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In the closest finish the Australian Superbike Championship has ever seen, Team Suzuki's Shawn Giles tied on points with arch rival Josh Brookes at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit today but lost out on a tie-break.
After an exciting season-long battle between three-time champion Giles and Brookes, the result came down to a count of both riders' race victories throughout the 2005 season, with three wins to four going in favour of Brookes.
Heading into the final event with a ten-point lead over Brookes, the GSX-R-mounted rider needed strong results to secure victory.
He qualified in seventh and had his work cut out, placing third and fourth in Sunday's two 11-lap races which tied him with Brookes on 279 points. Under the leadership of master tuner Phil Tainton, the Suzuki Team has claimed four Australian titles - three of those with Giles in the saddle. "Winning three of seven rounds, Shawn has come so close to winning this championship for Suzuki," said Tainton. "Shawn is an incredible talent and a born champion and with the GSX-R1000 he's been a dominant force in the Australian Superbike Championship yet again." Giles' team-mate Glenn Allerton finished the season on a high note finishing in sixth for the year and was awarded the Rookie of the Year title.
Shawn Giles: "Firstly, congratulations to the Joe Rocket Honda Team and Josh for taking his first championship. 2005 has been the closest, toughest championship I've raced and everyone has worked so hard together to achieve a top result. Even though we didn't take the title, we finished on equal points so obviously the Suzuki GSX-R1000 has the horsepower and pace to win the Australian Championship. This was a brand new bike for 2005 and now with a year of development under our belts, I'm looking forward to making a strong challenge for next season. Coming this close to the title, Suzuki is going to be even hungrier than ever for the championship crown."
