Rounds four and five of the Australian Superbike Championship will offer a title-defining double haul of points to competitors across all classes, adding to the excitement surrounding the national championship’s return to the Sydney circuit following an extended absence.

In the Superbike ranks it will be a battle of the class heavyweights, headed by current points leader Glenn Allerton. Sydney Motorsport Park is the Next Gen Motorsports’ man’s home circuit and he’s sure to be in contention from the outset.

The factory challenge will come from both Suzuki and Honda, with four riders all capable of winning races. Suzuki had the upper hand at round three, with Robbie Bugden emerging the round victor for the first time in his career. Paired with test pacesetter Wayne Maxwell, Phil Tainton’s stable of GSX-R1000s are sure to be on the pace here.

Not to be outdone, Team Honda have shown they are well and truly in the fight for the title this year. Jamie Stauffer struggled with injury at Queensland Raceway, but should be back to his best this weekend. His rookie teammate Josh Hook only continues to grow in stature and strength – he took his first premier class podium in Ipswich and is eager to add to that tally. The duo are fresh from their outing at the Suzuka 8 Hour, and they’ll be keen to put a tough showing there behind them.

The privateer talent pool is deep and varied in the class this year. Chas Hern, Glenn Scott, Ben Henry, Linden Magee and Beau Beaton are all evenly-matched, and the battle between these riders will be both engaging and entertaining.

The double-header format sees a shakeup in the regular scheduling, with practice and qualifying for round four of each class to be contested on Thursday, while round five’s practice and qualifying will follow on Friday. Race action for round four will play out on Saturday, and similarly, round five’s races will be contested Sunday.

It’s a bumper track program, with no less than 32 races to be held in total. Sydney has been starved of Superbikes for a number of years, and signs point to a strong trackside crowd.

The Australian Superbike Championship roars back into life at Sydney Motorsport Park, formerly Eastern Creek, for the first time since 2009 this week. Image: Andrew Gosling/TBG Sport.

Circuit Location:

Brabham Drive, Eastern Creek.

Circuit Facts:

Length: 3.93 kilometres
Turns: 11
Lap record: 1m30.998s, Josh Water  (Suzuki)

Rider List:

6. Robert BUGDEN (Team Volvo Group Suzuki GSX-R1000)
14. Glenn ALLERTON (Next Gen Motorsports BMW HP4)
15. Ben NICOLSON (Next Gen Motorsports BMW S 1000 RR)
18. Ben HENRY (Cube Racing Team Suzuki GSX-R1000)
19. Phil LOVETT (Kawasaki ZX-10R)
24. Chas HERN (CM Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000)
27. Jamie STAUFFER (Team Honda Racing CBR1000RR)
34. Josh HOOK (Team Honda Racing CBR1000RR)
38. Linden MAGEE (Next Gen Motorsports BMW HP4)
47. Wayne MAXWELL (Team Suzuki GSX-R1000)
51. Sloan FROST (BMW S 1000 RR)
68. Glenn SCOTT (InsureMyRide Racing CBR1000RR)
77. Adam SENIOR (Honda CBR1000RR)
86. Beau BEATON (Racers Edge Performance Suzuki GSX-R1000)
96. Chris McMILLAN (Yamaha YZF-R1)
(Click here for rider lists for all classes)

Event Schedule:

Thursday, 1 August (Practice and qualifying, Rd4)

08:45 – 09:00 Moto 3 / 125cc GP Practice 1 15 min
09:05 – 09:25 Supersport Practice 1 20 min
09:30 – 09:45 Prostock Practice 1 15 min
09:50 – 10:05 250 Production Practice 1 15 min
10:10 – 10:30 Superbike Practice 1 20 min
10:35 – 10:50 Moto 3 / 125cc GP Practice 2 15 min
10:55 – 11:15 Supersport Practice 2 20 min
11:20 – 11:35 Prostock Practice 2 15 min
11:40 – 11:55 250 Production Practice 2 15 min
12:00 – 12:20 Superbike Practice 2 20 min
12:20 – 12:40 Lunch Break
12:40 – 13:05 Supersport Qualifying 25 min
13:10 – 13:30 Moto 3 / 125cc GP Qualifying 20 min
13:35 – 14:00 Superbike Qualifying 25 min
14:05 – 14:20 Supersport Practice 3 15 min
14:25 – 14:40 Superbike Practice 3 15 min
14:45 – 15:25 Supersport Superpole 40 min
15:30 – 15:50 Prostock Qualifying 20 min
15:55 – 16:10 250 Production Qualifying 15 min
16:15 – 16:55 Superbike Superpole 40 min

Friday, 2 August (Practice and qualifying, Rd5)

08:45 – 09:05 Moto 3 / 125cc GP Practice 20 min
09:10 – 09:40 Supersport Practice 30 min
09:45 – 10:05 Prostock Practice 20 min
10:10 – 10:30 250 Production Practice 20 min
10:35 – 11:05 Superbike Practice 30 min
11:10 – 11:30 Moto 3 / 125cc GP Qualifying 20 min
11:35 – 12:00 Supersport Qualifying 25 min
12:05 – 12:20 Sports Racer Practice 1 15 min
12:20 – 12:40 Lunch Break
12:45 – 13:10 Superbike Qualifying 25 min
13:15 – 13:30 Supersport Practice 2 15 min
13:35 – 13:50 Superbike Practice 2 15 min
13:55 – 14:35 Supersport Superpole 40 min
14:40 – 15:00 Prostock Qualifying 20 min
15:05 – 15:20 250 Production Qualifying 15 min
15:25 – 16:05 Superbike Superpole 40 min
16:10 – 16:30 Juniors Practice 20 min
16:35 – 16:55 Sports Racer Practice 2 20 min

Saturday, 3 August (Races, Rd4)

08:30 – 08:35 Moto 3 / 125cc GP Warm Up 5 min
08:39 – 08:44 Prostock Warm Up 5 min
08:48 – 08:53 250 Production Warm Up 5 min
08:57 – 09:02 Supersport Warm Up 5 min
09:06 – 09:11 Superbike Warm Up 5 min
09:15 – 09:30 Juniors Practise 15 min
09:35 – 09:55 Moto 3 / 125cc GP Race 1 8 Laps
10:00 – 10:20 Prostock Race 1 9 Laps
10:25 – 10:45 250 Production Race 1 7 Laps
10:50 – 11:15 Supersport (No Media Grid) Race 1 12 Laps
11:20 – 11:40 Moto 3 / 125cc GP Race 2 8 Laps
11:45 – 12:05 Prostock Race 2 9 Laps
12:10 – 12:30 250 Production Race 2 7 Laps
12:35 – 12:50 Juniors Qualifying 15 min
12:55 – 13:10 Sports Racers Practice 3 15 min
13:10 – 13:15 Lunch Break
13:15 – 13: 25 Juniors Race 1 4 Laps
13:25 – 14:00 Superbike (Media Grid) Race 1 12 Laps
14:05 – 14:25 Moto 3 / 125cc GP Race 3 8 Laps
14:30 – 14:50 Prostock Race 3 9 Laps
14:55 – 15:30 Supersport (Media Grid) Race 2 12 Laps
15:35 – 15:55 250 Production Race 3 7 Laps
16:00 – 16:25 Superbike (No Media Grid) Race 2 12 Laps
16:30 – 16:40 Juniors Race 2 4 Laps
16:45 – 17:00 Sports Racers Qualifying 15 min

Sunday, 4 August (Races, Rd5)

08:30 – 08:45 Sports Racers Race 1 15 min
08:55 – 09:00 Juniors Warm Up 5 min
09:04 – 09:09 Moto 3 / 125cc GP Warm Up 5 min
09:13 – 09:18 Prostock Warm Up 5 min
09:22 – 09:27 250 Production Warm Up 5 min
09:31 – 09:36 Supersport Warm Up 5 min
09:40 – 09:45 Superbike Warm Up 5 min
09:50 – 10:10 Moto 3 / 125cc GP Race 1 8 Laps
10:15 – 10:35 Prostock Race 1 9 Laps
10:40 – 11:05 Supersport (No Media Grid) Race 1 12 Laps
11:10 – 11:30 250 Production Race 2 7 Laps
11:35 – 11:45 Juniors Race 3 4 Laps
11:50 – 12:25 Superbike (Media Grid) Race 1 12 Laps
12:30 – 12:45 Sports Racers Race 2 15 min
12:45 – 13:05 Lunch Break
13:05 – 13:25 Moto 3 / 125cc GP Race 2 8 Laps
13:30 – 13:50 Prostock Race 2 9 Laps
13:55 – 14:15 250 Production Race 2 7 Laps
14:20 – 14:40 Moto 3 / 125cc GP Race 3 8 Laps
14:45 – 15:05 Prostock Race 3 9 Laps
15:10 – 15:45 Supersport(Media Grid) Race 2 12 Laps
15:50 – 16:10 250 Production Race 3 7 Laps
16:15 – 16:40 Superbike (no media grid) Race 2 12 Laps
16:45 – 17:05 Sports Racers Race 3 20 min

Current Standings:

Superbike Standings (after three of seven rounds):
1. Glenn ALLERTON 94
2. Wayne MAXWELL 80
3. Robert BUGDEN 79
4. Josh HOOK 67
5. Jamie STAUFFER 66
6. Glenn SCOTT 54
7. Beau BEATON 49
8. Linden MAGEE 43
9. Phil LOVETT 38
10. Ben HENRY 34

Supersport Standings (after two of six rounds):
1. Daniel FALZON 80
2. Ryan TAYLOR 72
3. Chris QUINN 71
4. Michael BLAIR 65
5. Aaron MORRIS 57
6. Aiden WAGNER 52
7. Callum SPRIGGS 51
8. Alastair HOOGENBOEZEM 45
9. Luke BURGESS 44
10. Brendan CLARKE 43

Event Entry:

Adult: $25 (Saturday), $35 (Sunday) or $40 (two-day)
Child (12-16 years): $15 (Saturday), $20 (Sunday) or $30 (two-day)
Concession: $15 (Saturday), $20 (Sunday) or $30 (two-day)

Social Networking Updates:

Follow CycleOnline on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for live updates from the event.

2013 Series Calendar:

Rd1 – 22-24 February – Phillip Island, VIC (non-championship for SBK)
Rd2 – 5-7 April – Symmons Plains, TAS
Rd3 – 14-16 June – QLD Raceway, QLD
Rd4 & 5 – 1-4 August – Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW
Rd6 – 12-15 September – Hidden Valley Raceway, NT
Rd7 – 5-6 October, Phillip Island, VIC