OLEON MOTOLOGIC RACING:

Success! The Australian Superbike Open held at Phillip Island over the weekend was a terrific success for all involved and the Oleon Motologic Racing Team was no exception. Taking the overall win for the event, the team was more than impressed by the weekend’s proceedings as a combined event with the L&H500.

Both the V8 Supercars and the Australian Superbikes put on a fantastic display for spectators who braved the initially windy conditions to enjoy some of this country’s finest racing at the world class Phillip Island circuit. The general consensus for the new-style program was that the two sports work well together and the interest in the Australian Superbikes from the V8 pits was obvious with crew and drivers alike taking to the pit wall to see the two-wheeled dynamos fly down the straight at even greater speeds than the V8 Supercars!

Oleon Motologic’s #47 Wayne Maxwell took first place for the weekend after two very impressive races despite the changeable weather conditions on the track. The rain fell on parts of the track for both races, forcing all the place-holders in the ASBK series to tread carefully in order to protect their championship with no points from the Australian Superbike Open going towards the championship. Glenn Allerton, the defending Australian Superbike Champion who is currently leading the championship for 2009 was extremely cautious over the weekend, determined not to jeopardise his title.

Although Maxwell was also conscious of protecting his placing in the ASBK series for the upcoming MotoGP round, he took advantage of a dry track in a 1 lap Superpole to blitz the field with a flying lap of 1:32.699 sec which broke his own qualifying lap record at the Island for Superbikes recorded at the World Superbike event in February.

“It was fantastic to take the Superpole and the overall win for the Australian Superbike Open and the weekend in general was a great success. It was unfortunate that the rain came and went as it did, but I suppose it did make it great for spectators with some surprise frontrunners appearing. Well done to Craig Coxhell for Race 2, he went in hard and it paid off.”

“To have some track time at Phillip Island prior to the MotoGP next month has been very valuable and provides us with a good direction heading into the next round of our championship. Thanks to the Oleon Motologic Racing Team for all their efforts over the weekend, I couldn’t be happier with my win.”

Defending champion, Glenn Allerton went into the weekend positive of a strong result and although the rain changed his race plan somewhat, making him extremely cautious and acutely aware of his lead in the ASBK series, he also encountered some other set-up issues.

“I did struggle to find a good balance with rear grip which was not helpful in those weather conditions and I wasn’t about to jeopardise my championship lead to take a race win at the Australian Superbike Open no matter how attractive it looked” Allerton commented. “Wayne rode really well over the weekend and my hat goes off to him. The Superpole lap was fantastic. It was a terrific event overall for the team and we come away with some really strong direction with the bike set-up so I am really confident heading into the next points-scoring round at the MotoGP.”

Oleon Motologic Racing Team Owner and Manager, Paul Free comes away from the Australian Superbike Open not only pleased with his team’s results, but also very pleased about the direction of the ASBK series.

“Combining the L&H500 and the Australian Superbike Open was a terrific success and shows an enormous amount of potential for our sports. Well done to Yarrive Konsky and his team at IEG for taking the initiative and moving the Australian Superbikes in a positive direction. The response from everyone has been overwhelmingly positive. The timing schedule was good and there were no delays. We really enjoyed the event. For our sport to continue to grow we need to compete in front of a broader audience both at the track and on TV and by taking part in this type of event we achieve both.”

“I couldn’t be happier with Wayne’s Superpole, Race 1 win and taking the overall win for the weekend in Superbikes. The weather conditions were not ideal, but that is all part of racing and this event gave us a chance to identify some elements of the bike set-up that need improving at the very track we will be racing at next in a month’s time. Both Glenn and Wayne are looking strong and it will be a very interesting MotoGP round in Oct.”

With a crowd in excess of 50,000 people the Australian Superbike Open combined with the L&H500 was a terrific opportunity for the Australian Superbikes to strut their stuff at Phillip Island. All in attendance agree it was a great success. The next opportunity for the Oleon Motologic Racing Team to take to the track on their Honda CBR1000RRs will again be at Phillip Island for the 2009 MotoGP which forms Round 6 of the Woodstock Bourbon Australian Superbike Series. As the pen-ultimate round for the Superbikes in the Australian Series, the pace on the track is sure to impress spectators. Mark the calendar for October 15th to 18th and be at Phillip Island to support the Aussie field!