Mallala ASC preview from Yamaha

Mallala Motorsport Park marks the fourth round of the Australian Superbike Championship this weekend, and the halfway point of the series will be a crucial one for the Yamaha Racing Team. Currently enjoying good leads in both premier Superbike and Supersport classes, they will look to further increase the points buffer back to the nearest rivals. The weekend looks set to be an internal arm wrestle for the team’s 4 riders, engaged in a classic battle with each other that is sure to keep the South Australian crowd on their feet.

Yamaha Racing Team Superbike.

They share the Yamaha Racing Team garage. They share the status of factory Superbike rider. They even share the same surname. But one thing Jamie and Dan Stauffer won’t be sharing in 2007 is the title of Australian Superbike Champion.

As the season approaches the half-way mark, the teammates are locked in a tense battle at the top of the points table. The 25-point gap from Jamie to Dan – equivalent to a race win – is hardly indicative of how close the brothers have battled thus far. It was as if Jamie had never gotten off the YZF-R1 as he calmly ticked all of the boxes at the Eastern Creek opener; his pole and dual-race winning performance was a carbon copy of last year.But, encouragingly, it was Dan who was chasing him all weekend, pushing him to the line and challenging him to find that little bit extra.

Double-header duties at Winton saw the two locked together in battle again, and Dan, tired of sitting in the shadows of his brother, managed to get by and notch up a race win. This breathtaking scrap for championship bragging rights looks set to continue at Mallala, with the pair insisting that on the track, they see each other as just another hurdle to jump in order to claim the win. “The team has made a strong start to the season and I feel I’m racing at close to my best,” explained Dan.“Jamie is the benchmark in the class and its fantastic to know that I am not only keeping up, but also able to beat him.”

“We’re great friends off the track but when we’re racing its no holds barred, I’m really looking forward to Mallala and will be chasing the win again.” While Dan is the hunter, Jamie is the hunted, a tag he is hoping to maintain.“It’s been a much more competitive year so far, and even though I’m leading I can’t afford to let my guard down as Dan is very close,” said Jamie.“The weather made last year’s Mallala round a little bit challenging and it was not the best for me, I’m really hoping to win here and increase the championship lead.”

Yamaha Racing Team Supersport

The Yamaha Racing Team’s 3-way battle for Supersport honours is just as intense as the Superbike showdown, with the YZF-R6-mounted riders all in with a genuine shot at Mallala this weekend.
Winton signified somewhat of a changing of the guard, with Jason O’Halloran dominating comprehensively, leaving 2006 champ Jamie Stauffer searching for answers.

Jeremy Crowe kept the duelling pair honest, finishing in third, and this paints the championship picture so far. The points gap is tight; 12 points separate Stauffer from leader O’Halloran, with a further 20 points back to Crowe.The pressure is on all 3 riders to keep their domination of the podium alive, and they know the significance of finishing each race in as high a position as possible.“It’s great to be in the lead but there’s still a very big job to do, for me its about just getting my head down and getting as many championship points as possible,” said O’Halloran.

“I’m going into the weekend with two race wins in mind and have been training extremely hard to give myself a good chance. As the greatest challenge is coming from my teammates on identical bikes it will come down to the rider who has the best race fitness.”

“As far as competition from other manufacturers goes, I am sure they will be on the improve soon as they learn more about the bikes but at the moment Jamie is the one I need to keep at bay as well as keeping an eye out for Jeremy.”

Crowe finished last year’s Mallala races in 8th and 7th while riding as a privateer, and is confident that he will be able to improve and maintain his run of podiums.“I feel as though I am really confident within the team now and know my bike very well, the guys put a lot of work into the R6 and it is awesome to race,” said Crowe.“The bike is setup pretty well for Mallala, we had a good test here and myself, Jason and Jamie were all quick, hopefully I’m able to stick with them and continue to close the gap at the front.”

“At the moment the only real difference is the rider as we all race the same bike, so I’m sure if I keep up the momentum then I can be soon challenging for race wins. We’re all friends off track but everything changes when you get your ‘race face’ on, so far we’ve enjoyed clean and fair racing and are looking to keep this run going at the front of the field.”

 2007 YMF Loan Australian Superbike Championship 

Superbike Championship   points after round 3 of 8 

1. Jamie Stauffer, 147 points
2. Dan Stauffer, 122 points
3. Glenn Allerton, 93 points
4. Craig Coxhell, 91 points
5. Shannon Johnson, 87 points
6. Shawn Giles, 81 points
7. Wayne Maxwell, 79 points
8. Bryan Staring, 72 points
9. Adam Fergusson, 72 points
10. Scott Charlton, 69 points
 


Supersport Championship points after round 3 of 8 
1. Jason O'Halloran, 140 points
2. Jamie Stauffer, 128 points
3. Jeremy Crowe, 108 points
4. Josh Waters, 101 points
5. Bryan Staring, 97 points
6. Russell Holland, 89 points
7. Judd Greedy, 74 points
8. Gareth Jones, 67 points
9. Mick Kelly, 63 points
10. Wayne Maxwell, 58 points