SA Kawasaki BCperformance press release:

The final round of the 2015 Swann Insurance Australasian Superbike Championship provided stacks of absolutely sensational racing, with each and everyone of the team’s riders putting in awe inspiring performances to round out what has been a fantastic year. The twilight format of this round meant that practice, qualifying and racing was held over two days, with racing
concluding at 7:45pm each night.

This format meant the team put in some long hours over the weekend but the results made it just that little bit more worthwhile. We couldn’t start out the race report without first congratulating the 2015 Kawasaki Insurances Ninja 300 Cup winner, Paul Young. Paul put in incredible performances at every round, even starting from last place on the grid,
riding through the entire field and winning races on several occasions throughout the year.

We’re incredibly lucky to have been able to work with Paul, not only has he been a wonderful teammate but has been there to guide all the other riders throughout the year. Thank you again Paul.

The team’s superbike riders, Ben Burke and Evan Byles, both put in stellar performances to finish 9th and 8th respectively in the overall championship, and Evan just pipped Ben to third place in the Pro-Am classification. Practice and qualifying sessions gave the riders time to fine-tune their set up for the weekend, allowing Ben to qualify in 8th, and Evan in 10th. The only race held on the Friday saw Ben finish up in 7th place, while Evan came home in 10th.

Sunday’s racing brought even more excitement but in the first of the three races, Ben was forced to retire and record a DNF due equipment failure, however, Evan came flying home in 9th place. With some frustration spurring him on, Ben rode sensationally to finish 7th place in race two, and Evan coming home in 10th. Race three was a nail-biting affair because the overall championship was decided by a single point.

Throughout the race, Ben latched onto the leading pack of riders after producing a brilliant start and entering turn one in second place. Keeping up the same blistering pace, Ben came home in 7th, putting in consistent laps within a couple of tenths of the leaders.

Evan’s performance was just as good, coming home in 9th and his fastest lap was 1.1sec lower than his qualifying time! Evan was very pleased – “I am absolutely wrapped with the whole year! I must say thanks to Kawasaki, Kelvin, Kirsty and my wife Cath for the opportunity. To finish 3rd in the ProAm Superbike Championship in my first year on a 1000cc machine is awesomeand I am especially looking forward to 2016 on the new Ninja ZX-10R in Formula Oz.”

Ben had this to say, “The last meeting of the year was good for us. I proved that I can run the pace to win. I need to work on my consistency and we will be really in the pack fighting. I look forward to what next year could bring and will make sure I am more ready than ever to achieve the success that is deserved. Thanks for the effort that everyone has put in this year. Especially Ronnie and Kelvin who at times this year, have put their lives on hold to make sure that the bikes arrived and everyone got their chance to race. Thanks again.”

The team’s Supersport ranks for the final round didn’t include Paul Young but Kyle Buckley certainly still did the team proud – “Awesome weekend at Sydney Motorsport Park to wrap up the season, finishing my second year with the team with another season to remember. I didn’t have the best of luck leading up to the racing so I was a little underprepared but managed to find a bit of pace and get back up in the top 5.

Huge thanks to the team, my family and personal sponsors for making it happen! Looking forward to 2016 and have a massive amount planned for the off season so we can come back
next year with a weapon of a set-up!” Kyle managed to qualify in 9thposition with a time of 1:35.178, putting him in a position to challenge the frontrunners.

Race one on Friday saw Kyle finish 9th but then in race two, really hit his straps and came home in 5th position. Kyle then took things up another notch again on Saturday, proving he is capable of battling with the championship contenders, finishing the three races in 4th, 5th and 6th places. The final tally of championship points put Kyle in 2nd place in his class and 5th overall for the year in Supersport on his Ninja ZX-6R. Congratulations Kyle!

The Ninja 300 Cup stole the limelight in the SA Kawasaki BCperformance pit garage this weekend with more stellar performances from Paul Young. Qualifying in 2nd position, Paul then managed to snare wins in both races on Friday, the first of which by 12 seconds! Saturday’s racing was closely fought, with the exception of race one where Paul had a minor spill and recorded a DNF.

The following three races, Paul won, each by less than a tenth of a second! Paul said that, “What an amazing and exciting weekend of racing! A huge thank you to the whole team for making this season such a pleasure and a success. It’s been a privilege to race for such a dedicated and professional outfit, and it’s a great feeling to have secured the team’s first championship title. With new bikes and new riders for 2016, the future looks bright for the team, so I’m sure it’s just the first of many championship successes to come.

The other half of the team’s Ninja 300 riders, Jimmy Broadbent, also had a wonderful weekend, producing some great results that reflect just how much he has matured as a rider. Qualifying in 15th position, Jimmy used this as further motivation for the two following races, finishing a sensational 5th and 8th. Jimmy performed equally well on Saturday with two 7th places, an 8th and a 6th.

All of his efforts through the year culminated in finishing 12th overall in the championship and 8th in the under 20’s classification. This is even more impressive given that Jimmy couldn’t compete in the first three rounds!

Jimmy reflected, “Another great weekend with the team. Improved even more and cemented my place in the group battling up front. I’m so thankful to have Paul as a teammate as he has developed me as a rider on and off the bike. Congratulations to him and the team on the championship.

It’s a shame he can’t race next year as he pushes all of us young riders to an unimaginable level at every round, we were catching him more and more. My first season’s racing a road bike was the best year of my life! Thank you to the team and everyone involved, from the mechanics to sponsors, as none of it is possible without all of you. Bring on 2016!”

2015 has been an absolutely incredible year for everyone involved in the SA Kawasaki BCperformance team. Taking out our first championship win and having a rider competing at the top of every class we have entered is a wonderful feeling and goes to show just how talented every member of the team is.

We would like to thank each and every one of our sponsors because without all of you, we wouldn’t be able to compete at the highest levels and would love to have all of you back on board for the 2016 season, which no doubt will bring even better results again, particularly with more backing from Kawasaki Motors Australia and the signing of Robbie Bugden, who’ll be racing our second superbike next year. Thank you again and see you all in 2016!