By Carly Rathmell
October 4 2005

Xpress Racing will field Robert Bugden (Robbie) at the final round of the British Superstock Championships at Brands Hatch at the weekend.

Bugden was the Australian Privateer Superbike Champion in 2002, 2003 and 2004, adding to that a number of healthy results in 2005 - he finished runner up in the series this year. Winning the State Championships for a second year running, and a strong result in the 2004 Suzuka 8-Hour, plus the 2003 Formula Extreme Championship, the 24-year-old from Queensland is hoping to bring his knowledge and experience to the British Championship series.

Xpress Racing will be fielding Bugden at Brands Hatch as a prelude to next season, when he will be competing with the team in 2006 in the National Superstock Championship - with one aim, to win the title outright. Team Manager Nigel Broomhall is looking forward to working with the Australian, commenting, “We have done a few track days with Robbie at Brands and Oulton to get him adjusted to the bike, and also the varying climate changes. I’m looking forward to Brands, and also the 2006 season with Robbie. It’s been a good year for us so far, and the team have worked extremely well together and have gained some very good results.”

STOP PRESS: At this stage nothing has been agreed formally between Xpress Racing and Robert Bugden, as we are still in the process of discussions. Xpress Racing are fully aware that Robert is still currently exploring all his options for his 2006 racing season. From the testing that has been done so far, and the time that Robert has spent working with the team, we feel that this would an excellent opportunity for all involved. Xpress have had some excellent results this year with fellow Australian David Johnson, and are looking to build on this success for the 2006 season with Robert.

---

Seventh position for Johnson at Donington Park · National Superstock Championship · www.xpressracing.co.uk

22-year-old Hinckley based rider Dave Johnson made a confident return to Xpress Racing for the penultimate round of the National Superstock Championships at Donington Park.

Having made some set-up changes to the Xpress Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 K5, the young Australian was feeling more confident and gained himself a comfortable result. Although struggling with tyre problems for the majority of the race, Johnson was locked in a tight battle for a podium position for the majority of the fraught race.

As positions changed lap after lap, the talented rider was locked in various battles with his fellow competitors. Looking strong and comfortable, he was aiming his sights on a top three finish, but lack of grip destroyed his hopes.

Speaking with David, he said, “I was feeling really comfortable all weekend, and I was hoping that I would be able to get a podium finish in the race. I struggled for grip very early on into the race, which hampered my chances of fighting it out at the front. It was a good race and I set myself into an early rhythm. I know I can run with the front runners as I’ve had podiums places already this year. Hopefully things will be better at Brands, and maybe I can finish the year with a rostrum finish there.”

Team Manager Nigel Broomhall said, “We made a few alterations to the bike’s set-up, and now we are concentrating on getting the bike perfect for Brands Hatch in a few weeks. We’ve been working on the suspension and fuelling to enable the Suzuki GSX-R1000 K5 to handle and respond more smoothly. It was a shame that we struggled with tyres today, but hopefully we will get that sorted by the final round. It’s been a tough year but a very good one. I’m already planning next year, and actively looking for potential sponsors to join the team.”

The final round is at Brands Hatch, Kent, on 9th October.