Yamaha Previews 2007 ASC

 On the eve of the 2007 YMF Loan Australian Superbike Championship it is hard to believe that just three months ago, Eastern Creek Raceway provided the backdrop for a new page in domestic motorcycle racing history with the Yamaha Racing Team (YRT) securing coveted championships in the premier Superbike and Supersport categories.

This weekend, YRT team members, Jamie and Dan Stauffer, Jason O’Halloran and new recruit Jeremy Crowe will return to Eastern Creek Raceway for the opening round of the Australian Superbike Championship with the memories of last year’s successes fresh in their minds and the perfect motivation to for the riders to complete an encore of last year’s performance.  
Based upon the law of averages, Jamie Stauffer looks to be the man to beat at Eastern Creek with the 2006 Superbike and Supersport Champion taking victory at the two rounds of the series hosted at the circuit last year.
 
At a test day conducted at Eastern Creek last month, Stauffer showed that YRT had not lost any momentum from last year’s season with his Yamaha YZF R1SP recording times in the low 1:32s.
 
“Following the test day I am feeling extremely confident,” Stauffer said following a training session completed by the Yamaha rider from his base in Kurri Kurri in New South Wales.
 

“I love racing at Eastern Creek.  I know come this weekend when we line up on the grid, it will be motivating to look around the grandstand and think back to November when I claimed the Superbike title at the circuit.  It was an awesome feeling holding up that trophy and something which I am dedicated to doing again in 2007.”
 
In 2007, Jamie Stauffer will once again suit up for the Superbike and Supersport Championships with the Yamaha pilot stating that the two competitions provide him with the opportunity to hone his skills.
 
“Last year I was able to successfully balance the commitments of the Superbike and Supersport category and did in a manner which saw both titles in both classes delivered to Yamaha at the end of the season and I believe I still have the passion for racing to maintain the requirements of racing in both classes.”
 
Sibling, Dan Stauffer is looking forward to the opening of the YMF Loan Australian Superbike Championship with the brother of the current champion keen to put behind him the tumultuous events of his 2006 season, which included a major accident at Winton where he sustained injuries to the groin and collarbone.
 
“As a racer, if you cannot win a championship you would prefer your brother and team mate to be standing on the winner’s dais, however, the rivalry between myself and Jamie [Stauffer] is extremely fierce and I can’t wait to start racing this weekend and really taking it to him,” Stauffer stated.
 
“I am now fully recovered from the crash at Winton and looking forward to commencing a new championship with a clean slate and hopefully being up there in the points table throughout the year.”
 
Not only did 2006 deliver Yamaha its first Supersport Championship, the manufacturer became the first in the Australian Superbike Championship to claim a trifecta in a single category.  This year, Jason O’Halloran and Jeremy Crowe will join Jamie Stauffer in the Supersport category with all three riders committed to returning the top three positions in the championship to Yamaha.
 
“As a rider, I feel as though I developed immensely throughout the 2006 season and I can’t wait to take these skills to Eastern Creek this weekend and establish the foundations for a good championship,” O’Halloran stated.
 
“Yamaha has shown a lot of commitment to the progression of my career and this weekend, I will be trying to build upon my previous results and establish the foundations to ensure that the Supersport title remains in the hands of the manufacturer.”
 
After coming fourth in the 2006 Australian Supersport Championship, Jeremy Crowe will complete his debut event as a Yamaha factory satellite rider this weekend with the 21-year-old believing he can improve on the top three race result he recorded in November last year.
 
“For the first time this weekend, I will have full access to the resources of YRT.  I feel as though this information and race winning experience will assist in developing my riding to the next level,” Crowe said.
 
“After finishing fourth in the Supersport Championship as a privateer in 2006, I’ve been training over the off-season and feel as though I am already benefiting from my relationship with YRT.  I can’t wait to put everything together as a whole package and test it in a race setting this weekend.”
 
YRT Team Manager, John Redding outlines that as a team every action possible has been completed to ensure that the success of 2006 is repeated.
 
“Over the off-season every box has been ticked to ensure that the momentum of 2006 is continued when Jamie, Dan, Jason and Jeremy hit the track this weekend at Eastern Creek,” Redding stated.
 
“Winning your second championship in a row can often prove to be the hardest and we probably face an even bigger task going back-to-back championships in the two categories [Superbike and Supersport].  However, I know that everybody at Yamaha is committed to achieving this feat and I believe that this kind of determination is often hard to beat.”
 
The YRT riders will twist the throttle to mark the opening of the 2007 YMF Loan Australian Superbike Championship this Friday 16 February with practice.