YAMAHA RACING:

The Yamaha Racing Team’s Bryan Staring is the 2009 Australian Supersport Champion after maintaining his 100% podium finish record at Phillip Island on the weekend.

The Gold Coast-based R6 rider finished second in race 1 and third in race 2 to seal his first title for the team by a 13-point margin.

He came up trumps in a season-long battle with fellow factory Yamaha R6 rider, 2008 champion Jamie Stauffer, and said he was incredibly proud of the effort and dedication shown by his team.

“I have to say a massive thank you to my team who have not put a foot wrong at any time this year,” said Staring. “They worked so hard all season long and all their hard work has paid off.

“2009 has been a big year for me and winning this title is a major achievement. I was able to finish on the podium at every race which says a lot about the R6 as a race bike.”

Staring said he was barely able to contain his nerves before the first race got underway yesterday.

“It was a nervous time for me, as soon as the conditions went sour I felt like it could have been anyone’s race and knew I would need to be near the front to keep the lead intact.

“I felt like every move I went to make was a risk and there was a huge weight off my shoulders when I rode onto the front straight for the last time.

“I’d like to also thank Jamie (Stauffer) for a great year, we raced side-by-side in a number of races and had some really good battles.”

Staring’s road to the Supersport title began in February at the same circuit. He won the opening round of the season before engaging in a see-sawing battle with Stauffer which saw him take race wins at Eastern Creek, Mallala and Phillip Island.

The championship result caps off what has been a stellar year for the Yamaha R6 which won almost every race contested in the class.

A combined factory and privateer effort saw Yamaha easily wrap up the Manufacturer’s championship – it scored 1914 total points, 1493 more than its closest rival.