Team Suzuki Australia powers to Phillip Island 8 Hour success
Thu, Dec 8 2011
The Suzuki Australia factory-backed outfit of Josh Waters, Troy Herfoss and Robert Bugen didn’t put a foot wrong on the Suzuki GSX-R1000, starting from pole position before seizing control from the outset – a Le Mans start – thanks to the in-form Waters.
With an impressive back-up service from Herfoss and Bugden, the trio already had a vice-like grip on the race by the halfway mark, and the final stanza was all about maintaining a consistent pace, staying clear of any potential trouble, and making sure their fuel and tyre management strategies were spot on.
And they made every post a winner, with the GSX-R1000 completing 279 laps – 1241km – of the 4.448km circuit to finish five laps ahead of the GSX-R600 piloted by Brodie Waters, Ben Attard and Mitchell Carr.
Josh Waters also set the fastest lap of the race (1:34.805) to make it a clean sweep of accolades for the winning machine.
“It was a pretty cool day, and the team didn’t miss a beat all day,” said Josh Waters. “It’s also been great working with two great riders and it’s a credit to Suzuki and our whole team for the way the bikes have been prepared.
“I’m also stoked that my brothers have joined me on the podium, and it will certainly make for a great photo.”
Waters finished third in last year’s Phillip Island 6 Hour alongside former Suzuki teammate Shawn Giles.
Meanwhile, the Cube Racing GSX-R1000 of Ben Henry, Bryan Staring and Nicholas Waters began the race in impressive fashion, swapping second position with Waters, Attard and Carr for a fair amount of time until the Cude Racing machine became firmly ensconced in third spot by the four-hour mark.
Suzuki’s domination of the top placings didn’t end at the top three, with the Superstock 1000-spec, Bridgestone-backed GSX-R1000 of Trent Gibson, Greg Epis and Jay Layman finishing an excellent fourth, ahead of the WNR Kawasaki ZX-6R Supersport machine of Scott, Jed Metcher and Alex Cudlin.
The WNR Team was expected to push Waters/Carr/Attard all the way in the Supersport class, but some early woes saw them drop well outside the top 10 – and with it any chance of a top three finish.
In the Superstock 600 category WET4U Racing (Paul Grant-Mitchell/Colin Lewis/Murray Clark/Michael Thomas, ZX-6R) took the win ahead of the coaching trio of the California Superbike School (Suzuki GSX-R600) Kris Parnell, Josh Galster and Adam Raffe, who teamed up with their 16-year-old CSS student Luke Martin.
Former AFL great Jason Akermanis’ Honda-backed team with Aron Burgess, Andrew Kendrick and Dean Oughtred finished in 16th spot, and third in the Superstock 600 class, despite being troubled by a warped disc in the last 90 minutes.
Miltronics Corporation (Steve Cutting/Dean Holmes/Phillip Gray, Triumph Daytona 675) took the win in the Bears.
No less than 22 of the 25 teams completed the distance.
TOP 10 RESULTS
1. Team Suzuki (Josh Waters/ Herfoss/Robbie Bugden), GSX-R1000, 279 laps
2. Team Suzuki (Brodie Waters/Mitchell Carr/Ben Attard), GSX-R600 +5 laps
3. Cube Racing (Ben Henry, Bryan Staring/Nicholas Waters), GSX-R1000, +9 laps
4. Bridgestone (Trent Gibson/Greg Epis/Jay Layman), GSX-R1000, +15 laps
5. WNR Kawasaki (Glenn Scott/Jed Metcher/Alex Cudlin), ZX-6R, +17 laps
6. Lovetts Earthmoving (Phil Lovett, Simon Galloway/Dustin Goldsmith, Kawasaki ZX-10R, +19 laps
7. WET4U Racing (Paul Grant-Mitchell/Colin Lewis/Murray Clark/Michael Thomas), ZX-6R, +24 laps
8. California Superbike School (Kris Parnell/Luke Martin/Josh Galster/Adam Raffe), GSX-R600, +25 laps
9. Mick Muldoon Kawasaki (Sam Muldoon/Steve Wood/Jim Burke), ZX-10R, +27 laps
10. Dirty Bits Racing (Rob Vikuckis/Jamie Videon/Brian Clow), ZX-6R, +27 laps
Official Phillip Island Circuit release