Staring brains them with four wins at The Bend
Ex-MotoGP racer Bryan Staring has reignited a lacklustre 2019 season, winning four of the five Superbike races he entered over the four-day International MotoFest at The Bend.
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An international-standard circuit requires brainpower as much as horsepower.
Ex-MotoGP racer Bryan Staring used both in equal amounts to conquer The Bend’s 4.95km circuit on Sunday.
Over the four-day International MotoFest, the Kawasaki rider won four of the five Superbike races he entered, reigniting a lacklustre 2019 season.
He has leapt from sixth in the Australian Superbike Championship to lead the points table. Not only that but he now lies fifth in the Asia Roadracing Championship after filling in as a wildcard entry to replace the injured Kawasaki rider leading that series.
With the ASBK series having a two-month break, speculation is building that Staring will compete in upcoming ARRC rounds.
Staring was on target to win all his Superbike races until another international Australian, Broc Parkes, narrowly beat him on Sunday.
The win gave Parkes, who just a few days earlier had raced in the Le Mans 24-hour endurance race, a healthy lead in the ARRC.
The Bend’s International Circuit, which has the best elements of Europe’s most famous tracks, also suited another rider with European experience.
Ducati’s Mike Jones cemented his third place in the championship with two hard-fought second placings. The series leader coming into this round, Yamaha’s Cru Halliday, fought hard for two podiums and lies just one point behind Staring.
After a hectic four days on the track, Staring was modest when asked how he had nearly pulled off a seemingly impossible clean sweep of races.
“I had a product that worked,” he said, referring to being the only ASBK rider using Dunlops.
However, it was obvious Staring had a race strategy that didn’t involve getting into early-lap battles that can burn tyres.
Before the meeting, South Australian Yamaha rider Daniel Falzon had described what it takes to win at The Bend,
“Any other circuit in Australia you can nut out in a day or so and start thinking about the lap record,” he said. “Here it takes maximum effort each lap with throttle control and racing lines.”
Falzon had the theory but it was Staring who gave the masterclass.
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