KILSYTH road racer Drew Sells claimed the coveted Up to 300 Production title at the final round of the 2016 Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championships at Winton Motor Raceway in Victoria last weekend, September 30-October 2.
Drew, 17, finally claimed the national title that he was long-craving, after narrowly missing out on the title by 17 points at last year’s competition. The budding rider finished on top of the table with an impressive total of 303 points, 14 points ahead of Tom Toparis (NSW) and 46 points ahead of Sam Condon (NSW).
“It’s really hard to put into words. It’s so exciting to win my first Australian title. We only finished third overall for the final round (Round 6), but all we had to do was finish in the top five or six places in the last round, and we did that and we came away Australian title,” Drew said.
“It wasn’t an easy season. They boys were really competitive and were fast this year. I’m just lucky that I kept the bike on two wheels and I finished on the podium at every round,” he added.
“It wasn’t only the hard work done by me, it was a team effort. I can’t thank my parents enough. It’s not only my title but their title too,” he praised.
Drew picks Round 4 in Perth in June as his best round all season. “This year we went there full-steam; we got poll-position, won three races, and broke the lap-record. That really got me going for the season,” Drew added.
“Throughout the season, I think we finished on the podium for every race. It just shows you that consistency is the key. Last year were lost out in consistency by just one single DNF which ruined our championship. This year we came back bigger and stronger.”
With his first national title under his belt, Drew’s dream of one day competing against the best racers in the world, like at the MotoGP taking place at Phillip Island later this month, is a little bit closer. “I hope to make it big like those guys, for sure. I’d like to be right up there as one of the top Australian riders.”
Drew is also currently leading the 300 Production class by 71 points in the 2016 Motul Pirelli Victorian Road Racing Championships where the last round takes place at the State Motorcycle Sports Complex at Broadford on November 12-13.
“I hope to be able to bring home the title and finish off the year strongly,” Drew added.
Drew would like to thank his Mum and Dad, Peter Stevens Motorcycles, Race Centre, Kaneg, Alpine Star, Bell Helmets and Oilee Racing for all their support. You can follow Drew throughout his racing through his official Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/landracing.com.au/