MOTUL Summer Night Series hosted by St. George MCC
Sydney Motorsport Park – Gardner GP Circuit
Round Three – Pirelli Unlimited F1 and F2

Words by Nick Edards, Images by Half Light & RbMotoLens

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Round Three of the MOTUL St George Summer Nights Series 23/24 (aka SNS04) ran over two nights, Friday January 26 and Saturday the 27th. This differs from Rounds One and Two which were both one-night events. Reports for Rounds One and Two can be found here:

Round One Main Report, Round One Supports;
Round Two Main Report, Round Two Supports.

The established format was used for both nights which meant three classes each having a short qualifying session followed by three nine-minute-plus-one-lap races.

Races may be shortened or worst-case scenario cancelled, to ensure track action completes by 2230. With sunset at around 2000, there’s plenty of action under Sydney Motorsport Park’s excellent floodlight system.

Qualifying on both nights meant that racers who couldn’t attend on Friday, still had a chance of claiming a good grid position on Saturday.

A progressive grid format was in effect both evenings so qualifying determined grid position in Race One, Race Two grid position was determined by finishing position in Race One, Race Three grid was based on Race Two finish.

The majority of racers elected to race both nights. Points from all six scheduled races would be tallied up at the end of Saturday’s racing to determine points for the round.

The AGV 400 cc/Formula St George classes also made their first appearance at a St George Night event, displacing the AGV Unlimited F3 class which didn’t run at Round Three.

The AGV 400cc class sees Yamaha R3s and Kawasaki Ninja 400s fighting for points.

The Formula St George class meanwhile is a wonderfully eclectic mix of two-stroke jewels like Honda NSR250R Moto3 bikes going up against the likes of the Yamaha MT07/R7, Aprilia RS660 and Keo Watson’s magnificent Saint ST650RR which is an SV650 motor in a CBR400R. frame This class saw some of the most intense racing of the weekend.

Pirelli Unlimited (Superbikes) and AMA Warehouse 600 (Supersport) were back again and as usual, both of these split into F1 (international/national riders) and F2 (clubbies).

Pirelli Unlimited F1 always springs some surprises as rider’s schedules and availability mean that whilst there are some, like Josh Brookes (#25B Livson Racing, FHO Racing, Pirelli, Aria Helmets BMW M1000RR) and Max Stauffer (#27 Dr Mak, RS&C, GTR Motostars, YRD, KYT Helmets, Racers Edge, Ricondi Leathers Yamaha R1), who can make the whole series, there are others who only attend one or two rounds.

Round Three saw the first and very welcome appearances of Ant West (#13 Addicted to Track Yamaha R1) and Bryan Staring (#67 MotoGO Yamaha R1) on track to further mix things up a little more.

Cam Dunker (#3 Doctor Mak, KYT Helmets, Yamaha Motor Australia R1) was also on deck for his first appearance on a Superbike ahead of his ASBK season in the big bike class, adding further excitement. More on Dunker’s ASBK plans here (link).

Absent from Round Three was Harrison Voight who had held the series lead going into Round Three.

Sydney put on a scorching day ahead of the race evening with temps above 37° C, threatening to make the evening a very wearing exercise for everyone. Storms later in the evening were an outside possibility.

Once again though, the weather Gods played nice, a cool change came through around 1700 which took a lot of heat out of the air and the rain stayed away until half an hour or so after racing completed.

So the whole evening enjoyed nearly perfect weather, racers just having to be careful to make note of some residual damp spots on the track from earlier rain. These, for the most part, dried out as the evening progressed.

So points totals coming into Round Three: In F1, Harrison Voight (absent from this round) had a 48-point lead over Jake Farnsworth (#49 Worth Race Developments, Kingsdene Automotive, YRD, Pirelli, Forcite, Motul, RK Chains, AT1 Race Suits Yamaha R1) with Brookes, Stauffer and John Lytras (also absent) in third through fifth.

In F2, Timothy Griffith (#18 BCPerformance, Leafylooks Landscapes, TAG Avionics, Kenma Australia Kawasaki ZX10R) held top spot on 131-points, a 23-point lead over Carlos Rendon (#36 Pest Killer Sydney Ducati V4).

Leanne Nelson (#52 West Sliders, True Protein, MotoCity Wollongong Kawasaki ZX10R, Chris Dunne (#202 Damarc Civil, Evo Suspenion Ducati V4) and Ryan Masri (absent from Round Three) held third through fifth.

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Pirelli Unlimited F1 and F2 Qualifying 1 (Friday)

Qualifying sessions started right on schedule at 1730. In F1, Lachlan Epis took pole with a 1m30.737 and he was one of only three riders – along with Josh Brookes and Glen Allerton (#14 Spectra Oils, BMW, GT Racing BMW M1000RR) – to break the 1m31 sec mark.

Stauffer and Farnsworth took fourth and fifth with a little over three-tenths of a second separating the top five.

In F2, Leanne Nelson’s 1:34.751 was good enough for top spot with Tim Griffith just one-tenth off Nelson’s pace.

Dominic De Leon (#63, AT1 Pro Race Suits, Motoschool, Airoh Helmets, BCPerformance Kawasaki ZX10R), Ryan Jowett (#57 JC Landscaping Ducati V4S) and Eddie Leeson (#11E GNH Engineering, AWX, Marjason & Marjason, Ricondi Race & Road Yamaha R1) rounded out the top five.

Summer Nights events are very much quickfire so there was little hanging around after the end of qualifying before the racing started.

Qualifying 1 Results

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Race One

Unfortunately, Pirelli Unlimited Race 1 had to be red-flagged on lap two after a nasty accident that left Glenn Allerton with multiple injuries that ended his weekend way too early. MCNews.com.au have reported in detail on the accident here (link).

Once the track was clear, Race One was re-run from scratch with the short red-flagged race attempt not contributing to points or grid positions.

Epis wasn’t able to capitalise on his pole position, Brookes ran hard from the start and took the win from Stauffer with a three-second gap.

Stauffer had pulled a healthy lead over West by the end of the seven laps, Epis in fourth and Staring fifth.

Dunker’s first race outing on the R1 scored him a very credible sixth position. Fastest lap went to Brookes with a 1m31.023.

In F2, Nelson converted pole into a race win, seven-tenths ahead of Rendon, who had Griffith and De Leon right on his tail.

Ashley Woolford (#11W Royal Precision Lubricants, Servalloy, Ascari Works Yamaha R1) hadn’t been able to stay with the lead group but bought the R1 home to fifth place.

Race One Results

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Race Two

Race Two saw another early red flag as Josh Soderland highsided leaving Tim Griffith nowhere to go, hitting Soderland’s bike and bringing him down as well.

Both riders were OK and a mammoth effort by Griffith and his crew saw him back on track Saturday, Soderland however had to sit the rest of the weekend out.

Once again, the restart was from scratch and Josh Brookes was in charge from the start not giving Stauffer the opportunity to attack for the lead.

At the flag, Brookes had a half-second lead over Stauffer. West took third less than five-hundredths of second from Staring, while Dunker, rapidly adapting to the R1, finished fifth.

Griffith’s absence robbed us of one of the key players in F2. De Leon and Nelson looked in great form and it was De Leon who took Race Two by four seconds from Woolford.

Paul Linkenbagh (#60 Smash Media Planning and Buying Agency Yamaha R1) and Dunne in fourth and fifth.

Rendon was hampered by mechanical issues in both Races Two and Three which put a dent in his points chase.

Race Two Results

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Race Three

In the final race for Friday evening, Stauffer was able to take the lead early and keep Brookes behind him for a two-tenths of a second win.

West, Staring and Epis (who scored fastest lap of the race) all crossing the line in very close company.

In F2, De Leon took his second win of the night, three-seconds ahead of Nelson, who had put some air between her and Woolford in third. Linkenbagh and Dunne held fourth and fifth.

That wrapped up Friday’s races, ahead of three more races to be run on Saturday.

Josh Brookes held the lead in the F1 table by five-points from Max Stauffer. Bryan Staring in third, Lachlan Epis in fifth and, impressively, rookie Cam Dunker in sixth.

In F2, Dominic De Leon held a slim two-point lead over Leanne Nelson with Ashley Woolford, Paul Linkenbaugh and Eddie Leeson all within striking distance with 70-points up for grabs from Saturday’s races.

Race Three Results

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Saturday Pirelli Unlimited F1 and F2 Qualifying 2

Back at the track on Saturday, conditions were cooler than Friday with no threat of rain, just perfect for some more action.

In qualifying, it was Lachlan Epis, running on a bike carrying Wayne Hepburn’s #41 plate, who did it again, taking out pole with a 1:30.405.

Dunker, Stauffer and Brookes were all able to get into the 1:30s and Dunker’s second-place on the grid was apt demonstration that he was learning the R1 very quickly. Bryan Staring was fifth fastest.

In F2, Griffith, on his spare bike, put down a 1m34.728 giving him eighth on the grid overall and fastest of the F2 runners.

De Leon and Nelson were within two-tenths off Griffith’s mark. Leeson and Woolford, always a threat, took fourth and fifth fastest F2, which gave them 11th and 12th on the grid.

Qualifying 2 Results

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Saturday Race One

Epis would stick with the #41 plated bike for the rest of the night’s events and that machine was clearly to his liking as, in Race One, he took out second place, behind Josh Brookes.

Epis kept Max Stauffer two-tenths behind him at the finish, Staring and West having not been able to maintain the same pace back in fourth and fifth. Dunker DNF’d after an off in Turn 5.

De Leon took another win in F2 from Nelson, this time with a near-eight-second gap.

Just one second covered second through fifth with Leeson, Rendon and Woolford coming in behind Nelson.

Race One Results

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Saturday Race Two

Race two and Stauffer took an early lead but Brookes was on top form, carding fastest lap of the race, a 1m30.745 ,and took the win by seven-tenths of a second.

Stauffer and Epis were nearly inseparable, Stauffer crossing the line just four-hundredths of a second ahead.

Dunker wasn’t quite in touch at the finish but with barely two seconds between himself and Epis, and having a fastest lap less than two-tenths off Brookes’ mark, he would have been well satisfied with the result.

West took fifth but was 14-seconds back from Dunker.

De Leon was unstoppable in F2. Another win, this time by nearly five seconds from Griffith, who was clearly still feeling beaten up from the previous evening’s accident but putting in a strong effort.

Griffith had Leeson right on his tail across the line. Rendon and Linkenbagh took out fourth and fifth.

Race Two Results

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Saturday Race Three

Saturday’s Race 3 was the last race for the weekend and Stauffer took an early lead but Brookes and Epis were able to reel him in.

Brookes went on for the win, Epis two-hundredths of a second back and Stauffer in third hassling them right up until the end.

Dunker wrapped up his debut Superbike race weekend with a fourth, Staring took fifth.

De Leon made F2 all his by taking out Race Three from Eddie Leeson by over twenty-five seconds.

Leeson had Griffith just seventh-tenths back. Nelson and Rendon crossed in fourth and fifth.

Race Three Results

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Overall Round

What a weekend. Both nights ran to schedule with all classes completing their three races.

Josh Brookes took the F1 overall on 145-points, Max Stauffer the round runner-up on 121-points and Lachlan Epis rounding out the top three on 108-points. Bryan Staring (102), Cameron Dunker (83), Paris Hardwick (76), Michael Edwards (28) and Josh Soderland (15) rounded out the class for round three.

With round three added to the overall standings, we see Brookes leading on 240-points, Stauffer second on 205 and Lachlan Epis is third, a point ahead of Paris Hardwick, who is a point ahead of Harrison Voight.

In F2 Dominic de Leon took the overall on 142-points, Leanne Nelson second on 117-points, and Eddie Leeson rounded out the podium on 99-points.

Leanne Nelson now holds the F2 lead on 214-points, 13-points ahead of Tim Griffith, Dominic de Leon and Carlos Rendon tied on 198-points in third.

The report on AMA Warehouse 600 F1/F2 and AGV 400c/Formula St George will follow later in the week, so stay tuned for the supports.

On a last upbeat note, Andrew Burley, who we reported took a bad tumble in Turn 1 at Round Two and needed surgery on arm injuries, was back at the track, smiling, in fine form and helping out the orange army where he could.

Safe to say we were all seriously happy to see Burls back in the circus off-track and expect to see him back in the circus on the track in due course.

Three rounds down, one to go, the MOTUL St George Summer Nights Series 23/24 wraps up with another double-header in less than two weeks on Friday 9th/Saturday 10th of February.

Quotes

Josh Brookes #25

“The double-header was something that I was looking forward to. We didn’t have the Ducati competition this weekend but everyone else has stepped up anyway so I had my work cut out for me in every race with an attack coming from a number of riders. The first night each race was affected by red flags but the second night went without any stoppages and I was able to win all three. With five wins from six starts I’m happy with that and I feel like I’m keeping my reaction sharp with the high intensity of the Summer Night Series.”

Max Stauffer #27

“It was great to get to the back-to-back rounds, I spent a lot of time behind Josh and he taught me a lot. I’m still struggling with the same issues and I’ve got to try work out a way to fix them. I’ll keep working and pushing forward, massive thanks to the club for everything they have done.”

Lachlan Epis #82

“As usual the night racing was excellent and it was nice to be competitive and feature in said night racing. Always good to be rubbing bars with the boys and while hard we kept in clean. Hoping for a speedy recovery for GA, one of those ones where you just get the shit end of the stick. One more round and then off to Asia for me, looking forward to it!”

Dominic De Leon #63

“After my performance in Round Two I needed to prove to myself that I’ve not lost my mojo. Round Three, I felt positive leading up to this event and just knew I had a lot more to give. Well, the performance last weekend has certainly proven to me that anything is possible, especially when you are hungry. It just all fell into place. Going to be pressing the repeat at Round Four. Plan is to go even harder.”

Leanne Nelson #52

“Wow! Another spectacular round by St George MCC. The Night Series just keep getting better and better and so does the racing. I had my best round yet. I’m very happy with the bike set up we’ve achieved in the short time I’ve had my new Yamaha R1. I’ve definitely taken a leap forward on this bike and over the two nights I hit a number of PBs. I can’t wait for the final round in a couple of weeks.”

Eddie Leeson #11

“I’d been keeping an eye on the first few rounds while away at work and seen that over the past few years the series has been getting bigger and better to the point it is one of the premiere national events outside of ASBK. A lot of mates and a fellow racer spoke very highly of it and when the opportunity came up to make it down and have a go it did not disappoint! A fantastic event run extremely well and clearly very popular with local, interstate and national racers alike. I couldn’t ask for a better first experience to ride and race Eastern Creek and would encourage others to come down and give it a go.”

Pirelli Unlimited F1 Round 3 Overall

Pirelli Unlimited F2 Round 3 Overall

Pirelli Unlimited F1 Standings

Pirelli Unlimited F2 Standings

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MOTUL Summer Night Series hosted by St George MCC

• Round Four: Friday 9^th/Saturday 10^th February

Source: MCNews.com.au