Motologic Racing PR:

Lolita move

This is what it’s all about!!  Racing over the weekend for Rounds 3a and 3b of the Woodstock Bourbon Australian Superbike Championship at Queensland Raceway had everything for the spectators.  Double the racing, double the drama and a level of excitement and tension in the pits that was visible to all.  One spectator commenting on the team in the Motologic Pits prior to the first Superbike race on Sunday,

“You can see the focus on the mechanics’ faces and you really do feel the excitement building as the team gets ready to go out.  It’s really exciting to be around!”

Motologic Racing dominated the weekend on their Hondas at a predominantly Suzuki owned circuit after a thrilling qualifying session on Friday saw defending Superbike Champion Glenn Allerton miss Pole position by merely .002 sec to Suzuki’s Josh Waters.  It was an incredible finish and with such a close result in the battle for Pole it was obvious to all that the following two days racing would be some of the most exciting of the season.

They weren’t disappointed.  Both Allerton and Motologic Racing team mate, Wayne Maxwell gave a thrilling display on their Honda CBR1000RRs with Maxwell starting from 3rd place on the grid behind Allerton in 2nd for the first race on Saturday.

In Race 1 the Honda’s flew to the front of the field immediately when the race was restarted after Yamaha’s Daniel Stauffer came off at the exit of turn 4.  It was Allerton in front with Maxwell chasing, but hopes for a 1, 2 finish were dashed when Maxwell ran off the track at turn 3 quickly returning the race to finish in 6th.  Allerton took the win from Suzuki’s Josh Waters with a comfortable 4 sec lead.

“After missing Pole by .002 sec to Josh it just made me even more determined out on the track in Race 1 and once I found my rhythm I knew I could hold him at bay.” Said Allerton.

Race two on Saturday had Allerton out in front again in a terrific battle for 1st with Waters.  Waters showing he wasn’t going to make it easy for Allerton, but the defending champion outfoxed the Suzuki rider to take the win by 2.1 seconds.  Team mate Wayne Maxwell coming in 3rd place was confident that Sunday’s racing would see him come off the grid even stronger.

“I’m pretty happy with the results for Saturday’s racing, it was great to qualify on the front row of the grid again although a split second mistake in Race 1 saw me lose my second placing.  In race 2 I had a good consistent race, I just didn’t quite hold the pace of the front runners, Glenn and Josh, but I’m pleased with my 3rd placing.  The bike set-up was good and I know I can go out on Sunday even stronger.”

Allerton was beaming as he entered the pits after race two, taking the round win for Round 3a.

“I’m really excited about my round win, of course it wasn’t made easy by Josh Waters, he really made me work for it and the battle we have going in this series is definitely keeping it interesting, not just for spectators, but for us as riders too.”

More excitement was yet to come on Saturday when the first ever Australian Super Pole Qualifying was held.

The top 8 riders were given just one timed lap around Queensland Raceway and the fastest lap recorded was awarded Pole position for racing on Sunday.

In a surprise twist, Kawasaki’s Kevin Curtain rode the fastest lap to take out Super Pole with a lap time of 1:10.11 sec ahead of Maxwell with a time of 1:10.14 sec and Suzuki’s Josh Waters to start from 3rd place on the grid with a lap time of 1:10.23 sec.

Maxwell was thrilled at his 2nd spot on the grid.

“I am really excited to be starting in 2nd place on the grid in the first ever Super Pole in Australia and I know I can make it count in the race tomorrow.”

Defending champion, Allerton placed back on the 2nd row of the grid in 5th.  Allerton however was not concerned about this turn of events.

“Starting from the 2nd row obviously wasn’t in the plan, but I am confident I’ll be able to get through the front row fairly early in the race.”

And he was correct.  Race 1 on Sunday saw Allerton off to a terrific start.  By the time the field got through turn 1 on the second lap he was once again in the lead.  He ran slightly wide further into the race at turn 3 letting Josh Waters through briefly to the lead, but he reigned Waters back in before the race end to take his third race win of the weekend.

The final Superbike race of the double header was definitely the most thrilling although for the Motologic Racing team it was also the tensest 16 laps of the season so far.  As the rain clouds rolled in prior to the race all eyes were on the skies and all teams scrambled to ready their spare bikes in the event of a wet race being declared.  All riders completed the sighting lap on their race bikes on slicks with a full dry set-up. Then the heavens opened up, drenching the circuit. The track was then declared wet and officials allowed the riders and crew time to get prepared for a wet race.

All teams rushed to exchange their bikes and regroup, but Allerton’s woes were far from over when his spare bike encountered a technical glitch and he was forced to race the entire race on his main bike, the only rider in the field on slick tyres.

With the entire Motologic Racing team at the pit wall with their hearts in their mouths, Wayne Maxwell shot off the line to take the lead and never faltered.  Allerton could do nothing except bide his time during the first half of the race, dropping back in the field considerably and waiting until the track dried enough for him to safely increase his speed and move up in the field.  When the moment came it was very impressive to watch.  From back in 10th place Allerton began passing riders one by one, his determination obvious to all.  The defending Australian champion showed his strength in a competitive field by crossing the finish line in a very respectable 5th place.

Race 2 winner, Wayne Maxwell, lead the race from start to finish, his confidence in the wet conditions made it look almost easy.

“The team prepared the bike really well for the wet race and I got a terrific start.  It is my first official win in the Superbike championship which is just fantastic. I would like to thank my sponsors and of course the team at Motologic for all their hard work and long hours both in the lead up to the event and at the track this weekend.”

The round-up for the event puts Allerton at the top of the championship points tally on 134 points followed by Josh Waters on 124 points and Wayne Maxwell is in 3rd place on 110 points.

Defending champion, Glenn Allerton comes away from the double header confident he can maintain his control over the championship.

“I am really excited about taking both Round wins and now that I am leading the championship I plan on staying there!  The battle on the track with Josh Waters is definitely keeping things interesting, but I just need to remain focused.  I feel confident I can keep the momentum going at Eastern Creek for Round 4.”

Motologic Racing owner and team manager, Paul Free was very proud of his team after a very emotional weekend for all.

“I am extremely proud of both my riders and the team, they worked extremely hard and long hours this weekend. We didn’t get to complete a test at Queensland Raceway prior to this event like all the other main teams, but I think our riders’ results showed what a determined team can achieve if they want it badly enough.”

“Our CBR1000’s handled the bumpy Queensland Raceway circuit absolutely perfectly, and showed awesome speed down that long, fast back strait. It was awesome to see Wayne take his first Superbike Championship race victory and Glenn take 3 wins from 4 starts. I can’t say enough about this team of people at Motologic Racing.”