Shaw Takes Victory in Supersport 300 Thriller

Yannis Shaw has taken his first YMI Supersport 300 victory of 2019 in Race 1 at Winton today, coming out on top after a thrilling battle with Max Stauffer and Seth Crump.

Stauffer led the initial stages of the race after making a strong start from pole position, but fell into the clutches of Shaw and Crump; the three drivers exchanged the lead several times, with Shaw ultimately emerging victorious on his Kawasaki EX 400.

“We came into the weekend knowing we were strong, and we were hoping for a podium, but to be first, I’m over the moon,” Shaw said.

“We’ve been there all year, but we haven’t been able to piece it together; now everything has settled down with the bike and we’ve got the tyres working, it’s given us some good confidence.”

Crump was also ecstatic with his second-place finish.

“This year so far has been a disaster, so to be on the podium is so fulfilling. It’s proved to myself that I can do it,” he said.

Motorsports TV Supersport

Tom Toparis claimed his fourth pole position from five rounds on board his Yamaha. Toparis was a whopping 1.3 seconds faster than the field in the first qualifying session, but Nic Liminton reduced the margin to 0.5s in the second session, with Reid Battye in third position.

“The conditions were difficult in the first session, and the second session wasn’t much better, but the team did a great job,” he said.

“Hopefully it stays dry tomorrow, so we can all race flat-out.”

YMF R3 Cup

Brandon Demmery returned to the winner’s circle with victory in the opening YMF R3 Cup race, profiting from the demise of Max Stauffer and Ben Baker, who both suffered race-ending crashes.

Demmery crossed the finish line second behind Hunter Ford, but Ford subsequently received a time penalty for jumping the start, which handed the win to Demmery ahead of Locky Taylor and Luke Jhonston.

On a day when a couple of his title rivals had dramas, a sensible ride enabled John Lytras to extend his championship lead by finishing sixth.

Demmery was stoked to score a race victory on his birthday.

“It’s been a tough couple of years, and to finally be competitive again and win a race feels really good,” Demmery said.

Horsell Consulting Sidecars

Corey Turner/Danyon Turner scored a pair of outright Sidecar victories, after a couple of their main rivals experienced dramas.

Turner/Turner led all the way in Race 1 after the entry of Jero Joyce/Corey Blackman limped to the line with mechanical problems. That left the Howard Ford/Lee Menzies entry to finish second ahead of Patrick Clancy/Stephen Bonney (who won the F2 Class).

In Race 2, Ford/Menzies were involved in a first-corner collision that also involved the Jeff Brown/Darren Sheldrick entry; both outfits retired. However, Joyce/Blackman had solved their mechanical problems from Race 1 and mounted a stiff challenge upon Turner/Turner, even taking the lead for several laps before the Turners regained the ascendancy.

Phil Underwood/Stephen Ford were third outright, while Clancy/Bonney again won the F2 Class in fourth place.