Team Joe Rocket Suzuki rider Shawn Giles kicked off his 2008 season with the overall win at the 2008 Superbike World Championship round at Phillip Island.
Giles won two of the three races in the Australian Superbike support category at the world championship meeting, falling short by just 0.014sec in race two to make it a clean sweep of three wins from three starts for Giles and the new-look 2008 Suzuki team.
Giles' 71 point tally across the three races gave the three-time Australian Superbike champion a six-point margin over Jamie Stauffer, with Jason O'Halloran third on 53pts.
Team Joe Rocket Suzuki rider Craig Coxhell finished fourth overall on 48pts with Supersport rider Josh Waters making a guest appearance in the Superbike category and claiming sixth overall.
The meeting marked the first appearance for 2008 of all five factory-supported Superbike teams which will contest the upcoming seven-round Australian Superbike Championship, with the Phillip Island results sending Suzuki to Sydney's Eastern Creek Raceway in two weeks' time for the opening round full of confidence - and the team to beat.
The opening six-lap Australian Superbike race on Saturday morning saw pole-sitter Giles blast off the line and go head-to-head with reigning Australian Superbike Champion Stauffer over full race distance, the Team Joe Rocket Suzuki rider taking a thrilling 0.134sec victory.
Despite the relatively low 15-degree air temperature and 18.3-degree track temperature for the opening Superbike race, Russell Holland's 2007 lap record of 1:33.427 was first bettered by Giles, and then by third-placed Jason O'Halloran, the new mark eventually resting with O'Halloran at 1:32.921.
Races two and three were held on Saturday afternoon, with Giles and Stauffer again trading blows. Giles led out of the second last corner on the final lap of race two, only to have Stauffer force his way underneath Giles' GSX-R1000 on the final corner to claim a 0.014sec win.
In the final race of the day Giles and Stauffer again went handlebar-to-handlebar over the full six-lap journey, with Stauffer again pulling his bold move on the final turn, only to see Giles keep the throttle of his Suzuki GSX-R1000 pinned to the stop and hold on for a thrilling 0.011sec win - and overall round honours. The combined winning margin from all three races was a scant 0.159sec.
The fourth and final Australian Superbike race scheduled for Sunday was abandoned due to time delays in the international programme.
Phil Tainton - Team Manager
“It's been a great weekend for us and I'm extremely happy with the results. We were looking for a good start to the 2008 Superbike season and all three riders delivered.
“With Shawn taking the win, and Craig and Josh inside the top six, it shows we're on the right track for the year ahead. Some recent testing at the circuit helped us get the GSX-R1000s set up to suit the fast Phillip Island circuit and we were able to try some new suspension components this weekend. The results have been great, but we've learned a lot too.
“Shawn rode three excellent races and Craig has found some settings he's now comfortable with. Josh too did a great job in a one-off guest ride on a bike that's a lot different to his usual 600cc Supersport machine. The whole team now has good momentum heading into the 2008 Superbike season.”
Shawn Giles
“It's a great way to start the year and I really enjoyed the battles with Jamie. Phillip Island always creates good racing - it's a shame we don't race here more often. I really love the circuit.
“All three races were entertaining. I was sort of expecting that move from Jamie in race two and thought I'd blocked it - but he tried it anyway, and made it stick. And then he did it again in race three. It was good, close racing. I'm very happy with the weekend's results. The Superbike class looks like being really competitive this year - one of the toughest yet.”
Craig Coxhell
“Congratulations to Shawn on the win - he rode really well. I'm disappointed with my results this weekend though, especially as the last time we raced here at the MotoGP last October I took the overall win. Early on nothing was working for me, as I was trying different suspension settings and couldn't find a set-up I was comfortable with. Then when I did, and was ready to have a go, I lost my knee-slider in race three and kept going backwards.
“I was disappointed when the final race was abandoned as I had a point to prove after race three. Still, fourth overall isn't too bad given the frustrations - and I now know I've got a set-up that suits me.”
Joshua Waters
“It's been good fun riding the Superbike at this meeting, but I really needed more time on it to do it justice. I didn't do any testing before the meeting, so to finish up in the top six is a good result.
“The bike I rode is the one Robbie Bugden usually rides for the team, so I guess I'll have to give it back now. Now it's time to focus on the upcoming Australian Supersport Championship and the new Suzuki GSX-R600. I'm really looking forward to 2008 with the team and the new bike.”
Superbike Overall Results
- Shawn Giles
- Jamie Stauffer
- Jason O'Halloran
- Craig Coxhell
- Glenn Allerton
- Josh Waters
- Kevin Curtain
- Shannon Johnson
- Daniel Stauffer
- Scott Charlton
