Public options
About HelixAcceptable Use Policy
Create account
Forums
Search news
View members list
Search members list
View poll results
Retrieve lost password
| Topic: Winton War Looms ...As Gloves Come Off In Aussie Superbikes | |||||
Round five of the 2005 YMF Loan Australian Superbike Championship at Victoria's Winton Raceway (August 19-21) is brewing as one of the most anticipated in the series 17-year history with recent courtroom battles likely to spill over on to the racetrack. With some festering sores apparent, and scores no doubt to be settled as war erupts between the major Superbike teams, Australia's premier motorcycle racing series is now showing some of the aggro witnessed in recent seasons in the V8 Supercar series. In the most recent shake-up to the championship points table, Joe Rocket Honda's Josh Brookes was recently demoted from sixth to 11th position in the second Superbike race at Perth's third round of the series (May 27-29) following a successful protest from Team Suzuki. Additionally, scrutineering infractions at South Australia's fourth round (June 3-5) have resulted in Yamaha Racing Team rider and 2004 championship runner-up Shannon Johnson being docked his 36pts from that round, as well as receiving a $2000 fine. Additionally, Kawasaki Racing Team rider Jamie Stauffer has received a $700 fine and had 14pts deducted from his race two result at the same round. The protests have caused ill-feeling between some of the factory-supported teams, with some vowing to take their fight on to the racetrack. Brookes' offence occurred when he ran wide at the final turn and into the sandtrap during a battle for first place with Team Suzuki rider Shawn Giles at the Perth round of the championship. Riders had been instructed that if this occurred they should rejoin the circuit at Turn One after riding through pit lane, or incur a penalty to be decided by race officials. Brookes, a rising talent in world racing, was subsequently fined $250, a penalty also handed out to a privateer rider for the same offence. Team Suzuki protested the penalty, with officials subsequently imposing a 20-second time penalty on Brookes instead of the monetary fine. "Our issue with this situation is that we believe Josh duly accepted the penalty on the day," said Honda Australia's General Manager of Motorcycles, Tony Hinton. "What is amiss is that the appeal decision is based on penalties that were formalised a week later. The fact that Josh adhered to the penalty on race day was completely disregarded." Hinton said that there was no avenue of appeal, short of going to the Supreme Court, something Honda Australia was reluctant to purse in the interests of the sport as a whole. Joe Rocket Honda team manager Paul Free added that the Joe Rocket Honda team is looking to "put this unfortunate situation behind us." "We are focused on winning the championship on the track as opposed to off," Free said. Johnson's Yamaha YZF-R1 was alleged to have illegal coolant present in the radiator, while Stauffer's Kawasaki ZX-10R was judged to have an illegal swingarm. Kawasaki Australia issued a statement which in part said: "Kawasaki believes the Motorcycling Australia decision is flawed and was reached regardless of supporting information supplied by Kawasaki Australia and Kawasaki Japan (KHI). "Team Kawasaki did not modify the swingarm in this bike." The revised points for the 2005 YMF Loan Australian Superbike Championship now see three-time champion Shawn Giles on 171pts, 9pts clear of Brookes, with defending champion Adam Fergusson (Joe Rocket Honda) third on 143. Stauffer is fourth on 138, while Johnson has plummeted to eighth overall with the loss of all his points from the previous round. One can sense there's a Winton War about to erupt... TOP TEN (after four rounds) 1 Shawn Giles, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 171pts 2 Josh Brookes, Honda CBR1000RR, 162pts 3 Adam Fergusson, Honda CBR1000RR, 143pts 4 Jamie Stauffer, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 138pts 5 Scott Charlton, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 116pts 6 Glenn Allerton, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 108pts 7 Robert Bugden, Yamaha YZF-R1, 103pts 8 Shannon Johnson, Yamaha YZF-R1, 98pts 9 Tony Rees, Yamaha YZF-R1, 87pts 10 Daniel Stauffer, Yamaha YZF-R1, 79pts |
|||||
|
