From a press release issued by Nikon Yamaha:

Nikon Yamaha Factory Racing Team Shines in the Queensland Sun

It was a glorious weekend for the Nikon Yamaha Factory Racing Team at the sixth round of the 2004 Shell Advance Australian Superbike Championship at Queensland Raceway, Willowbank, on August 13-15 when the team returned to the winner’s circle recording a dominant one-two finish.

Daniel Stauffer claimed the day after a win and a brace of second places while his teammate, Shannon Johnson, scored a victory and a runner-up place to consolidate his second place in the title. Daniel moved within striking distance of third spot in the championship after the pair’s very impressive performances.


“That is undoubtedly the best result of the year,” delighted Nikon Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager, Steve Trinder, said. “We always knew we were capable of dominating a meeting to finish 1-2 but not everything has gone our way this year – that’s racing.

“These results confirm what I have always thought about the Nikon Yamaha Superbike riders; on their day no one can beat either Daniel or Shannon.

“Daniel still isn’t fully 100% fit after his shoulder problems and that makes his performances even more impressive considering the strain this track places on the physical fitness of a rider.

“The confidence I had in signing Shannon to the Nikon Yamaha Factory Racing Team has been reflected in his performances of late and all I can see is that he is going to get even better as he continues to improve every time he hops on the Nikon Yamaha R1. In his first full year on a Superbike he’s shown that – like Daniel – he has the talent, commitment and will to win a Superbike championship sooner rather than later.

“The 2004 championship may be away from our grasp but this has given us a inspiration for the final round plus an excellent springboard to work on for next year.”

The early signs were positive as Johnson claimed pole position after dominating all the practice and qualifying sessions to claim the extra championship point with a sub lap-record time. Stauffer was third fastest, also bettering the record.

The times were all the more remarkable considering the gale force winds that lashed the circuit during Saturday’s critical qualifying sessions. Also both riders were struck by viruses in the lead-up to the event; Shannon a severe dose of the ‘flu and Daniel was critically dehydrated.

In the opening race it was the two blue Nikon Yamaha YZF-R1’s that launched off the line in the lead and the pair were never headed.

Stauffer led his teammate, the duo were never more than a bike length apart as they used all their guile to out muscle each other and proved again that there is no such thing as teammates when the race starts.

It was a majestic sight for the team to see the pair so dominant at the front. The opposition had no answer to the pace they set as they led the rest of the field home with a gap of nearly three seconds as Daniel claimed his fourth win of the season with Shannon right behind.

The second leg appeared to be a carbon copy of the first as the Nikon rockets headed into the lead Daniel again just shading his teammate for the first four laps before Shannon muscled his way through.

Their rivals had done some homework between races as the Suzuki’s of Damien Cudlin and Shawn Giles also joined the fray.

Cudlin had gained the lead over Shannon and Daniel but it was all to come unstuck a few laps later.

Heading into the tight Turn Three hairpin, Johnson and Cudlin were millimetres apart arguing the lead but it was too close as they made contact and both hit the deck, sliding off the track into the sand pit.

Daniel was very close to the dust-up and was extremely fortunate not to become involved in the melee. The incident baulked Daniel slightly allowing his rival, Giles, to take the lead.

Although Stauffer closed the gap there wasn’t enough laps left to reclaim the lead but second place aided his points tally.

The third and final leg was a bottler as the pair had a supreme duel as again the earlier incident steeling Johnson for a more enthusiastic onslaught.

The opposition had no answer to the flying Nikon Yamaha duo and the team was never headed at the front of the field, leading from start to finish.

Again Stauffer claimed the lead into the first corner but the pair were that close it looked like there was only one Yamaha as Shannon remained glued to his teammate’s rear wheel.

Daniel appeared to have the race in his keeping but Shannon had been biding his time stalking his teammate hoping for a mistake.

The mistake didn’t occur but in the very last corner Johnson pulled off a determined, yet calculated, passing move to take the lead and win the drag to the line to compensate somewhat for the disappointment of his earlier crash.

It was also a memorable day for the Nikon Yamaha Factory Race Team in the hotly contested 600cc Supersport class when Brendan Clarke put his wretched season behind him to claimed third overall on the day.

Pipped by a whisker for a front row starting position Brendan battled through from each start to claim a second place in the opening leg and backed it up with a seventh and a fourth in the remaining two legs.

Unfortunately, the entire meeting was overshadowed by the tragic accident that claimed the life of veteran rider and 1995 Australian Superbike Champion, Kirk McCarthy, after a crash on the opening lap of the final Supersport race.

In closing the Nikon Yamaha Factory Racing Team wishes to extend its deepest sympathies and condolences to Kirk’s family and many friends.

Kirk was a true champion both on and off the track and one of the real characters of the sport. He will be sadly missed

2004 Shell Advance Australian Superbike Championships after six (of seven) rounds:

1 A Fergusson (Honda) 326pts; 2 Shannon Johnson (Nikon Yamaha YZF-R1) 250; 3 S Giles (Suzuki) 242; 4 Daniel Stauffer (Nikon Yamaha YZF-R1) 215; 5 J Stauffer (Kawasaki) 175.

The next meeting for the Nikon Yamaha Factory Racing Team is at the final round of the 2004 Shell Advance Australian Superbike Championships at Philip Island, September 11-13.