KTM Superbike Team rider Shannon Johnson continues to search for answers in the Austrian manufacturer’s maiden year in the Australian Superbike Championship following a frustrating weekend at Queensland Raceway’s third round last weekend.

Johnson qualified 22nd after technical issues struck the team during qualifying, before bouncing back to claim 10-9 results for ninth overall on the factory-supported RC8 R.

“Overall I didn’t have a great race meeting in Queensland. It was better than the last round in Darwin, but I’m still not where I know I could be, and where the bike should be,” the Victorian former series runner-up commented.

“We are trying our best to overcome difficulties in learning to develop a brand new motorcycle in the ASBK, which will hopefully come in time. I had mechanical challenges in both qualifying and practice so by the time racing came around, I had hardly ridden on the track to warm up on the one motorcycle.

“I had a starting grid of 22nd and still managed to work my way up to 10th in the first race, and ninth in the second race, which was satisfactory, but at the same time frustrating because I knew I could have done better. Thankfully, I finished both races and came away with some points to sit seventh in the championship.

“The entire team worked tirelessly to keep getting us back out on the race track to compete and these results are equally theirs as they are ours.”

Teammate Chris Trounson claimed fifth overall in the A-grade Superstock 1000 ranks, again working toward his first victory in the class.

“It was an interesting weekend and a credible effort for the team on how we got through it,” said Trounson. “I felt good in practice, but my bike time was cut short with a few underlining gremlins, which saw me secure a 20th spot on the grid for the Super Stock A Class.

“Overall for the event I got fifth in my class and I’m sitting third in the championship, so at least I’m still holding a podium in my class for the Superstock A championship,” Trounson said.

“A big thanks to the entire team at KTM Road Racing for their help in putting in some big hours trying to prep the bikes for each race.”

Team manager Mark Trounson commented on the teething issues that have plagued the KTM team in recent rounds.

“It’s no secret we had some technical issues with both motorcycles at this round, which had an impact on qualifying, and then reduced our practice time, but we made the most out of what we had working in our favour and still finished both of the main races when some of our competitors did not,” said Trounson.

“The next round is at the same track, which doesn’t really suit our motorcycles, as it’s the type of track that has a lot of stops, where our bikes perform better on fast flowing tracks, but we will work harder to ensure settings suit the track and hopefully come away with less challenges and solid results.”