The Yamaha Racing Team has closed out another front-running season in the Australian Superbike Championship, narrowly beaten to the title but still claiming second and third after today’s final round of competition at Sydney’s Eastern Creek Raceway.

Between them, teammates Jamie and Dan Stauffer won 5 of the 7 rounds, with the R1 Superbike maintaining its reputation of the one to beat on track.

The manufacturer recorded its third consecutive Supersport championship after a successful weekend where winner Jamie Stauffer only needed to score points in a single race to take the title.

Vern Graham Yamaha rider Ben Attard stepped up in Stauffer’s absence, taking two impressive race wins and the overall round win after a very promising season.

Yamaha Racing Team Superbike

A margin of just 10 points decided the 2008 Australian Superbike Championship at Sydney’s Eastern Creek Raceway today, with YRT teammates Jamie and Dan Stauffer wrapping up a hard-fought season in positions 2 and 3 respectively.

Entering the round, the top 4 riders in the premier class were in with a shot at the title after a close season of racing.

The team was buoyed by a positive test session prior to the event, confident it had found a solid base setup to work with as the first practice and qualifying sessions got underway.

After just a few laps, it became apparent that the track conditions were considerably different to those encountered when testing, with riders reporting a greasy ride with the much higher temperatures.

The duo put in a solid effort in qualifying, with Jamie snaring the final spot on the front row (fourth), and Dan heading the second row of the grid from fifth.

Today’s opening race was run in temperatures close to 32-degrees, making it hard going for riders battling for crucial championship points.

Jamie finished the race in third place, a position shy of championship rival Glenn Allerton. Dan was fifth at the wave of the chequered flag.

Both riders remained a mathematical chance at the title in the second and final race for the round and the 2008 season, but it was not to be, with Allerton amassing adequate points to take the trophy.

Jamie finished in sixth place, with Dan close behind in eighth.

"Today didn’t produce the finish we were chasing," said (Jamie) Stauffer. "We tried very hard, the team put in an exceptional effort to find a solid race setup but in the end we were beaten, fair and square."

"It’s been the toughest season I’ve ever raced, and for YRT to take 5 of the 7 round wins is no mean feat."

"The R1 has been a fantastic package all year and we’re looking forward to throwing down a challenge for next year’s title."

"It’s satisfying to take out the Supersport class win, we had a good run all season and today was just about circulating and notching up a few points to confirm the title."

"The R6 continues to be the bike to beat on track as the results show."

Dan Stauffer conceded that this weekend was a struggle for the team, and had hoped to deliver a stronger result considering a stellar performance this season.

"It would be fair to say we found this weekend tough, it was amazing how much the track had changed since we tested here and it took a while to point the R1 in the right direction," said Stauffer.

"When it became apparent that an immediate solution wasn’t available we decided to ride for points and ensure that our current championship positions weren’t under any threat."

"Myself and Jamie have been very quick all year and its been a good season, from here we can look to a bigger and better performance in 2009, especially with a new calendar and some tracks we haven’t visited for a while."

Yamaha Racing Team Supersport

Yamaha riders wrapped up a solid year of Supersport competition this weekend at Sydney’s Eastern Creek, with Bryan Staring returning to the race podium for a deserved third place in race one aboard his R6.

Staring said it was his way of thanking the team for a good season, despite missing valuable track time due to injury.

"It was a pretty good weekend – finishing third in the first race was a satisfying result," said Staring.

"I had a chance to take a win, I think my fastest lap was right at the end of the race but couldn’t get there."

"There’s no doubt its been a tough season, the R6 has been an awesome bike and the team has been fantastic."

Jeremy Crowe struggled for pace at Eastern Creek, finishing races one and two in positions nine and seven respectively.

He placed eighth for the round, and secured sixth place in the championship for 2008.

Vern Graham Yamaha rider Ben Attard made his presence felt this weekend, with the privateer rider blasting from the second row of the grid in both races to take two wins from two starts.

The result secured the R6 pilot the AMCN Privateer’s Cup award, and an impressive fourth place outright in the championship title chase.

"We hadn’t really expected to come out here and win this weekend, it’s a real bonus and a great way to wrap up the season," said Attard.

"In saying that the win has been a long time coming and there are a number of people who have worked behind the scenes to make this happen, thanks to everyone that has contributed to this result."