Shawn Giles announces retirement

Shawn Giles has announced his retirement from top-level national championship motorcycle racing.

Giles’ distinguished career spans three decades and brought the popular New South Welshman three Australian Superbike Championships (2000-2002), one Australian Supersport Championship (1997) and a ‘2-plus-4’ Australian Superbike Series title (1995).

Giles is the only rider in the 22-year history of the Australian Superbike Championship to win three consecutive titles, and in the six years from 2000 to 2005 the Team Suzuki rider finished in the top three in the championship on all six occasions.

In addition to his five national titles, Giles finished runner-up in the 2003 Australian Superbike Championship to Suzuki team-mate Craig Coxhell; finished equal first on points in the 2005 championship but lost the title on countback to Joshua Brookes; finished third in 2004; fourth in 1999 and 2009; and fifth in 2007.

The 40-year-old commenced his national racing career in 1986 in a 6-hour dirt-track event at the Nepean circuit in New South Wales and finished his career with the Australian Endurance Championship 6-hour event at Victoria’s Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit on Sunday, December 5, 2010.

“The time is right, and it’s a satisfying way to finish,” said Giles, who finished third outright in the Phillip Island 6-hour race with Josh Waters on the Team Suzuki GSX-R1000. “I started my career in a 6-hour race with a podium finish, so I guess it’s fitting that I should end it the same way.

“I’ve given it a lot of thought, and it’s a hard decision to make as I still love riding and racing motorcycles, but my body just isn’t up to the demands of racing a Superbike at the highest level anymore,” added Giles.

“I know how much Phil (Tainton) and the guys in the team put in week in, week out, and I feel I’d be letting them down if I wasn’t able to perform at the level I feel I need to.

“It’s been difficult to maintain full race fitness following the big accident at Queensland Raceway in July 2008, and the body just doesn’t want to do the things I demand of it. The time is right.”

The accident at Queensland Raceway’s round of the 2008 Australian Superbike Championship was the most serious in Giles’ career and left him with severe concussion and a badly fractured lower leg. He spent two weeks in hospital following the high-speed impact, which occurred when another rider crashed in front of him.

Giles has raced for four factory-supported teams – Honda, Yamaha, Ducati and Suzuki ¬- in his long career and tasted success internationally in Europe, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa, but it’s the last 12 years with Team Suzuki that has brought him his most success.

“I feel very privileged to have raced for Suzuki Australia for so long,” said Giles. “I have the utmost respect for Perry Morison (General Manager Suzuki Australia Motorcycles), who has always gone above and beyond to make both (my wife) Sharon and myself feel part of the Suzuki family. It’s an added bonus that Suzuki builds such awesome motorcycles.

“I’ve been with Suzuki since 1999, and it’s hard to imagine what it would have been like without Team Suzuki as part of my life.”

Giles lists his back-to-back Superbike championships in 2000 and 2001 as his career highlight, and in particular his 2001 win on the then-new Suzuki GSX-R1000.

“Winning my first Superbike championship in 2000 will always be memorable, but the second title is the one that’s special,” recalls Giles. “There were some people that were saying the only reason I won in 2000 was that I was on a FIM-specification Superbike (Suzuki GSX-R750), so to win in 2001 in the first year of the Production Superbike rules on the GSX-R1000 was pretty special.”

Giles also lists his 1995 ‘2-plus-4’ Australian Superbike Series title aboard a Ducati Dealer Team 955 Superbike as a highlight, especially as it was in front of the large crowds at the V8 Supercar rounds as well as a large television audience.

“I should have won the Australian Superbike Championship that year as well, but got caught up in Mat Mladin’s big crash at Phillip Island when Mat’s rear tyre disintegrated,” said Giles.

Mladin would go on to win seven AMA Superbike Championships in the USA for Team Yoshimura Suzuki and become the most successful rider in the history of the series. Mladin is the rider Giles rates as his toughest competitor.

“I had some great races with Mat in 1994 and 1995 – some real memorable ones,” recalls Giles. “He was a real hard racer, and a demon under brakes.”

When it comes to memorable motorcycles, Giles doesn’t hesitate in naming the race-kitted Suzuki Hayabusa he co-rode in the Suzuka 8-hour race in 2000, Japan’s most prestigious race and a round of the World Endurance Championship.

“That thing was a weapon – we actually had to detune it for the race so we could ride it for the whole eight hours,” said Giles, who raced the Hayabusa to victory in the Formula X class with teammate Osama Deguchi, and an impressive sixth outright. “I could pass any of the factory Superbikes in a straight line.

“I remember (Hitoyasu) Izutsu on the factory Kawasaki Superbike having his head buried under the screen and his arse on the ducktail and I went past him on the ’Busa sitting up and looking sideways at him,” said Giles. “Izutsu couldn’t believe it.

“I remember having real bad blisters on my hands after the race from trying to hold on. Real bad...”

Another highlight Giles lists, albeit on four wheels rather than two, was his win in the BMW Celebrity Challenge at the Australian F1 Grand Prix at Albert Park, Melbourne in 2006.

Suzuki Australia’s General Manager Motorcycles, Perry Morison said: “Shawn has not only been an ambassador for Suzuki, but an ambassador for motorcycle racing in this country.

“I’m confident he’ll continue to have an involvement with motorcycling and motorcycle sport in some way. From all at Suzuki Australia we wish him the very best in his retirement and congratulate him on an amazing career.”

Morison confirmed that Giles will continue to have an ongoing ambassador and promotional role with Suzuki Australia and Team Suzuki.

Giles’ spot on the factory Suzuki Superbike will be taken by Troy Herfoss, the reigning Australian Supersport champion. Round one of the 2011 Australian Superbike Championship will be held at Phillip Island from February 25-27 as the major undercard to the world Superbike opener.

Meanwhile, Giles may have just announced his retirement from national Superbike racing, but he wasted little time in accepting a ride in this weekend’s International Island Classic.

Giles will substitute for regular rider Craig McMartin on a highly modified 1300cc Vincent V-twin Superbike in the International Challenge races for pre-1982 Grand Prix and Superbike machines.

Giles’ competition will include former MotoGP star Jeremy McWilliams (Suzuki XR69), world Endurance champion and current lap record holder Steve Martin (Suzuki Katana ), two-time Australian Superbike Champion Malcolm Campbell (Suzuki RG500), multiple Australian champion Robbie Phillis (Suzuki Katana), and Isle of Man TT victors Cameron Donald and Irish champion Ryan Farquhar (both XR69).

Shawn Giles career highlights
2010:        3rd - Australian Endurance Championship (Phillip Island 6-hour)
2009:         4th – Australian Superbike Championship   
2007:         5th – Australian Superbike Championship
2006:         1st – BMW Celebrity Car Challenge, Australian F1 Grand Prix
2006:        2nd – New Zealand Superbike Championship
2005:         2nd – Australian Superbike Championship
2004:         3rd – Australian Superbike Championship
2003:         2nd – Australian Superbike Championship
2002:         1st – Australian Superbike Championship
2001:         1st – Australian Superbike Championship
2000:         1st – Australian Superbike Championship
2000:        6th ¬¬– Suzuka 8-hour, Japan (outright); 1st Formula X Class
1999:         4th – Australian Superbike Championship
1999:         7th – Australian Supersport Championship
1997:         1st – Australian Supersport Championship
1997:         2nd – Formula Extreme Series   
1995:         1st – 2+4 Australian Superbike Series
1994:         1st – Australian TT
1994:         11th – Suzuka 8-hour, Japan   
1992:         1st – Australian Lightweight Superstreet Series   
1992:         1st – Australian TT
1992:         2nd – Suzuka 200km, Japan