In Friday warm up, Chas was around mid pack and learning how competitive Super-Sport is. He managed to find some pace in qualifying and slotted into 12th position in the 30-bike grid.
Chas made a cautious start in race 1 as it was a new class and he wasn't sure of the riders around him. His aim was to finish the race in top 15 in 1 piece. As he came over Lukey heights for the first time he was looking through a dusty haze as Brodie Waters and Mitchell Carr came together in MG. Chas began a battle with Chris Quinn and Dustin Goldsmith to cross the line in 10th.
In race 2 Chas was off to a bad start and began to battle with Brodie, Jake, Chris and Dustin. He was up and down between 9th and 13th but when the checkered flag came out he was in 12th just .01 of a second ahead of Brodie Waters.
Race 3 Sunday was at 8.20am and there was a slight drizzle of rain as the class grided up for the last time. Chas got off to a great start and slotted into turn 1 in 8th position. He tried a different starting method and thought it worked well until he crossed the finish line for the first lap to face a 10 second penalty. He was still 8th on track just ahead of Chris Cassela and Dustin Goldsmith and for 2 laps Chas, Goldsmith and Cassela would swap positions before Chris got a little break and pulled away from the pack. Chas had an all out battle with Goldsmith with passing and re-passing until the last lap. A pass into turn 1 put him in front again, but as he entered MG corner Dustin slid up the inside and lead Chas to the line. He finished in 10th but with the 10 seconds added he was put back to 13th place.
"I didn't know what to expect in this class. I new it is the hardest class to crack in Australia and that is the reason I joined the Super-Sport grid" commented Chas
"From the moment I first rode the bike I new I would have to ride harder than I have in the last 2 years of competition"
Chas finished 13th outright in the class and 9th in the Privateer class with a best time of 1:39.1. He also appeared on the big screens all around the track during the weekend after AMCN's Ken Wotton interviewed him regarding the safety gear used in motorcycle racing, and the differences between a privateers gear compared to the Factory riders.
The team is now focused on the next round in Tasmania ( April 3rd to 5th) which is one of Chas's favorite tracks. It will be a greater battle for the team as unfortunately RC Motors port is dropping it's sponsorship after the first round and it will be testing times for the rest of the team.
We are now looking for financial support for the rest of the year in order to continue testing and become a title contender come October.
A big thanks goes to Monza Imports, Shift, Alpine star and KBC for their support with the great gear and the Kirk McCarthy award for all the support that comes with it, and also a big thanks to Allan and Margaret McCarthy for coming to watch the racing at Phillip Island.
We would also like to thank Dunlop with the support of great tyres and Stewart Corser, Garry Crilley, Tiger and Shandon for their assistance at the track. Chris Churchward and his partner Janai for all their support over the weekend and helping with setting up the operation. Rod Churchward at RC Motors port for his support setting up as well as last years assistance and Ross (Rosco) Finlayson for his help over the weekend.
I would also like to put out a big thanks to Marty from Underground Designs in South Australia for all his efforts over the weekend and last year, Bandit Tire Warmers, Bendix Brakes, Mobil Oils, EK Chains, Mick Hone Motorcycles, Jake Royal from Racefit Australia, Keith Muir for the great photos over the last 3 years and Phil Tainton for his help getting the bikes ready.