Last-minute test sets YRT up for a strong showing in South Australia

27-08-09

Yamaha’s factory R1 and R6 racers are aiming to carry form and focus into this weekend’s Mallala Motorsport Park meeting, round 5 of the hotly-contested Australian Superbike Championships (ASBK).

It will be an integral event for YRT’s Superbike duo, Jamie and Daniel Stauffer, who will be aiming to convert the practice and qualifying pace they showed at Eastern Creek into a solid race result at the 2.6km circuit.

On the other side of the garage, Bryan Staring and Pat Medcalf are eager to extend their respective Supersport and Superstock 1000 championship leads after a season of standout rides.

The YRT's Peter Jones said today's shakedown session had provided riders with the necessary momentum ahead of Friday practice.

"The Supersport team was right up there as we expected and on the pace straight away," said Jones. "It was more a matter of dialling in the data we had for the circuit rather than making any wholesale changes.

"It's been a tough year for the Superbike team so far but they remain very committed to finding the best setup on these bikes and getting that breakthrough result.

"Jamie and Daniel made some good ground today and are hoping to come away from Mallala with the results they know the R1 is capable of."

The Superbike and Supersport classes will each contest two, 20-lap races on Sunday while Superstock 1000’s three, 10-lap races will get underway on Saturday afternoon.

Yamaha Racing Team Supersport
Gun teammates Bryan Staring and Pat Medcalf will look to make their mark at Mallala Motorsport Park this weekend, shooting for wins in their respective championship classes.

The Gold Coast-based Staring has taken the upper hand in a see-sawing Supersport class battle with YRT Superbike rider Jamie Stauffer, matching the New South Welshman for pace in 2009.

Staring heads to round 5 with an 18-point lead after taking a race win and a second place at Eastern Creek.

The team headed to today’s practice session with a good handle on the R6’s setup and only minor adjustments had to be made to dial in the dominant bike to suit current conditions.

Meanwhile Pat Medcalf will be hoping to make his presence felt on his first visit to Mallala with the factory outfit.

He stretched his lead in the Superstock 1000 class to 48 points at Eastern Creek and is looking to make further progress aboard his R1 this weekend.