Aussie Bryan Staring does battle with countrymen Mark Aitchison and Josh Brookes.

Australia’s Bryan Staring is celebrating a career-best 10th place in yesterday’s opening race of the 2012 Superbike World Championship at Phillip Island.

In race one Staring scored a fantastic result when, with a very fast pace and some fearless overtaking, the Aussie rider reached 10th position.

In the second race Staring closed sixteenth, just missing the points zone of a top 15 finish. Because of the afternoon’s high temperatures, Bryan found that his rear tyre was losing grip during the second half of the race.

“All in all, I guess we had a good Sunday, meaning that we had a good first race,” Staring said. “I found the second race very hard, I think maybe I was a little fatigued from race one and had trouble finding grip and finding my rhythm.

“I can’t really explain what the problem was, and I’m disappointed with that result, but I have to be happy with how race 1 went, and the fact that I earned some important points.”

Team Pedercini also sent its condolences to the family and friends of Oscar McIntyre, the young Australian rider who lost his life yesterday at Phillip Island during a national Superstock 600 race.