Team Honda Racing 1-2-3 at Round 3 ASC!

29^th June 2014 – Team Honda Racing maintain their championship lead in the Australasian Superbike Championship and take the podium as their own in the overall Round 3 standings at Queensland Raceway today.

Making a definitive comeback this weekend, #16 Josh Hook departs the overall Round winner ahead of #27 Jamie Stauffer and #17 Troy Herfoss.

The starting grid also housed a predominance of red with #47 Wayne Maxwell on Pole, Herfoss in P2 and Stauffer in P3 for today’s races after recording the 3 fastest times in yesterday’s AFX-Superbike races.  Josh Hook just missed out on completing an all Honda front row and started today’s races in P5 on the grid.

An impressive start in Superbike Race 1 this morning saw a formidable line of Honda CBR1000RR SPs surge to the front of the field immediately.  However, Race 1 belonged to Stauffer who was unchallenged throughout and crossed the finish line with a clear gap and the fastest lap time of 1:09.347 sec.  Team mate Josh Hook took 2^nd with Herfoss having to settle for 4^th place after a solid battle for the 3^rd position on the podium.  An extremely unfortunate incident mid-race saw Maxwell run off the track with 2 other riders only to rejoin the race and finish down the field.

Race 2 saw another terrific start from Team Honda Racing, but it was Allerton that took the lead.  The Hondas did not give the BMW of Allerton any breathing space and the battle for the win was race long.  Hook proved he is well and truly back in form and finished 2^nd by just .112 sec, recording the fastest lap of the race, a 1:09.286 sec.  Maxwell finished 3^rd, Herfoss 4^th, and Stauffer in 5^th place with just .485 sec between the top 4 positions.

The final race of the day looked set to bring a second Superbike race win for Troy Herfoss as he took the lead and held it until the dying moments.  Herfoss raced extremely well, but was pipped at the post by Allerton across the finish line by just .032 sec.  Hook finished 3^rd, Stauffer 4^th and Maxwell 5th.

Overall, #16 Josh Hook took Round 3 honours and was very happy with his weekend.  “Today was a great day for us after struggling a little yesterday with set up.  We made changes overnight and the bike worked really well in today’s races which meant I was able to score solid points.  I am really happy to take the overall round win and would like to thank the team for all their hard work.  It feels good to give them the win.”

Second overall for Round 3 and now back in the championship lead is #27 Jamie Stauffer.  “It was a really good day for us to come away with the championship lead.  I had a very good run in the first race and felt really comfortable on the bike, but just didn’t quite get there in the other two races.  I am looking forward to Round 4 where hopefully I can keep the momentum going and come away with maximum points.”

#17 Troy Herfoss finished 3^rd for Round 3 and also now sits in 3^rd place in the championship after a successful weekend.  “I am really happy for Team Honda Racing to take the top 3 spots on the podium overall this weekend and pleased with my own results.  I have really moved forward and to take my first Superbike race win yesterday was terrific.  I am now 3^rd in the championship so I look forward to racing again at Winton for Round 4 in August.”

#47 Wayne Maxwell now sits in 2^nd place in the championship standings.  “Today was not ideal for me obviously, but it is just one event and I have to look ahead and focus on Round 4.  There are still many races to go in the championship and I am still in a good position.  We have a strong team and a strong bike in the CBR1000RR SP so I will remain positive and look to Round 4 to get the winning momentum back.”

Team Principal, Paul Free departs Queensland Raceway pleased with his team’s results.  “This weekend went extremely well for Team Honda Racing.  To finish 1-2-3 on the podium and to hold onto the championship lead is fantastic.  All 4 riders put in 100% and the crew likewise.  Not everything went according to plan, but overall we had a very successful event.  The next event will be held at Winton Raceway where I believe the CBR1000RR SP will be very competitive.  There is a long way to go in the championship, but we have a solid team and a good package in the CB1000RR SP so I look forward to our next event at Winton in August.”

Team Honda Racing Maintain Championship Lead

19^th May 2014 – Motul Honda rider, #47 Wayne Maxwell has returned from injury with a vengeance to win every Superbike race of the weekend at Mallala Motorsport Park for Round 2 of the Australasian Superbike Championship.

Maxwell’s dominance on the top step of the podium gives him the lead in the championship over team mate #27 Jamie Stauffer by 6 points.  Sporting an injured knee and wrist, Maxwell entered Round 2 at Mallala with a cautious drive to win.  “I am thrilled to take the championship lead and had a fantastic weekend on the Motul Honda.  Team Honda Racing, and in particular my crew chief Warren has been just fantastic.  The team worked really well together and it was great to get a Honda 1-2.”

Now 2^nd in the Superbike Championship standings after Round 2, Stauffer is looking to Queensland Raceway to regain his winning edge.  “Round 2 did not quite go to plan for me, but 2^nd is still a strong position for now.  I felt good on the CBR1000RR SP and raced consistently, but I had a couple of minor moments and Wayne was right there to take full advantage.  Well done to Wayne on a great weekend he raced really well.  It was really good to see Honda finish the event 1^st and 2^nd and I am looking forward to Queensland Raceway for Round 3.”

#16 Josh Hook made a ginger return to the team after missing Round 1 due to serious injury and admits he is not quite 100%.  “It was a very hard weekend for me.  My first event since surgery a couple of months ago and although I was able to maintain a certain level of fitness in the down time I really felt it this weekend.  I feel the time off the bike and not having a lot of time on the new tyres put me behind the 8 ball a bit.  I didn’t qualify well and it really hurt me for the races.  Still, I took 38 points from the weekend and will now focus on Round 3 in Queensland.”

The newest recruit to Team Honda Racing, #17 Troy Herfoss raced very consistently all weekend to finish 5^th overall for the event.   Herfoss is now placed 4^th in the championship standings.  “It was a solid weekend of racing for me this weekend.  I couldn’t seem to place higher than 5^th for each race, but my lap times were quite strong and I think with a few changes to the bike before Queensland I will be racing at the front.  I now sit 4^th in championship points which means I am still well and truly in the mix.”

Team Principal Paul Free is pleased with his team and is already focused on a plan to continue Honda’s winning ways in Queensland next month.  “Congratulations to Wayne for a fantastic event.  He raced smart races and took advantage of every opportunity.  Jamie was also very strong at this event, but a made a couple of mistakes which cost him dearly.  Still, he only trails Wayne by 6 points and the next circuit is one of his best so it will be interesting to see what happens.  Josh did struggle this weekend, but takes solid points away with him.  We still have just over a month until Round 3 so I am sure he will come out focused and firing at that event.  Troy had a strong event and his lap times were good.  He is racing with the lead group and is very consistent on the bike.  I am really looking forward to the next event to see what these four can do at Queensland Raceway.”

The next event for Team Honda Racing will be held at Queensland Raceway 27^th – 29^th June.