Horsell Australian Sidecar Championship

ASBK FLASHBACK

By ASBK Trackside Commentator Mark Bracks

In the year 2021, as we progress through the third decade of the 21st century, lets time-travel over the past 21 seasons of the ASBK Championship - with a bit of added history from last century.

During the 1970s, Australia pioneered production motorcycle racing, most notably the iconic Castrol 6-Hour at the now defunct Amaroo Park and Oran Park circuits, on the outskirts of Sydney.

In 1970, visionary promoter, Vince Tesoriero and his fellow Willoughby MMC club members, dreamed up the first Castrol 6-Hour, and the annual event soon developed into THE production race in the world.

Then instead of endurance races, what about sprint races for modified machines with the top riders of the day like Warren Willing, Len Atlee and Garry Thomas involved. The catch cry on one of the poster was “Super heroes on Super bikes”.

It’s often attributed that “Superbike” racing commenced in the USA, but believe it or not, “Superbike” racing commenced, here, in Australia on February 18, February 1973, at Amaroo Park and the rules were pretty open for what was allowed to be improved on the machines.

The four-round series was called the “Chesterfield 5000” - the “5000” signifying the prize money that was up for grabs in the first year. That’s over $50,000 in today’s rates. The concept only lasted three years.

After a hiatus, Victorian clubs commenced their own competitions for modified big-bore, four-stroke machines and the southern state soon became the home, and powerhouse of Australian Superbike racing.

The racing was hard, fast and spectacular and riders like Robbie Phillis, Malcolm “Wally” Campbell and the late Andrew “AJ” Johnson became household names. From those embryonic events, the Australian Superbike Championship evolved.

The first Australian Superbike Championship was in 1987. Since then, many riders have etched their name on the trophy; Robbie Phillis, Malcolm Campbell, Troy Corser, the late Kirk McCarthy, Anthony Gobert, Marty Craggill, current MA President, Peter Goddard, and ASBK commentator Steve Martin are just some that were crowned Australian Superbike Champions.

There are also some notable ASBK Championship riders that were able to launch into overseas careers including Darryl Beattie, Rob Phillis, Josh Brookes and current ASBK riders Bryan Staring, Josh Waters, Tom Bramich, Tom Edwards, and this year 2020 Supersport 300 Champion Harry Khouri in the WorldSBK Supersport 300 class.

Shaun Giles

THE 21ST CENTURY

In the past 21 seasons, we have witnessed 11 riders raise the silverware to the skies at season’s end, and in the 15 championships contested since 2006 there have been seven race winners.

Astoundingly, the six riders that have shared the championship title since 2008 are all still competing this year and any one

of them could squeeze another ASBK trophy into an already crowded cabinet.

In the past 21 seasons, only three riders; Wayne Maxwell, Glenn Allerton and Mike Jones have won championships on different brands. but since 2007, no rider has managed to win back-to-back titles.

Let’s take a step back.

The new millennium dawned and it was the era of Suzuki domination with Shawn Giles winning an unprecedented three titles in a row from 2000-2002. It wasn’t all plain sailing as he was up against fierce competition led by Kevin Curtain, but “Gilesy” carved his own unique slice of history as no rider before or since, has managed to put three titles together on the trot.

In 2003 it was Giles’ team-mate in Team Suzuki, Shepparton’s Craig Coxhell who lifted the title after out running his team mate to the line.

Suzuki’s four-year stranglehold was broken in 2004 when Adam Fergusson, riding for Honda, was the first to take out the Superbike/Supersport double, dominating both championships.

Fergusson’s team-mate, Josh Brookes repeated the feat the following year, but the 2005 ASBK title was decided on a count back as at Phillip Island, Brookes and Giles finished the season on equal points. Brookes was crowned the champion because of race victories. Since then, Brookes has finished third in the World Supersport Championship and claimed two British Superbike titles, the most recent in 2020.

Jamie Stauffer was the man of the moment in 2006/07. In his first championship-winning year he emulated Fergusson and Brookes by taking the ASBK/Supersport double riding for the Yamaha Factory Team with his brother Dan in the garage. In 2008 Stauffer was thwarted a three-peat when Glenn Allerton - who won the Privateer championship the previous year - won his first of three titles. Allerton’s feat brought Honda back to the top of the pile as he beat the Yamaha’s of Jamie Stauffer who was 10 points adrift with his brother, Dan, third overall. The first time two brothers had been in the top three of the ASBK.

In 2009, Allerton was on track to bag two in a row as he led the title by two points over Josh Waters, heading into the final round at Phillip Island, but Waters was not to be denied with two wins against a second and a third for Allerton. Waters won the first of his three titles, by 10 points from Allerton and returned Suzuki to the top manufacturer.

2010: After winning the Supersport title in 2009, Western Australian Bryan Staring took out the Superbike title from Maxwell who went one better to be second in the title from Allerton. This was a springboard for Staring to head overseas to compete in various world championships, the pinnacle, a season in MotoGP.

Staring is the only rider to win titles in the Australian 125cc GP, Supersport and Superbike Championships.

2011: Allerton regained the number one plate but this time he gave BMW its first national championship. In fact he gave BMW its first Superbike race win in the world at the support races for the WSBK round at Phillip Island at the beginning of the year.

Bryan Staring