Another Holden In Australia?
Press Release | October 16, 2009
The following is from Jake Holden’s publicist…AMA Superbike contender Jake Holden is making his international racing debut this weekend at Phillip Island. The twenty six year old Washington native is riding a privateer CBR1000RR for the Woodstock Bourbon/ Evolution Sports Group Honda Team.
Holden’s task this weekend will be especially difficult due to the compressed schedule as a result of the Australian Superbike races being run in support of the Motogp weekend.
The first session on Friday morning was only twenty five minutes, on a track that had been declared wet, but with a distinct dry line forming. On his out lap, Jake realized that his full wets were not going to hold up and so he came back in for a two tire change. With slicks fitted and less than ten minutes to go in the session, Jake was able to set the sixth fastest time at the checkered flag.
Qualifying was an equally short twenty five minute session. The plan was to latch onto defending Australian Superbike champion Glen Allerton or his pace setting teammate Wayne Maxwell. That plan was derailed when Jake ran off track in the opening laps of the session and had to continue to find his own way around the Phillip Island racetrack without a guide. The end of the qualifying session saw Jake turn a very respectable 1:34.2, good enough for seventh place on the grid.
The first race of the weekend would also be on Friday, a six lap sprint, at the end of the day. With less than twenty laps of the track, Jake was lining up on the second row of his first Australian Superbike race. When the lights went out, the factory Suzuki bike just in front of him stalled and Jake was lucky to avoid a collision. The evasive maneuver would cost Jake several positions in the opening lap. With no time to waste, Jake put his head down and started passing many of the Australian Superbike regulars. By the time the checkered flag flew, Jake had turned a personal best time of 1:34.0 and clawed his way back to fifth.
Jake Holden:
“Overall, I’m pretty happy with the result. The track is so wide that it’s hard to know if I’m in the right place or not, my plan was to follow the leaders and see where I could make up time. When the bike in front of me stalled, it allowed the leaders to get away and I wasn’t able to find out where I was losing time. Hopefully, I’ll get a cleaner start tomorrow and stay with the leaders.”
