Aussies claim Oceania Road Racing victory
Daniel Falzon (JD Racing) has guided Team Australia to a win in the inaugural FIM Oceania – 2015 Road Race Championship held at Phillip Island Circuit on Sunday.
Falzon was taking on Team New Zealand rider Ryan Hampton (Next Gen Motorsports) in a head-to-head battle, with the best combined results from the two Superbike races counting towards the Championship.
The Oceania event was held in conjunction with round five of the 2015 Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul Pirelli.
In the opening race of the day, Falzon and Hampton were within touching distance of each other for the first half of the race.
With Falzon in fourth position and Hampton in fifth, the Aussie rider began to put some distance between his Yamaha and Hampton’s BMW as the race wore on.
It was exactly how they finished – Falzon ending the race 61.52 seconds ahead – meaning whichever rider finished ahead in race two would clinch the title.
On the second lap of the race drama unfolded as Hampton went down at turn four – ending his race and effectively handing Falzon the title.
Falzon rode on to claim fourth place yet again and ensure that the trophy for the FIM Oceania – 2015 Road Race Championship remained in the country.
President of the FIM Oceania, Jim Tuckerman was on hand to present the trophy.
DANIEL FALZON – TEAM AUSTRALIA
“It’s a great honour to bring home the inaugural Oceania championship for Australia.
“Ryan was going to be a tough competitor this weekend – he has shown speed at every round and has consistently been getting faster and faster.
“But I knew that I had a fair bit more experience around this track then he did, and I felt confident in my bike and the team that we could win it here this weekend.
“In the last race I put my head down from the start and try to pull a gap, maybe put a bit of pressure on Ryan, and it is bittersweet with Ryan having a fall, but it allowed the Championship to fall in our lap and it’s a good thing.”
RYAN HAMPTON – TEAM NEW ZEALAND
“In terms of Oceania, obviously the whole championship from the New Zealand point of view all stemmed on me, so it was definitely a disappointment to let that one go.
“I knew it was going to be close – especially with Dan and I being P4 and P5 in the first race and it was pretty much down to who finished in front of the other.
“A bit disappointing there but we will have another crack next year, and I hope that it is something that does progress forward as it is a good thing for the sport, definitely.”
DEAN JAMES – FIM OCEANIA BOARD MEMBER
“I was at the event and it was excellent. From FIM Oceania’s point of view we’re very, very happy that it has come together.
“Both riders in Daniel Falzon and Ryan Hampton were very honoured to represent their federations, and we’re hopeful for this to only get bigger and better in the coming years.”
IMAGE: TBGSPORT
