First Australian Superbike Championship title for BMW RR

Glenn Allerton, riding the Procon Maxima BMW S 1000 RR has secured the 2011 Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) with one round still to be completed. The 30-year-old grabbed the ASBK title in an incident-packed seventh round of the series at Symmons Plains in Tasmania.

Glenn went to Symmons Plains circuit with a 67-point lead and the opportunity to put the championship beyond reach of any of his rivals. There was extra pressure on Glenn and his Procon Maxima BMW Team, but with six race wins and 11 consecutive podiums in a dominating season, Allerton was in a confident frame of mind. Right from the opening round of the 2011 series, the dynamic power and technical innovation of the RR, as well as Glenn's consummate race-craft, had made them the team to beat.

After a sluggish start to race one due to a minor clutch problem, Glenn found himself down the field and with serious work to do. The Symmons Plains circuit is a difficult track on which to make up places but Glenn set about the task with relish. He moved consistently through the field and, helped by several competitors making mistakes, soon found himself leading the pack.

"I was riding the No 2 bike and was not used to the feel of the clutch," said Glenn. "You cannot give away any ground in this tight level of racing but I was happy with my riding and when I hit the lead I knew I had the power to bring it home."

But it was not to be. Soon afterwards, an incident on the very tight hairpin brought the possibility of a first ASBK crown for the RR crashing to the ground. A collision with another competitor saw Glenn thrown from his BMW race bike and sliding into the air-fence. After a moment of remonstration, the tough Aussie remounted and re-joined the battle, eventually finishing in ninth place.

"I was not happy to say the least, but there was another race on Sunday so all was not lost. The crash left me with a huge bruise from my shoulder to elbow and the rest of me was pretty sore as well. It was going to be very uncomfortable to ride but there was a championship on the line," said Glenn after race one.

In Sunday's Superbike race, Glenn again had problems with the clutch activation and this time found himself down in sixth place. It was a difficult 16 laps for him to get through; he was not only sore but his arm also lacked power, making it difficult to get full braking pressure. However he rode through the pain, settled into a rhythm and battled hard to finish in fifth place, securing just enough points to give him an unassailable 52-point lead in the title race.

"I kept pushing and pushing but in the end held onto fifth. At the end of the race I honestly thought I was a point away from taking home the championship but my team informed me that I'd done enough, which was a great feeling," said an exhausted Glenn after he returned triumphantly to his garage.

"So many people in the team have worked for this, I have to thank everyone at Procon Maxima BMW for their hard work - week in, week out - but also all of those people behind the scenes as well that have helped me make the most of this opportunity, including BMW Motorrad who have been so supportive," said Glenn.

This was the first Australian Superbike Championship for the RR and the General Manager of BMW Motorrad Australia and New Zealand, Tony Sesto, was trackside to witness the historic event.

"It was fantastic to be in Tasmania with Glenn and the team for this great championship win. It is the first Aussie title for the BMW S 1000 RR and I congratulate Glenn, Procon Maxima BMW Team Principal Wayne Hepburn and all the team on a magnificent season," said Tony.