YRT WITH YMI Bounces Back At Mallala

[totalmotorcycle]

YRT WITH YMI Bounces Back At #Mallala

After a disappointing opening round, The Yamaha Racing Team with Yamaha Motor Insurance (YRT with YMI) rebounded strongly at round two of the Australian Superbike Championship at Mallala over the weekend with Robbie Bugden landing on the podium and all three riders featuring in the top 10.

It was an impressive return to form for the factory Yamaha team after struggling through the opening round last month. The hard work from both the riders and the crew between the rounds was evident the moment the riders hit the track and instantly the Yamaha R1 was on the pace and the team was confident of a good showing.

New recruit, Robbie Bugden, led the way finishing third for the round in a confidence boosting performance. It was his maiden podium appearance for the YRT with YMI team as he put together three quality rides to finish with 3-4-3 results to just edge out teammate Cru Halliday for third place.

The good points haul sees him jump to eighth in the championship.

Bugden has always performed well at the South Australian circuit but gives credit to his YRT crew for the podium result.

"We all worked hard between the rounds and the test session we did here proved invaluable. During the test we were able to get some good gains from the bike, get settled with the tyres and for myself to get more bike time on the R1.

"It's nice to get a reward for the effort we put in between the rounds and now the challenge is to maintain this level at each and every event for the remainder of the championship," he ends.

Cru Halliday impressed on his way to a career best finish in the ASC taking fourth place. Halliday and Bugden were locked together on 58 points at the end of the day but with Bugden taking the higher finish in the final leg, he claimed the final podium spot and left Halliday in fourth.

Still, it was a land mark round for Halliday who battled in the lead pack all weekend and his 4-2-4 results were a combination of speed and consistency. Cru holds down sixth place in the championship after two rounds.

"The weekend was far more positive for me and everyone on the team," Halliday stated. "We were far more competitive right from the outset and it felt good to be back up the front and battling for race wins. The bike performed much better and we now have a solid base to work from for the rest of the year, so we hope to keep the momentum rolling at the upcoming rounds," explains Halliday.

Despite having a rough day, Rick Olson still found himself in the top 10 at the completion of racing. Olson took 8-13-11 results in the three races to finish the day in ninth place, the same position he holds in the championship.

"The weekend was far better for us as a team," states Team Manager, John Redding. "As the riders alluded to, the test day we had here few weeks ago was a positive one and we found some good gains. The fact that it showed up in racing was rewarding for everyone and we feel we have a competitive package to race for the rest of the championship.

"Robbie and Cru both raced extremely well and the lead four riders seemed to be a bit ahead of the rest of the pack. Rick didn't have a great weekend but he is a talented racer and we are confident his best form isn't too far away."

The third round of the Australian Superbike Championship (ASC) is on June 27-29 at Queensland Raceway.


Round two Results- ASC
Superbikes
1st Wayne MAXWELL - 75
2nd Jamie STAUFFER - 64
3rd Robbie BUGDEN - 58 (YRT with YMI)
4th Cru HALLIDAY - 58 (YRT with YMI)
5th Troy HERFOSS - 48
6th Sean CONDON - 44
7th Josh HOOK - 38
8th Glenn ALLERTON- 31
9th Rick OLSON - 31 (YRT with YMI)
10th Mike JONES 27

Championship Standings - after round two
1st Wayne MAXWELL - 137
2nd Jamie STAUFFER - 131
3rd Sean CONDON - 99
4th Troy HERFOSS - 98
5th Glenn ALLERTON - 96
6th Cru HALLIDAY - 92 (YRT with YMI)
7th Glenn SCOTT - 74
8th Robbie BUGDEN - 73 (YRT with YMI)
9th Rick OLSON - 73 (YRT with YMI)
10th Dustin GOLDSMITH - 57