Picture: RUSSELL COLVIN
IT was a tough opening round of the Australian Superbike series for Furner motorcycle racer Dallas Skeer.
Skeer headed to Phillip Island on the weekend to compete in the 600cc Supersport class, but mechanical issues thwarted his efforts from the outset.
It forced him to use his spare bike to compete, after the initial excitement of building a new bike in the off-season.
Some issues at a recent test day at the same circuit – which forced Skeer to pull out – saw the team work feverishly to ensure the Suzukis were ready for the start of the season.
Early pace in practice was promising, with a new personal-best time which qualified him for 14th on the grid.
A good start saw Skeer up to 10th place, with the chance for a solid finish in the first outing.
However, the bike dramas then began, with a coolant leak forcing him to retire late in the race.
With his main bike out of the picture, the spare was called upon, with a different set-up which made the remaining two races tough.
An average start in race two saw Skeer battle hard for position, where he still managed a credible 12th place finish.
The final race saw a better start, with Skeer up to eighth off the line.
However, he could not remain with the front group of riders and had to ride simply to finish.
In the end he crossed the line in 16th place.
“Even though we had a tough weekend the team did a phenomenal job to make sure that I got back out there after the DNF in race one,” Skeer said.
“We are currently sitting in 16th position in the Australian championship after round one.
“A new PB of 1:39.244 seconds is all we can take away from this weekend.
“It is a long season and we now look to round two in a month’s time.”
