Aussie endurance title reborn

You know we're turning back the clock when there is mention of the Kawasaki GPX750 sports bike winning an Australian road racing title.

But that was the case in 1988 when Rob Phillis won the Australian Endurance Championship on the aforementioned machine, which unbelievably was the last time the title was officially held in Australia.

But now it's set to return 22 years later, when the Bel-Ray 6-hour is held at Phillip Island this Sunday – invoking memories of not only 1988, but the famed Castrol 6-Hour held at Amaroo and Oran Park respectively in the 1970s and 1980s.

The event has attracted a sensational field for the last major Motorcycling Australia-sanctioned superbike race of the year, and includes factory entries from Honda and Suzuki, as well as some seriously potent privateer teams.

Five Australian superbike champions will be competing in the gruelling endurance race, which starts at 10.30am on Sunday. In the Suzuki corner there’s Josh Waters and Shawn Giles, while the recently reformed official Honda-backed team will field Glenn Allerton and Jamie Stauffer.

The third highly credentialed team – perhaps the most – is Demolition Plus Gas Honda, which has best mates Wayne Maxwell and Josh Brookes in its line-up. The outfit is also pushing for back-to-back wins after prevailing in last year's six-hour race at Oran Park with Russell Holland, Craig Coxhell and Gareth Jones.

Brookes is all class, winning both the 2005 Aussie superbike and supersport titles, and he also pulled off a gripping victory in the world supersport round in 2005 at Phillip Island as a wildcard.

In 2010 he was second in the British superbike title, while his team-mate Maxwell has been the form rider around Phillip Island in recent years, and holds the current superbike lap record (1:32.316).

Maxwell rode the Demolition GAS Honda to second place in this year’s Australian Superbike Championship, but this time he will have to strike a compromise on set-up with a team-mate – something that’s not always easy to conquer.

But that will be something that all 38 teams will have to face this weekend, which is why endurance racing can be so unpredictable.

And of course, the weather. Everyone knows that Phillip Island’s weather can be a Jekyll and Hyde affair, so that could be another huge determining factor on Sunday’s result.

As well as Honda, Suzuki also has some solid depth in the premier superbike class, with Scott Charlton and Isle of Man star Cameron Donald sharing another GSX-R1000.

In the supersport class, the two standouts are Team Suzuki (Troy Herfoss/Brodie Waters, GSX-R600) and Triumph (Christian Casella/Jed Metcher/John Chiodo, Daytona 675).

Six-hour qualifying will be held on Saturday, alongside some support races. And on Sunday, Kevin Magee wil help to kick off proceedings in the main race.

One ticket gives spectators access to both Saturday and Sunday, and are available at the gate for $40.

A family pass is $80, which includes two adults and two children under 16. Kids are 16 are admitted free.