YAMAHA RACING:

This weekend’s round of the Australian Superbike Championships (ASBK) will be a pivotal one for the Yamaha Racing Team and its factory riders.

Bryan Staring and Pat Medcalf will look to extend their respective points leads in the Supersport and Superstock 1000 classes, while Jamie and Daniel Stauffer are aiming to turn around a slow start to the season by recording solid results in the Superbike class at a familiar track.

The team visited the Eastern Creek Raceway circuit ahead of round 4, fitting in a full day of testing and making good progress with the R1 and R6 machines. The day also allowed riders to reset their focus after a lengthy break off their bikes since the previous round in Queensland at the end of May.

Yamaha Racing Team Superbike

Yamaha Racing Team Superbike riders, brothers Jamie and Daniel Stauffer, will look to reassert themselves as race win contenders when the Australian Superbike Championship returns to Eastern Creek Raceway this weekend.

The promise of the new R1 racebikes has shown at various stages throughout the season and the team is confident that the happy-hunting ground in Sydney’s west could bring their best finish to date in 2009.

Jamie Stauffer, winner of 8 Superbike races at the 3.93km track since joining YRT in 2006, said the team’s recent test had yielded good results.

“The test went pretty well, it’s always good to get out on track and be able to work on certain things and make improvements throughout the day,” said Stauffer.

“I’ve done pretty well at Eastern Creek in the past so I think we could be on the way to turning things around. It would be good to regularly challenge for race wins and I think we’ve got what it takes after spending the first few rounds developing the R1.

“The break has given me a chance to train quite solidly and I’m feeling pretty fit heading into the weekend.”

Jamie is seventh in the points after three rounds of competition. His Supersport title defence remains on track after solid results in the first half of the season, including a round win at the Ipswich double-header.

Trailing fellow factory rider Bryan Staring by a 19-point margin, Stauffer is confident of making up ground on his younger teammate this weekend.

Daniel Stauffer is eager to get back aboard the bike after a spectacular crash at Queensland Raceway robbed him of momentum, as well as a substantial points haul.

He is ninth in the standings on 72 points.

Australian Superbike Championship Points

1. Glenn ALLERTON (NSW), 134
2. Joshua WATERS (VIC), 124
3. Wayne MAXWELL (VIC), 110
4. Shawn GILES (VIC), 101
5. Robert BUGDEN (VIC), 89
6. Craig COXHELL (VIC), 86
7. Jamie STAUFFER (NSW), 80 (Yamaha YZF-R1)
8. Kevin CURTAIN (NSW), 77
9. Daniel STAUFFER (QLD), 72 (Yamaha YZF-R1)
10. Zac DAVIES (NSW), 54 (Yamaha YZF-R1)

Yamaha Racing Team Supersport

Round 4 of the Australian Supersport and Superstock 1000 championships at Sydney’s Eastern Creek will provide another top pointscoring opportunity for Yamaha’s factory young guns.

Bryan Staring (Yamaha YZF-R6) and Pat Medcalf (YZF-R1) are both leading the way in their respective classes, coming off a successful round 3 weekend at Queensland Raceway where they shared 7 of 8 wins between them.

With a break of over two months between rounds, the teammates have kept their focus firmly on fitness and personal preparation for the NSW event.

Staring, based on the Gold Coast, said he found mixing general fitness training with regular motocross sessions the most effective way to keep his eye in.

“We had a good test at Eastern Creek at the end of July which allowed us to work on the settings we already had in place for the track,” said Staring.

“There wasn’t much that needed changing, the R6 was spot on out of the truck and it was good just to get a chance to ride it and really get my eye in.

“We had a good showing at Queensland a few months back and collected some valuable points, which will be very important as the championship heads into the final few rounds and races.

“Right now I’m training hard to keep myself race fit and going out there to win races. I’m confident that we have the best team members and the best equipment to get it done.”

He currently leads the Supersport championship on 140 points, enjoying a gap of 19 points over YRT Superbike rider and dual-class competitor Jamie Stauffer.

Medcalf’s first season with the team has seen him enjoy immense success in the Superstock 1000 class. He has won every race to date and currently leads the field by 35 points.

Australian Supersport Championship Points

1. Bryan STARING (QLD), 140 (Yamaha YZF-R6)
2. Jamie STAUFFER (NSW), 121 (Yamaha YZF-R6)
3. Ben ATTARD (NSW), 96
4. Cameron KEEVERS (WA), 87 (Yamaha YZF-R6)
5. Christan CASELLA (VIC), 85 (Yamaha YZF-R6)
6. Troy HERFOSS (VIC), 78
7. Chris QUINN (NSW), 72 (Yamaha YZF-R6)
8. Shannon JOHNSON (VIC), 69
9. Jed METCHER (VIC), 64 (Yamaha YZF-R6)
10. Scott CHARLTON (VIC), 56 (Yamaha YZF-R6)

Superstock 1000 Championship Points

1. Pat MEDCALF (NSW), 153 (Yamaha YZF-R1)
2. Beau BEATON (NSW), 118
3. Jordan BURGESS (NSW), 109
4. Tom ROCHE (NSW), 86
5. Chris KNOX (NSW), 85
6. Jamie AITKEN (NSW), 81
7. Des DARBY (QLD), 70 (Yamaha YZF-R1)
8. Matthew GRIFFIN (VIC), 68 (Yamaha YZF-R1)
9. Sloan FROST (NZ), 59
10. Damien MURPHY (ACT), 57