Jetstar engineer and Superbike champ Dan Stauffer reveals his double life

WORDS STEWART BELL

Dan’s alter egoFor most Aussies, balancing work and play is a constant, uphill battle. Dan Stauffer, however, has got it sorted, and with good reason: as well as being a Licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineer for Jetstar Airways, he’s a Yamaha works rider in the Australian Superbike Championship. While the 30-year-old lives an enviable life, it’s not without risks.

Superbike racing requires kamikaze-like bravery, Stauffer warns. “If you can’t go 280kph through a corner flat-out with your knee on the ground, without any fear of losing the front end – you’ve got no chance in Superbike racing today.” Sound suicidal? It seems to run in the family: his ultra-competitive younger brother and 2006 Australian Superbike Champion, Jamie, is also on the Yamaha team. Dan’s currently sitting second in the 2007 Australian Superbike Championship, with a win at Winton Motor Raceway in Victoria and numerous second places behind his brother, and is keen to take the fight to Jamie. “The 2007 Superbike season has been just fantastic for me and the Yamaha Racing Team,” he says. “After a very disappointing 2006 season, which ended with a devastating crash at the penultimate round, it has been a total redemption to be running at the front, pushing my brother and others for the lead, and winning races.”

Camaraderie aside, the sibling rivalry is fierce, and Stauffer is keen to show his brother can be beaten. “Yes, Jamie had a great year to win both Championships last year,” he says. “Until now, he’s had it reasonably easy, but my determination and hunger for victory have already seen the tables turn at Winton, and I aim to continue pushing him hard and raising the level of competition yet another notch.”

Dan Stauffer on the job

Away from the circuit, Stauffer leads a team of maintenance engineers at Jetstar and is one of the few qualified to sign off on an aircraft’s safety before it’s returned to service. With such heavy responsibilities on and off the track, good time management and support is absolutely fundamental. “Racing and work tie in extremely well, as we work a four-on four-off schedule, which permits me to fit racing in on my days off,” says Stauffer. “Also, the management team at Jetstar have been very supportive of my goals outside of work, and I couldn’t have achieved what I have so far without that kind of assistance. Having an engineering knowledge has certainly helped with being able to set up a motorcycle too. It’s also important to have a mechanical background to talk effectively to your race engineers.”

With a concrete-strong commitment to the Yamaha and Jetstar teams, it looks like Stauffer will continue to exceed expectations on both the racetrack and the tarmac.