Australian ace Giles hurt

From Team Suzuki

Team Joe Rocket Suzuki rider Joshua Waters claimed pole position and three thrilling race wins from four starts on his Suzuki GSX-R600 in front of a record Australian Superbike Championship crowd at Queensland Raceway's doubleheader at the weekend.

But Waters' results were overshadowed by a race incident on Saturday that involved Team Joe Rocket Suzuki Superbike riders Shawn Giles and Robbie Bugden, with three-time champion Giles seriously injured in the high-speed crash.

Both Giles and two-time New Zealand Superbike champion Bugden were treated at the scene by the Suzuki-sponsored Racesafe Medical Team, with Giles subsequently transferred to Brisbane's Princess Alexandra Hospital. The 38-year-old is expected to remain in hospital for a further four days while his condition stabilizes.

Giles suffered severe concussion and a fracture to his lower leg in the incident, although he was cleared by medical personnel of suspected chest and shoulder injuries, while Bugden's injuries were confined to severe bruising and soft-tissue damage.

The incident occurred as Giles and Bugden were battling for fourth place on the penultimate lap in Saturday's opening 16-lap Superbike race. When Bugden crashed heavily on the exit of turn three, the closely-following Giles had no time to take evasive action and hit Bugden's cart-wheeling Team Joe Rocket Suzuki GSX-R1000 at full throttle. The impact flung both riders high into the air with debris from the two bikes spread across the track surface. Race officials immediately red-flagged the race.

"My bike flicked sideways really suddenly as I exited turn three and before I could do anything I was down," Budgen explained. "I really feel for Shawn - he just had nowhere to go. The exact same thing happened to me at the previous round when Jamie Stauffer crashed in front of me and I ploughed straight into his bike at high speed. It's an awful feeling."

Bugden bravely returned to the track for race two later in the day and claimed nine points for a 12th-place finish, but was ruled out of Sunday's round five races when his injuries proved too painful.

The doubleheader concept at the Queensland circuit saw round four's two races conducted on Saturday, with round five's two races held on Sunday - a potential haul of 101 points available to any rider who could claim pole position and win all four races to clean-sweep the weekend.

Giles had claimed pole position for the doubleheader round during Friday qualifying with the fastest ever lap of the 3.12km track by a motorcycle with a stunning 1:08.6470, a lap time 2.3563 seconds faster than Garth Tander's V8 Supercar lap record.

The bonus point for pole position had moved the in-form Giles to within two points of championship leader Glenn Allerton in his quest for a record-breaking fourth Australian Superbike Championship.

With Giles and Bugden taking no further part in the race meeting, 2003 Australian Superbike Champion Craig Coxhell was left to fly the Team Joe Rocket Suzuki colours in Sunday's round five.

The 25-year-old, runner-up in the 2007 championship, recorded fourth and third placings in Sunday's two 16-lap races to claim third overall for the round; Coxhell's battle with defending champion Jamie Stauffer and points leader Allerton in the second of the day's two races the highlight of the meeting. Along with fourth and sixth placings in Saturday's two races, Coxhell has jumped from sixth to fourth in the overall points standings with two rounds remaining in the seven-round series.

Pole position and two impressive race wins in Saturday's round four moved 21-year-old Waters to within 11 points of the Australian Supersport Championship lead with the Team Joe Rocket Suzuki GSX-R600 rider looking to repeat the double victory on Sunday.

However, a small error when leading the final lap of Sunday's opening 16-lap Supersport sent Waters crashing out of the event. Waters bounced back - literally - to claim a thrilling 0.295-sec. victory in race two and consolidate second on the championship points table, 28 points adrift of series leader Stauffer with two rounds left to run.

The sixth and penultimate round of the 2008 Australian Superbike and Supersport Championship takes place at Tasmania's Symmons Plains Raceway on Aug. 29-31.

Superbike Overall Results - Round 4 (Saturday, July 12)
1. Daniel Stauffer, 2. Jamie Stauffer, 3. Glenn Allerton, 4. Jason O'Halloran, 5. Kevin Curtain, 6. Craig Coxhell (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 7. Chris Trounson, 8. Zac Davies, 9. Scott Charlton, 10. Jon Cartwright.
Superbike Overall Results - Round 5 (Sunday, July 13)
1. Jamie Stauffer, 2. Glenn Allerton, 3. Craig Coxhell (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 4. Jason O'Halloran, 5. Kevin Curtain, 6. Jon Cartwright, 7. Chris Trounson, 8. Zac Davies, 9. Scott Charlton, 10. Craig McMartin.
Superbike Championship Points (after 5 of 7 rounds)
1. Glenn Allerton 193, 2. Jamie Stauffer 187, 3. Dan Stauffer 166, 4. Craig Coxhell 160, 5. Jason O'Halloran 154, 6. Kevin Curtain 117, 7. Shawn Giles 112, 8. Robert Bugden 105, 9. Chris Trounson 104, 10. Zac Davies 102.
Supersport Championship Points (after 5 of 7 rounds)
1. Jamie Stauffer 221, 2. Joshua Waters 193, 3. Wayne Maxwell 164, 4. Jeremy Crowe 153, 5. Ben Attard 148, 6. Judd Greedy 147, 7. Grant Hay 124, 8. Mitchell Carr 119, 9. Chris Quinn 104, 10 Ian Andrews 89