Joe Rocket Suzuki rider Shawn Giles is on target for his fourth Australian Superbike Championship after finishing third overall at the second round of the 2008 Australian Superbike Championship at South Australia’s Mallala Motor Sport Park at the weekend.
Giles’ 36pt haul from second and fifth placings in the two races has moved the three-time Australian Superbike Champion to within 4 points of the championship lead, currently held by Mallala round-winner Glenn Allerton.
Further success for the Team Joe Rocket Suzuki squad came in the hands of two-time New Zealand Superbike champion Robbie Bugden, whose third placings in the 17-lap and 19-lap races gave the Queenslander second overall for the round and consolidated fourth on the championship points table with two of seven rounds completed.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for the Team Joe Rocket Suzuki Superbike riders, with 2003 Australian champion Craig Coxhell contracting a debilitating stomach bug on Friday that left the Shepparton rider physically drained across the weekend. After securing medical clearance on Sunday morning to contest both races, Coxhell put in two ‘gutsy’ rides to secure 30 valuable points for sixth overall.
Giles engaged in a thrilling high-speed duel in the opening 17-lap race with pole-sitter Allerton, defending champion Jamie Stauffer and team mate Bugden, eventually claiming second place, 2.845sec behind Allerton and 0.929sec ahead of Bugden as Stauffer crashed out of the battle with two laps to run.
Such was the pace at the head of the field, and on a track surface the top riders described as ‘slippery’, three riders lapped faster than Coxhell’s 2007 Superbike lap record of 1:06.525 for the 2.6km Mallala circuit. The new mark eventually went to Stauffer at 1:06.297 with Giles’ best lap just 0.106sec slower than Stauffer’s new record.
In race two Giles got caught in a battle with Daniel Stauffer in the early laps, eventually breaking clear to secure fifth place and 16 valuable points. Bugden’s third behind race winner Allerton and second-placed Jamie Stauffer gave him 36pts for the round, equal with Giles.
Bugden claimed the fastest lap of race two, his 1:06.381sec also below Coxhell’s 2007 benchmark time - and just 0.084sec outside Stauffer’s new record.
In the second round of the 2008 Australian Supersport Championship, Team Joe Rocket Suzuki rider Joshua Waters secured second and third placings on his 2008 Suzuki GSX-R600 to move to third on the points chart.
After leading the early laps in race one, Waters finished third behind eventual winner Stauffer and Jeremy Crowe, all three riders recording lap times under the previous Supersport lap record for the 2.6km circuit. The new record went to Crowe at 1:07.573, with Waters’ best lap just 0.058sec slower.
In the second 19-lap race Waters finished second behind Crowe, the fastest lap of the race going to the Team Joe Rocket Suzuki GSX-R600 rider at 1:07.593sec - just 0.020sec outside Crowe’s new record.
The seven-round Australian Superbike Championship now heads to Victoria’s Winton Raceway for round three on 30 May-1 June.
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