The point for pole position, earned in difficult conditions, proved crucial as Waters and Maxwell rode to a win and second place each. Maxwell was disappointed to miss out on a second race win and vowed to work harder than ever in the off-season to hit the ground running in 2012. Wrapping up third for the round and the championship was Team Suzuki’s Troy Herfoss. Herfoss has impressed in his rookie year, and rued a mid-season slump as a missed opportunity to challenge Jamie Stauffer for second overall.

The Suzuki-mounted Waters annihilated his own lap record, set in February, to win by a comfortable margin after a race-long battle between the factory Honda and Suzuki teams.

Crucially, it was the fifth place finish for Procon Maxima BMW’s Glenn Allerton which saw him lock away an unbeatable points lead and secure a triumphant second Superbike title, only the fifth rider in the ASBK’s history to do so.

The 30-year-old won his first championship in 2008, and his success in 2011 has been led largely by his own determination and the chances taken by his Hepburn Motorsport crew on a potent but unknown quantity in the BMW S 1000 RR.

“So many people in the team have worked hard for this, I have to thank everyone at Procon Maxima BMW for their hard work week in, week out but also all of those people behind the scenes as well that have helped me make the most of this opportunity including BMW who have been so supportive,” said Allerton.

The final round of the QBE Australian Superbike Championships, a multi-discipline ‘festival’ of two-wheel racing, will be held at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit from November 18-20.

Symmons Plains – Round 7 Australian Superbike Championship
Race 1
1 Team Honda Racing -  Jamie Stauffer
2 Team Suzuki – Troy Herfoss
3 GAS Honda/Demolition Plus – Craig Coxhell

Race 2
1 Team Suzuki – Joshua Waters
2 Team Honda Racing – Jamie Stauffer
3 Team Suzuki – Troy Herfoss

TEAM HONDA’S JAMIE STAUFFER DEFIED THE DISAPPOINTMENT OF A DNF IN SATURDAY’S (AUGUST 20) RACE TO WIN THE SECOND RACE OF ROUND 6 OF THE QBE AUSTRALIAN SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP AT QUEENSLAND RACEWAY ON SUNDAY AUGUST 21.

Stauffer led the 14-lap clash from pole, treading carefully on the low-grip circuit with his Dunlop control tyres as he fended off a race-long challenge from Team Suzuki’s Josh Waters.

Stauffer and Waters engaged in a battle of the late-brakers, with Waters attempting but unable to convert a number of moves for position at the end of the circuit’s 280km/h back straight.

Stauffer redeemed himself after a dramatic crash in race one to take the chequered flag by 2.262 seconds and his third race victory from four starts at Ipswich.

The overall round 6 victory fell in favour of Stauffer’s Honda teammate, Wayne Maxwell, who backed up his race one win with fifth in race two.

Procon Maxima BMW rider Glenn Allerton was unable to challenge for a race podium in race two but pushed on to finish fourth, snaring second overall for the round. The result marked Allerton’s first non-podium finish for the season, an incredible statistic which sees him sitting comfortably atop the standings as the ASBK looks ahead to its penultimate round at Symmons Plains in November.

The BMW rider’s points lead extended to 67 as the battle for positions 2 through to 6 tightened considerably. By virtue of his pole position point, race win and DNF, Jamie Stauffer remains in second but is joined by Attard, with both riders sitting on 196 points.

QBE ASBK action resumes at Symmons Plains for its third 2+4 event of the year on November 11-13 alongside the V8 Supercars.

Queensland Raceway – Round 6 Australian Superbike Championship

Race 1
1 Team Honda Racing Wayne Maxwell
2 Procon Maxima BMW Glenn Allerton
3 Aprilia Racing Team Ben Attard

Race 2
1 Team Honda Racing Jamie Stauffer
2 Team Suzuki Joshua Waters
3 Aprilia Racing Team Ben Attard

The reigning Australian Superbike Champion won both Superbike races after starting from pole position, as well as claimed a new lap record for the 2.9km Darwin circuit in the second of Sunday’s two races with a 1:07.994 on lap two in race two.

This benchmark on the new 2010 Dunlop control tyre was an impressive 1.1109sec below Jason Bright’s V8 Supercar lap record.

Waters’ clean sweep and maximum points haul has rocketed the 23-year-old from eighth in the standings to third place overall and just 9 points behind series leader Wayne Maxwell.

Waters’ Suzuki GSX-R1000 was also the fastest bike down Hidden Valley’s one-kilometre-long front
straight, recording a top speed of 291km/h in Friday’s opening practice session.

“The bike was great all weekend, and the team did a fantastic job in giving me a bike that was really, really good. It was fast too!” Waters said.

“I put my head down in the recent test session we did here and I knew we had a good setting for the races. I feel I’m back in the hunt for the Championship now. “
Maxwell leads the six-round series on 73.5 points from Bryan Staring on 65 with Waters now just nine
points adrift on 64.5. Jamie Stauffer lies fourth on 60 points with Glenn Allerton fifth on 56.

The next round of the championship is at Queensland Raceway on June 4-6.

The 2009 Championship saw the top 10 positions of the premier Superbike category filled by Dunlop shod riders and teams, with the overall winner being Team Joe Rocket Suzuki pilot Josh Waters.

Waters had entered the final round two points adrift of defending champion, Team Oleon Oils Motologic Honda rider Glenn Allerton, but claimed the number one plate after victories in both races of the winner-take-all finale.

“Dunlop would like to congratulate Josh and Team Joe Rocket Suzuki on the brilliant victory in the 2009 Woodstock Australian Superbike Championship,” said Dunlop’s Motorcycle & Motorsports Manager Ken Wieden.

“With hotly contested racing, thrilling finishes and a grand stand finale, we at Dunlop are extremely proud of our contribution to Australian Superbike racing and the brilliant season we have just had.”

“In addition to being on all of the top 10 positions in Superbike category, Dunlop shod riders also filled the top 10 stops in the other two open tyre categories, 600 Supersport and 125GP.”

“These results really highlight the performance of the Dunlop products in the motorcycle market.” Dunlop is now looking to the future, having recently been awarded the control tyre tender for the next three years for the Series.

In a return to the popular ‘2-plus-4’ concept for the first time in over a decade, 22-year-old Waters lapped the 4.45km Victorian circuit at a stunning 1:32.4710 in Sunday’s 10-lap race to claim a new national Superbike lap record.

In maintaining his perfect record, Waters has also claimed lap records at South Australia’s Mallala circuit and Sydney’s Eastern Creek Raceway since debuting the new GSX-R1000K9 just six weeks ago.

“It’s been another great weekend for the new GSX-R1000K9. That’s three lap records in a row now for Josh, proving the pace of the new bike straight out of the box and just how well he’s riding,” said Team Joe Rocket Suzuki Manager Phil Tainton.

The Superbikes stunned V8 fans with top speeds of 300km/h along Gardner Straight into Turn One compared to 280km/h recorded by the V8 Supercars), with Waters’ new lap Superbike record of 1:32.4710 edging the best V8 time of 1:33.1970, set by Mark Winterbottom (FPR).

PHILLIP ISLAND L&H 500 EVENT RESULTS

Race 1 of the Australian Superbikes Open
1. Wayne Maxwell – Motologic Racing
2. Josh Waters – Team Joe Rocket Suzuki
3. Shannon Johnson – Motologic Racing

Race 2 of the Australian Superbikes Open
1. Craig Coxhell – CJC Racing
2. Josh Waters – Team Joe Rocket Suzuki
3. Wayne Maxwell – Motologic Racing