Aussie superbike title ready to explode

After what can only be described as one of the more illuminating pre-seasons in recent memory, the Woodstock Bourbon Australian Superbike Championship (ASC) will finally tee off at Phillip Island this weekend (February 28-March 1).

It has been a massive off-season for the nation's premier road racing title, with a new promoter (International Entertainment Group, or IEG), a new class structure, a return to Calder Park, and a number of fresh faces joining seasoned veterans in the two major classes - superbike and supersport.

There have been ructions aplenty off the track, with the supplementary regulations, calendar, airfence, classes, promised television coverage and prizemoney all being heavily scrutinised by the motorcycle commentariat, riders and spectators.

In IEG's defence, it was forced to play catch-up after Motorcycling Australia only awarded them promotional rights last September - and then it was only an in-principal agreement as a pre-cursor to a formal contract.

After a rollercoaster ride, IEG has now rectified most of the outstanding issues, or at least calmed the waters, as the ASC returns to Phillip Island for the first time since 2005 as the support classes for the world superbike opener.

In superbike, eight of last year's top 10 riders will be on the grid at the 4.445km circuit, and young guns Josh Waters (Suzuki) and Wayne Maxwell (Honda) have been elevated from supersport to add to the stellar cast.

Honda's Glenn Allerton won last year's championship after a battle to the wire against Yamaha's Jamie Stauffer, and he'll defend his No. 1 plate in the Paul Free-owned and managed Motologic squad.

Motologic was hit for six during the off-season with the withdrawal of Honda Australia and Teknic as the team's major financial backers, but the outfit has rallied and, as far as Allerton is concerned, it's business as usual.

“I really couldn’t have been happier after taking out the championship in 2008, but now I have my sights set on another win in ‘09," said Allerton. “Our recent testing has shown we are in a very strong position and I’m looking forward to this first event at Phillip Island with Motologic Racing.

"The bike set up feels great and the Dunlop tyres are performing perfectly. Paul and I have been working hard on the chassis set-up and we now have an improved package over 2008."

Meanwhile, Maxwell is returning to a class where he first produced some sizzling performances on an overweight and underpowered Kawasaki Racing Team (KRT) ZX-9R earlier this decade.

“Moving onto the superbike couldn’t have gone more smoothly for me," said Maxwell. “The team have worked really hard in a short amount of time and the test at Phillip Island leaves me feeling really confident of a good result at the world supers.

"It was only my second time on the bike and the progress we made since the first test at Winton is really promising. The settings on the bike are good and I’m all set to start the year with a strong result.”

KRT has undergone a major restructure in 2008, with veteran Kevin Curtain linking up with his former Yamaha team manager Dave "Radar" Cullen as it searches for its first Aussie superbike title since Marty Craggill prevailed way back in 1998.

That's the longest drought of any of the Japanese marques, but Curtain, who raced at MV Agusta in 2008, showed in testing at Phillip Island on February 4-5 that he's not far off the mark.

Curtain will have sole superbike responsibility at Kawasaki, with Shannon Johnson and Scott Charlton both now out of the picture.

Team Joe Rocket Suzuki (TJRS) pair Shawn Giles and Waters were the pacesetters on February 4-5, lapping in the low 1:34s bracket on their 2008-spec GSX-R1000s, ahead of former TJRS incumbent Craig Coxhell (Honda CBR1000RR) and Curtain (ZX-10R, 1:35.1).

Giles, a three-time champion from 1999-2001, is returning to action after a nasty crash at Queensland Raceway last year, while Waters, who still occasionally dabbles inn his passion for dirt and long track racing, pushed Jamie Stauffer all the way in the 2008 supersport title.

Meanwhile, after being let go by Suzuki, 2003 champion Coxhell has realised a long-term ambition to start his own team, and this engines wil be fettled by one of the best in the business - Geoff Winzer, who previously assisted Russell Holland (2006) and Allerton (2007) when they ran amok as privateers.

The last superbike champion in the field is the hard-charging Jamie Stauffer, who won in 2006 and 2007. The gifted New South Welshman will compete at Phillip Island under desperately sad circumstances, as his six-year-old son Max has just been diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukaemia.

That's cast a pall over the paddock, and it will either deflate or galvanize Jamie - and if it's the latter his competitors will have to be at the top of their game to beat him.

In recent years, Jamie has rarely lowered his colours at Phillip Island, and he always starts championships with a bang - and then rarely lets his guard down from there. On that score alone, Jamie probably starts as slight favourite to win his third title in four years.

Jamie's older sibling, Dan, was a rejuvenated rider in 2008, and he's determined to maintain the momentum in 2009 as he chases that elusive first Aussie title.

“I’m looking forward to getting started this weekend at Phillip Island, it’s not often we race here for points so it will be especially important to start and stay at the front of the field,” said Dan. “We’ve had the opportunity to test the new racebike, the package is coming together well.”

“I’ve kept up my training routine in the off season and feel well-prepared for 2009.”

Other leading privateers in the massive 31-bike grid will include Chris Trounson (Motologic Honda), Zac Davies (Yamaha), Robbie Budgen on a satellite TJRS, and Pat Medcalf (Yamaha), last year's superstock 600 winner.

Supersport is just as difficult to pick as superbike this weekend, although the winner(s) will probably come out of a core group of five: Jamie Stauffer (Yamaha), Ben Attard (Kawasaki), Bryan Staring (Yamaha), Charlton (Yamaha), Brodie Waters (Honda), and Suzuki duo Judd Greedy and Troy Herfoss.

“Phillip Island is a favourite track of mine and many racers, it’s a great track to ride and the large crowds really spur you on,” said Staring. “We usually use the WSBK event as a pre-season shakedown but this time we’re racing for championship points, which suits me as I’ve done well here in the past.

“I’m really excited about the season ahead and am very confident that the team and racebike package is up to the task of winning races and rounds.”

Waters, on the ex-Wayne Maxwell CBR600RR, was the revelation in the February 4-5 test, just edging out Herfoss and Attard.

Like the Stauffers, Herfoss is a multiple Australian senior dirt track champion, but he eschewed a path straight into road racing - the route taken by the likes of Casey Stoner, Daryl Beattie, Broc Parkes and Chris Vermeulen - to go supermoto racing.

But he was good enough to hit pay dirt, winning both the Australia and American supermoto titles.

Now's he's replaced Waters in the supersport seat at TJRS and, with such a rich pedigree, he could well be the surprise packet of 2009.

Meanwhile, the superstock 600 class has gained official Australian "championship" status for the first time since its inception in 2002, and the C and D-grade riders will be extra motivated to put on a show at Phillip Island - even though some of their racing lines will occasionally be a little unorthodox.

Although they won't be competing as an official ASC class this weekend, historics will complete the support program.

The historic class is unique, simply for the sheer diversity of machinery on the grid. They pump out a serious amount of horsepower through their skinny tyres, but some of the riders who have tamed them include Wayne Gardner, Freddie Spencer and Wayne Rainey, all former world 500 GP champions, and closer to home people like Rob Phillis and Malcolm Campbell.

Phillis will compete at the Island, and probably start as the slight favourite on his 1980 model Suzuki.

A total of 134 riders will compete across the four world superbike and supersport support categories at Phillip Island in 12 separate races.

Six of the nine ASC classes in 2009 will have official Australian "championship" status: superbike, supersport, superstock 1000, supersport 600, 250 GP mono, sidecar F1 and 125 GP. Junior, women and Australian historic will have national series status.

The championship will receive both free-to-air (10 HD and SBS's Speedweek) and pay television coverage (Foxtel), with schedules yet to be announced.

The final round will be held at Calder Park on November 13-15, which marks a return to the circuit which once hosted ASC racing (as part of the now-defunct '2-plus-4' meetings) and prestigious events like the Swann International Series.

For the full calendar, click here.

For more information on the ASC, click here.

Pic: KRT duo Curtain and Attard