Team Honda Racing press release:

Success for Team Honda Racing at Round 2 of the Australasian Superbike Championship this weekend with #3 Troy Herfoss maintaining his points lead in style and #2 Jamie Stauffer making a conclusive comeback from injury to finish 2nd overall on both days.

The dynamic duo gave loyal Honda fans much to cheer about and with such a competitive field of racers there was never a dull moment. The Hondas of Herfoss and Stauffer qualified well on Friday to start from P2 and P3 on the grid respectively going into Saturday’s FX-Superbike races.

The racing was close all weekend on the unforgiving Mallala circuit and Herfoss looked set to win the first race of the event, leading comfortably for much of the race, until on lap 8 he ran wide and had to settle for 3rd place behind team mate Stauffer in 2nd.

Stauffer won Race 2 on Saturday and put any questions about his return from injury to bed. He was back. Herfoss finished Race 2 in 4th place, recording the fastest lap of the race, a 1:06.885 sec. The final race on Saturday saw Herfoss finish a close 2nd recording the fastest lap of the race again, a 1:06.787 sec on the penultimate lap. Stauffer finished in 4th place.

After a successful day of racing to open Round 2 of the ASC, Stauffer would line up in P2 and Herfoss in P3 on the grid for Sunday’s Swann Insurance Superbike program. Sunday’s racing was equally as exciting, but even more successful for Team Honda Racing with #3 Herfoss and #2 Stauffer winning a race apiece.

Race 1 saw Herfoss lead off the start line, but an early pass from Maxwell saw him battling for the win. Herfoss reclaimed the lead in the latter stages of the race only to run wide and drop back to 4th across the line. Stauffer finished in 5th place.

Fresh tyres for both CBR1000RR SPs in Race 2 changed the outlook completely and both Honda riders made the most of it with Herfoss leading off the start line and Stauffer right behind him. The Hondas were 1 and 2 for most of Race 2 and Herfoss took the win in style. A late pass by Jones meant Stauffer had to settle for 3rd place, but still recorded the fastest lap of the race, a 1:06.503 sec. The final race of the day belonged to #2 Jamie Stauffer who led from start to finish with Herfoss finishing in 4th place.

An action-packed weekend of racing culminated in Troy Herfoss maintaining his championship lead in both the FX-Superbike championship and the Swann Series. Herfoss is pleased with the final result, saying “Overall I had a good weekend and to hold on to the championship lead heading into Round 3 is great although there is still a lot of work to be done. The racing this weekend was tight and this circuit definitely doesn’t leave any room for error. I’m really happy with where we are headed with the bike and want to thank Shaun and Glenn for the hard work they are putting in to keep us on top. I am really looking forward to Round 3 at Sydney Motorsport Park being my home track and we’ll see if we can extend our lead in the championship.”

Stauffer’s return from injury and months off the bike was most impressive and his efforts have provided valuable points heading into Round 3. “I’m really happy with my weekend given the amount of time I’ve been off the bike. I have been working really hard during my recovery to make sure I could come back as close to 100% as possible and I really think I couldn’t have done any more this weekend. To do 6 races over the weekend, on a circuit that is extremely physical and come away 2nd overall on both days is a good outcome. Obviously, I would rather be winning every race, but realistically I am happy with where I stand.”

Also pleased with the weekend’s results is Team Principal, Paul Free. “I’m really please with our team and the results this weekend. Both riders were extremely competitive all weekend and this circuit really does separate the men from the boys being so technically and physically demanding. The lap times of both Hondas were consistent and fast and I think we showed that it isn’t always about power in racing. Jamie has proven his commitment to winning this weekend by coming back stronger than ever after his injury and Troy is taking the team into Round 3 with the championship lead after another strong performance. We have a fantastic team this year, they are a strong, cohesive unit and the Honda CBR1000RR SP is an exceptional package to work with. I can’t wait to get the guys back out on track in Sydney for Round 3.”