19 April 2011 – Hidden Valley Raceway in the Northern Territory was the latest circuit to play host to the Australian Superbike Championships over the weekend; it was a heated affair right from the start with the hot and humid Darwin weather putting both rider and machinery to the test.

It was a positive weekend right from the beginning for GAS Honda Racing with both Craig Coxhell and Cole Odendaal confident to move forward. The weekend kicked off Thursday with free practice allowing the riders to familiarize themselves with the Hidden Valley Circuit and work on bike set-up. Friday’s official practice saw the lap time’s drop as riders started to push to the limits until a massive down poor late Friday put most of the circuit underwater, putting an early end to the day.

The sun came back out for Saturday’s qualifying as both Coxhell and Odendaal were set to push for a position in the superpole top eight shootout. NSW Compensation Lawyers rider Cole Odendaal just managed to squeeze
out his team mate Craig Coxhell at the end of qualifying
to make his first ever Superpole top eight shootout.
Demolition Plus rider Craig Coxhell qualified in 9th position with clear intentions to improve in Sunday’s races. Odendaal set the 7th fastest time in the superpole shootout giving him his best ever Australian Superbike qualifying result.

The Darwin weather turned it on Sunday, setting the scene for some hard fought racing. Coxhell lived up to his word and kicked it up a gear in race one, finishing in 5th position less than 2 seconds behind fourth. Odendaal got off to a slow start but managed to work his way to 6th and gain his best result to date.

Race two was hot with the track temperatures above 50°c, it was sure to be a challenge for both riders and their bikes. Coxhell rode a hard consistent race and finished once again in 5th position. He crossed the line less than 9tenths shy of 4th place.  Odendaal got caught up in an incident early in the race and was forced back to last place. After an incredible ride, the Superbike youngster clawed his way back through the field to a super solid 6th place.

Odendaal and Coxhell both showed that they have the pace to run up the front and continue to improve each and every outing. Both riders are looking forward to the next round in 2 weeks time at Barbagallo Raceway in Western Australia.

Massive thanks as always to all of our amazing sponsors. Your support is the reason we are able to do what we do.

Keep on the GAS!!!