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2007
ROAD RACING NEWS:
September
The
Chris Vermeulen 'Island Assault Tour' underway
Vermeulen
2nd in Misano,
4th in Championship
August
Leigh-Smith secures third
consecutive wildcard
The
Chris Vermeulen Island Assault Tour
July
The
Save Lakeside Crusie in Show
Vermeulen 2nd
in US, staying with Suzuki
Queensland Road Racing
Championships roar into Warwick
Kirk
McCarthy Memorial
Award - Applications Open
Houwen
clinches FZ6 Cup
June
Queensland Road Racing
State Championships Supp Regs released
Stoner
Wins, Vermeulen Podiums, West Impresses
Ant West joins Moto GP
MRRDA
Series Round 3 (Qld) Supp Regs released
May
West
Wins World Supersport race
Vermeulen
wins French Moto Grand Prix
March
Queensland
Clubs unite for Southern Downs Challenge
Junior Road Racing Series off to Flying Start
The
Chris Vermeulen 'Island Assault Tour'
underway
The
Chris Vermeulen 'Island Assault Tour' kicks off today (Thursday
27th September) at Sunstate Motorcycles on the Sunshine Coast.
The Tour involves 5 stops
at various locations across 3 Australian states (Queensland,
New South Wales and Victoria) as Chris builds for a big performance
at this year's GMC Australian Moto Grand Prix at Phillip
Island 12th - 14th October 2007.
If you can, get out there
and support this Queensland born and raised superstar.
For full details regarding
appearance times, check out www.chrisvermeulen.com
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Vermeulen
2nd in Misano, 4th in Championship
The Aussie assault on MotoGP
racing continued at Misano in Italy today. Chris Vermeulen
and Casey Stoner with their second 1-2 finish of the year.
Queenslander Vermeulen was joined by his Rizla Suzuki team
mate, John Hopkins on the podium, giving the MotoGP team
it’s
first ever double podium finish.
Vermeulen surging to out right fourth in the race for the
world championship courtesy of his gritty second.
“It was hard work you know. It was going to be tough
work starting from the third row of the grid, but when I
got through I thought I could chase Casey down. I tried my
hardest, but full credit to Casey and also Bridgestone and
Suzuki we had no information and they gave us a really good
package.” Vermeulen said.
With this a new track on the calendar the Australian was
one of the quickest all weekend, showing his amazing raw
talent.
“It was good this weekend, it was a level playing field,
everyone had the same amount of experience and we were a
lot quicker. It’s very physical, it’s bumpy,
it’s narrow and you don’t get a break anywhere.
“Yeah I thought I could win. I’ve been quick
all weekend. Qualifying didn’t go to plan but I was
quick this morning. I knew I was going to have a problem
with the front tyre and that’s what started to go first.” he
said.
Starting from the third row, the twenty five year old made
his best start of the season, luckily escaping a massive
pile up on turn two.
“I wasn’t aware of what happened early, it must
have just missed me, but I was glad to get through quickly
and then chase down Valentino (Rossi) and John (Hopkins).”
Chris is now four points clear of Hopkins in fourth spot
and just twenty four points adrift of Dani Pedrosa who holds
down third spot in the overall championship.
It was Vermeulen’s fourth
podium finish of the year.
On Friday it was announced that fellow Queenslander Ant West,
who fought strongly to finish in 8th position in Misano,
has been signed on a one year deal by the Kawasaki Racing
Team to race along side their other new signing for 2008
- John Hopkins.
West was drafted into the Kawasaki
Racing Team back in June as a replacement for Olivier Jacque,
who moved across to head up Kawasaki's Ninja ZX-RR development
programme as the official factory test rider.
Since his arrival
in MotoGP, West has impressed with how quickly he has adapted
to racing in the premier series, as well as his consistent
results during what has been a period of intense adjustment
for the Australian.
"I feel great about how
things have worked out", commented West.
"As you can imagine,
it's a huge weight off my shoulders. This is definitely something
I've been stressing about, whether I can stay in MotoGP and,
if so, for which team. But this really is the best opportunity
for me, to stay with Kawasaki, as I'm really happy here.
It's such a good team and a great bike with all the support
from the factory", he continued.
Round fourteen of the championship will be held in Estoril
Portugal in two weeks time.
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Leigh-Smith
secures third consecutive wildcard
For the third consecutive year, 17 year
old Queenslander Blake Leigh-Smith (pictured) has been granted
a
wildcard entry into the 125cc GP class at the Australian
Grand Prix to be held at Phillip Island from 12th - 14th
October 2007.
It has been a particularly
busy year for Leigh-Smith, who won the first
3 rounds of the Australian
Superbike Championships, 125 class.
In April,
Blake set off for Europe to compete in the IDM (Internationale
Deutsche
Motorradmeisterschaft) German 125cc domestic championship
under the tutelage of
renowned 2 stroke builder, Johan Luyten.
Johan was responsible
for kick starting the careers
of names such as Mika Kallio, Joey Litjens and Masao Azuma
among others.
Blake currently holds 9 th place in the IDM championship
with the following results:
R 1
Lauritz - 7th
R 2 Oschersleben - Qualified 3rd, DNF
R 3 Assen - Qualified Pole, DNF
R 4 Nurburgring - 4th
R 5 Salzburgring - 12th
Leigh-Smith will compete in Round 6 of the
IDM championship this weekend (1-2 September)
at the Autodrom Most (Czechoslovakia). As with all the other
rounds he will only see
the track for the first time ever on Friday for practice.
Blake also competed
in a round of the French 125cc domestic Championship (Magny
Cours) and Dutch domestic Championship (Assen) taking unprecedented
first places
at both events.
When in Europe, Blake
lives in Belgium with Johan Luyten and his wife. Johan will
come to
Phillip Island as team manager and will bring the GP bike
which Blake is riding to so
much success in Europe.
The team hopes to showcase the abilities of this great young
rider, and may have
more interesting news in the very near future.
You can keep up-to-date
with the latest Leigh-Smith news (Blake and Jackson) at www.leighsmithracing.com
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The
Chris Vermeulen 'Island Assault Tour'
The Assault is Coming!
Queensland's very own MotoGP
star Chris Vermeulen will have an unprecedented lead up to
this year’s
record breaking Australian MotoGP Championship, when he literally
takes it to the streets.
Vermeulen will spearhead
the “Island Assault Tour”,
an interactive, meet and greet merchandise tour stopping
at five locations, in three states and travelling over 7,000
kilometres.
Starting on the Sunshine
Coast at Sunstate Motorcycles on September the 27th, the
tour will stop off at Springwood Suzuki on the 29th, before
heading to Sydney’s Action
Motorcycles on 3rd October. Three days at the Australian
Motorcycle Expo in Melbourne will follow starting from the
3rd, before the final leg to the holy grail of Phillip Island
and what Chris plans to be the race of his life on October
14.
“I am just so excited about the tour. The interest
in what the Australians have been achieving in MotoGP this
year warrants the undertaking I am making, to get out there
and meet the fans.” Vermeulen said.
“It will be the world wide launch of the “CV
Authorised” range of merchandise and will provide the
perfect build up to the Australian GP. A chance to actually
say G’day to the people who’ve supported me so
well.”
Chris will be at all tour stops signing autographs and meeting
his legion of fans. A specially designed interactive truck
will be the feature, with Suzuki major supporters of the
tour.
“I hope to meet as many fans as possible. Come and
say hi. I’m looking forward to it.”
Dates and details are as
follows:
*Sunshine Coast
Thursday 27th September
*Brisbane Saturday 29th September
*Sydney Wednesday 3rd October
*Melbourne AME
Friday 5th to Sunday 7th October
*Phillip Island
Friday 12th to Sunday 14th Oct.
For appearance times check in with www.chrisvermeulen.com in
coming weeks.
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The
Save Lakeside Cruise in Show - Sunday
12 August
If you want somewhere that you can enjoy the performance
of your Road bike, or a venue where you can test your Road
Racing skills, in a safe environment, without breaking
the law, then you should consider throwing your support
behind the Save Lakeside Cruise in
Show on Sunday 12th
August.
The Save Lakeside Cruise in Show is part of a wider
push to re-open Lakeside Raceway.
Lakeside Raceway was the home of motorsport in Queensland
for over 40 years, up until 5 years ago, when it was closed
down by the local council due to noise and other pollution
issues.
Last year the Pine Rivers Shire Council sought expressions
of interest from parties interested in the future management
of the site. Recently they completed this tender process
for the management rights of the circuit and a preferred
submitter was chosen. Unfortunately however very little
has happened since this time.
"Make no mistake, this argument over Lakeside is not
about noise or water quality or any other public issue,
it's about a handful of well positioned people attempting
to sabotage the public process for personal financial gain",
said Ian Milton, president of Lakeside Motor Racing Enthusiasts.
The Save Lakeside Cruise
in Show will involve a ride in cruise starting from the Mt
Coot-tha Botanical Gardens, ending at a property directly
across the road from Lakeside Raceway.
On arrival, there will be an opportunity to enter a
show'n'shine or just hang out with other motorsport enthusiasts
and check out all the bikes and cars. There will be food
and drink, entertainment and some short speeches from people
supporting the re-opening of this historic race track.
We need to show the local council that we will support
them.
Join the cruise or enter the show’n’shine
or just come down for a look at two and four wheel works
of art and engineering. All for just $2!
If motorsport is your passion, this is your chance to
stand up and be counted.
You don’t need a showpiece, just a daily driver,
or even if you’ve only got a half built, partially
restored frame, bring it on the trailer. Wear your motorsport
apparel and show that you’re not going sit back and
let them take your track away!
Cruise meet location: Mt Coot-tha Botanical Gardens
(parking in lot opposite main entrance), Toowong @ 9am
-- Depart time: 10am -- Cruisers must sign event registration
at Lakeside Cafe'.
Show 'n' Shine: Lot 4, Lakeside Rd, Kurwongbah (opposite
the track) @ 11am.
Motorcycling Queensland Non-Competition / Recreational
Permit #38442.
For more details and pre-registration visit www.lakesideraceway.com
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Vermeulen
2nd in US, staying with Suzuki
Photo courtesy: Rizla Suzuki
Queenslander
Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki) and his countryman Casey
Stoner (Ducati Malboro) have left American MotoGP fans
with a big dose of Aussie fever, after the pair went one
two at Laguna Seca in California today.
Vermeulen and his Rizla Suzuki started from third and took
a brilliant 2nd place to move him to 4th in the battle for
the world championship.
Fellow Queenslander Ant
West (Kawasaki Racing Team) who qualified 12th fastest, was
able to bring his Ninja ZX-RR home in seventh position.
The twenty five year old Vermeulen
used his podium finish to end months of speculation about
his future.
One of the most sort after riders in the paddock agreeing
to stay on with Suzuki for 2 years. In his words to finish
what he started.
He said, “I discussed with other teams but Suzuki made
it clear early that I was wanted. I just wanted to make sure
that I was going to get on the best bike for my future and
I feel like I’ve made the right decision.
“The main thing for
me was to be on a factory bike. That’s really important
at the moment the way things are developing and to be a part
of that development process. If you are in a non factory
team you don’t get things first.”
After his team mate (John
Hopkins) decided to leave two weeks ago to join Kawasaki
in 2008, Vermeulen’s
signature has been a priority.
Vermeulen’s record
in America is outstanding and the fans will see more of him
next year when the MotoGP circuit adds Indianapolis to the
calendar in September, but for now it’s home for a
break, happy in the thought a barnstorming finish to the
year is well and truly on the cards.
The MotoGP now circus now
goes on a 3 week summer break, with most riders using this
time to get some valuable R and R before the final 7 rounds
of the championships, which will includes the Australian
MotoGP at Phillip Island (12 - 14 October).
Stoner now holds a 44pt
lead over his nearest rival for the championship - Italian
Valentino Rossi, with Vermeulen currently sitting in fourth
position, with West sitting in 16th (having only contested
the last 4 rounds).
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Queensland
Road Racing Championships roar into Warwick
Photo
courtesy: Osella Photographics
The 2007 Queensland Motorcycle
Road Racing and Queensland Historic Road Racing Championships
will roar into Warwick’s
Morgan Park Raceway this weekend, the 21st and 22nd July.
With over 100 competitors,
30 officials and numerous other associated personnel arriving
in town as of Friday, Warwick locals should expect to see
a large number of unfamiliar faces.
The
Motorcycle Sportsmen of Qld, the promoting club are predicting
that motorcycle road racers will become a more familiar sight
as the year progresses with Morgan Park Raceway now the home
of club and state level Road Racing in South East Queensland.
The Queensland Championship is a combined
modern and historic meeting with both eras of motorcycle
machinery being well represented. Legends,
both riders and machines from past eras will be competing
in this inaugural road race event on the recently licensed
long circuit.
The club in conjunction with Motorcycling
Queensland and the Warwick District Sporting Car Club have
finally been able to satisfy the Motorcycling Australia
track safety guidelines to make the long circuit available
to big bore motorcycles such as the Supersport and Superbike
categories. This
in essence makes Morgan Park Raceway Australia’s newest
motorcycle road race circuit open to all categories of machinery.
The Warwick District Sporting Car
Club and Bill Campbell in particular need to be congratulated
for their commitment and assistance in making the required
alterations to allow this to occur. The motorcycle racing
fraternity can not express their appreciation sufficiently.
The club hopes that the regular patronage within the town
will assist in showing our appreciation at having a national
class facility to call home.
The licensing of a new circuit with a track layout to test
the best has attracted interest from as far away as Sydney
with both solo and sidecar competitors making the journey
to Warwick.
“We hope
to see the local community come out to the circuit and
enjoy what is expected to be very fast, close and exciting
racing on this new track.” Said
Motorcycle Sportsmen club President Leo Cash.
“The
track reminds me of Lakeside and even Bathurst to a certain
degree, it has challenges all its own, its very physical,
personal fitness will be very important if you want to
win races here.”
The club have been utilising the short
circuit at Morgan Park for limited capacity road racing
for a number of years but this will be the beginning of
a new era with the introduction of large capacity Superbikes
to the track.
Saturday will see practice and qualifying
sessions take place for all classes with one racing event
for each class in the afternoon.
Admission is FREE on Saturday. Racing
will commence by 9.30am on Sunday morning and should continue
through to approximately 4pm. Entry for adults is
$15.00 with children under 15 years FREE with student ID. Enquiries
on the event can be directed to The Motorcycle Sportsmen
of Qld on 0439 326 266.
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Kirk
McCarthy Memorial Award - Applications
open
Applications are now invited
from suitably qualified riders to become the recipient of
the 2007 Kirk McCarthy Memorial Award.
The Kirk McCarthy Memorial Award was
established by the family of the late Kirk McCarthy to
assist young riders to compete in the Australian Superbike
Championship.
Each year, one
rider will receive the Award, in the form of financial
and product support to contest the
following year's Australian Superbike Championship.
The award is open to riders in all ASC classes.
A perpetual trophy will
also be awarded to the recipient, who will also receive a
replica of the trophy at the annual ASC presentation dinner.
Applications are assessed on several
different criteria, including the applicant's professional
attitude, ability, presentation, dedication, and commitment.
They will be assessed by a panel which includes representatives
from the McCarthy Family, the motorcycle industry and Motorcycling
Australia.
An Application Form for
the 2007 award is available from here.
For more information on
Kirk McCarthy and the Kirk McCarthy Memorial Award head to www.kirkmccarthy.com.au
*Applications
close Monday 6th August.
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Houwen
clinches FZ6 Cup
Another unbeaten round has
seen Queenslander Josh Houwen clinch the GYTR FZ6
Cup, with one round still remaining.
The GYTR FZ6 Cup, introduced
for the first time this year allows riders the opportunity
to race at a fraction of the normal cost. Parting with $7500
will secure a race ready 2007 model FZ6N, all entry fees
and a fresh set of control tyres for each round of the YMF
Loan Australian Superbike Series. The entry fees and tyre
fees alone are over $4700 in costs that are all taken care
of in the $7500 sign on fee for the whole 2007 ASC FZ6 Cup
series
Houwen, a former Dirt Track
and Supermoto competitor has made every post a winner in
this Series, remaining undefeated after the first 6 (of 7)
rounds.
Queenslanders were treated
to a spectacular display of racing last weekend, with the
GYTR FZ6 Cup proving to be one of the highlight classes of
the Australian Superbike Championships double-header event
at Ipswich’s
Queensland Raceway.
Friday’s qualifying
session proved to be incredibly close between the series
standouts, with Jon Cartwright gaining the upper-hand over
series points leader and teammate Josh Houwen by the narrowest
of margins.
Rick Olson and Ewan McClue
snared the remaining front row positions for the weekend’s
4 races, ensuring a close run into the fast and bumpy turn
1.
Saturday’s opener
was a classic, with Houwen and Cartwright duelling at incredible
pace before the pole man relinquished the advantage, and
a number of positions, to the young Queenslander.
Houwen
was again on fire in the day’s second and final stoush,
dropping into the 1-minute 17-second bracket at mid-race
distance and taking the win by almost 4 seconds over Cartwright.
The first of Sunday’s
two 7-lap sprints saw the Weldalloy-backed teammates locked
in battle again, and while Cartwright laid down a spectacular
race lap of 1.16.809, it wasn’t
enough to knock Houwen off his perch.
It was a case of de ja
vu for the lead bunch during the day’s
final race, with Houwen making it 4 from 4, but pushed all
the way to the line by his teammate.
Houwen’s perfect
run of results sees him over 100 points clear of his nearest
competitor. With a maximum of 51 points available at the
final round at Eastern Creek (17th - 19th August), Houwen
will be crowned the inaugural champion of the popular class
regardless of his results in Sydney.
“We’ve had so many people out here supporting
us, both myself and Jon, all the Queenslanders and especially
Weldalloy and the Anchor Race Team, these are the guys that
allow us to race and its been great to put on a show for
them this weekend,” said Houwen.
“It’s a big weight off my shoulders to come away
with the points advantage here, I’ve been consistent
at each round, taking the holeshot each time and qualifying
well, and to win every race of the season so far is something
I never would have imagined heading into the year.”
GYTR
FZ6 Cup officials are excited by the level of momentum the
class is gaining, and have been inundated with requests for
details of the 2008 season.
Interested road racers
are encouraged to point their web browsers to www.yamaha-motor.com.au/fz6cup for all the latest information, with new features appearing
in the coming weeks.
The final round of the one-make championship will be held
at Eastern Creek will be held from August 17-19.
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Queensland
Road Racing State Championships Supp
Regs released
The Supplementary Regulations
for the 2007 Queensland Road Racing State Championships,
to be held at Morgan Park, Warwick, on the Saturday 21st
and Sunday 22nd July 2007 have been released.
The event, which will also
incorporate the Queensland Historic Road Racing Championships
will be conducted on Australia's newest licenced Road Racing
circuit.
Saturday will involve practice,
qualifying and 1 x race, whilst Sunday will involve 2 races
(all classes).
With entries having already
been recieved from interstate for this event, riders are
encouraged to submit their nominations early as grids for
all classes will be restricted to 32 riders.
Entries open forthwith
and close last mail Wednesday 11th July. Entries will be
accepted either via the usual postal Entry Form method, or
by going to www.nominate.com.au
Supplementary Regulations
are available from here. Further enquiries should be directed
to Motorcycle Sportsmen via Rachael Hern (07) 3262-6677 or
www.motorcyclesportsmen.com.au
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Stoner
Wins, Vermeulen Podiums and
West Impresses
Photo courtesy: World Moto GP
 It was a successful night
for Australians riders at a very wet Donnington Park for
the British round of the World Moto Grand Prix last night,
with Casey Stoner (Ducati Malboro) collecting his fifth win
of the season, Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki) coming through
a shaky weekend to put himself on the podium (third), and
debutant Ant West (Kawasaki Racing Team) impressing many
in his first race on a MotoGP bike.
At one point in the race
the Aussie boys held 3 of the top 5 positions
with Ant West, who was fastest in Sunday morning practice,
surging through the field in the wet conditions from his
starting position of 17th to hold down fifth position in
front of seven times World Champion Valentino Rossi in sixth.
There was no sign of a let up in West's
extraordinary progress until a lack of grip saw the 25-year-old
Queenslander in the gravel at Coppice on lap seven.
He quickly remounted the bike and rejoined
the track in 15th position. During the rest of the race,
West managed to make up ground to finish in the points in
11th.
“I felt really strong in the wet
and it didn’t feel like I was pushing too hard."
said West.
"Nicky Hayden crashed right in front
of me in the same place a few laps before and there was no
grip there. I’d
struggled with it all weekend. But the rear came round
so quickly and I don’t really know what happened.
I’m
disappointed I crashed because I wanted to get a good result
for these guys but I’m happy I finished and got some
points.”
Pushed back to seventh by
the end of the first lap, Stoner regained his composure to
put himself at the front of the field by the halfway point,
a position he never looked like relinquishing. Stoner knew
exactly when to back off, waiting for a dry
line to be established, and once he took the lead from Colin
Edwards (who finished second) was never challenged.
Starting from 12th on the
grid Vermeulen surged through the field to take third spot,
his second podium finish of the year. The result coming despite
two heavy crashes for the talented Queensland rider over
the course of the weekend.
The master of wet conditions once again
proved his ability on an extremely slippery Donington Park.
The start wasn’t too bad. I started
from 12th and that’s not easy, but I got through quite
quickly."
Vermeulen, who celebrated his 25th birthday
during the week, has spent many years at Donington Park,
it’s where he cut his teeth as a sixteen year old,
chasing his dreams of racing in the big league.
All in all it was a great day for Australia,
with another double podium effort from the boys from down
under, and Ant West looking like being a serious challenger
for the remaining rounds.
Casey Stoner extended
his championship lead, and Vermeulen has now surged to 4th
and is closing in on the top 3.
The championship now has a quick turn around,
with round 9 being held this weekend in Assen.
All the latest in the Championship, including
results, interviews, etc from www.motogp.com
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Ant
West joins Moto GP
Photo courtesy: World Moto GP
 The Kawasaki Racing Team confirmed
today that Queenslander Anthony West has accepted a ride
on the factory Ninja ZX-RR for the rest of the 2007 MotoGP
season. The 25-year-old Australian rider fills the void created
by the decision for Olivier Jacque to move permanently to
the role of test and development rider for the team.
Ant's entry into the Moto
GP scene, brings to 3 the number of Australians now competing
in Moto GP, two of them Queenslanders. The other two
riders are of course current Championship leader -
Casey Stoner (Ducati Malboro), and Yandina's Chris Vermeulen
(Rizla Suzuki).
West will make his
Moto GP debut aboard the Ninja ZX-RR this weekend, completing
Kawasaki's rider line up. The 25-year-old Australian has
joined the team as a replacement for Olivier Jacque who,
in agreement with Kawasaki, is standing aside for a younger
rider whilst maintaining a vital role, testing and developing
the bike for Kawasaki.
Gaining spectacular results in the World
Supersport championship as a stand in rider over the past
month, West, who has primarily raced
250cc machines, raised eyebrows after claiming one third
place and two wins in just three races on an unfamiliar motorcycle.
West rode the 800cc Kawasaki
Moto GP racer during a one-day test at Catalunya after the
last Grand Prix. Other than that, his first real chance to
show what he can do on the machine will come in Friday’s
first free practice session. Still swaying from the unexpected
invitation, he’s
delighted to have joined the factory team and looks forward
to making his mark on the premier class.
"Naturally, I’m feeling a bit
nervous." said West.
"I haven’t done many laps
on the bike and this is Moto GP so it’s going to
be very different to anything I’ve raced before.
I don’t
know what to expect at the moment, I just want to finish
the race and not crash." he continued.
From an Australian perspective West has
plenty to live up to in the Championship with fellow Aussies
Casey Stoner (1st place) and Chris Vermeulen (5th place)
both performing outstandingly well so far this year.
Keep up-to-date with the lastest from each
of the Australian boys at the following websites:
Anthony West - Official
website
Chris Vermeulen - Official website
Casey Stoner - Official website
You can keep up to date with everything
to do with the Championship at the official World Moto GP
website.
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MRRDA
Round 3 (Qld) Supp Regs released
The third round of the highly
successful Motorcycle Road Race Development Association Series
will be held at Queensland Raceway on the weekend of 7th
& 8th July.
The Series is open to Junior
150cc, 125 Grand Prix, 250 Grand Prix, 250 Production and
Formula 400 machines.
Young Queensland star Jake
Horne is currently leading the Junior 150cc Series, and was
good enough to keep a Travel Diary of his round 2 experiences,
held at Winton Raceway, Victoria on the weekend of 12 / 13
May. Read Jake's Round 2 Travel Diary here.
Entries are now being called
for round 3 of this Series. Supplementary Regulations and
Entry Forms are available from Motorcycle
Sportsmen or the
MRRDA website.
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West
wins World Supersport race
 Last week it was Vermeulen,
this week is another Queensland road racer, making a big
impression on the world road racing scene, with Maryborough's
Ant West claiming an emphatic victory in the World Supersport
race at Round 7 of the World Superbike Championships, held
at the famous Silverstone Raceway on the weekend.
West arrived at Silverstone Raceway
in Great Britain knowing very little about a track at which
he'd never ridden, and proceeded to give some of the leading
riders in the World Supersport Championship a wake up call.
A stand in for Yamaha’s injured
Australian rider Kevin Curtain, West put in a gritty effort
considering he was the only competitor of the 32 bike field
to have never raced the famous circuit.
Starting the race in 15th position, West
entered the first corner of the wet race with a wall of
spray, creating poor visibility
and dangerous conditions. He worked his way through
the pack like a seasoned rider displaying patience and a
very cool head.
By lap 3, West had moved up to second
position, and then set about chasing
down race leader and team mate Australian - Brock Parkes.
Parkes
looked to have the race well under control with a commanding
lead, however West had other ideas and rapidly pulled in
Parkes at a staggering rate of 2 seconds a lap. He was able
to pass his former junior dirt tracking sparing partner then
create a
10 second gap on the field. Unfortunately Parkes
crashed out, taking with him the opportunity for an Aussie
1, 2 on the podium. West went on to establish a
staggering 44 second lead on the field, prompting Fox TV
Commentator Steve Martin to claim that “West
could finish this race and win with one hand on the bars”.
West
arrived on the main straight not sighting a lap board (the
same lap Parkes had crashed) as West’s team was busy
trying to prepare a new sign board informing him of Parkes
demise. The no board confusion caught Anthony of
guard, as he sat up and rode around for
a lap believing that the race was all over, subsequently
loosing over 12 seconds to the field.
When West realised the race was still on,
he got his head down and continued with the job
eventually crossing the line with
a staggering 33 second gap to second place rider Rob Harms,
in the process lapping the field up to 9th place. One
can only wonder how much of a final lead West would have
had had he not slowed in the middle part of the race believing
the race had been called.
At the conclusion of the
race, former world 500cc Grand Prix competitor and Fox Sports
commentator Kevin Magee stated called for West to "consider
shelving his Grand Prix ride to concentrate on the 600cc
if a ride became available".
After the race, West had this to say
“It's great, I am enjoying myself
so much here in the World 600 Supersport, I took my time
early on in the race to get settled in and organised. Once
I got my rhythm I felt extremely comfortable. I had a couple
of big moments in turn one of the front straight with the
rain creating visibility problems and a puddle that was constantly
changing in size".
"I'm
extremely pleased with today’s
ride considering that I had not ever ridden here before.
The Yamaha Team is the most professional team I have ever
been associated with and I really enjoy riding for them.
It's a blessing having this opportunity with Yamaha after
all the hard years I've had to put in in the 250 GP field.
I wish I had started my grand prix with a team of this
expertise and calibre.”
West has amassed
a total of 41 points in two starts of the World 600 Supersport
Championship, placing 7th overall, which
begs the question where would he have been if he had competed
in the first five events. Consider also the fact the West
had never raced for the Yamaha Team prior to his last two
showings, has really just been thrown
onto the bike to simply replace injured Australian rider
Kevin Curtain.
You have to wonder if West's
opportunity for a full time professional factory ride and
support is drawing closer after rides like last
night's stunning victory.
Keep up-to-date with everything
Anthony West at www.antwest14.com
Full results from Silverstone
round of the World Superbike Championships available
from www.worldsbk.com
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Vermeulen
wins French Moto Grand Prix
 In all elite sports there are days that can define a career.
Young Australian MotoGP rider Chris Vermeulen may have just
enjoyed his day of reckoning, in France, at the famous Le
Mans circuit.
Under enormous pressure, after a weekend where every little
thing went wrong, the twenty four year old started from 12th
on the grid and rode the race of his young career to take
the cheque flag and secure his first ever Grand Prix victory.
“I don’t know how you improve on your first
Grand Prix win, may be win the world championship hey!” he
contemplated.
In heavy rain, the Rizla Suzuki rider came into the pits,
changed bikes and set about ripping the Le Mans track apart.
At one stage riding five seconds a lap quicker than Valentino
Rossi.
“I saw my gap increase. Initially it was really difficult
we didn’t have any wet testing here, no wet practice,
so the bike wasn’t set up perfect but it was good enough.
I had to compensate in some areas.” Vermeulen said.
Vermeulen secured a second place finish in the wet at Phillip
Island last year. Today confirming he is the Rain Man.
“I hate riding in the rain. Funny hey. But I do hate
it. It takes a lot of concentration and it’s not fun
at all. You put it on its side and hope like hell it grips.”
The twenty four year old fighting off the challenges of
his rivals and Mother Nature.
“There was more and more rain coming and it was getting
slippery. I was out of the seat a few times. I couldn’t
even hold it full noise down the straight it was aquaplaning.”
Vermeulen has catapulted himself to
fifth in the championship with two Australian’s now
sitting inside the top five.
Along with his mate Casey Stoner, Australians have won four
of the first five Grands Prix of the season.
“I was just thinking, get through to the next corner
really, not even the next lap. I didn’t think about
winning the race. To be honest I was pushing hard until the
last two or three laps and then it was just bring it home.”
The Queenslander added, “I wasn’t thinking this
is going to be my first Grand Prix win. I was thinking stay
upright and bring it home. I’ll look like an idiot
if I fall off now.”
It’s an historic day all round for the team and the
rider. It was Suzuki’s first win since four stroke
racing was introduced and the first time two Australian’s
have stood on the podium in the MotoGP era.
All this on the day that Suzuki’s
first ever Grand Prix winner, Aussie Jack Findlay passed
away at that age of 72.
“That’s sad news but I am over the moon for
Suzuki. We haven’t had a win under the four stroke
era and hopefully it will be the first of many and hopefully
I can stand up here with John (Hopkins) one day.”
For today, it’s a time to savour. Tomorrow it’s
back to work with a day of testing. The only difference is
that Chris Vermeulen is now a grand prix winner.
“I felt comfortable
then I saw my gap come down and I saw it was Marco (Melandri)
and he is the guy who beat me at Phillip Island and I was
waiting for him to come real fast. I made a few mistakes
and he didn’t come past
me and I thought ok he must be on the limit”.
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Queensland
Road Racing Clubs unite for Southern
Downs
Held
on the 1.2km Morgan Park ‘Short Track’ at Warwick in South East
Queensland on the 24th and 25th of March, Round One of
the Southern Downs Challenge featured a very diverse field
of riders and machines. Rain and wind added to the
challenge midway through racing on the Sunday, leading
to many different tyre combinations being used as the track
conditions changed. With three different clubs contributing
successfully to the meeting, the schedule was as fast-paced
as the racing.
Race
one in the keenly contested Junior competition ended
in a very close and thrilling finish between Dylan Mavin
and Jacob Redding, with Mavin just taking the win. Jacob Morgan grabbed third,
close behind the pair. Redding rode the Team Mags
Motorsport Metrakit 80 to victory in race two, followed
closely by Morgan (Pennywise Wholesale Cars Metrakit 80),
and Jake Horne brought the Weldalloy CBR150 home in a distant
third. Morgan blitzed the field in the very wet race
three, taking the win half a lap ahead of second-placed
Matt Walkers (Kawasaki Connection CBR150). James
Mutton finished in third place, just behind Walkers, on
the Brisbane Motorcycles CBR150. Race four was also
won convincingly by Morgan, this time with a slightly smaller
lead over Mavin, with Horne further back in third. The
juniors once again displayed a level of passion and professionalism
that belies their young age, and leaves no doubt of their
ability to race cleanly and closely in spectacular form.
Daniel
Wheeler took the win in the first race of the popular
Formula 400 class on his VFR400. Joshua Skyring (VFR400) was second, and Richard
Alberthsen (CBR400) just beat Alistair Lang over the line
for a hard-fought third place. Skyring turned the
tables in race two, narrowly edging out Wheeler for the
win in a great finish, whilst Lang finished third on the
CBR400. The wets came out for race three, but this
did not put a damper on the great Wheeler vs Skyring battle,
this time with Wheeler again emerging victorious. After
narrowly holding off a very persistent Evie Saunders (VFR400),
Lang again finished in third place. Race four saw
Skyring break away from Wheeler to take an inspired win. Wheeler
fell into the clutches of Lang, and in a terrific battle
Lang managed to take second, relegating Wheeler to third.
Comprising
of Supermono, 250 production and 125GP bikes, Formula 3
was a great mix of very different machines, and generated
a large number of passing opportunities throughout the
packed field. Justin
Sneddon took the win in race one on the Trick 577 Supermono,
with a comfortable lead over second-placed Paul Sullivan
(KTM 510 Supermono). Formula 400 racer Daniel Wheeler
finished third, on the ULX110 Oils Yamaha XT660. Sneddon
also won race two, this time with Ken Gregg (Honda XL500)
in second, and Wheeler in third. Brett Dugdale (Kawasaki
650) made the most of a wet race three to take a close
victory from Wheeler, and Darren McVey rounded out the
top three on his 500 Supermono. Ken Gregg made a
great comeback to snatch victory in the final race, with
Wheeler barely edging out Honda 125GP rider Stephanie Redman
to take second on the line from Redman’s third.
Russell
Bentley took a close victory over Bernie Summers in the
first race of the Formula 4 competition, which includes
Classic and Forgotten Era bikes. Ron Carrick grabbed third on his Yamaha DT125. Bentley
(Bultaco 360) and Summers (Kawasaki 125) were at it again
in race two, only this time finishing second and third
respectively, as Bert Skuce won the race on his Triumph
500. Some of these rare machines did not return
for the wet race three, so Skuce took an easy second victory
from Bruce Russell (Triton 750), with Summers in third. Summers
grabbed his first race win in the final Formula 4 race,
ahead of Skuce and Rex Bell on the Yamaha RD350.
The
Lites class features up to 100cc two stroke and 150cc
four stroke bikes, and contains both production and GP-based
machines. Formula
3 competitor Justin Sneddon was victorious in race one,
but was hounded all the way to the finish line by the Honda
RS85-mounted James Barclay. Warwick Ayers (Honda
100) was also chased to the line, with Formula 4 racer
Ron Carrick ensuring Ayers earned his third place finish.
Sneddon
(Trick Motolite 150) again proved to be too strong in
the second race, but with Barclay even closer this time
across the line he did not have an easy win. Third place went to the Honda RS80
of Ken Rufus. Inclement weather and confusion over
tyre options saw only two competitors enter the third race,
with Daniel Legge (Trick Honda CB144) taking a solid win
over Rebecca Barker (Trick Bucket150). Ron Carrick
won the final Lites race on the Yamaha DT105, in front
of Barclay and Sneddon.
Paul
Hickman took the win in race one of the Sidecar competition
on the Rumble1100, from Steve Cole in second and David
Buxton (Transac Suzuki1000) in third. Wayne McConachy (Rumble1100) won race two,
from Keith Robinson (Kawasaki1000) and Lindsay Donai. The
final race saw the same finishing order; McConachy, Robinson,
and Donai.
Results from round 1 of the
Series are available here.
The next round of the Series
is slated to take place at Stanthorpe on 2/3 June. Supplementary
Regulations and Entry Forms available from the Motorcycle
Sportsmen website.
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Junior
Road Racing Series off to Flying Start
The
2007 Youngstar Road Race series has kicked off in stunning
form, with Round One a resounding success. Presented
by The Motorcycle Sportsmen of Queensland on Saturday 10th
of March at Ipswich Kart Club, Willowbank, this event treated
spectators and competitors alike to the thrills of night
racing. With spectacular battles in all classes and
close, professional racing throughout the evening this racing
format looks certain to grow further in popularity.
Jacob Morgan dominated the opening
race in the J4 Junior competition, leading from start to
finish to take the win with a comfortable margin. Open to riders aged 13 – under
16 years, this category featured 80cc two stroke and 150cc
four stroke machines, both old and new. Behind Morgan
in race one was Jacob Redding in second and Jake Horne in
third. Morgan crashed the Pennywise Wholesale Cars
Metrakit 80 on the first lap of race two, after a poor start
saw him back in fourth place. Horne took advantage
of the restarted race by grabbing an early lead on the CBR150,
only to fall prey a few laps later to an impressive pass
by the Team Mags Motorsport Metrakit 80 of Redding, who went
on to win the race. Horne held second, and Cohen Arthur
(Fergussons Specialist MC) rounded out the top three.
When the track floodlights went on
for race three, so did the sparky knee sliders, and they
were put to good use by a number of the J4 competitors. After a Jump-start
by Redding, Arthur pushed to the front only to be re-passed
by Redding after a spirited battle, and then came under fire
from Horne, who managed to find a way past on the last lap. Horne
took the official race win after Redding’s jump start
took him out of the standings, Arthur grabbed second and
a distant third went to Dylan Mavin (CBR150). Horne
also took victory in race 4, after a terrific race-long battle
with Arthur saw them cross the finish line in close formation. An
inspirational ride saw a thoroughly deserved third place
go to Redding, who worked his way up from last place. Horne
led the field at the start of the final race, with Arthur
soon stepping up to renew their intense battle. Redding
made a poor start, and had to fight his way through the field
again. He made short work of it, and by the final lap
was chasing down second placed Arthur. In the greatest
pass of the night he took Arthur around the outside across
the finish line, to take second place by two 100ths of a
second.
Only two competitors raced in the
J2 category on the night, but this in no way took away
from the quality of the racing. J2
caters for 9-12 year olds, racing 50cc manual clutch and
gears two stroke motorcycles. Dean Redding (younger
brother of Jacob Redding) took the win in race one, leading
from start to finish. He didn’t have it all his
own way though, as Luke Martin found his rhythm at half distance
on the Moriwaki 50; only to crash on the last lap after catching
Redding. Martin re-mounted and finished the race,
and then redeemed himself by winning race two, also leading
from start to finish. Redding (Team Mags Motorsport
Honda NSR50) finished five bike lengths behind. Race
three was a similar result, this time with Martin taking
the win by a bigger margin.
A more confident Redding returned
to the track in race four, and the racing now became very
animated, with a great battle between the two culminating
in Redding taking the win after passing Martin on the penultimate
lap. The final race
was even more exciting, with Martin leading early, only to
be passed by Redding again. The Moriwaki rider tried
everything thing he could to get back past Redding in a race-long
clash, but in the end Redding was too strong, taking the
win in a tremendous side-by-side finish.
Also racing at this event were the
Superlites, a senior class for 100cc two stroke and 150cc
4 stroke machines. Affectionately
known as “buckets”, the class is renowned for
the close racing it produces, and this event was no exception. James
Barclay (Honda RS85) and Ron Carrick (Yamaha DT105) put on
a superb show, with Carrick hounding Barclay all night. The
first three races had identical outcomes, with Barclay out
in front early, only to be chased down by Carrick, with the
two of them finishing well in front of third placed Paul
Shepley (Honda H100). Race four saw Carrick crash out
in his eagerness to pass Barclay, elevating Shepley to second. Terry
Lowndes grabbed third on the Honda 150. Race five was
a return to the Barclay / Carrick show, and again Barclay
finished just in front of Carrick, who had carved his way
up from the rear of the grid.
Many of the junior competitors racing
at this event are also racing in the National MRRDA Junior
Development series; and some of our future stars could
well be amongst them. So
make sure you get out to Round 2 on Saturday, April 21st;
who knows, you may even see the next Casey Stoner or Troy
Bayliss in action!
Results from round 1 are available from (kim to check)
The next round of the Series is scheduled to take place
at Ipswick Kart Track on Saturday 21st April. More information
on the Series is available by contacting the Motorcycle Sportsmen
Club on (07) 3262-6677.
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