GILES SET FOR RECORD FOURTH TITLE
17 October 2005 - Suzuki Racing

After using the weekend’s Australian MotoGP support races at Phillip Island as a shakedown, Team Suzuki is confident of a big season finish with Shawn Giles poised to claim a record fourth Australian Superbike title at the final championship round at there on November 11-13th.

Giles and team mate Glenn Allerton both produced strong performances and were pleased with the power and handling of the Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbike despite encountering difficulties during the MotoGP event.

Said Giles: “The MotoGP support races have been a really good warm up for us. We’ve had a few small dramas but I’m glad to get those over and done with now before the final round of the championship.

“We’ve got a good set-up for the GSX-R1000 around Phillip Island and with everything we’ve learnt this weekend, we are in a strong position and aiming to clinch a fourth title next month.”

Three-time Australian Superbike Champion Giles was hampered throughout qualifying by intermittent electrical issues, forcing him to start the MotoGP non-championship support races from an unfamiliar eighth place.

After being one of the early pacesetters, Allerton managed to stay ahead of his experienced team-mate and hold on to sixth place on the grid after crashing out of the qualifying session.

Race one saw Giles rocket off the start line directly into fourth place through the fast, sweeping turn one and overcame Daniel Stauffer two laps later to secure third place.

Giles narrowly missed victory in race one when he was baulked by lapped traffic on the penultimate lap which ruined his chances of slipstreaming the leading two riders to slingshot to the front of the field.

In contrast, Allerton was slow off the line in race one and found himself caught in the pack without clear track to maximise the Suzuki’s horsepower and chase down the leading group. The up-and-coming Suzuki star finished in sixth place.

Race two saw Allerton make one of the most exciting starts of the entire weekend, launching from sixth place to almost take the lead at the first turn before being pushed wide and slipping back into fourth at the Southern Loop.

The Team Suzuki rookie bettered his race one result, finishing the eight-lap battle in fifth place.

Giles’ electrical issues again reared their head in the second race with the former champion retiring on lap two.

Competing on his spare bike for the final Superbike race of the MotoGP event, Giles got off to an unusually slow start and then produced a stunning fight back to bring the Suzuki GSX-R1000 home in fifth place.

Trialling a different set up for final championship round, Allerton struggled for grip in race three and ended up in ninth place after a penalty was imposed on Anthony Gobert for a jump start.

“I would have liked to have a little better result this weekend but I was matching the pace of the frontrunners before my crash in qualifying so I know I’ve got the speed. This has actually boosted my confidence heading into the final round,” said Allerton.

“Both Glenn and I are riding well; the Suzuki has plenty of speed and we have used this weekend to iron out glitches and finesse our set-up, so we are looking good for next month,” he added.

Team Suzuki leads the charge into the seventh and final round of the 2005 Australian Superbike Championship with Giles holding a 10-point advantage and chasing a record fourth Australian Superbike title.

2005 AUSTRALIAN MOTOGP SUPPORT CLASS:

1. Josh Brookes
2. Adam Fergusson
3. Jamie Stauffer
4. Daniel Stauffer
5. Glenn Allerton
6. Shannon Johnson
7. Shannon Etheridge
8. Scott Charlton
9. Shawn Giles
10. Nick Henderson

17/10/2005

www.suzuki-racing.com

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