s dual champion, Adam ‘Krusty’ Fergusson and 2004 World Supersport wildcard winner Josh Brookes are both fighting fit, having taken full advantage of the month leading up to the first round to get in as much riding as possible. According to Team Manager, Paul Free, the crew started off a bit slow and steady as they “got a feel” for Honda’s latest release missile, the 2005
  CBR600RR, “a big improvement on last year’s model,” he said. By the end of the program, however, both riders were comfortable with their machines, including last year’s Championship winning bike the CBR1000RR Fireblade, and are very much ready for the first green light of the new season. “We tested a really wide array of set-ups, especially on the 600” Free said. “The bike is already much better in terms of the chassis and acceleration than last year.”
• In the months prior to jumping back on the bike for rigorous days of practice, Josh finished off the tail end of a rehabilitation program to heal the fractured pelvis he sustained in the middle of last season. “I was a little sore after the first day on the bike,” Brookes commented, “but I’m good now and back up to pace.” Fergusson is also in top form after having shed a few kilos during the
  break and focusing on his physical fitness in a big way. “I have a Championship to defend,” Krusty quipped. “This is serious business as far as I’m concerned and that means doing what is necessary to give myself and the Team an edge.”
• Junior Rocket Racing Team pilots Jason O’Halloran and Judd Greedy joined their cohorts at each testing session, and though all was falling into place for the two up and comers, Greedy suffered a very unnecessary accident at the last outing. “I’m pretty annoyed,” Greedy explained. “We were at the Island last week and I hit some water that another bike had dropped at Turn one. I lost it and got pitched off which resulted in a compressed vertebrae. That means I’m out for round one but hopefully I’ll be back for Eastern Creek.” Asked to make a prediction on the Team’s potential for 2005, Free said he believes the Team is “at a very good starting point and is as prepared as they can be for the first race.” “Other than that, I wouldn’t make any predictions! I’m just sorry Judd
  won’t be able to join us at the Island.”
• The first round of the ASC will be held at Phillip Island from April 1 – 3. All of the Honda Australia Factory riders, along with Winston Ten Kate Honda World Superbike contenders Chris Vermeulen and Karl Muggeridge will be on hand at Honda’s expo display and Rider’s Club facility to chat to fans and sign autographs.

YAMAHA

• Shannon Johnson: "Phillip Island is going to be the round where you could lose the championship but it’s definitely not going to be the round where you can win it. The important thing is to take as many points away as a good base for the rest of the year. That’s not saying I’m not going to be trying to win but my goal is to finish on the podium in every race.”
• Daniel Stauffer: "For the time we have had, testing has gone really well. The bikes are coming along but there is still plenty of improvement to be made during the year. I didn’t have the best year last year as I was injured for most of it but I’m now fully fit. I’ve been training hard, the team has been working around the clock to get everything ready so it’s now up to me to put in the results out on the track”
• Robbie Baird: "I’m coming back to Yamaha and it is where I’ve had most of my success plus Kev Marshall is still there and that would make any rider happy. What he doesn’t know about bikes isn’t worth knowing. We’ve worked pretty closely together in the past and it’s good to have him in my corner again.”

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