Team Suzuki's Wayne Maxwell is the new Australian Superbike Championship leader following Sydney Motorsport Park's fourth and fifth round of the 2013 season, where he claimed a superb clean-sweep of the event.
The 30-year-old won all four 12-lap premier class Superbike races in fine fashion and takes a 24-point lead in the championship following five of seven rounds. It was a convincing weekend for Maxwell and the GSX-R1000, working their way to the front of the field in each outing while Team Volvo Group Suzuki team-mate Robbie Bugden made it a special 1-2 result during both rounds for the team.
Said Maxwell: "What a weekend it was for Team Suzuki. The Yoshimura-powered GSX-R1000 worked awesome in all four races, so to come away with four-out-of-four shows how well the team and the bike are working.
"We came in 14 points behind and leave this weekend with a 24-point lead in the championship, so it really is a dream come true. Obviously there's a long way to go, so we'll keep working hard and see what we can do in Darwin. The Dunlop tyres worked great all weekend, so I can't thank everybody enough."
Bugden finished second in both races on Saturday after spending his fair share at the front of the field; round four's second race providing some of the weekend's best action as the Suzuki duo duelled in the final stages.
Sunday saw Bugden start from the Superpole position on the grid and he again led during both races. The five-time New Zealand champion was second in race one, before a hard-fought fifth in the second sealed him his second runner-up overall for the weekend. Bugden also claimed a new circuit record of 1m29.842s during Friday's Superpole session, joined in the 29s by Maxwell. Bugden also clinched a new race lap record of 1m30.445 in race one on Saturday afternoon.
"It was an absolute cracker weekend for Team Suzuki," Bugden said. "We finished 1-2 in both rounds, won every race, had pole position for round five, plus we got a new lap and circuit record. Weekends just don't get any better than that.
"As a team we worked really well, my GSX-R1000 was great and the Dunlop tyres were clearly performing. As for myself, obviously Wayne has a gap in the championship now, so we need to do something about that and do it quickly. We'll head to Darwin now, a really good track for me, so I'll be going there with the target of winning two races."
Team Suzuki manager Phil Tainton was proud of Maxwell and Bugden's efforts throughout the weekend, which was a pivotal performance in terms of the championship for the defending champion squad.
"It couldn't have been much better," Tainton said. "Wayne has been unbeatable; Robbie has been riding so well as well. We're now first and tied for second in the championship, so it was a really important weekend to be successful with the double-header format. It was just fantastic."
The Australian Superbike Championship will resume at Hidden Valley Raceway in Darwin on September 12-15th.
Round Four Overall Results:
1. Wayne MAXWELL (Team Suzuki) 50 2. Robert BUGDEN (Team Volvo Group Suzuki) 40 3. Jamie STAUFFER 35 4. Josh HOOK 32 5. Glenn SCOTT 32 6. Linden MAGEE 29 7. Chas HERN 27 8. Glenn ALLERTON 27 9. Beau BEATON 24 10. Sloan FROST 24
Round Five Overall Results:
1. Wayne MAXWELL (Team Suzuki) 50 2. Robert BUGDEN (Team Volvo Group Suzuki) 37 3. Glenn ALLERTON 35 4. Josh HOOK 34 5. Jamie STAUFFER 34 6. Glenn SCOTT 33 7. Linden MAGEE 28 8. Beau BEATON 26 9. Sloan FROST 24 10. Ben HENRY 21
Championship Standings (after five of seven rounds):
1. Wayne MAXWELL (Team Suzuki) 1802. Glenn ALLERTON 156 3. Robert BUGDEN (Team Volvo Group Suzuki) 156 4. Jamie STAUFFER 135 5. Josh HOOK 133 6. Glenn SCOTT 119 7. Linden MAGEE 99 8. Beau BEATON 99 9. Phil LOVETT 79 10. Sloan FROST 71
