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ROUND 3 RILUSI MOTORCYCLES STATE CHAMPIONSHIP Sunday JUNE 29 2008
THIS SUNDAY!
It’s the halfway mark for the 2008 road racing championships and could be a wet one!
Drilling & Grouting Suzuki rider Ben Stronach needs to take all three race wins this Sunday to gain the maximum 75 points and claw back the 23 point lead that BHS Engineering’s Matt Battista has in the Steelblue Superbike Championship.
Battista and Stronach have been battling it out at the previous rounds both resetting the local lap record – now at a 56:6900 .
Round 2 in May saw Stronach finish 9th overall with a day he would rather forget. Engine problems saw him struggle in race 1 finishing 4th behind Schnierer and Galbraith . With a change of machine for Race 2 (Darren Naughton’s Suzuki) Stronach looked in with a chance to run in the top three but on lap 4 heading into Turn 1 the front let go and he crashed out of the race. Race 3 saw Stronach back on his own Suzuki starting rear of grid alongside Galbraith. Both riders did well to work their way thru the field to finish 2nd and 3rd respectively, Schnierer 4th and Grasser 5th.
Steelblue Superbikes Championship Points following Rd 2 :
M Battista 135pts K Boulton 88
B Stronach 112 S Martin 74
M Schnierer 107 L Maclou 71
C Galbraith 96 J Tabain 60
P Grasser 90 P Cox 55
Honda rider Adam Senior has a reasonably comfortable lead of 45 points in the BHS Engineering Supersport Championship taking all three races win last round. Bunbury based Josh Trigwell, Cully’s Motorcycles Strett Cull and Jason Cawthorne who would have to be the moved improved rider so far this year will all be chasing down Senior to gain maximum points for the round. Rd 1’s 2nd placed rider Wil Hough will not be contesting the final 3 rounds this year due to tyre and machine problems, but BHS Engineering’s Tommy Hatton will return this year with a repaired collarbone.
BHS Engineering Supersport Championship Points after rd 2:
Adam Senior 150pts Jason Walker 76
Josh Trigwell 105 Jarrod Hockley 74
Jason Cawthorne 100 Wil Hough 58
Brandon Pratt 89 Steve Toms 54
Tom Hatton 56 Strett Cull 54
Prestige Honda rider Andrew Skinner is all pumped after taking two race wins at the previous round in the West Coast Honda Superstock Series with Series Points leader Ray Anset (Suzuki) runner up in all three races. Kalgoorlie based Chris Gilmore will be keen to build on his championship points after taking a Class win at the last round.
West Coast Honda Superstock Series Points after rd 2
Ray Anset 130 Peter Stirrat 73
Andrew Skinner 122 Dan Hayes 48
Chris Gilmore 112 Martin Mott 46
Gavin Cunningham 98 Paul Hammond 44
Paul Castling 80 David Callaghan 42
In the B Grade Series Kevin Boulton (Rick Gill Honda) leads on 61 points , 15 points clear of Albany rider Shane Martin, An improving Leroy Maclou (Top End Audio Suzuki) placed 2nd overall at Rd 2 improving his points placing to be just 20 points off the leader.
National Formula Xtreme Class rider Ben Henry (Allect Racing) is expected to return this round and could upset the points tally for the front runners.
B Grade Series Points after rd 2: Kevin Boulton 43pts, Paul Cox 31, Shane Martin 30, Peter Grasser 28, Leroy Maclou 27, Jason Cawthorne 26, Ben Henry 25, Jason Walker 22
In the Ultra Fast Karts Sidecars it was an all out battle for Championship points at round 2 with the Walker brothers reigning supreme on the day taking all three race wins. Lindsay Fagan /Anthony Fagan will be pushing to try and pull back the leading duo . Rob Hair and Chris Burrows also look set to return this round after a round 1 incident saw them out with major machine damage. The Ultra Fast Karts sidecar of Warren Thompson and passenger Justin Winchester looked set to take 2nd placing overall last round but did not finish race three with engine problems.
Ultra Fast Karts Sidecar Championship Points after rd 2:
D Walker / N Walker 150pts M Robbins/K Dore 85
L Fagan/ A Fagan 114 R Walker/A Walker 79
P Pinfold/ B Thomson 101 R Taylor/ D Napier 49
W Thompson/J Winchester 96 P Brown/ D Jenkins 47
T Clyma/ P Brider 96 A Fogarty/ M Blackbourn 43
Again big fields will front for the Two Wheel Wreckers Clubman Class events. Daniel Hayes was the Club 600 round two winner with Ducati rider Matt Fathers taking out the Club 1000 class.
The KTM sponsored Formula 2 class Series leader is TZ250 rider Ric Steele taking both race wins from Colin Rose waving the flag for the SV650’s. Anthony Robson is the first of the 125’s.
SUNDAY’S SCHEDULE : Practice 9am – 11am RACING from 11.30am
General Admission $20 (incl. programme) Seniors $10, Children 15 yrs and under free
BARBAGALLO RACEWAY WANNEROO end of Wattle Avenue off Old Yanchep Road off
Joondalup Drive.
Hurdles in the fast lane
Story by JOHN INNES.
Cameron Stronach is a young man with no illusions that his life as an International Road Racer is going to get much easier in the foreseeable future. In 2006 and 2007 he was the W.A. State Supersport Champion riding for the BHS Racing Team under the guidance of Barry and Myra Black, and was at the top of the ladder in W.A. racing. At the end of last season BHS Racing received an approach from Team O Six Kawasaki Supported who are based in Italy to have a try out for the team.
He made a favourable impression on the team management and he was selected to ride for Team O Six in the F.I.M. Superstock 1000 Cup which runs a ten round series at selected rounds of the World Superbike Championships. The ride is NOT A PAID ONE, and BHS Engineering faced a considerable outlay in getting him to Europe for the 2008 season. He is finding the going considerably tougher than what he was used to in W.A.
Having said that he is showing improvement with every outing and whilst the results aren’t what he is used to he accepts that there are 30 + top class riders in the field every race weekend. He is also in the position of having to learn every circuit, and get the bike dialled in as best he can in only two sessions on the track before he has to qualify.
During a break in the season Stronach flew home to Perth for just over a month to spend time with family and friends. It wasn’t all holiday though as he was put through a strict fitness program with a personal trainer and also had a private tutor to help him with his Italian which is extremely important as all his race team are Italian and only a couple have limited ability understanding English. With no other sponsors all of this was arranged and funded by management at BHS Engineering.
Myra of BHS Racing was approached last week by Team O Six Team Manager Dr Luca Letteratis, as they would like to have Cameron ride in the Superstock 1000 Cup again in 2009. They see 2008 as his learning (rookie) year and have so far been very impressed with his riding style, communication and team attitude. However again it will not all be funded by the Team and Cameron will need outside funding for support in Europe. Speaking to Myra she told me, “Unfortunately BHS are not in a position to continue with the same level of financial support for another year, but will continue to promote and aide Cameron as a young talented and marketable individual with great promise.”
BHS Engineering have given a young athlete a fantastic chance to compete at the highest level in the hope that other Australian Companies would get behind them and show financial support to carry him through another year. I find it disappointing that not one W.A. business large or small can get behind the first WA rider to reach this level in the sport and it looks like Cameron will follow the well trodden path that other athletes have had to take, and leave Australia to work overseas and seek European or British sponsors.
Contact Myra Black at racing@bhsengineering,com.au or on mobile: 0418 816 171 if you are interested in the opportunity to support Cameron Stronach in his quest to race in Europe in 2009.
MEDIA RELEASE May 18th 2008
THIS SUNDAY the battle continues at Round 2 of the Rilusi Motorcycles WA State Road Racing Championships at Barbagallo Raceway .
Will we see another new local lap record? Can Ben Stronach do it again! Or will reigning Superbike Champion, Matt Battista pick up the pace and head him off ?
Steelblue Superbike racer Ben Stronach (Drilling & Grouting/Lloyd Chapman Suzuki) has set the mark with a record time of 0:56.8140 andat the same time taking a perfect score of all three race wins at the opening round. Matt Battista (BHS Engineering R1) will be pulling out all stops to challenge stronach. Chris Galbraith (Weld West Suzuki) and Mark Schnierer (Rilusi Motorcycles) are two competitors who can run at the front and cannot be discounted for a win this season. Current Points standings Steelblue Superbikes after round 1 :B Stronach 75pts, M Battista 60, C Galbraith 53, M Schnierer 50, B Henry 48,.
Adam Senior (Rick Gill Honda) is a contender for a title having made a strong start to the season by taking all three race wins from Wil Hough (Causeway Kawasaki) in the BHS Engineering Supersport Championship with newly appointed BHS Racing team member Tommy Hatton a close third in the points standings. Hatton has taken over the ride left vacant by last year’s Supersport Champion Cameron Stronach. Cameron will be a spectator and guest of BHS this weekend as he returns home from Europe for a mid season break following the Monza round of the World Superstock Championship
Current Points standing BHS Engineering Supersport: Senior 75pts, Hough 58, Hatton 56, J Trigwell 47.
West Coast Honda Superstock 600cc class looks set to continue it’s fiercely competitive racing. Ray Anset (CCS Suzuki) is all fired up taking both class wins at Round 1 with Kalgoorlie based Chris Gilmore (Sportspower Yamaha) a close 2nd overall with Prestige Honda’s Andrew Skinner coming in third. Gavin Cunningham in only his second season could also be a podium contender this year.
Points after rd 1 West Coast Honda Superstock: Anset 70pts, Gilmore 65, Skinner 54, G Cunningham 47.
The Ultra Fast Karts Sidecar State Championships season opener produced some great three wheeled action with brothers Darren and Neal Walker reigning supreme leading the Championship having taken all three race wins from Lindsay and Anthony Fagan . Boddington teammates Rob Hair and Chris Burrows sent the pulses racing after alucky escape following a spectacular crash. With a flat rear tyre coming down the back straight into Turn 7 they lost control and ended up infield. Both driver and passenger suffered no major injuries and return for round 2, keen to get themselves on the podium with a top three placing. Rob Taylor and Dean Napier also return this round for their first meeting of the year.
Points standing after round 1 Ultra Fast Karts Sidecar Ch’p: D Walker/N Walker 75 pts, L Fagan/A Fagan 58; W Thompson/ J Winchester 56; P Pinfold/B Thomson 51; T Clyma/P Brider 48.
Support classes of racing include the KTM Formula Two’s, Two Wheel Wreckers Clubman classes and the competitive B grade series event.
PRACTICE 9am – 11am RACING FROM 11.30am Children 15YU FREE GA Tickets $20 Seniors $10
Italy22-02-08
FOR CAMERON STRONACH THE WAIT IS FINALLY OVER – TESTING BEGINS.
Story by John Innes
Since he flew out of Perth on the 23rd January, Cameron Stronach has found himself with time on his hands in a foreign country where he doesn’t speak the language. Despite that he has settled in remarkably well along with his flat-mate young UK rider Alex Lowes who is 17 years of age who will ride 600 Superstock for Team O Six.
The two get along well and share a flat in the town of Cerveteri and after an initial settling in period the two riders now go to the gym just about every day where their personal trainer puts them through their paces, they are also undertaking Italian lessons so that they have at least the basics for trying to communicate. “It helps when you can at least ask for a can of ‘Coke’ when you are out.” Cameron told over the phone.
Last week the team left mainland Italy for four days of testing at two tracks in Sicily. They left from Naples with the brand new team transporter. The front section is set up for the riders with all the mod cons including a flat screen TV and everything else that they need, whilst the rear is the bike storage area and a fully equipped workshop. After a ten hour crossing they landed on Sicily and headed for the first of the two tracks Racalmuto.
Cameron takes up the story from here, “The first days of practice was the 19th February and believe me it was cold at 10.00am it was only 9-10 degrees and the 600cc riders really struggled to get any heat into the tyres but at least they were out there circulating. Around 11.00 it was my turn to take the 1000cc ZXR out onto the circuit and my first lap was shocking, it was very scrappy, the track is bumpy and I was being thrown around, so I came straight in and spoke to my Technical Director Enrico Folegnani and we made some changes and the lap times dropped after that and by day’s end I was doing low 67 second laps, which was about 2 seconds a lap slower than my team-mate Matteo Baiocco who finished in third place in the 2007 1000cc Superstock Championship. We were hoping for warmer weather for the second day and it turned out to be colder.
The bike temperature is so cold the put ‘duct tape’ over the radiator to get it to heat up. I am stiff with the cold and find it hard to move around on the bike but I still manage 32 laps with the best a 66.6 second lap but with the temperature the way it is I’m not prepared to push any harder and risk crashing, so we pack up and the truck heads for the second circuit Siracusa about a 3 hour drive. The remainder of the team along with Baiocco, Alex Lowes, and Cameron Stronach visit the “Valle dei Temple”.
Next day ….“We arrive at the track and do a couple of laps in the car, there are a few potholes and after some over night rain plenty of standing water. The track has a massive straight along with some chicanes which have tyre walls very close to them. The next morning is a waiting game until the track dries out and about 11.30am I head out of pit-lane. It is a fast track and we try some different suspension settings and I’m quite pleased with the way things are going. I do 46 laps on the same tyre and then come in to change the gearing and put on fresh rubber, then the rain returns and with it the puddles so we call it a day.
Saturday dawned wet and got worse and the team decided to call it a day, so we watched the Superbikes on TV and then packed up and headed back to the port and back home. There was so much I didn’t get to try, but I’m happy with what we did achieve.”
The next test will be at Valencia 16th – 19th March followed by a few days at Vallelunga, Italy prior to their first race meeting on the 6th April at Valencia, Ricardo Tomo Circuit.
Sponsorship/support contact: Myra 0418 816 171
Rome, 20.11.2007
APPOINTMENT OF MR. CAMERON STRONACH TO PARTICIPATE IN THE FIM CUP SUPERSTOCK 1000 WORLD CUP IN THE 2008 SEASON
The O Six Srl Company advises that a collaboration agreement was reached this day between the said company and Mr. Cameron Stronach.
On the basis of the agreement, the team belonging to the O Six Srl Company acquires the rights to the sporting performance of the Australian rider, class of 1986, for the entire 2008 season to take part in the FIM Cup Superstock 1000 World Cup and in the Superstock 1000 Italian Racing Championship competitions.
The O Six Srl Company thanks the partners who made finalisation of the agreement possible and in particular, Kawasaki Motors Europe N.V., Kawasaki Italia, Marzocchi Suspensions Spa and the distributor for Piacentini Moto.
Following are the statements made by the Team Manager Dr. Luca Letteratis:
“Finalisation of the agreement with Cameron Stronach represents the last essential element for structuring of the Team which will participate in the Superstock 1000 World Championship for the 2008 season. We observed the young man during the last two seasons in which he participated in the national Australian Supersport championships, in anticipation of our debut in the Superstock 1000 category. Furthermore, we organised some tests last month which produced a more than reassuring result. We are certain that Cameron can do well in Europe as from the first year. The young man will arrive in Italy in January and will remain a guest of the Team in our country until the end of the season. It will be 10 long months of unpaid work experience which we are certain will lead Cameron to the top very soon.”
TEAM 0 SIX:
Furthermore, the O Six Srl Company advises that an agreement is being defined for cooperation with another important rider to complete the team which will take part in the Superstock 600 European Championship.
Management sends its best wishes to Mr Cameron Stronach with the auspices that the team will be able to ensure that the rider receives the necessary support for a successful and richly satisfying season.
Marco Carracoi
Officer in Charge of External Relations
Team 0 Six
Email: info@teamosix.com
Full week preparing for a test with Team O Six: With official support of Kawasaki Europe, Marzocchi Suspension Spa, Cameron is set to do his first European test for Kawasaki.
Day One - 29/10/07
BHS Racing rider Cameron Stronach along with team owner Barry Black and Technician Murray Stronach will meet with Management of Team O Six.
Day Two - 30/10/07
A full day at the Marzocchi Race Department in Bologna where they will be introduced to the Management and Technicians of Marzocchi Suspension Spa.
Day Three - 31/10/07
A casual day where Team O Six take the boys to Ferrari’s House in Maranello. Back to hotel and early night.
Day Four - 01/11/07
Early start and a full day of testing at the Adria Circuit along with Team O Six Staff consisting of: Team Manager, Logistic Coordinator, Press Officer, Technical Director of the Team O Six, Suspension Director of Marzocchi and two personal Technicians.
The last stage of the day is to head back to Venice and take stock of the week.
Day Five:2/11/07 head back to Kuala Lumpur for a day of rest and then home to Perth.
BHS Racing Supersport rider Cameron Stronach to test in Italy.
Cameron Stronach of BHS Racing has accepted an invitation to test at Adria Raceway Circuit in Northern Italy for Team O Six. (Kawasaki). This opportunity to test for Team O Six could open doors to ride at a World Superstock level riding a Kawasaki 1000. A big move from Yamaha 600, however Cameron began his racing career on a Kawasaki.
BHS Racing are aware that Cameron is not the only Australian Rider to be approached for this International test, however BHS will give their rider every opportunity available and offer full support for this trip to Italy.
Cameron has had a successful debut year at a National Level being the outright winner of the BCD Grade Privateer Cup in the 2007 YMF Loan Supersport Championship. He also continued to ride at State Level in Western Australia and retained his 2006 Supersport tile by winning the WA 2007 State Supersport Championship. So a chance to test in Italy is just wonderful for this young rider.
Should the test with Team O Six be successful BHS will certainly continue to be a key sponsor and will look for other businesses to offer support and sponsorship in ensuring the development of Cameron’s racing career.
BHS Management recently came back from the World Superbike Circuits in Italy and France where they were exposed to a superior level of support and sponsorship for Motorcycle racing.
With Australia producing some of the best riders in the world it is a shame that here in WA businesses do very little to support Motorcycle Road Racing making it difficult for young WA riders to reach their full potential.
We encourage Businesses to take a look at Motorcycle Road Racing and consider the riders as athletes who like any other athlete need financial support to develop.
We here at BHS would like to wish Cameron success in Italy.