MEDIA RELEASE

Defending ASBK champion Glenn Allerton starts season with a victory

For Immediate Release: 5 March, 2009

Reigning Australian Superbike Champion Glenn Allerton has kicked off his championship defence at the opening round of the 2009 championship, held at Phillip Island in Victoria on 27 February-1 March.

The first round of this year's title chase was run in conjunction with the Australian round of the Superbike World Championship, with Allerton finishing second overall for the round in what was a solid start to the season for the Motologic Racing Honda rider.

Allerton, 28, qualified second on the grid behind teammate Wayne Maxwell with a 1:32.994sec, earning himself a front row starting position on the grid for the weekend's three 10 lap races.

Saturday's opening outing was a non-points scoring feature race, where Allerton would go on to finish a comfortable second behind Maxwell after leading the early laps of the race.

The all important opening points races were held on Sunday in front of a record crowd, with damp conditions greeting the field in the morning's first official ASBK race of the season.

Allerton soldiered on to fourth position despite not being 100 percent comfortable with his bike's settings in the tricky conditions, earning a solid haul of points to open his championship account.

Blue skies arrived for the afternoon race, and it was Allerton who rose to the occasion and scored a triumphant victory after a race long duel with Maxwell, eventually crossing the line just 0.011sec ahead of his teammate following a last lap manoeuvre around the outside on Honda Corner.

Allerton now sits second in the championship behind Josh Waters, just one point in arrears in these early stages of the title chase.

The seven round ASBK series now moves on to Symmons Plains in Tasmania on 3-5 April, a circuit that Allerton has had great success on in recent years, including taking the victory in 2007.

Glenn Allerton:
"I had quite a bit of pressure going in to the weekend being the defending champion and having a fast teammate in Maxwell, who has been fast in testing, so it was good to get a win out of the way. I made a mistake on my qualifying lap and ended up second, when I thought I could have got pole, but the points that we scored in all three races was good for the championship.

"A plan I made for that final race of the weekend came together – I hung on to Maxwell and then I knew that I would get stronger as the race went on. It's good to sit second in the championship, it's a good start to the championship for me and I believe that we'll be really strong for the rest of the year."

-Ends-

PR Contact for Glenn Allerton:
Alex Gobert – Gobert Media
Email: [email protected]