21-year-old Brendan Roberts secured a fantastic fourth place in the European Superstock round at the Misano Adriatico Circuit, Italy, at the weekend (23rd - 25th June). The young Australian rider gained the ride after his wildcard win in the GSX-R Cup at Silverstone at the beginning of the month. Former racer Pete Goddard put Roberts in touch with the Italian based HP Suzuki Team and after a test ride he has been allocated the ride for the remainder of the 2006 season for the events that do not clash with his National Superstock calendar in the UK.
Roberts who currently has a 29-point lead over his nearest rival in the National Superstock series was eager to showcase his talent at the technical Misano Circuit. On his first visit to the track and his second ride on the HP Suzuki he was keen to get some strong results. After a number of changes and modifications to the bike Roberts qualified in a healthy seventh position on the grid.
With scorching temperatures of over 43 degrees it was difficult for all the riders to adapt to the conditions. Roberts struggled during the practice sessions commenting "I found it hard to gain a good race set up as well as learning a new circuit. I crashed during practice but fortunately no major damage was caused. The pace was certainly tough and I wanted to ensure that I gained a good qualifying position to stand me in good stead for the race."
Roberts managed to take 1.1 seconds off his previous times during the second qualifying session and moved up from 11th to seventh for the race. After a good start he was sat in sixth position and eager to get past the trio of riders in front of him. A few thoughtful manoeuvres saw the talented rider move through to third position and it was looking likely for a podium finish.
"I finally felt comfortable with the bike during the race and also managed to learn the circuit better. I gained a good start but got stuck behind a bunch of riders which I was finding difficult to pass. I made a few moves and moved my way through to third, I lost out on a position to Scassa as he came past me on the ultra fast MV Agusta. I'm still very pleased with my results for the first time with the team, at a new circuit and a different bike I certainly can't complain with fourth place. I've really enjoyed the experience and I'd like to thank everyone involved for helping me throughout the weekend and hope that we can continue to get some good results at the next rounds." He said.
Roberts will compete this weekend in the Metzeler National Superstock Championship which runs alongside the prestigious Moto GP at Donington Park. This is a huge chance from him to show his talent off to the 80'000 expected crowd.
Related Linkswww.brendan-roberts.com www.donington-park.co.uk
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