KIWIRIDER NEWS

SPEEDWAY HAVE A GO DAY FOR KIDS

2012-01-25T16:03:00.000+13:00

Words: Todd Sutherland

Sunday February 5 (rain day the 6th) the crew at Waikaraka Park in the Auckland suburb of Onehunga are running a open day for kids.

Rosebank Speedway club is putting on a couple of bikes. These are DRZ125 powered machines in a properly built speedway frame. I'm not sure on the cost right now but if there is a charge it is unlikely to be more than $15 and you are bound to enjoy yourself. There is a sausage sizzle and it is free to watch kids do a quarter midget demonstration race.

Speedway has to be the most underrated motorcycle sport around. With thousands of kids (parents)exposed to the high costs of riding motocross it's a wonder that more people haven't turned to speedway. Tracks are close to literally hundreds of thousands of us, it's cheap and the skills learnt are useful to all forms of vehicle use. After years of Kiwi's dominating the world scene we obviously get the chance to see a World Championship GP on 31 March so perhaps that will turn a generation to the thrills of speedway?

SOMETHING DIFFERENT
For something different there is also the chance to drive the www.kiwikidz.co.nz (Honda XR200 powered) quarter midget! Designed for 8-15 year old this could be just the ticket for those looking ahead to when their kids start to drive on the road. There is a charge of $50 for at least a half dozen laps of the track. Contact for this is Brian 027 2969314

NZ WORLD SPEEDWAY WILDCARD NAMED

2012-01-25T14:11:00.000+13:00

Jason Bunyan (left) will be riding against the
world's elite on March 31.
He is seen here with Jamie Moohan
at the recent Elf / Sunday News
International meeting.

Words / Photo: Todd Sutherland

British born Jason Bunyan has been given the call up to represent New Zealand at round one of this year's World Championship Grand Prix.

The inaugral event is to be run at Western Springs on March 31. Bunyan will line up against the top 8 riders in the world who were seeded straight in from last years championship. The other riders will be made up form riders who have won their qualifying races in events across the US and Europe.

Tickets are available from available here and start at a reasonable $50 for adults and $25 for kids.

Read more here.

BIKE WEEK @ BANNOCKBURN

2012-01-24T14:20:00.000+13:00

Organisers (Lto R) Tim Hanna, Greg Naylor, Steven Pay,
Dave Moreton, Justin Marshall

Bike Week @ Bannockburn kicks off this Sunday when rally goers will begin to arrive at the Bannockburn Hotel. Organiser Dave Moreton says all is ready for their arrival with plenty of accommodation options.

“Some have elected to stay in Cromwell at Motels while others will stay at the free camping ground across the road from the Hotel. The Domain Camping ground is just a short stroll away and it offers both accommodation for campers and hot showers for everyone else for just two dollars.”

The rally runs until Friday and offers two daily rides, one for road bikes and one for road bikes.

“It is a great opportunity to enjoy the company of fellow motorcyclists and to see some of our great country” said Dave. “Those on adventure bikes will be able to access some spectacular back country that they would not normally be able to get to while and the road rides are also absolute crackers. Afterwards we have live music in the newly redeveloped beer garden at the Hotel and three special dinners in the restaurant with guest speakers.”

Dave says that everyone is welcome to attend the $50 three course dinners but advises that it would be wise to book with the hotel quickly as they are selling out fast.

“We have Ken Dobson, the co-owner of Hyosung Motorcycles NZ on Tuesday night. Ken has raced successfully in New Zealand, Australia, the UK and all over Europe. He has excelled at many tracks including the Isle of Man and the Le Mans 24 hour race for Superbikes, where he was part of the winning team. Ken has committed the company to proving his Korean product on the race track and Hyosung have won the 250 production championship in New Zealand for the past three years.

On Wednesday night we have Jo Morgan. Jo and her husband Gareth have done more miles between them on some of the most dangerous and remote roads in the world than most of us put together.

Finally on Thursday night our publican Tim Hanna will talk about the subjects of his three published books – John Britten, Burt Munro and Kim Newcombe. Tim has spent years researching the lives of these three great Kiwi motorcyclists and his talk promises to reveal many fascinating insights into their different but strikingly connected lives.”

To book for the dinners call the Hotel on 03 445 0615. Further information on the rally may be found at www.bikeweeknz.com

FROST: TACTICAL IN TERETONGA

2012-01-24T14:15:00.001+13:00

Up close to the Teretonga action

As the M1Motorsport Team drive past beautiful Lake Tekapo in the South Island today, an exuberant Sloan Frost and the Team take a moment to chew the fat over the weekends third round results at Teretonga.

"We had a bit of a problem before Qualifying and broke the shifter, luckily we basically had 3 - 4 laps to borrow Bill Moffatt’s quick shifter so once I achieved a 58 (second lap-time) I pulled back in, to return Bills quick shifter!

Through that with thanks to Bill, we qualified in pole position."

"I'm stoked! This was my first ever Pole position in a National Series."

The M1Motorsport team had more luck on their side in the form of a dedicated race fan, as Sloan explains “It’s great to see our BMW supporters at the Track, a huge thanks to Dave Campion who owns a BMWS1000RR, lent us his quick shifter for the next two races”

With Sundays racing declared wet -Race one was red flagged after Ryan Hampton(Honda) crashed while in second place, so there was to be a restart and a split points race. "I had a really good race with Robbie Bugden"

Australian Robbie Bugden (Suzuki) came from the back of the pack to a commanding lead - after an unfortunate crash in second practise on Saturday.

Race One Results: Robbie Bugden (Suzuki), Sloan Frost (BMW), Nick Cole (Kawasaki).

Sloan additionally takes the fastest lap-time with a 58.217 in the Race One Restart, of the Teretonga Round.

Race two was raining and inevitably; Sloan rode out on wets.

Taking second place from the start, Sloan moved into and held the lead for most of the race, but "Unfortunately we had the wrong set up with the fork springs so rather than pushing too hard I settled in and relaxed at second place behind Nick Cole choosing a tactical approach, taking the points instead."

Race Two Results: Nick Cole (Kawasaki) Sloan Frost (BMW) and Ray Clee (Suzuki)

Sloan takes 2nd place of the last South Island round of the series. Rocketing to second place of the overall NZSBK Championship, as M1Motorsport head to the fourth round at Hampton Downs in March.

“I’m really really ecstatic! To have started the series with a DNF, coming from 11th place to 2nd place after the third round is really amazing.

“I’m feeling strong and confident heading to my two favourite tracks, the BMW is running better than ever and our Pirelli tyres are keeping us in good stead”

“I’d like to extend a huge thanks to our Supporters and Sponsors for supporting us this far, see you at Hampton downs. A further acknowledgment goes to the organisers of live timing and NZSBK.com for the live internet coverage, this means supporters and fans from all over New Zealand can stay up to date with progress as it happens!”

You’d think with a month until the next round it would be time to relax - but no rest for the wicked, Sloan’s next outing is the “World famous in New Zealand’s” Battle of the Streets in Paeroa, February 19th.

Series Points Standing at Round 3

1 Robbie Bugden 112.5
2 Sloan Frost 77.5
3 John Ross 75.5
4 Nick Cole 73.5
5 Andrew Stroud 72

Source: M1 Motorsport

COPPINS HAS WOODVILLE IN HIS SIGHTS

2012-01-24T14:07:00.001+13:00

Words and photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com

A repeat performance is the aim for Yamaha team-mates Josh Coppins and Darryll King this weekend.

Josh Coppins

Motueka’s Coppins and Hamilton’s King won the two main senior classes at Woodville last year, although they’ll have a fight on their hands to defend those GP titles this time around.

With more than 700 riders expected to race over the weekend, the 51st annual Honda-sponsored New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix at Woodville is obviously a very strong magnet for the nation’s elite.

Woodville is the biggest event on the Kiwi motocross calendar for many reasons.

In addition to offering GP titles across several different bike categories and attracting the cream of talent from New Zealand, as well as many leading riders from overseas, the stand-alone event caters for entrants from as young as four years old, to senior men and women in their 40s and 50s.

Coppins is a five-time winner at Woodville and also the defending champion and he is keen to defend his GP title in the MX1 (450cc) class this weekend.

Coppins has put his many world championship campaigns behind him as the 34-year-old scales back his career at the top-level, but it would be a foolish rival who writes off the Yamaha ace repeating the feat on Sunday.

However, fellow Kiwi internationals Ben Townley (Honda), of Taupo, Christchurch’s Justin McDonald (Honda), Mount Maunganui’s Cody Cooper (Suzuki) and Papamoa’s Mason Phillips (Kawasaki), as well as hot domestic prospects such as Hamilton’s Hayden Clark (KTM), Taupo’s Brad Groombridge (Honda) and Gisborne’s Matt Hunt (Yamaha), for example, all loom as serious threats to Coppins and his MX1 class ambitions.

“I won Woodville last year and the aim is to win it again this time around too,” said Coppins.

“I don’t really know what to expect because my build-up has not been great. I have been sidelined with injury, and the surgery that followed, for close to five months and only got back on the bike just after Christmas.

“Training has been going well though and I expect you’ll see a fired-up Coppins at Woodville this weekend. I believe I’ll be on the pace that’s for sure.”

The MX2 (250cc) class is no less dramatic, with last year’s winner of that class, Waikato’s King – the current national MX2 champion and a five-time previous winner of the main prize at Woodville – equally determined to retain his No.1 status at Woodville.

The now 43-year-old King will need to be wary of leading MX2 riders such as Queenstown’s Scott Columb (Suzuki), now back to full fitness after a nearly two-year absence from the sport because of injury, and other top MX2 racers such as Peter Broxholme (Honda), of Tauranga, Masterton’s Luke Burkhart (KTM), Mangakino’s Kayne Lamont (Suzuki), Waitakere’s Ethan Martens (Yamaha) and Australia’s Geran Stapleton (Honda), to name a few.

Pahiatua’s Paul Whibley (Yamaha) will use the Woodville event to sign-off at home before he heads back to the United States to again tackle the American cross-country scene.

He is currently ranked No.2 in the US and hot favourite to win the novel river race on Sunday afternoon.

There is a liberal sprinkling of Australians in the junior ranks, adding to the international flavour of the event.

Minis and juniors race on Saturday with the senior racing set to dominate the programme on Sunday.

BUGDEN STRETCHES SUPERBIKE LEAD

2012-01-24T14:04:00.001+13:00

Robbie Bugden in action

Words and photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com

The number three figured prominently for the Triple R Suzuki team effort at the weekend.

Suzuki men won two out of three superbike sessions at round three of the New Zealand Superbike Championships at Teretonga Park, near Invercargill on Sunday and, significantly, the day ended with Triple R Suzuki ace Robbie Bugden even further in command of the glamour superbikes class.

Australian Bugden, who previously won three consecutive New Zealand superbike crowns between the years 2007 and 2009, remains well on track to reclaim the title this year as his friend and rival, nine-times and defending champion Andrew Stroud (David Reid Homes Waikato Mobil 1 Suzuki) again suffered misfortune.

Nothing about the racing at Teretonga on Sunday was clear-cut.

Intermittent rain squalls meant tyre choices were critical for the riders and some of the traction gambles simply did not pay off, the day also shaken up when the first superbike race had to be run in two stages after a crash brought it to a premature end after just four laps.

Hamilton’s Stroud won the first stage of race one, finishing ahead of Christchurch pair Ryan Hampton and John Ross, but he had to settle for fifth place in the second leg, that race won by championship leader Bugden.

That Bugden was able to race at all was something of a miracle, the Australian crashing spectacularly during Saturday’s preliminaries.

He eventually had to borrow a similar Suzuki, belonging to Auckland’s Ray Clee, and qualified that bike in an unaccustomed ninth spot, good enough to start on Sunday but, unfortunately, near the back of the grid.

But a mixed day followed for Bugden on Sunday. He raced from the back of the pack to snatch seventh in the first part of the disjointed opening superbike race and he then won the second leg.

He raced conservatively in the wet race that followed, doing just what was required to finish ahead of his main threats, Ross and Stroud.

It was another tale of woe for Stroud, finishing 1-5 in the two-part opening race and then riding gingerly to finish an unfamiliar two laps down on the leaders, in 11th place, in race two. This was because he’d gambled on using slick tyres on a wet track that simply did not dry as he’d hoped it might.

Bugden continues to lead the superbike championship, now with an extended lead, ahead of new No.2 rider Frost, with Ross now in third position overall, Hamilton’s Nick Cole in fourth and Stroud slipping back to fifth.

“It was quite a weekend for me,” said Bugden afterwards.

“I was lucky to get away with it after my crash on Saturday. I was feeling pretty well beaten up and sore all over.

“The team did an awesome job to get my bike repaired and it all worked out good for me today.

“I’ve got a few weeks off now to rest and recover. I’ll return to Brisbane and see my doctor and hopefully be back to 100% by the next round.”

In the 600cc supersport class, defending champion Dennis Charlett (Avon Suzuki GSX-R600) came on strong, finishing 2-1 in his two outings to win the day and take over the championship lead from nearest rival Josh Ross (Suzuki), also of Christchurch.

Ross won the day’s first 600cc race but crashed out of the second leg while trying to catch the leaders.

“I have a bit of a points buffer over John (Ross) now but I’m not resting on my laurels,” said Charlett. “Anything can still happen and the championships still wide open.”

The riders now take a break until March 18 and the fourth round of five at Hampton Downs, near Huntly. The fifth and final round is set for Taupo on March 25.

SUPERBIKE ACE WORKS DOUBLE TIME

2012-01-20T09:00:00.000+13:00

John Ross

Fast-rising Christchurch road-racer John Ross is chasing a remarkable double as the Castrol Power1 New Zealand Superbike Championship stages its third round at Invercargill’s Teretonga circuit this weekend.

The Christchurch landscaper, 30, lies second in the Superbike championship and first in the second most important class, 600cc Supersport.

Contesting four long races against top opposition in one day would be too much for most, but Ross says an intensive training programme makes him so fit that he is unfazed by all the strenuous action.

Nor does he have any trouble switching between the two quite different bikes, a Suzuki NZ-backed Suzuki GSX-R600 and a BMW S1000RR superbike.

“Going to Australia last year definitely helped,” Ross said. He raced a BMW in Australia’s Pro Stock class.

"Our BMW for New Zealand only arrived on the Wednesday before the first round at Ruapuna,” he said. “It’s still pretty standard.”

Some of his rivals, especially Australian Robbie Bugden who leads the series for Suzuki, have more highly developed bikes but Ross says his BMW is up to the job.

In the 600s, Ross is just one point ahead of fellow Christchurch Suzuki rider Dennis Charlett, the defending champion. Ross says his long rivalry with Charlett has pushed him to go faster and faster.

And he expects to get faster yet.

“I’m still learning and developing,” Ross said. “My best racing years are before me.”

Bugden, who raced in New Zealand last summer with a broken leg, rides for the Christchurch-based Triple R team.

Although Bugden has a good points lead the team still has plenty of work to do, Fenton says.

“One non-finish can stuff everything up, so it’s too early yet to be counting our chickens,” he said.

“We have already had a DNF [did not finish] and we’re just fortunate that other riders have had major problems too, so we can take nothing for granted.”

Defending champion Andrew Stroud of Hamilton is third for Suzuki and the highly competitive field – the best for several years -- also features Nick Cole (Hamilton, Kawasaki), Craig Shirriffs (Feilding, Suzuki), Sloan Frost (Wellington, BMW), Bugden’s Suzuki team-mate James Smith (Christchurch), Ray Clee (Kumeu, Suzuki) and Honda riders Hayden Fitzgerald (New Plymouth), Ryan Hampton (Christchurch) and Scott Moir (Taupo).

On Saturday the Superbike and Supersport riders have qualifying and the support classes have one race each. Sunday sees two races for all classes.

Photo credit: fotocd.co.nz

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH …

2012-01-19T16:06:00.001+13:00

Mike Skinner

Words and photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com

It is already regarded as the ultimate test of dirt biking strength, skill and endurance in New Zealand but, unbelievably, the No Way In Hell extreme enduro has just got even tougher.

This year’s No Way In Hell (NWIH) enduro is set for the long Waitangi weekend and follows hard on the heels of the opening round of the New Zealand Enduro Championships and so, if riders’ muscles were not already screaming for rest, they surely will be by the end of this third edition of the big annual NWIH event.

Only four riders finished last year’s NWIH enduro in the allowable four hours, with Auckland’s Mike Skinner celebrating victory ahead of fellow survivors Sean Clark, of Tokoroa, and Hokianga brothers Mitchell and Damon Nield.

Waitangi weekend will be an exhausting time for the nation’s elite endurance motorcycle riders, with round one of the Yamaha New Zealand Enduro Championships at Oparau, near Kawhia, set for Saturday, February 4.

The following day is reserved for the Hauturu School fundraiser trail ride.

The trail ride starts at 9.30am and it comprises a 40-kilometre main loop and a 10-km short loop. In addition, a small children’s track will be set up near the woolshed headquarters.

With all that “warm-up” activity completed, the NWIH extreme enduro is primed to kick off that afternoon with a five-kilometre “prologue” section, starting at 4pm.

“This will be a mini extreme cross country race,” said event organiser Sean Clarke.

“All riders will start together and the first section is called the Bull Rush, which is a race for about one kilometre up the rocky riverbed in front of the woolshed, and the first one to the top will win the $100 Bull Rush prize.”

The clubmen riders will be expected to complete four laps, the experts will race six laps and the pro riders will do about eight laps.

Clarke said the prologue result will determine the start order for the following day, but also the riders’ times from the prologue will be added to the following day’s overall race time.

The No Way In Hell extreme enduro proper begins on Waitangi Day Monday, starting at 8am with the first 10 riders leaving at one minute intervals and then the rest of the field leaving at 30-second intervals.

The first section is about 44 kilometres long – where the clubmen will then finish – while expert riders continue on for another 22km before they finish.
The Pro riders will be expected to complete a third section of about 20 kilometres.

“For the NWIH, is it very important that riders pre enter as a meal needs to be organised for after the event and also riders that pre-enter will get a small pack of goodies when they sign in,” said Clarke.

“Also, if you can’t make to the prologue you may still ride the main event on the Monday, although you will just get the slowest time from your class in the prologue, plus an additional five minutes added on to your time.

“If bike riders are looking for a great weekend, either competing or just watching, come out and support the local Hauturu School and have a great weekend.”

For any other information, call Sean Clarke on 0275 996 045
Click here for an Entry Form: http://www.kiwirider.co.nz/nwih.pdf

SUPERCROSS SUPERMEN CROWNED

2012-01-16T14:26:00.003+13:00

Scott Columb in action

Words and photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com

There were a ton of thrills, plenty of spills but no real surprises when the New Zealand Supercross Championships wrapped up at Taupo on Saturday afternoon.

Queenstown’s Scott Columb completed the job he started when he dominated round one of the three-round series near Timaru just over two weeks ago, securing the MX2 supercross title with another solid performance at Taupo on Saturday and showing he will certainly be a contender when the motocross nationals kick off in South Canterbury on February 12.

Columb didn’t win the day at Taupo – that honour instead going to fellow Suzuki star Rhys Carter, of Mount Maunganui – but Columb’s 3-1-2 results at Taupo were enough to give him a whopping 18-point championship-winning margin over visiting Australian Geran Stapleton (Honda), while Carter had to settle for third overall in the Backflips Clothing-sponsored championship.

That the 28-year-old Columb should dominate the series as he did was something of a surprise considering he had been off the race scene, sidelined with injury, for nearly two years.

“I’m back, that’s for sure,” beamed Columb afterwards.

“I’m getting into shape now for the motocross nationals. I’m not quite ready for that yet, but I hope to be 100% before February.”

It was a similar display of supremacy from fellow Suzuki star Cody Cooper, the Mount Maunganui man now adding the MX1 supercross crown to the MX1 motocross crown he collected last year.

Cooper won seven of the nine MX1 races in this year’s supercross nationals, beaten only by Christchurch Honda rider Justin McDonald (in the second race in Timaru) and by Motueka Yamaha rider Josh Coppins (in the third race at Motueka).

Cooper finished the series a massive 24 points clear of McDonald, with Gisborne Yamaha rider Matt Hunt clinching third overall with a solid performance at Saturday’s final round.

Junior 250cc class points leader Josh May (Honda), of Timaru, had a scare when he managed only seventh in his opening race at Taupo, but then the 16-year-old cruised to his first national title when he rebounded with 1-2 results in the next two outings.

That gave him a final winning margin of seven points over a hard-charging Josh Bartosh (Honda), the Wellington rider winning the Taupo event in this class with impressive 1-3-1 results.

Hamilton’s Josiah Natzke rode an 85cc Yamaha bored out to 103cc and, despite racing this small two-stroke against the 250cc four-strokes of all the other riders in that class, he nailed down third spot overall.

Natzke also raced an 85cc version of the same bike to clean sweep all nine races in the junior lites class, winning comfortably ahead of fellow Yamaha riders Kyle Hartley, of Winton, and Blake James, of Broomfield.

SAVE THE SPRINGS PETITION

2012-01-11T19:00:00.000+13:00

Latest petition to save Western Springs Speedway in Auckland.

If you don’t like the way people move close to circuits & then complain about the noise the Western Springs Speedway in Auckland is one the ‘THE’ venues you / we all must try to protect.

Please follow the link below & sign the petition (and don’t forget to forward the petition to other people you think would like to support this historic venue..) http://www.speedwayclub.co.nz/signpetition.php

FOLLOW CHRIS BIRCH'S DAKAR RIDE

2012-01-11T18:57:00.003+13:00

All the latest news in posted up on his Web Site:www.chrisbirch.co.nz

SUPERCROSS HEADS TO A CLIMAX

2012-01-11T18:45:00.001+13:00

Aussie Ace Geran Stapleton

Words and photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com

The New Zealand Supercross Championships are set for a thrilling conclusion in Taupo this Saturday afternoon.

And one of the riders determined to make sure it will be a thriller is first-time visitor to New Zealand Geran Stapleton, the young Australian supercross ace who finished runner-up in the under-19 class across the Tasman last season.

The teenager from Rosebud in Victoria is currently in the runner-up position in the Kiwi series too, but hopes to alter that in his favour when the series wraps up in the Backflips clothing-sponsored event in Taupo on Saturday.

Stapleton is 16 points adrift of Queenstown Suzuki hero Scott Columb and possibly needs a miracle run to topple to Kiwi former supercross champion.
Stapleton and Columb have between them shared all the wins.

Stapleton has twice beaten Columb in the six races thus far, but Columb has taken the chequered flag on the other four occasions and, perhaps most significantly, finished runner-up the other two times, while Stapleton has finished as low as fourth and fifth in his other races.

Meanwhile, Mount Maunganui’s Cody Cooper (Suzuki) is primed to wrap up the open class crown at Taupo on Saturday.

He enjoys a solid 15-point advantage over last year’s No.2 man, Christchurch Honda rider Justin McDonald, while Taupo Honda rider Brad Groombridge will be hoping for hometown support to move up from third in the series standings.

Timaru’s Josh May (Honda, junior 250) and Hamilton’s Josiah Natzke (Yamaha, junior lites) lead their respective classes, although they will likely come under intense pressure from their rivals at Taupo.

Wellington’s Josh Bartosh and Nelson’s Liam Hutton could steal points from May, while Natzke should be concerned by riders such as Winton’s Kyle Hartley and Broomfield’s Blake James.

STROUD BAGS TRI SERIES WIN NO.4

2011-12-28T16:45:00.002+13:00

Andrew Stroud Claims Tri Series Win Number Four
Photo by Andy McGechan BikesprtNZ.com

Hamilton’s Andrew Stroud finished the job he started three weeks earlier when he wrapped up the Suzuki Tri Series superbike crown at the final round on the streets of Wanganui on Boxing Day.

He finished runner-up at the series opener at Hampton Downs on December 10 and snatched the points lead when he won the day at round two at Manfeild just over a week ago, but it called for an entirely different style of racing to conquer the tight and twisty streets of Wanganui’s fabled Cemetery Circuit.

The David Reid Homes Mobil 1 Suzuki GSX-R1000 rider also had to tame Australasia’s elite superbike riders, each of them determined to snap the Stroud win-streak, and all of them entirely capable of doing just that.

But Stroud finished 3-2 in the two superbike class races at Wanganui, and also finished third in the one-off Robert Holden Memorial feature race, to firmly rubber-stamp his “ownership” of the Suzuki Tri Series. He has now won the superbike component of the series every year since the inaugural running in 2008.

In the end, Stroud’s eight-point buffer at the top of the standings as he headed into Boxing Day’s finale was again just too much for anybody to overcome.

Stroud didn’t dominate the 2011 series as he may have done in previous seasons – with Australian Robbie Bugden (Triple R Suzuki GSX-R1000), Aucklander Ray Clee (Colemans Suzuki GSX-R1000) and Australian Dan Stauffer (Bernard Racing Yamaha R1) – each taking wins from Stroud during the series, but Stroud was consistently good and also so many of his rivals chose not to contest all three rounds, thus making Stroud’s task that much easier.

Last year’s winner on Wanganui’s streets, Gold Coast rider Stauffer, was again a force to be reckoned with on Boxing Day – finishing 1-1 in the two superbike races and also winning the Robert Holden Memorial feature race – but unfortunately for race fans this was also his first and only showing in the Suzuki Tri Series this season and he therefore had no chance of taking the series win outright.

Consistency gave Hamilton’s Nick Cole the runner-up spot in the Suzuki Tri Series.

“Nick (Cole) was riding very well,” said Stroud. “It was a very bumpy track at Wanganui, I struggled to find traction a times, but all credit to Dan (Stauffer) for winning here.

“Winning the series overall was the main aim for me, so I’m happy to have achieved that.

“I am now getting prepared to race the New Zealand Superbike Championships (which kick off at Christchurch’s Ruapuna circuit on January 8).”

Meanwhile, Wellington’s Glen Skachill (Museum Hotel Suzuki GSX-R600) was chased all the way by fellow Suzuki stars Dennis Charlett, of Christchurch, and Karl Morgan, of Auckland, as he wrapped up the Tri Series’ 600cc title, while Palmerston North’s Glen Williams (Dannevirke Suzuki SV650) dominated the F3 Sportsbikes class.

Wanganui’s Jayden Carrick (Suzuki) impressed in two categories, finishing among the leaders in both the 450 Super Motard class, on a Suzuki RM-Z450, and in the 600cc class, on a GSX-R600.

Source: Suzuki NZ

SUPERBIKES SET FOR HOT AUSSIE ACTION

2011-12-23T12:17:00.005+13:00

By MICHAEL ESDAILE

THE 2012 World Superbike Championship gets underway in Australia at the end of February and after the end-of-season musical chairs, it looks set to be even more competitive than the last two years.

At almost every track the Superbikes visit, they have turned faster lap times in qualifying and in the races, with race records tumbling year-on-year.

And 2012 looks set to provide even more pulsating action, even without an official team from Yamaha.

After clinching the 2011 championship on the privately entered Althea Ducati 1198R, Spaniard Carlos Checa lines up on the same bike and in the same tight-knit and very well run team.

This was the 39-year-old Spaniard’s first world championship after 18 years in top level racing, starting from his début in the World 125 Championship on a Honda in 1993.

Winning a world championship is never easy: backing it up the following year is even harder. However, Checa gave an indication of just how hard he will be to beat in 2012 with his performances at the end of 2011. Having wrapped up the title at Imola with two rounds to go, Checa could easily have been expected to settle into cruise mode for the final four races, savouring his first ever world crown.

But he didn’t.

A week later he won both races at Magny Cours in France, then at the final round at Portugal’s Portimao circuit, Checa was still on top of his game, winning the first race, and finishing a close-fought fourth in the second outing.

His score for the season included six pole positions, ten fastest laps and 21 podiums from 26 starts, including 15 race wins.

Despite the penalty placed on twin cylinder motorcycles for 2012 (see: http://www.kiwiridernews.com/2011/11/superbike-rules-changed-twins-penalised.html ) Checa can be expected to be fighting for the podium at Phillip Island, a track where he and the Ducati shine.

DUCATI COMPETITION

However, with at least five other Ducati 1198Rs on the grid, Checa will have a battle on his hands from the very brand he represents.

Although we reported that the ParkinGO team would field recently crowned Supersport World Champion Chaz Davies on a Ducati in 2012 ( see: http://www.kiwiridernews.com/2011/11/more-ducatis-in-2012.html ) it now transpires that the Welshman will be racing an Aprilia RSV4.

Word is that ParkinGO team owner Giuliano Rovelli had second thoughts about fielding a brand new Ducati when he found out how many other teams would be fielding Italian V-twins. Unconvinced his team would get the technical back-up he wanted from Ducati, he made the decision to go the Aprilia route.

This news was broken by Motosprint.it, which reports that Aprilia has tempted the team by offering the same level of factory support allocated to the PATA team.

However, Czech-based Effenbert Liberty Racing will continue with Ducati, fielding a pair of Frenchmen: Sylvain Guintoli and Maxime Berger. While it was earlier thought this meant the team was letting crash-prone Czech rider Jakub ‘Kuba’ Smrz go, that is not the case. The team has decided to expand to three riders, possibly due to the new rules which limit teams to one bike per rider from 2012 onwards. (See: http://www.worldsbk.com/en/news/5-news/9785-effenbert-liberty-racing-team-looks-back-before-looking-forward.html )

APRILIA CHALLENGE

After proving the competitiveness of the only V4 machine in the Superbike field by taking the world championship in 2010, Aprilia had a nightmare run in 2011. Not only did former British Superbike Champion Leon Camier fail to fire on the Italian machine, team leader Max Biaggi seemed to have reverted to type with inconsistent results. He started the season very well with his best-ever Superbike results at Phillip Island, then suffered brain-fade at Donington and was out-ridden by Checa at Assen. In the end Biaggi scored just two race wins in 2011 compared with ten in 2010.

However, with Camier switching to the new English-run Suzuki team, former Supersport World Champion Eurgene Laverty, left without a ride after Yamaha decided to fold its Superbike race team, signed with the Alitalia Aprilia team. Now Biaggi knows he will have a fight on his hands from within his own team – Irishman Laverty ended the 2011 season tied on points with the Italian. They had 303 points apiece, with Biaggi awarded third place in the championship on the basis of a greater number of second place finishes (nine to three).

Since jumping onto the Aprilia, Laverty has gelled, posting fastest lap time at an end of season test at Portimao, bettering his new team-mate’s 2010 lap record in the process. (See: http://www.worldsbk.com/en/news/5-news/9619-laverty-takes-the-top-slot-as-aprilias-come-out-stronger.html )

Meantime, Biaggi will be racing with a new pit crew – the team that took him to the World Superbike Championship in 2010 having decided to seek alternative employment. (See: http://www.worldsbk.com/en/news/5-news/9800-max-biaggi-past-present-and-future.html ) This is not the first time Biaggi has had mechanics walk away, perhaps indicating how difficult he is to work with at times.

However, in addition to the factory Alitalia-based Aprilias, there is the ParkinGO team with Chaz Davies already mentioned, while the PATA Racing team is to field Italian Lorenzo Zanetti in place of Noriyuki Haga in 2012. Zanetti raced for BMW Motorrad Italia in the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup and finished third in that series in 2011, behind the Ducatis of Davide Giugliano and Danilo Petrucci.

Word is that PATA boss Remo Gobbi wanted to invest on a young and promising Italian rider.

BMW TRYING HARDER

With his Superbike rider gone following Yamaha’s decision to withdraw from the class, Italian Marco Melandri – along with Eugene Laverty – was left without a ride. However, he has found a new home, at BMW following the retirement of Australian two-time champion Troy Corser.

BMW’s third year in the competition was less successful than its 2010 season so the German manufacturer has re-grouped, updated its potent S1000RR in-line four and in preliminary tests (see: http://www.ultimatemotorcycling.com/2011/portimao-superbike-test-haslam-leads-day-two ) the results have been encouraging. The three day end of November tests at Portimao followed a three day session with the new bike at Jerez in Spain (see: http://www.bmw-motorrad.com/com/en/index.html?content=http://www.bmw-motorrad.com/com/en/motorsports/superbike/news_reports/news.jsp¬rack=1 )

Not only was Melandri quickly on the pace, so too was Leon Haslam while Ayrton Badovini on the BMW Motorrad Italia S1000RR showed he can be expected to be fighting for podiums in 2012. Joining Badovini in the Italian BMW team is former Xerox Ducati and Alstare Suzuki rider Michel Fabrizio, another initially left without a ride following the withdrawal of his 2011 team, in his case, Alstare Suzuki.

Bolstering the BMW factory effort are three Italians who may prove key: former Alstare Suzuki technical director Bruno Bailly will be reunited with Leon Haslam while Andrea Dosoli and Silvano Galbusera, team manager and technical manager respectively of the former Yamaha factory team, came "in the baggage" of Melandri, as French website Sport Bikes put it (see: http://www.sport-bikes.fr/sbk---suzuki--aprilia-et-bmw-vont-tester-a-portimao-_a3193.html )

Bruno Bailly has great respect for Haslam. The pair kept Suzuki’s GSX-R1000 at the top of the 2010 championship for months despite the withdrawal of support by the Suzuki factory. Last year Bailly continued his own development of the Suzuki to keep it competitive and now back with Haslam, is bound to work hard to overcome the BMW’s weaknesses: lack of traction from mid-corner and lack of front-end stability in corner entry. On the Suzuki, no one went into corners harder than Haslam, something the Englishman has missed with the BMW.

And with Silvano Galbusera continuing on with Melandri, albeit on a completely different motorcycle to the cross-plane crankshaft Yamaha, do not be surprised to see the BMWs right at the front come Phillip Island.

GOODBYE ALSTARE, HELLO CRESCENT

After struggling along without sponsorship in 2011, Francis Batta decided to withdraw the Alstare Suzuki team from Superbike competition after the end of the 2011 season. However, Suzuki will still be represented – with the English Crescent Suzuki team joining the Superbike fray.

First rider signed was Leon Camier (see: http://www.kiwiridernews.com/2011/11/new-suzuki-team-in-swc-series.html ), later followed by former Suzuki GP rider John Hopkins. After battling alcohol and drug problems at the end of his Suzuki MotoGP days, Hopkins got himself back on track in the British Superbike Championship in 2011, finishing a very close runner-up to winner Tommy Hill (Yamaha) – by two points, 647 to 645. He also contested the Silverstone round of the of the 2011 Superbike World Championship, putting a GSX-R1000 on pole for the first time in the season, and finishing 5-7 in the two races.

Hopkins’ Silverstone pole time was 2m 04.041s, two seconds off Casey Stoner’s MotoGP pole of 2m 02.020s, recorded a month earlier in very similar track conditions.

The Crescent Suzuki team will use Yoshimura engines supplied from Japan. Yoshimura contested three rounds of the 2011 championship with Australian Josh Waters as a wild card entry in a toe-in-the-water exercise. In addition to the Yoshimura engines, the English Suzuki team will use Australian MoTeC electronics and Brembo brakes (see: http://www.crescent-motorcycles.com/news/story.asp?story=20111201095110_CRESCENT ).

The new Suzuki operation may struggle a little in the first part of the season but could be a podium contented by mid-season.

HONDA RE-CHARGED

In its first season sponsoring the Dutch Ten Kate Honda team, British Petroleum subsidiary Castrol did not have a lot of cheer. Irishman Johnny Rea suffered several injuries and the team appeared to struggle to find a good set-up at times. However, when the bike was right and Rea was fit, he was a hard man to beat. The same could not be said of team-mate Rueben Xaus, who has not had his contract renewed for 2012.

Joining Rea at Castrol Honda is MotoGP refugee, Japanese star Hiroshi Aoyama, the man who won the last World 250 Championship before the introduction of the Moto2 four-strokes-only class.

While the Honda CBR1000RR is similar to the bike the team first raced in 2008, there have been upgrades to the 2012 production bike which will no doubt be helpful for the Castrol Honda team in Superbike racing.

KAWASAKI GOES SPANISH

After three years as the factory-backed Kawasaki team in the Superbike World Championship, English-based Paul Bird Motorsport lost its contract with the factory. The announcement was made on the morning of September 4, immediately before the tenth round of the 2011 series at Nurburgring in Germany.

Ironically, that afternoon, on a streaming wet Nurburgring, Paul Bird Motorsports’ Tom Sykes scored the first win for the all-new Kawasaki ZX-10R Ninja – after qualifying sixth fastest then finishing 11th in the first 102 km race. Team-mate, Superbike rookie Joan Lascorz, finished seventh in the first race then struggled home 11th in the second outing, which was red-flagged due to the dangerous conditions after 14 of the scheduled 20 laps had been run.

Sykes’ win, only a few hours after learning Paul Bird Motorsports contract would not be renewed, was the first for Kawasaki in the Superbike World Championship in five years. The previous win came when another English rider, Chris Walker, took the second version of the ZX-10R to victory in similar conditions at Assen. In that September 3, 2006 event, Walker did it the hard way: he arrived on the grid late and had to start from the back of the pack, got tangled up in a first turn mishap that ran him off track but rode through the field to win.

Sykes’ win in Germany is only the second for Kawasaki’s ZX-10R, now in its fourth distinct version since the original was released in 2004. Sykes’ win underlines his standing as a strong wet-weather performer. In 2010 he scored the Paul Bird Kawasaki team its first pole, at Imola and also took pole at Misano in June this year, both times in the wet.

In announcing the withdrawal of support to the English team, Kawasaki's Race Manager, Ichiro Yoda, praised the efforts of Paul Bird Motorsports over the past three years. He then announced Kawasaki’s new direction for 2012 and beyond. The text of the Kawasaki statement is as follows:

“Underlining a commitment to the internationally recognised World Superbike Championship, Kawasaki has announced a continued participation in the popular series in 2012. Focusing on the further development and race winning potential of the new Ninja ZX-10R, the company has decided to exercise a greater degree of control over the engineering and structured development of the flagship machine for the 2012 season.

“Having worked closely with the Cumbrian-based team of Paul Bird Motorsport for the past three years, the relationship for the WSB effort will draw to a close at the end of the 2011 season”.

Kawasaki praised the efforts of PBM and all those team members and riders involved in that time via Race Manager, Ichiro Yoda, who said:

“We have enjoyed three valuable years alongside the Paul Bird Motorsport team and would like to put on record our sincere thanks for the time, effort and dedication they have shown to the Kawasaki World Superbike racing programme.

“The direction of our World Superbike effort from 2012 moves to even closer control from our HQ where decisions will be made back in Japan. There are plans for much more testing in the future and so from a European logistical perspective Kawasaki’s WSB operating base will need to be close to the best circuits and good weather conditions, for practical reasons. Additionally, this new situation must also match the budget constraints that the company has to operate within.

“Understandably, it is a considerable challenge to develop a brand new machine into a potential race winner whilst competing in the public arena, and we applaud the efforts of all those who have contributed towards getting us to our current position. We hope that everyone with an interest in the World Superbike Championship will look forward to seeing Kawasaki on the grid once more in 2012.”

Just a few hours after Sykes’ win on the new ZX-10R, team owner Paul Bird issued his own statement:

"Having learned this morning that we wouldn't be running the Kawasaki team next year was a massive blow and the team responded magnificently with our strongest performance of the season. As well as us, Tom was told his services would not be required next season so what better way of proving a point than giving the factory its first victory in five years, but you have to say they make some great decisions don't they?

“Getting sacked proved to be a lucky omen for us and I’m delighted for Tom and the team as they have been through the mill at times with this project. It’s a shame we can’t see it through given all our hard work but as one door closes, another opens and we look forward to the challenges ahead should we decide to carry on.”

Bird signed Sykes on a personal contract for the 2011 season after Kawasaki's decision to retain injured Australian Chris Vermeulen and honour a long-standing agreement with Spanish rider Joan Lascorz.

However, a statement issued on behalf of Sykes by his personal management two days later made it clear that as far as he was concerned, he was still talking with Kawasaki about his future.

The Sykes’ statement read:

"In response to recent events, and as the sole appointed party responsible for negotiating Tom Sykes' on-going contracts, we can confirm the following: Tom remains a fully committed Paul Bird Motorsport (PBM) team rider and will continue to do so for the duration of his current contract. For the remainder of the season Tom's primary focus is to produce the best possible results for PBM and Kawasaki, as his recent win at the Nurburgring would confirm.

"It is clear from Tom and also Kawasaki that there is a strong desire from both parties for there to be an on-going relationship that can reap the full benefits of the work done to date. Discussions regarding this matter are in progress at this time.

"Once Tom's plans have been finalised, these will be communicated via ourselves in the usual manner. In the meantime Tom will continue his role as a professional WSBK rider, doing his utmost to represent PBM and their associated sponsors, Kawasaki, and his own personal sponsors in the best possible way at all times."

After the announcement, there was speculation that Provec Motocard.com, which runs a Kawasaki team in World Supersport, would take over the Kawasaki Superbike operation, and that has been what has transpired.

Both Lascorz and Sykes have been retained and tested the 2012 version of the ZX-10R at Portimao two days after the last round of the 2011 season (see: http://www.kawasaki-racingteam.eu/road-race/news.asp?Id=B637DF6662 ).

Following that the team tested at both Aragon and Valencia in Spain, with encouraging results (see: http://www.kawasaki-racingteam.eu/road-race/news.asp?Id=B637D62773 and http://www.worldsbk.com/en/news/5-news/9639-record-pace-for-sykes-in-spanish-testing.html ).

Kawasaki has been represented in the Superbike World Championship right from the inaugural year and the record shows that Frenchman Adrien Morillas scored the first of the company’s 46 race wins in the class at the Hungaroring on April 30, 1988.

All but two of those wins came with 750cc four cylinder machines; Kawasaki’s only wins with the ZX-10R are Walker’s amazing win at Assen in 2006 and Sykes’ gutsy effort at the Nurburgring in September 2011.

Kawasaki has only won the Superbike World Championship once. That was in 1993 when Georgia’s Scott Russell clinched the Superbike crown on a Bob Muzzy Kawasaki ZXR750 with New Zealand’s Aaron Slight as his team-mate.

TAUPO TO HOST NZ SX FINAL

2011-12-23T11:35:00.000+13:00

The Taupo Motorcycle Club will host the final round of the BackFlips New Zealand Supercross Champs on the Addiction SX Track January 14th.

International stars Josh Coppins and Cody Cooper will head a strong field of New Zealand riders as they compete for their respective New Zealand championship honour at Taupo.

As well as the NZ titles the event will also see competition for the North Island Championship. The Taupo event follows closely behind rounds one in Timaru January 4th and round two Nelson January 8th.

The Addiction Supercross track is a new facility located in the world famous Digger McEwen Track off Miro st in Taupo just 5mins from the town centre.

Top local riders to look out for are Brad Groombridge and Nick Saunders competing in the supercross open class and Cam Dillon in the supercross lites class. The local riders have been practicing hard at the Addiction SX track and are looking forward to the final at Taupo.

The championship classes comprises of four classes being divided by capacity ratings. The two senior classes are Supercross lites, Supercross open and the two Junior classes being Junior 250 and Junior lites.

Spectator gates open at 11:00 am with action set to start at 12 noon with practices, qualifying and North Island Championships. This will be followed by half time entertainment with the NZ finals beginning at 4 pm to 7 pm.

Tickets are gate sales only with prices for adults $20, children $5, five years or under free and family pass $40 two adults three children. More information see www.taupomcc.co.nz.

KIWIS TAKE JUDGEMENT DAY TITLE AGAIN

2011-12-20T11:49:00.000+13:00

KIWIS TAKE JUDGEMENT DAY TITLE AGAINHARLEY-DAVIDSON ANNOUNCES THE 2012 WINNERS

Harley-Davidson Australia today announced the winners of the ultimate dealer and rider customisation battle - Judgement Day 2012. Almost 3,500 customers across Australia and New Zealand battled it out, but the Kiwi reigning champions maintained their winning title.

Harley-Davidson challenged dealers across Australia and New Zealand to put their original stamp on a 2011 Softail®Standard, using the model’s classic hard tail style to inspire individuality and demonstrate the level of customisation available on this iconic canvas of metal.

The overall winner, voted by the public, is ‘The Boss’, built by Rolling Thunder Motorcycles in Christchurch, who have taken the title for the second year running.

"Rolling Thunder Harley-Davidson was relentlessly committed to proving that last year's Judgment Day victory wasn't just a fluke, and also to show our community and ourselves that we were not going to let the devastating earthquakes of the past year prevent us from accepting the challenge and bringing our "A game". The adversity we faced in this past year crippled or finished many weaker teams. Instead, the events of the past year have forged a stronger and more capable Rolling Thunder team exemplified by what we can produce with The Boss and The Bomber. I am immensely proud, privileged, and humbled to lead such an incredible crew." said Chris Elles, Managing Director of Rolling Thunder.

The other winners of the build-off are Thomas Lee Motorcycles in Moree for best paint job and Harley Heaven in Adelaide for best low budget customisation.

Mr Steve Lorimer of Karrinyup, WA is the overall customer winner, taking home the 2011 Softail Standard grand prize. 75 other customers were also awarded with Harley-Davidson prizes in this year’s competition.

Adam Wright, Marketing Director, Harley-Davidson Australia said: “Congratulations to all our winners and to everyone for taking part. At Harley-Davidson we are big believers in innovation and self expression, and Judgement Day let our customers see the level of customisation that’s available within the Softail® range. We were absolutely blown away by some of the creations! Roll on next year!”

The winning bikes can be viewed on the Harley-Davidson Australia Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/HarleyDavidsonAU

The Judgement Day competition participants had to compete in 12 challenges over 27 days. Each challenge was designed to test their commitment, creativity and knowledge, until one stood out from the crowd. The annual competition continues to grow and attract more worthy contenders year on year.

HASSAN SURPRISES - BUGDEN UNBEATABLE

2011-12-19T16:50:00.001+13:00

Tri Series Action from Hampton Downs

Robbie Bugden took victory in both F1 Superbike races on his Triple R Race Team Suzuki GSXR1000 at Hampton Downs on Saturday.

The slow starting Australian didn’t have it all his own way however as defending Suzuki Tri-Series champion Andrew Stroud (Hamilton), Craig Shirriffs (Fielding) and Nick Cole (Hamilton) pushed him all the way in the opening leg.

Stroud, Bugden and Shirriffs battled hard at the front and Pole sitter Nick Cole (Kawasaki ZX-10R) was never out of the fray. Bugden snatched the lead at half race distance and was awarded the win ahead of fellow Suzuki GSXR1000 riders Shirriffs, Stroud and Red Devil Racings Cole in a shortened race.

In race two Bugden lead the field over the hill on lap one and held his position at record pace until the chequered flag. Stroud looked threatening on his David Reid Homes’ Suzuki Superbike until fading towards race end to finish second. Slightly behind the leaders Cole and Shirriffs had their own scrap for third until Cole slipped down the order, and Shirriffs crashed his Shirriffs Installation Suzuki with two laps remaining.

Last year’s upset winner Sloan Frost ran off track in the opening heat with traction control problems on his BMW, then came back from last to cross the line seventh. In heat two Frost, now living in Wellington, had another slow start before finding form to slice through the field and snatch third from Suzuki rider Ray Clee.

A resurgent Clee battled for fourth most of the race with James Smith while Superbike rookie Scott Moir, who crashed in race one, brought his Honda CBR1000RR home in sixth, ahead of Cole.

Bugden said after the racing, “I had a good weekend as I hadn’t ridden the bike until lunchtime yesterday so we’re still developing it. We lacked a bit of consistency in the first race so we made some changes and bashed out some good laps in the second race. We’re back fitter, stronger and more hungry so fired a warning shot today and our focus is on winning the nationals.”

With Bugden not riding at Manfield on Saturday for round two, Stroud knows he’ll have to lift his game to keep his rivals at bay in order to achieve an unprecedented fourth Tri-Series title - and start earning the lion’s share of the $30,000 prizemoney on offer in the richest series on the calendar.

Stroud’s GSXR1000 suffered a mystery ignition cut in race one while leading but fixed it for the second leg, riding faster than ever. “I was struggling to get into the groove in the second race but my times were 1m 03.28s which is faster than I’ve ever been around here before! For the first half of that race I was comfortable sitting behind him but I was caught behind a backmarker at the wrong time and didn’t get through then Robbie pulled a gap. I tried to catch him again but the front wheel tucked under a couple of times but Robbie is riding so well I have to be totally on top of my game to match him!”

Surprise of the series is 17 year old Jaden Hassan, who bested in both races 600 Supers favourite Glen Skachill, of Wellington, himself unbeaten during last year’s Suzuki Tri-Series. The Aucklander started each race behind early leaders and Suzuki GSXR600 riders Skachill and Dennis Charlett (Christchurch), but valiantly fought through on his Yamaha R6, taking full advantage of his home track knowledge.

Aucklander Karl Morgan (Suzuki) and 15 year old Australian Josh McGrath (Yamaha) came home fourth and fifth respectively in each leg.

Hassan recently returned from a one-off race in Japan arranged by Kiwi legend Graeme Crosby, and Hassan attributes much of his success to Crosby’s mentoring. Hassan rode with healing broken left toes yet set a new lap record, “In Japan Crosby helped me to understand what I was doing wrong on the bike with my riding and how to go around the corner rather than just go into it and out. It genuinely helped! I’ve been working on that over the last couple of weeks and on my throttle control trying to smooth my riding out,” Hassan explains.

Hassan would be thrilled to repeat his victories at Manfield on Saturday where Skachill will be very difficult to beat. “It’s going to really tough, especially with that new Suzuki and the mid-range power it has launching off the corners. My Yamaha is a least as good in the top end if not a little quicker, so we have some strengths and weaknesses but we’ll play to our strengths.”

Glen Williams took a pair of well earned wins in the popular Post Classic category, ahead of Eddie Kattenburg and 2010 Tri-Series class champion Sean Donnelly, on a much older Kawasaki machine. Steve Bridge rode an even older 1970s era Norton SBR750 Commando to a fine pair of fourth place finishes, ahead of a strong field of more powerful 1970s and ’80 bikes.

Williams enjoyed a good day at the races after also winning both F3 Sportbike races on his modified Suzuki SVR650.

Wanganui’s Adam Unsworth/Stu Dawe scored two good wins aboard their Windle Honda sidecar, ahead of the Dwayne Bishop/Dave Dennison and Darren Pate/Karl Verdellen combinations in the first heat, then Des James/Warren Miller and female racers Tracey Anderson/Jo Mickleson in the re-started second race.

The 450 Moto class provided the crowd with some exciting racing and broad-slide manoeuvres between Richard Dibben, Glen Haden, Jayden Carrick, (all Wanganui), Toby Summers (Auckland), Scott Birch (Rotorua), Casey Bullock (Taupo) and Tauranga’s Duncan Hart. Summers’ experience showed by taking both wins on his Yamaha YZF450 from Carrick and Haden in race one, and Haden and Carrick in race two.

Andrew Stroud’s eldest son Jacob enjoyed some great racing during his second ever motorcycle event in the entry-level Ultra Lites class of the Suzuki Tri-Series. Riding a low powered Suzuki RG150 the 13 year old battled with Havelock North’s Tyler Lincoln (Kawasaki KR150), who is also 13, with the pair finishing both heats ahead of more experienced adults, even if down the order. Both races were won by Otaki’s Sarah Elliott.

Source: Suzuki NZ.

ANOTHER STROUD GETS THE GOOD OIL

2011-12-19T16:44:00.002+13:00

Jacob Stroud

Words and photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com

Like father; like son.

He may have just-turned 13, but already young Jacob Stroud is turning heads on the motorcycle road-race scene.

This probably comes as no surprise to anyone who follows the sport – Jacob Stroud is, afterall, the eldest son of nine-times and current national superbike champion Andrew Stroud – but to have a sponsored ride less than two months into a fledgling career is still quite a remarkable achievement.

Fresh from signing a contract to support Andrew Stroud on his David Reid Homes Suzuki GSX-R1000, Mobil 1 has also agreed to help fund Jacob Stroud’s racing career and already the youngster is repaying the leading oil company with impressive results.

After two of three rounds in this year’s annual Suzuki Tri Series, Stroud junior has taken his 150cc bike to fifth overall in the ultralites class – although that class is led by a 250cc bike rider and Stroud is actually winning the battle-within-a-battle for riders in the class on 150cc bikes.

Stroud’s proper racing debut was at round one of the series at Hampton Downs, near Huntly, a fortnight ago and he made further progress racing at round two at Manfeild on Saturday, finishing eighth and sixth in his two races among the 250cc bikes.

“Ever since I was about three I wanted to race bikes,” said Jacob.

“I remember climbing inside dad’s gear bag and hiding there, jumping out to surprise him. I remember, too, sitting on dad’s superbike and not being able to reach the handlebars or footpegs … quite a lot like now really.

“The 150cc two-stroke bike is still a bit big for me too. But everything’s too big for me at the moment, even my leathers. They’re saggy but I should grow into them.

“Dad’s been a good coach. Couldn’t have a better coach than a nine-times national champion.”

Jacob’s racing has added an extra element to racing for the Stroud family, not that parents Andrew and Karyn Stroud need the additional workload with a serious superbike campaign to manage and eight energetic siblings all scampering around the pits.

“It’s very interesting watching Jacob ride,” said his champion father, Andrew.

“It gives an added dimension to me coming to the race track. In his first race on a proper track he got within two seconds of the lap record for his class. I’m very proud.

“It looks like he may have what it takes to win bike races and he only weighs 33 kilos … that’s not even half my weight,” Andrew laughed.

STROUD’S WINNING FORMULA

2011-12-19T16:41:00.000+13:00

Andrew Stroud aiming at Tri Series No.4

Words and photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com

The motorcycling world knows that Waikato’s Andrew Stroud is lightning fast on a 1000cc superbike, but he’s likely to be even quicker this season because now he’ll truly be greased lightning.

Stroud is the current Suzuki Tri Series superbike champion and also the reigning New Zealand superbike champion and, after the weekend’s performance at the 2011 Tri Series opener at Hampton Downs, he looks well on target to again bag the double this season. Perhaps it was a slick response to the deal he ratified the day before, when he agreed to use Mobil 1 oil for the 2011-2012 season, that gave him added impetus.

With Mobil 1 backing, Stroud hopes to embark on another glorious season, further punctuating a career that has already garnered an unrivalled nine national superbike crowns. “It’s an absolute pleasure and privilege to be able to support a man who is a Kiwi motorcycling icon and a hero to so many,” said Allied Lubricants Limited sales manager David Goodstone. Stroud is in very good company because, worldwide, Mobil has a long and proud history of supporting well those who rely on their products, many of them leaders in their respective fields.

Gymkhana star and World Rally Championship driver Ken Block earlier this year made Mobil 1 the official oil of Ken Block and the Monster World Rally Team. “My team and I put a priority on only working with premium products, and Mobil 1 has a real pedigree in racing,” said Block. “I am thrilled to partner with them and use Mobil 1.” Meanwhile, Stroud will have his next outing on the Mobil 1-lubricated David Reid Homes-sponsored Suzuki GSX-R1000 at Manfeild this weekend when he contests round two of the Suzuki Tri Series in the glamour superbike class.

Stroud is already convinced of the superiority of the Mobil product. He was using Mobil 1 in his bike when he wrapped up his ninth national superbike crown last season. Stroud also used Mobil 1 when he won the World Bears Series (for non-Japanese bikes) in Europe and the United States in 1995.

BMW'S FROST BITES

2011-12-07T16:02:00.001+13:00

Sloan Frost in action

Suzuki International Tri-Series BMW Frost Bites

The 10th of December marks the start of summer of motorcycle racing - kicked off by the inaugural Suzuki International Tri-Series.

The hard and fast series races over three circuits in the North Island, this year offers $30,000 in prize money up for grabs.

First round’s at Hampton Downs, then Manfield and the final - the legendary street race – at Cemetery Circuit, Whanganui, on Boxing Day.

Last year’s Tri-Series saw Sloan Frost set down the challenge, asserting dominance and taking first place astride the BMWS1000RR in F1 Superbikes at Hampton Downs, Sloan went on to thrill dedicated BMW and M1Motorsport fans with achieving 2nd place overall in F1 Superbikes retaining the2009 series result.

With Sloan competing simultaneously in the British European American Racing class, more commonly known as BEARS class, Sloan’s commitment and tenacity will be a force to be reckoned with, on-board the characteristic HP2 Sport BMW.

Frost explained “I’m looking forward to the challenges of racing the BMW HP2s.

“It’s completely different, sporting a flat twin, tele-lever and it’s a shaft driven monster that puts down around 60% of the HP of the S1000RR.

This adds another element to the BEARS class, as die-hard BMW fans will appreciate what is ultimately; a true blue, grass roots BMW, scraping its heads! ”

”The objective with the Tri-Series is to push beyond personal expectations. I’m rapt to compete in very good company, with some of the fastest riders from both New Zealand and Australia, I’ve put in the hard work, and we have the perfect machinery and a brilliant set up.”

Is Sloan feeling the slightest amount of pressure?

“I’ll take each race as it comes, the Tri Series is important, but we don’t want to show all our cards before the 2012 National Superbikes, where securing Number 1 in New Zealand is our ultimate goal.” Sloan replied.

Sloan further throws down the gauntlet, adding “However, be rest assured, I never ride for 2nd place.”

BMW Race fans can expect a gutsy performance.

MOTOGP COMPETITOR BECOMES MONK

2011-12-07T09:23:00.001+13:00

Words / Photo: Todd Sutherland

Thai racer Ratthapark Wilarot, who this season was a competitor in the Moto2 class has become a Buddist Monk.

Tradition has it that citizens, shave their head and eyebrows and enter the monastry for at least a few weeks at least once in their lifetime.

Read more here http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2011/wilairot+is+a+buddhist+monk+for+15+days

BUGDEN IN WINNING 8 HOUR TEAM

2011-12-05T09:06:00.001+13:00

Team Suzuki powers to Phillip Island 8 Hour success

The Team Suzuki trio of Josh Waters, Troy Herfoss and Robbie Bugden ( a 3 time NZ Superbike champion) has produced an imperious display of calculated, front-running racing to easily claim the honours in the inaugural Phillip Island 8 Hour Australian Endurance Championship at the Victorian circuit this afternoon.

The factory-backed outfit didn’t put a foot wrong all day, starting from pole position before seizing control from the outset – a Le Mans start -- thanks to the in-form Waters.

With impressive back-up service from Herfoss and Bugden, the trio already had a vice-like grip on the race by the halfway mark, and the final stanza was all about maintaining a consistent pace, staying clear of any potential trouble, and making sure their fuel and tyre management strategies were spot on.

And they made every post a winner, with the GSX-R1000 completing 279 laps – or 1241km – of the 4.448km circuit to finish five laps ahead of the GSX-R600 piloted by Brodie Waters, Ben Attard and Mitchell Carr – a quinella for Team Suzuki.

Josh Waters also set the fastest lap of the race (1:34.805) to make it a clean sweep of accolades for the winning machine.

“It was a pretty cool day, and the team didn’t miss a beat all day,” said Josh Waters. “It’s also been great working with two great riders and it’s a credit to Suzuki and our whole team for the way the bikes have been prepared.

“I’m also stoked that my brothers have joined me on the podium, and it will certainly make for a great photo.”

Waters was third in last year’s Phillip Island 6 Hour alongside erstwhile Suzuki teammate Shawn Giles.

Meanwhile, the Cube Racing GSX-R1000 of Ben Henry, Bryan Staring and Nicholas Waters began the race in impressive fashion, swapping second position with Waters/Attard/Carr for a fair amount of time until it became firmly ensconced in third spot by the four-hour mark.

And that’s where the triumvirate remained, with the three leading teams clearly setting a pace which was unmatched by the other 23 bikes in the race.

And the third place for Cube Racing also completed a golden day for the three Waters siblings from Mildura, who all made their way onto the dais.

Suzuki’s domination of the top placings didn’t end at the top three, with the Superstock 1000-spec, Bridgestone-backed GSX-R1000 of Trent Gibson, Greg Epis and Jay Layman finishing an excellent fourth, ahead of the WNR Kawasaki ZX-6R Supersport machine of Scott, Jed Metcher and Alex Cudlin.

WNR was expected to push Waters/Carr/Attard all the way in the Supersport class, but some early woes saw them drop well outside the top 10 – and with it any chance of a top three finish.

Despite the early disappointment, WNR stuck to its guns and eventually picked its way back to fifth place, finishing 17 laps behind the winning team.

Other than a light sprinkle just after the start, the race was held in dry conditions, which probably helped to keep the attrition rate to a minimum.

Amazingly, 22 of the 25 teams completed the distance, although a few of them had to spend lengthy periods in the pits tending to crash repairs or mechanical gremlins.

Former AFL great Jason Akermanis’ Honda-backed team was one of the 22 finishers, making good on his road racing debut to finish in 16th spot, and third in the Superstock 600 class, despite being troubled by a warped disc in the last 90 minutes.

The other class winners were WET4U Racing (Paul Grant-Mitchell/Colin Lewis/Murray Clark/Michael Thomas, ZX-6R) in Superstock 600 and Miltronics Corporation (Steve Cutting/Dean Holmes/Phillip Gray, Triumph Daytona 675) in Bears.

TOP 10 RESULTS
1. Team Suzuki (Josh Waters/ Herfoss/Robbie Bugden), GSX-R1000, 279 laps
2. Team Suzuki (Brodie Waters/Mitchell Carr/Ben Attard), GSX-R600 +5 laps
3. Cube Racing (Ben Henry, Bryan Staring/Nicholas Waters), GSX-R1000, +9 laps
4. Bridgestone (Trent Gibson/Greg Epis/Jay Layman), GSX-R1000, +15 laps
5. WNR Kawasaki (Glenn Scott/Jed Metcher/Alex Cudlin), ZX-6R, +17 laps
6. Lovetts Earthmoving (Phil Lovett, Simon Galloway/Dustin Goldsmith, Kawasaki ZX-10R, +19 laps
7. WET4U Racing (Paul Grant-Mitchell/Colin Lewis/Murray Clark/Michael Thomas), ZX-6R, +24 laps
8. California Superbike School (Kris Parnell/Luke Martin/Josh Galster/Adam Raffe), GSX-R600, +25 laps
9. Mick Muldoon Kawasaki (Sam Muldoon/Steve Wood/Jim Burke), ZX-10R, +27 laps
10. Dirty Bits Racing (Rob Vikuckis/Jamie Videon/Brian Clow), ZX-6R, +27 laps

For full results:
http://www.computime.com.au/meetings/2011/8HR/8HR_11_R13_RES.HTML

NEW ZEALAND GETS MOTORCYCLE GP!

2011-11-30T10:59:00.009+13:00

By Michael Esdaile

WESTERN Springs Speedway promotion principal Bill Buckley has pulled off a major coup with the announcement of the first Speedway World Championship race to be held in New Zealand.

This is just the second time the World Speedway Championship has been staged in the Southern Hemisphere. In October 2002, Sydney hosted the event at Telstra Stadium.

This time, the March 31, 2012 event will be the opening round of the FIM World Speedway Championship Grand Prix series in which 15 International stars plus a New Zealand ëwild cardí will face the starting tapes for 20 heat races followed by two semi-finals and a grand final.

But before that can happen, the present clay surface that has been designed for 700 hp Sprintcars has to be dug up and replaced with a surface compatible for 500cc methanol-burning speedway bikes, and the concrete fence around the 413 metre track has to be covered with a wooden safety fence.

At the official media announcement of the event, held at Western Springs Speedway on Tuesday, November 29, FIM Speedway Director of Sports and former three-times World Speedway Champion Ole Olsen said he was working with local materials supplier Stevensons Group Ltd. to come up with the correct formulation for the new racing surface.

Replacing the Western Springs racing surface is a major undertaking that will involve two weeks work for 20 people, 2000 tonnes of clay being trucked away and 2000 tonnes of the special FIM aggregate being laid down.

Asked by Master of Ceremonies Peter Montgomery whether he thought the 20,000 plus seat natural amphitheatre would be filled on the big night, Bill Buckley said he was confident the New Zealand speedway fans would respond very positively to the event.

'We have already had an approach for seats from a group in Invercargill who are chartering a Boeing 737 to fly up for that weekend,' Buckley said, adding that there had also been strong interest in the corporate boxes.

As well as the concrete terrace seating, special grand stands would be built for the event and with ticket prices at just $120 for grand stand seats and $45 for general admission tickets, Buckleyís confidence is understandable.

The Speedway World Championship is the oldest of the Fédération Internationale Motocyclisme (FIM) motorcycle world championships, kicking off in 1936 with the World Final at Londonís Wembley Stadium.

Up until 1995, the World Speedway Championship was decided over 20 heats of racing on one night ñ the World Final. To make it to the World Final, speedway riders had to qualify through their national championships, regional championships and then an Inter-Continental Final to make it to the big night.

Proving that New Zealanders used to have what it takes to handle the pressure of a winner-takes-all World Final, Kiwi riders won no fewer than 12 world finals between 1954 and 1979. The men were Ronnie Moore (1954 and 1959, and three times the runner-up), Barry Briggs (1957, 1958, 1964 and 1966 and runner-up on three other occasions) and Ivan Mauger (1968, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1977 and 1979, and runner-up on three other occasions).

Briggs appeared in a record 17 consecutive World Individual Finals (1954-70), and a record 18 in all, during which he scored a record 201 points.

Mauger's achievements were no less sspectacular in 1970, two United States citizens, George Wenn and Ray Bokelman, vowed that if Ivan Mauger won three world finals in a row at Wrocaw (Poland), they would have the winning bike gold-plated. Mauger duly won the World Final that year, and true to their promise, the Americans took his bike back to the USA where it was duly gold-plated, and so was born the "Triple Crown Special." The machine currently resides at Canterbury Museum in Christchurch.

Tickets to the FIM Speedway Grand Prix at Western Springs are on sale from Ticketmaster – www.ticketmaster.co.nz – or from the official website of world speedway: www.speedwaygp.com

The Ed and Barry Briggs on his recent visit:

JOIN THE CANNONBALL RUN IN JANUARY

2011-11-28T14:48:00.001+13:00

Click to Enlarge

Interest from motorcycle riders keen to join the fun has prompted the organisers of the annual 'Cannonball Run' to open their 2012 event on Saturday January 07 2012 to entrants on two-wheels.

Last year's run attracted 175 vehicles and over 600 people with that number set to increase even further now that the one-day non-competitive, fun event is open to bikes and bikers who will have their own class and be eligible for their own bike-specific prizes.

Organiser Nic Scott of Auckland Motorsport says that he is hoping to see bike riders get together with their friends and enter teams of between two and four bikes to make the most of the comaraderie the event is justifiably famous for.

For more information and ticket sales head on over to www.aucklandmotorsport.co.nz And if you enter tell 'em you read about it first on the KR website.

FAST, FASTER, FASTEST!

2011-11-25T16:20:00.001+13:00

New Zealand audiences will get a rider’s-eye view of the high-stakes world of the MotoGP world championship when Fastest, a new documentary feature from award-winning director Mark Neale, speeds into cinemas on December 08.

Sequel to 'Faster', and narrated by actor and bike enthusiast Ewan McGregor, Fastest was shot during the 2010 and 2011 world championship seasons, charting the highs and lows of the MotoGP world, including Valentino Rossi’s career-threatening crash at Mugello, his spectacular return to racing at the German Grand Prix, and his debut on the Ducati in 2011.

'Fastest' will open across New Zealand as a special cinema event on December 08 in the following locations; Hoyts cinemes at Sylvia Park, Wairau Park, Te Awa, Riccarton and the Octagon, and Event cinemas at Queen Street, Westcity, Albany, Chartwell and Queensgate.

BRADL SIGNS MOTOGP LCR HONDA DEAL

2011-11-18T13:34:00.001+13:00

The 2011 Moto2 World Champion has been signed up by Lucio Cecchinello’s team to ride in the premier class for the next two years.Link Here

PRIZE-MONEY BOOST FOR TRI-SERIES

2011-11-16T10:44:00.001+13:00

New Zealand road-racing's annual Tri-Series kicks off at Hampton Downs on SaturdayDecember 10 with subsequent rounds at Manfield a week later followed by the 59^th running ofthe famous Cemetery Circuit in Wanganui, on Boxing Day.

The 2010edition eclipsed all expectations, and this year will be no different with$30,000 prizemoney up for grabs!

Heading theF1 Superbike class is defending three-time Suzuki Tri-Series champion AndrewStroud and his Suzuki GSX-R1000 with competition expected to come from BM W S 1000 RR rider Sloan Frost, Kawasaki ZX-10R pilot Nick Cole(Kawasaki), Suzuki star Craig Shirriffs and Honda CBR1000RR pair Hayden Fitzgerald and Ryan Hampton.

Wellington’sGlen Skachill l(Suzuki GSX-R600) looks a good bet in F2 600 Sport, a class which has also attracted entries from current NZ 600 Supersport champion DennisCharlett and fellow Suzuki rider Karl Morgan as well as young gun Jadden Hassan andfellow-international rider Avalon Biddle.

AustralianMotorcycle News sports editor Rennie Scaysbrook is also entered to race a GSX-R600at Wanganui for a first-hand experience of NZ street racing.

Other classes running over the three meetigns are Supermoto, F1 Sidecars, F3 Sportbikes, Post Classics and BEARS.

OrganiserAllan Willacy says the series will have delayed TV coverage on TV1,plus Sky Sport is covering all three rounds with a highlights package forHampton Downs and Manfield, with full coverage at Wanganui.

Livestreaming for a worldwide audience will also be available via the cemeterycircuit.co.nzwebsite.

Early-birdtickets to see the action are now available at www.cemeterycircuit.co.nz.

2011Suzuki International Tri-Series Schedule;

Rnd1: Hampton Downs, December 10

Rnd2: Manfeild, December 17

Rnd3: Wanganui CemeteryCircuit, December 26

TAUPO ENDURANCE RESULTS

2011-11-14T12:02:00.001+13:00

Words: Tony Rees Motorcycles

BJ Cawthorn & Tony Rees finish at the top of what was a very eventful race.After a crash in practice the decision was made to ride Tony's YAMAHA R1 as there was not enough time to repair BJ's Yamaha. It was a flip of the coin (3 times to be fair) as to who would do the Le Mans start and BJ's "Heads" call trumped all 3 times!After a good start BJ settled into third then just before his 30 minute stint was up, dropped to fourth.

With Tony heading out onto the track the leader of the race crashed out bringing out the pace car which cost the team a whole lap as the new leader left the track to pit. Tony then had to put his head down to pull back some time which he did and also got the fastest lap of the race, but still they were only running third due to the pace car mistake.

BJ's next session was where it all changed because it started to rain and the team made the decision to change to wet tyres before anyone else. BJ's lap-times were now considerably faster than everyone else and he dragged the team up to second place.

The lead bike of Fred & Travis Merkel (Fred being a former 2 times World Superbike champion) pitted. Their pit stop was slow, which let the Whakatane team gain the lead by a lap. Tony was sent out for the final 30 minutes, where he gained more time to bring the team home in first position with a 1 Lap & 96 second lead time in front of second placed Travis & Fred Merkel. Mark Bennett & John Oliver were placed third, 4 Laps down from the winning team.

MORE DUCATIS IN 2012

2011-11-08T17:11:00.018+13:00

Carlos Checa - happy to be staying with
AltheaRacing on an 1198R in 2012.
(Photo: Zenio Lapka).

By MICHAEL ESDAILE

DESPITE the fact the Ducati factory will have no factory presence in the Superbike World Championship for the 2012 season, it looks very likely there will be more Ducati twins on the grids than in the past two years.

The Italian marque will be represented in the 2012 Superbike World Championship by no less than six 1198Rs.

The Althea Ducati team, which will field two 1998s, one each for defending Superbike champion Carlos Checa and 2011 Superstock champ Davide Giugliano, who moves up from the FIM Superstock 1000 class.

Genesio Bevilacqua, General Manager of Althea Racing, said he was happy to have reached an agreement with Ducati “that was very important for the continuation of our long term plans.”

“Things took a little longer than expected but fortunately we have resolved these problems in a very positive way, with the help of Ducati and the good sense of all involved. Particular thanks goes to Claudio Domenicali, and to Ducati for deciding to support our team in a difficult period such as this. We will do our best to repay this trust, as we have done this season, as we strive to repeat the kind of success that sacrifice and passion have allowed us to achieve this year,” he said.

“We remained hopeful but it was a complicated issue, especially on an economic level. In the end we were able to convince everyone to find an agreement that would keep the team together and this was of course the greatest news for me. Carlos stated a while ago that he wanted to stay with us and we of course wanted the same outcome so this positive agreement has been reached with Ducati and he’ll be with us again next year, faster than before.”

Naturally Ducati is very pleased to be keeping Checa on an 1198R in 2012, says the company’s Superbike Project Director Ernesto Marinelli.

“I am extremely happy that this agreement, which we never stopped working towards, has led to the confirmation of Carlos in the Althea team for 2012,” Marinelli says. “Ducati has had to make a big effort in order for this to happen, a sign of the affection we have for Carlos, for Genesio and for the whole Althea Team, that has given us this truly incredible result, one that we hope can be replicated in future years,” he added.

Meantime Effenbert Liberty Racing will continue with Ducati, fielding a pair of Frenchmen: Sylvain Guintoli and Maxime Berger. This is an interesting choice for the Czech-based team, which has apparently let its crash-prone Czech rider Jacub Smrz go. Berger raced for the Supersonic Racing Team on a Ducati in 2011 and will be remembered for his spectacular crash at Donington when the rear wheel of his machine broke.

The Ducati presence is not limited to Althea Racing and Effenbert Liberty Racing though. Giuliano Rovelli’s Park ParkinGO team is planning to switch from the Supersport class to Superbikes, with a Ducati 1198R. The ParkinGO team won the Supersport crown this year with Englishman Chaz Davies on a Yamaha YZF-R6. Davies will race the 1198R in the Superbike class in 2012.

“We will have new 1198 machines,” Rovelli has confirmed. “We have ordered them directly from Ducati, so they will be brand new.”

Lucio Nicastro will be the team manager while the technical director is Alberto ‘Moro' Colombo, assisted by an engineer and an electronics engineer from Ducati Corse. Colombo has been involved in many previous Ducati SWC campaigns.

And finally there’s a new Italian team joining the Superbike fray: the Ducati Roma team starting its preparations for the 2012 Superbike World Championship with three days of testing at the Misano circuit from October 29-31, with Niccolò Canepa on board another new 1198R.

Canepa lapped constantly in around 1m 37s familiarizing himself with the Ducati V-twin and the ride-by-wire throttle and engine mapping electronics package, as well as working on suspension and brakes. It was the young Italian’s first time on a Superbike machine since 2008.

LAVERTY TO APRILIA

2011-11-08T16:38:00.007+13:00

IRISHMAN Eugene Laverty has joined the Alitalia Aprilia team for the 2012 Superbike World Championship.

Laverty, Supersport World Champion in 2010, raced a Yamaha YZF-R1 in the 2011 Superbike World Championship but following the announcement that the Yamaha World Superbike Team would withdraw from the championship, he was left looking for a ride.

He was then approached by the Alitalia Aprilia team and rode one of the PATA Racing team’s RSV4s at the Portimao Superbike test session at the conclusion of the 2011 Superbike World Championship, surprising many people by setting fastest time in the time, with a best lap of 1m 42.8s.

"That felt pretty good," said Laverty, "and I did a few other fast laps too. When I first rode it, it felt small and I noticed how much I could move around the bike. We had to make some changes, from the base setting that Aprilia has. We had some chatter and some harshness and we really worked through a lot really and by the end we had all but fixed all the problems we had. Everything I had heard about the Aprilia made me a little bit wary of the rigidity, the lack of engine braking, but it was no problems at the end of me. For me the engine braking was fine and I thought there would be less. I was looking forward to riding this bike and it has really impressed me."

Laverty is due to ride alongside Italian Max Biaggi in 2012 after Englishman Leon Camier’s Aprilia contract was not extended.

NEW SUZUKI TEAM IN SWC SERIES

2011-11-08T16:11:00.014+13:00

WHILE there is still doubt whether the Alstare Suzuki team will participate in the 2012 Superbike World Championship, two GSX-R1000s look likely to be fielded by the English Crescent Suzuki team.

Joining what is planned as a two rider team is 2009 British Superbike Champion Leon Camier, who raced for Aprilia on the RSV4 in the 2010 and 2011 Superbike World Championships.

Camier, who stands 1.90 metres (f feet 3 inches) is unusually tall for a modern motorcycle racer and had great difficulty getting comfortable on the diminutive Aprilia and may be better suited to the slightly rangier GSX-R1000.

English by birth but of French Hugenot descent, Camier started racing at age six on grass-tracks then graduated to Junior road racing on an 80cc machine and became British Junior 80 Road Racing Champion in 1998 at age 12.

Camier raced for Honda for a while in England and in 2007 contested the BSB Championship on a Fireblade, but a major crash at Cadwell Park saw his season brought to a premature end with a broken femur and pelvis.

In 2008 he joined the GSE Airwaves Ducati team and raced an 1198R to fifth in the BSB Championship before joining Yamaha to campaign the then new cross-plane crankshaft YZF-R1 in 2009. This was an enormously successful season for Camier: he won a staggering total of 18 races.

However, he never felt at home at Aprilia, and like many riders through modern racing history, being team-mates with mercurial Massamiliano Biaggi was a challenge.

Crescent Suzuki has been a Suzuki dealer since 1963 and has contested the British Superbike Championship since 1996, enjoying success in both Supersport and Superbike classes, and only missed out on the 2011 British Superbike title by the very narrowest of margins after a thrilling finale, when Anglo-American rider John Hopkins was pipped at the post by Swan Yamaha’s Tommy Hill.

Hopkins led the championship into the final race at Brands Hatch 629 points to Hill’s 627 and in a torrid race that saw the lead change at least five times on the last lap, Hill won narrowly and thus took the crown.

The Crescent Suzuki team, headed by Suzuki MotoGP team manager Paul Denning, has also achieved multiple World Superbike podiums over the years, when entered as a ‘Wild Card’, and achieved pole position with Hopkins at this year's Silverstone SWC race.
“I am absolutely thrilled and I can’t wait to start testing,” says Camier.

“I’m really looking forward to the new season and I believe the Suzuki GSX-R is certainly a very capable bike, especially with the technical plan the guys have in place. This is a fantastic chance for me to take the next step in my career and I’m very thankful to the guys at Crescent for giving me the opportunity.”

“The Suzuki GSX-R is more than capable of achieving podium results in World Superbike,” opines Crescent Suzuki team manager Jack Valentine, who adds: “Leon has already showed that he is capable of producing them as well, so we should be a good partnership. I am sure that the addition of an aggressive, focused rider like Leon to our team, plus the developments planned for the 2012 GSX-R1000, will put us in a good position for the start of Crescent Suzuki’s first year of World Superbike competition.”

SBK RULES CHANGED: TWINS PENALISED

2011-11-08T15:23:00.008+13:00

By MICHAEL ESDAILE

DUCATI has been rewarded for the racing success of its four-year-old 1198R: next year the 1200cc V-twin will have a six kilogram weigh penalty added to the 50mm intake restrictors it has to run in the Superbike World Championship.

This is one of several changes to the rules governing the Superbike and Supersport World Championships as well as the FIM Superstock Cup, announced by the six-man FIM Superbike Commission on October 27.

The minimum weights in the Superbike class now are – 1200cc twins: 171 kg; 1000cc fours: 165 kg. Since 2010, twins and fours have had the same minimum weight of 165 kg but following the success of Spaniard Carlos Checa on the Althea Racing 1198R Ducati in 2011, Ducati has been penalised for its success.

In the Superstock classes, the minimum weights for each model motorcycle competing will be calculated by subtracting 8% from the ‘dry’ weight of the motorcycle, rounded off to the next lower whole number. None of the Superstock machines is allowed to weigh less than 165 kg.

In other technical controls, the Supersport class has had an engine restriction placed on it. According to the ruling from the FIM Superbike Commission, “the total number of engines that can be used by each rider during the entire championship is limited to eight (8).”

With 13 rounds in the Supersport championship, and on average each rider completing around 400 km of practice, qualifying and racing, that’s a total of around 5500 kilometres. So the new rules mandate a minimum of around 690 km for each four cylinder 600cc engine.

In the two Superstock (1000 and 600cc) classes, the total number of engines each rider can use over the course of the championship is three (3). Given that there are 10 rounds of the FIM Superstock Championships, and around 330 km of practice and racing at each, that’s a total of something like 3300 km - or one engine for each 1100 km.

The other change to the technical rules is that like the Supersport and Superstock classes, for the 2012 Superbike World Championship, each team can only present one motorcycle per rider to Technical Control (scrutineering). Each motorcycle will be specially identified by the Technical Controllers. If a rider crashes a motorcycle so badly it cannot continue to be used, the team may then present a second motorcycle to Technical Control.

The effect of this rule is that each rider will only have one motorcycle available at any time during practice, qualifying and racing and the intent is to reduce the costs for the competing teams.

When this rule was introduced for the Supersport and Superstock classes this year, it was credited with seeing an increase in the number of Supersport bikes on the grid as the season progressed.

Other rule changes are:

• Practice by riders and teams contracted to compete in the FIM Superbike World Championship is prohibited from the December 1 until the January 15.

• From January 1, 2012, the date of birth of all prospective Superstock riders must fall between January 1, 1986 and March 29, 1996. (This means riders will be between 16 and 26 years of age).

• All pre-Superpole practice and qualifying session in the Superbike class will now be of 45 minutes duration (previously one hour), and Superpole itself will run to a new timetable.

• A race classified as ‘dry’ prior to the start will be interrupted by the Race Director if it is considered that the weather conditions affecting the racing surface make it likely that riders will wish to change tyres. If a race has been stopped for climatic reasons, then the restart will automatically be a ‘wet’ race.

• A race classified as ‘wet’ will NOT be interrupted for climatic reasons and riders wishing to change tyres must enter the pits and do so during the race.

DUCATI DELAYS SUPERBIKE RETURN

2011-11-08T14:00:00.007+13:00

By Michael Esdaile

AFTER withdrawing its factory team from the Superbike World Championship at the end of the 2010 season, Ducati was reputed to be set for a return with its all new, ultra-short stroke V-twin in 2012. But ahead of the official unveiling of its radical new 1200cc sports bike, Ducati announced it would not race the new bike in the Superbike class in 2012.

Instead, the new bike will be raced in the close-to-standard spec. FIM Superstock 1000 class.

“Developed as a true sport bike with competition in its DNA, the Ducati 1199 Panigale will first see racing action in the 2012 FIM Superstock Championship and, in accordance with the factory's development programme, make its début in World Superbike in 2013,” the official Ducati press release states.

“The two-stage introduction enables Ducati additional development for the Superbike version of the 1199 Panigale, appropriate to the more open regulations of the World Superbike category, and in addition help control costs for World Superbike teams who can continue to compete with a 2012 version of the 1198 with technical support from Ducati engineers,” the statement adds.

There is no question the 1198 – introduced in 2008 – is still competitive: Carlos Checa won this year’s Superbike World Championship on an Althea Racing 1198R Ducati , taking no less than 15 race victories from 26 starts. And in the FIM Superstock 1000 class there was even more Ducati domination, with Althea Racing’s Davide Giugliano taking four of the ten races in the series while Danilo Petrucci of the Barni Racing Team also rode a Ducati 1198R to another four wins. Giugliano was more consistent though and scored a total of 171 points to Petrucci’s 169 to take the title.

In 2010, the FIM Superstock 1000 class had been dominated by BMW Motorrad Italia’s Ayrton Badovini on the then new S1000RR four, but this year he contested the Superbike class, and BMW only scored two race wins in Superstock 1000.

So although BMW has a revised S1000RR for 2012, will it be competitive against the radical new Ducati 1199 Panigale in the FIM Superstock 1000 class?

April 1, 2012 at Imola should provide the answers.

For a look back at the 2011 FIM Superstock 1000 Championship season, click on: http://www.worldsbk.com/en/news/5-news/9441-superstock-1000-fim-cup-season-review.html

INVERCARGILL RIDER'S SCHOLARSHIP

2011-11-08T10:41:00.001+13:00

From a very young age 14-year-old Invercargill rider Hayden Sims has had his sights set on being a professional speedway star, racing around the big arenas of Europe.

This dream has taken a very big step to becoming reality with Sims being selected to travel to Australia as part of the Darren and Sharon Boocock Speedway Academy, an international scholarship that accommodates top talent from Australia and the United Kingdom.

Sims is the first ever New Zealander to be invited to this event and will be part of a junior squad of riders which will spend two weeks at the Academy. Sims will take part in the official press and practice day and three race meetings while in Australia.

The Verdon College year 10 student has been an active figure in the sport in the last year, racing at numerous meetings in both the North and South Island, along with various academies under the watchfull eye of speedway legend and multi-time world champion Ivan Mauger.

Sims has also been invited to another of Maugers Academy’s the weekend of his return.

Sims is a member of the Oreti Park Speedway club and while he will miss the season opener on November 12 at his home track, he will be back racing for the Burt Munro challenge.

MOTOGP TOUR 2012

2011-10-31T12:39:00.003+13:00

NO SOONER than the Kiwi Rider team got back from this year's Iveco Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island - where Casey Stoner wrapped up his second World MotoGP Chamionship - than we started getting queries via e-mail and Facebook for details of the 2012 tour!

The short answer is: YES, we are running a tour again in 2012, which will make it the tenth anniversary MotoGP Tour.

Details (pricing, flights etc) are being worked out as we speak, but we can confirm that the same accomodation at Smiths Beach has been re-booked.

If you want to get your name down on the list for the October 28 event, email: michael@trackfun.co.nz or phone Michael Esdaile on 09 416 5309.

WHITAKER DOMINATES TRIALS NATIONALS

2011-10-25T11:47:00.001+13:00

Luke March

Words and photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com

Rocks, tree roots, creek beds and steep hills ... mere judder bars on the path to another national title for Wellington’s Jake Whitaker.

The Kiwi international barely seemed to be troubled by the tricky terrain, or his motorcycling rivals, at the three-day New Zealand Moto Trails Championships in the Waikato region over the Labour Weekend (October 22-24).

Whitaker eclipsed Motueka’s Karl Clark and seven-time former national champion Warren Laugesen, of Napier, on his way to retaining his Expert Grade title at the weekend.

“Jake (Whitaker) certainly impressed the crowd,” said Motorcycling New Zealand Moto Trials commissioner Jim Henderson.

Three different courses were used, all within a short drive of Te Awamutu, and featured a wide variety of natural obstacles.

“It was good weather for day one on Saturday with Jake impressing as he conquered some very big rocks indeed. He really showed his world class ability.

“There was a bit of rain on day two and that made things very greasy. Some areas proved to be impossible for some riders, although Jake again made it look easy.”

Hastings rider Luke March won the A Grade, ahead of Rotorua’s John Haynes, while Ashhurst’s Kevin Pinfold took top honours in the Intermediate Grade, finishing ahead of Auckland’s James Snowdon.

Kaikoura’s David Trewin won the Clubmans’ class, ahead of Hamilton’s Thomas Evans; Tauranga’s Ben McLeod won the Junior Grade, ahead of Hawke’s Bay’s Henry Buck, and McLeod’s father, Paul McLeod, won the pre-87 category from Christchurch’s Paul Jackson.

Meanwhile, the winner of the Presidents’ Grade is still undetermined with a protest pending.

“The numbers of competitors was very good throughout the grades and I’m in a very positive frame of mind about the health of the sport,” said Henderson. “It was good to see Luke March come back from injury and win his class too.”

Balance, bravery and throttle control is the main emphasis for this unique motorcycle competition. Speed is not essential, with the prime aim instead being to conquer extreme terrain without touching feet on the ground or falling off. Points are lost for these “faults” and a rider with the lowest score wins.

“I really want to compliment the crew who ran the event. It was handled brilliantly,” Henderson concluded.

COLIN EDWARDS' INJURIES

2011-10-25T10:37:00.002+13:00

IN ADDITION to the dislocated shoulder he suffered at Sepang during the running of the Malaysian MotoGP on October 23, American Colin Edwards also has suspected wrist and heel fractures as well as ligament damage.

Edwards sustained these injuries when he collided with the out of control of Italian Marco Simoncelli, who subsequently died from injuries (see spearate story).

For more on Edwards, check out:
http://motomatters.com/news/2011/10/24/colin_edwards_updates_fans_on_facebook_p.html

SIMONCELLI DIES IN MALAYSIAN GP

2011-10-25T10:23:00.006+13:00

By Michael Esdaile

ITALIAN Marco Simoncelli died from injuries received in a collision on the second lap of the Shell Advance Malaysian MotoGP race at Sepang on October 23.

The race was immediately red-flagged as medical staff and race officials tended the stricken 24-year-old Italian, who was laying face-down and helmetless on the race track after he lost control of his Honda RC212V and collided with Colin Edwards (Tech 3 Yamaha) and Valentino Rossi (Marlboro Ducati) who were right behind him.

Simoncelli had qualified fifth fastest, taking his place on the second row of the grid between Americans Colin Edwards and Nicky Hayden. In the morning warm-up session for the race Simoncelli had posted seventh fastest time and elected to use a hard compound rear Bridgestone tyre for the race. All the other major contenders opted for the medium compound tyre.

On the opening lap Simoncelli was battling with Rizla Suzuki’s Alvaro Bautista with Ducati’s Nicky Hayden next in the line, with a small gap back to Edwards and Rossi. Perhaps trying too hard to stay ahead of Bautista, Simoncelli lost rear tyre traction exiting a right-hand turn toward the end of the second lap.

On-board video footage from Bautista's Suzuki showed Simoncelli’s rear tyre leaving a black rubber mark on the tarmac as the rear wheel starting spinning, then he clipped the ‘rumble strip’ rounded curbing at the edge of the track with his right knee and right elbow. The slow motion on-board footage from Bautista's bike then showed Simoncelli’s left foot coming up off the footrest as his body was pulled down onto the track on the right-hand side of the San Carlo Gresini Honda.

Whether his right leg was trapped under the fairing of the steeply banked motorcycle is not clear from the video footage, but he still had his right hand holding onto the throttle. The Honda then arced from left to right across the race track, right into the path of the following Edwards and Rossi.

Both riders were involved in the impact, but Rossi was bounced wide by Edwards’ bike, and after a couple of big wobbles, he rode it out across the grass on the right-hand side of the track.

Edwards however was tangled up in the crash, dislocating a shoulder in the process as he tumbled and slid off the track. When the debris had cleared, Simoncelli’s helmet could be seen bouncing across the grass while the Italian lay prone on the race track several metres away.

Despite immediate medical attention and the best efforts of the entire medical team at the circuit, Simoncelli succumbed to his chest, neck and head injuries at 16.56 Malaysian time. As all the available medical personnel and equipment was being used in an effort to provide the best assistance possible to the Italian, Race Direction took the decision to cancel the race rather than make a re-start while so many medical people were not available to deal with any further incidents.

However, when the large Malaysian crowd was told of the cancellation over the public address system, the reasons were not fully explained, with the result that some became agitated and threw bottles onto the track.

At the time, Carmelo Ezpeleta, head of MotoGP commercial rights holding company Dorna Sports SL was going from garage to garage in the pit lane, informing the MotoGP riders of the situation.

The incident had happened out of sight of one half of the grand stand so a large part of the crowd did not understand the true nature of the incident.

A press conference was held soon after at which members of the Race Direction Paul Butler, Claude Danis, Franco Uncini and Javier Alonso were joined by Medical Director Doctor Michele Macchiagodena to explain the circumstances of Simoncelli’s death.

Simoncelli made his Grand Prix début at Brno in the Czech Republic on August 25, 2002 and placed 27th in the 125 GP. Two years later he won his first GP, the 125 race in Spain and after a further year in the 125 class, he moved up to the 250 class in 2006, winning the World 250 Championship two years later, in 2008. He attempted to defend his championship in 2009 but had to settle for third in the title chase that year behind Japanese Hiroshi Aoyama and Spaniard Hector Barbera and ahead of Alvaro Bautista.

Last year he moved up to the MotoGP class riding for the San Carlo Gresini MotoGP team and battled with Ben Spies for Rookie of the Year status, that accolade going to Spies. This year he continued with the San Carlo Gresini team, but was supplied with a factory Honda rather than the ‘satellite’ bike he had in 2010.

Trevor Hedge of Australian website motorcylenews.com.au has covered the Simoncelli fatality in some depth. Read it at: http://www.mcnews.com.au/NewsArchives/2011/October/RIP_Simoncelli.htm

NATIONAL TITLES DECIDED IN ONE DAY

2011-10-19T00:32:00.001+13:00

Mangakino’s Alex Dillon (left) and Taupo’s Emma Davis

Words and photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com

The motocross racing was short but sweet in the Manawatu at the weekend.

Heavy rain on Saturday and again overnight ruined an otherwise brilliant farmland circuit just outside Feilding, forcing organisers to cancel day two of the 2011 New Zealand Veterans’ and Women's Motocross Championships early on Sunday morning.

With vehicles having to be towed out of the venue at the conclusion of Saturday’s racing, the warning signs were there for the following day and, when rain again fell overnight on Saturday, the condition of the venue’s access point and the pit area became impossible.

That meant this year’s championships were decided after just three races per class and not five races in total, as had originally been planned.

But that did nothing to lessen the intensity of the racing or credibility of the titles, with fierce racing in difficult conditions on Saturday a true test for champions.

Perhaps closest of all was the battle for honours in the senior women’s class, where defending champion Kimberley Murphy, of Rangiora, had to make way for fantastic duelling ahead of her on the track between Mangakino’s Alex Dillon and Taupo’s Emma Davis.

Seventeen-year-old Dillon finished 1-2-1 in her three races on Saturday, hounded throughout by the 24-year-old Davis, who managed 4-1-2, giving her a healthy seven-point advantage ahead of the anticipated second day that never came, meaning she had done enough to claim the crown.

Murphy eventually had to settle for fourth overall, behind Dillon, Davis and Bombay’s Courtney Lindsay.

Other title winners were Te Puke’s Dion Steiner (30-34 years’ under-300cc), Hamilton’s Dwayne Rameka (35-39 years’ under-300cc), Whakatane’s Darren Capill (40-44 years’ under-300cc and over-300cc), New Plymouth’s Mitch Rowe (45-59 years under-300cc and over-300cc), New Plymouth’s Richard Adamson (30-34 years’ over-300cc), Cambridge’s Nick Price (35-39 years’ over-300cc), Blenheim’s Moston Wadsworth (over 50 years’ all-in), Matakohe’s Simone Sidwell (junior women class one), New Plymouth’s Zoe Jurd (junior women class two) and Taupo’s Katrina Lee (veteran women, over-30 years).

THREE-DAY EVENT TO TEST THE BEST

2011-10-19T00:29:00.000+13:00

Motueka’s Karl Clark

Words and photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com

Trials riding fans may be climbing the walls when they see what their motorcycling heroes have to do this weekend.

The three-day New Zealand Moto Trails Championships are set for the Waikato region this Labour Weekend (October 22-24) and, thanks to some imaginative course setting, the event is sure to sort the men from the boys.

As always, several names spring forth as likely championship contenders.

Hawke’s Bay’s Warren Laugesen is a seven-time former national champion but even he will have his work cut out trying to match globe-trotting Kiwi international Jake Whitaker.

Current New Zealand No.1 Whitaker has just returned home from a stint racing the junior world championships in Italy and, with his top-five finishes achieved at this ultimate level of the sport, it is unlikely that anyone will be able to match him at home.

In addition to Wellington’s Whitaker, 38-year-old father-of-three Laugesen will also face challenges from several other young campaigners, including recently-crowned North Island Moto Trials Champion Matt Foster, of Taranaki.

Motueka’s Karl Clark and young Dunedin rider Blake Fox should also feature in the Experts Grade.

Three different courses will be used, each signposted from the centre of Te Awamutu.

Day one on Saturday is at Saunders’ property, Wharepapa South; day two is at Cooper’s property, Rotoorangi, and day three is at Allen's property, Pirongia.

Motorcycling New Zealand trials commissioner Jim Henderson said day one on Saturday would feature “huge rocks,” while day two on Sunday was mainly creeks beds and logs. But day three on Monday would send the riders clambering up steep banks in a gully and across tricky tree roots.

Hastings rider Luke March, Tauranga’s Phillip Shilton, Lower Hutt’s Carl Robson and Wellington rider James Wade are among the favourites to dominate the A Grade.

In the intermediate grade, Bay of Plenty rider Gary Samson, Taranaki’s Grant McEwen, Manukau’s Liam Draper, Tauranga’s Peter Blaymires and Ashhurst’s Kevin Pinfold are the likely standouts.

Tauranga’s Warwick Merriman leads the presidents’ grade list, but he can expect a strong challenge from riders such as Paraparaumu’s John Lawton, Tauranga’s Nigel Shilton, Paraparaumu’s Kevin Tither and Blenheim’s Brendon Wadsworth.

Balance, bravery and throttle control is the main emphasis for this unique motorcycle competition. Speed is not essential, with the prime aim instead being to conquer extreme terrain without touching feet on the ground or falling off. Points are lost for these “faults” and a rider with the lowest score wins.

LEGENDS SCRAMBLE SERIES IS GO

2011-10-15T09:14:00.000+13:00

Wanganui-basedpromoter (and regular KR contributor) Robert Cochrane’s much anticipatedInternational Classic Scramble Series gets underway in Golden Bay over theFebruary 04-05 weekend next year with subsequent weekend events in Taranaki,Wanganui and Upper Hutt.

Internationaltrials and scramble star Mick Andrews returns to New Zealand for the first tworounds while five-time British Motocross Champion Bryan Wade will appear at theWanganui event.

Each weekend hasa theme with The ‘Old Thumpers’ (Pre 1980) event in Golden Bay hosting thefirst round of the Mick Andrews’ Twinshock Trials Series on the Saturday andthe motocross event on the Sunday.

‘Taranaki VintageDirt’ at Inglewood the weekend after (Feb 11-12) includes two rounds of the MATrials Series, a Saturday afternoon Pre ‘76 scramble and an invitation-only BBQ& official opening of the Steve Gallichan private Motocross Museum thatevening.

Early Sundaymorning the trial continues plus Round 4 of the Tricky Dicky Racing Vintage MotocrossSeries with Mick & Jill Andrews as guests of honour.

The followingweekend (Feb 18-19) ‘Wanganui Classic Dirt’ takes place on the famous ‘Kildare’circuit on the ex Bob Coleman property. This event includes two rounds of the MickAndrews’ Twinshock Trials series and a Pre ‘76 scramble.

Bryan Wade (who wasthe first rider to win a British MX Championship title - the 1974 125cc one ona Suzuki - on a Japanese machine) will make his only New Zealand appearance atthis event. Wade, who now lives in Borneo was alsothe first rider to win the British 125, 250 and 500cc British titles.

The last weekendof February (25-26) sees the series head to the Upper Hutt’s Summer Carnivalfor ‘Upper Hutt Twinshock Dirt’ with the sixth and final round of the MickAndrews Trials series on Saturday and a Twinshock scramble at a local venue onSunday.

Mick Andrews isbeing bought to New Zealand in a joint venture between the Pioneer MCC andRobert Cochrane, while the Taranaki event is a joint venture project with TaranakiVMX enthusiast Steve Gallichan.

Ends

CAPTION

Trials pioneer and keen classic scramblerMick Andrews (left) with Legends series organiser Robert Cochrane

SPEEDSCAN HYOSUNG CUP KICKS OFF

2011-10-14T08:47:00.000+13:00

The much anticipated Speedscan-sponsored Hyosung GT250R Cup single-make road race series kicks off this weekend at Pukekohe Park Raceway.

The Pukekohe round is the first of five rounds run in association with the Auckland Motorcycle Club’s annual summer series.

The Hyosung GT250R Cup series is for riders of standard production Hyosung GT250Rs (all years/models) which comply with Motorcycling New Zealand’s Pro Lite rules. And – get this! – there is a $10,000 prize pool!

At the end of the series the overall winner will also receive the Hyosung GT250R Cup presented by two-time world champion Graeme Crosby.

The series' grid has been capped at 35 and the format at each meeting will follow a similar pattern.

There will be practice first, then qualifying (with the fastest qualifier earning a special superpole award) followed by two races. The first will have a conventional static fastest-from-the-front grid, but the second will utilise a standing Le Mans-style start.

Interest, understandably, is high with a broad range of young and not-so-young riders entered including recent European Junior Cup fourth place getter Daniel Mettem.

2011/12 Speedscan Hyosung GT250R Cup

Rnd 1 Oct 16 2011 Pukekohe Park Raceway
Rnd 2 Nov 13 2011 Pukekohe Park raceway
Rnd 3 Dec 04 2011 Hampton Downs
Rnds 4 & 5 Mar 03/04 2012 Pukekohe Park Raceway

At the official launch party in Auckland a fortnight ago are (from left)
class ambassador Graeme Crosby, sponsor (Mr Speedscan) Gavin Thwaites,
and Hyosung NZ’s Ken Dobson.

KIWI KIDS IMPRESS IN FRANCE

2011-10-12T07:58:00.000+13:00

Young Kiwi road racers made another big impression at the final round of this year’s European Junior Cup at the Magny-Cours circuit in France last weekend, second-generation Rangiora rider Jake Lewis finishing second, Auckland-based compatriot Daniel Mettem sixth.
Mettem has been one of the standout competitors in this year’s inaugural Cup series, which pits riders between the ages of 14 and 17 against each other on identically-prepared Kawasaki Ninja 250R street bikes.

Heading into the final round in France, the 17-year-old from Te Atatu in Auckland’s inner-west, could, in fact, have finished third overall if he had finished third in the race.

Unfortunately a last lap dive from fourth place didn’t quite come off and he ended up sixth in the race and fourth overall in the series points standings.

Lewis, meanwhile, ended up 11th overall after only contesting three of the six rounds.

LATEST R1 BREAKS COVER

2011-10-08T09:54:00.000+13:00

Can it really be 13 years since Yamaha launched its game-changing YZF-R1?

It certainly is and to celebrate, the tuning fork brand has just announced details of what in effect is its eighth-generation model.

While it retains the distinctive sharp nose/high muffler look of the first 2009 ‘crossplane crankshaft’ model the new '12 joins Ducati and Kawasaki's current offerings in coming complete with a (in this case 6-mode) Traction Control System (TCS).

The new system constantly monitors sensors in each wheel and when either is spinning the system alerts the ECU to adjust throttle opening, fuel-injection volume and ignition timing.

With six settings plus an ‘off’ mode, as well as the existing three-mode Variable Map Function the 2012 R1 has 21 possible engine set-up options.

Other changes for the 2012 model year include revisionis to the ECU to improve low to mid-range controllability, the use of a new gravity-cast triple crown top for increased rigidity, and a new-look nose cone for improved aerodynamic efficiency.

The ’12 model will be available in several different colourways including the (pictured) new Anniversary White and a stealth-look Matt Grey.

Like the new WR450F the new R1 is set to surface here early in the New Year. Closer to that time we’ll have indicative pricing.

MORE NEW HARLEYS ON THEIR WAY

2011-10-07T09:11:00.001+13:00

Hot on the heels of the ’12 Sportster line launch in August, Australia-based local Harley-Davidson distributor Harley-Davidson Australia has released news of its remaining new-for-2012 models including the Dyna Switchback, Road Glide Custom and a line-up of Custom Vehicle Operations (CVO) models.

Believe it or not there are 26 models in the 2012 line-up with the most popular available off-the-showroom floor

Highlights of the 2012 Harley-Davidson line include:

·         The new Dyna Switchback which combines hard saddlebags and a windshield with the Twin Cam 103 performance of the Dyna chassis.

·         The new Road Glide Custom range which this year sees the release of the new Tri Glide Ultra Classic with cruise and 103 engine as standard.

·         Plus an expanded Custom Vehicle Operations (CVO) range using the Twin Cam 110 engine.

The Twin Cam 103 engine powers all 2012 Dyna, Softail and Touring models with the exception of the Dyna Street Bob and Dyna Super Glide Custom. This engine produces up to 135Nms of peak torque, an increase of approximately six percent over the Twin Cam 96 engine it replaces as standard power for many of these models.

Harley-Davidson is also celebrating the V-Rod’s 10th anniversary with a limited edition model finished in Silver Pearl and wearing V-Rod 10th Anniversary badges.

STONER 10 POINTS FROM MOTO GP TITLE

2011-10-06T09:19:00.003+13:00

Words: Todd Sutherland

Repsol Honda's Casey Stoner may have slipped at the latest round but he has every chance to win the championship at his home GP next week.

Australian Stoner dominated proceedings at the recent Japanese round, that was until he ran off the circuit early in the race. Losing at least 10 seconds as he regained the circuit. From there he made good use of the dramas that unfolded through the race to work to a creditable 3rd place finish behind winner Dani Pedrosa (Honda) and Jorge Lerenzo (Yamaha).

The first lap saw Valentino Rossi (Ducati) continue his woeful season with a crash which also forced Ben Spies (Yamaha)off the circuit. Andrea Dovizioso, Marco Simoncelli (both Honda) and Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha) all suffered ride through penalties for jumping the start.

Unfortunately Australian Damian Cudlin, who was in his first MotoGP race (subing for the injured Loris Capirossi) crashed out along with Alvaro Bautista and Toni Elis late in the race. Hector Barabera joined the group and Rossi although Barabera at least made the second lap.

Stoner heads to Phillip Island where he has won the last four years needing 10 more points over Lorenzo to take the chamionship. That translates to Lorenzo needing to finish higher than fourth place, if Stoner wins to still have a chance of retaining the title in the final two rounds in Malaysia and Cataluna.

NEW WR450F FROM YAMAHA

2011-10-06T08:08:00.001+13:00

Yamaha’s press release cheekily headlined the release about the company’s all-new WR450F ‘The Bike We've All Been Waiting For….’ and for many off-road riders around the world that is probably true.

It’s been a long-time between drinks since the last significant upgrade (to an aluminium beam-frame) way back in 2007!

So what’s different for ’12?

In short, a lot, starting with an all-new ‘bilateral’ aluminium frame similar to that of the 2012 YZ250F, new, upgraded USD-type forks and Yamaha Monoshock rear shock absorber, plus a heavily revised, now fuel-injected engine which will come complete with a pocket-sized Power Tuner so that fuel/air changes can be made on the fly.

The transmission remains a five-speeder with ratios adjusted to suit the power characteristics of the upgraded engine. There is also a new seat, new - wider, more efficient - radiator, new 7.2 litre fuel tank, even a low fuel warning light!

The look follows current Yamaha practice with the traditional ‘competition blue’ off-set by white headlight surround, radiator shrouds and number boards, and black Excel rims.

Australia and New Zealand comprise Yamaha’s biggest ‘single’ market for the WR450F, hence local (OK, Australian) enduro legend Geoff Ballard’s role in helping development the new model across the Tasman and in Japan.

Until production versions arrive (which looks like early in the New Year) Yamaha dealers have a special on 2011 WR450F models with up to $1000 Yamadollars, a free pit tent and jet washer plus big loan savings thanks to YMF promotional finance rates from 5.99%.

SECOND STREETFIGHTER FROM DUCATI

2011-10-05T08:24:00.000+13:00

Ducati is expanding its Streetfighter line, announcing last month that a smaller, 848cc-engined model will join the existing 1098cc one in the company’s 2012 model line-up.

The Streetfighter-lite will use a new 11° version of the 848cc Testastretta engine and come complete with what Ducati say are ‘revised’ ergonomics and Ducati Traction Control.

Available in Europe from November 2011 onwards and from December here the 848 will be available in three colours, red, a new yellow and what Ducati calls ‘dark stealth’ but what you and I know as matte-black.

Sydney-based Australia and New Zealand importer NF Importers Pty Ltd advise us that the new model will have a local RRP of $23,990 + On Road Costs.

HASSAN TO TEST SKILLS IN JAPAN

2011-10-05T08:20:00.001+13:00

On October 30 teenage Auckland road-racer Jaden Hassan will line up against Japan's best riders in the final round of the MFJ Japanese Road Racing Championship at Suzuka.

He will be riding a Suzuki GSX-R600 for the Yoshimura R&D Team on the gruelling 5.8km circuit, home to the annual Suzuka 8 Hour Race.

Following informal discussions with Yoshimura Japan’s President, Fujio Yoshimura, the 17-year-old has been offered a test opportunity in the 600cc Super-Sport class, a round of the National Japanese Championship. His recommendation came from New Zealand’s own two-times World Champion Graeme Crosby who has had a long standing relationship with Yoshimura R&D.

Crosby won his back to back World titles on Yoshimura Suzukis back in the 80s and the former champ, now based in matakana north of Auckland, has kept in contact with his Japanese friends, meaning Yoshimura's decision to enlist Jaden for this event is special to him.

“I don’t make a habit of recommending young talent but on this occasion I feel Jaden ticks all the boxes. He possesses the right metal attitude, talent and is capable of coping with the high level of technology involved in modern day racing. Plus of course he is young and hungry,” Crosby told Kiwi Rider.

Jaden’s opportunity came about as a result of an impressive list of victories both on a Yamaha TZ125cc machine during the 2008 and 2009 seasons and more recently on a YZF-R6 Yamaha 600cc in the Superstock class here at home.

Commenting on the opportunity Jaden told KR:

“A few months ago I had no idea that I would soon be in Japan not only testing but racing a Suzuki GSX-R600 Super-Sport. It’s an opportunity not too many riders get and I want to make the most of it. I have studied the track, all six kilometres of it! I have studied who is going to be my competition plus I have bought a Japanese phrase book to accompany me, so let’s hope my homework pays off.” said Jaden

A bonus for Jaden will be the chance to ride a World Superbike Championship-spec Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 . A Japanese magazine (Riding Sport) has hired the Suzuka Circuit on the Monday following Jaden’s 600cc event and will do a feature article on both the Yoshimura Suzuki Superbike and Jaden.

The chance to test a Suzuki GSX-R1000 WSB is very rare but it will give Jaden an opportunity to find out for himself if he can cut the mustard on a race bike with over 200 horsepower.

“Where all this ends up is anyone’s guess but should Jaden prove to be capable in both the Super-Sport race and the WSB test it is likely that he will be included in plans for the Asia Road Racing Championship, within the Yoshimura Suzuki camp,” Crosby revealed.

The emerging Asian motorcycle market is huge by world standards and while smaller capacity racing is very popular there is a move to create more international events and with it comes the opportunities for young riders like Jaden to make their mark internationally.

THE ULTIMATE ROAD RACE START

2011-10-04T11:20:00.007+13:00

Right to left: Series Promotor Ken Dobson, sponsor Phil and patron Graeme Crosby

are all thumbs up for the latest race series.

Words / Phto: Todd Sutherland

If you're a competitive type the
question often arose "How do you get started in road racing?". Finally there's an answer.

The enthusiast bunch at Hyosung New Zealand have put together the "Speedscan Hyosung 250 Cup".For the first time perhaps since the 1980's here is a class that is affordable, competitive, well supported and equally importantly, still producing new machines, so ensuring a future.

The $10,000 prize money pool also an unheard of incentive for young racers.Hyosung CEO, Ken Dobson is a keen former professional racer. Bought up in the days of affordable production racing, Dobson was mindful of creating a class where competitors would not be shredding tyres but still able to compete on a full circuit.

Dodson also knew that to get decent entry numbers, competitors needed to be confident of machine parity. The series has a dedicated technician who will check any ‘suspiciously fast’ bikes. Anyone found to be 'bending the rules' will be taken out of the days results and prize money and only allowed to continue in the series at the organizers discretion.

With all the key ingredients in place and the enthusiuast Hyosung team driving things, the entries for the first round at Hampton Downs have been many and varied.

The cross section of entrants includes everything from first time racers, the off spring of a former World Superbike Champion to a few old wiley racers.

Sunday October 16 at Hampton Downs promises to be an eventful historic day.

MOTOGP-AUSSIE CUDLIN REPLACES CAPIROSSI

2011-09-29T18:40:00.005+13:00

Words: Todd Sutherland

Aussie grafter Damian Cudlin has been named as the Pramac Ducati rider for this weekend.
Cudlin who raced in New Zealand in his teens, will ride as a replacement rider for MotoGP legend Loris Capirossi, who injured his shoulder at the last GP.
The young Aussie thanked Sito Pons for suggesting him as a rider and said he was still in shock at the opportunity.
The MotoGP race will run on Sunday afternoon at Motegi in Japan, NZ time. Cudlin will have Randy de Puniet as a team mate.

DUCATI CONFIRMS NEW SUPERBIKE

2011-09-27T15:23:00.000+13:00

Ducati has officially confirmed the existence of its much-rumoured (and photographed!) new-generation Superbike, advising media outlets around the world this week that the 'Ducati 1199 Panigale' will take pride of place on the company's stand at the EICMA International Motorcycle Show in Milan between November 10 &13.

Pronounced “Pan-ee-gah-lee”, the new model breaks with Ducati’s Superbike tradition by adding a name to its 1199cc engine capacity (referred to as eleven-nine-nine). Borgo Panigale is Ducati's home town.Though the bike replaces the current 1098/1198 model it will not make its Superbike World Championship debut until 2013, Ducati deciding instead to debut it in the 2012 FIM Superstock Championship first.

Pricing, production and delivery times are yet to be announced.

MOTOGP TO YOUR PHONE-$20 (3 races)

2011-09-27T14:07:00.004+13:00

Words: Todd Sutherland

MOTOGP OFFICIAL TIMING APP

The service has been offered for a while but at 10 Euro (about $20 NZ) the last 3 races could well be worth checking this application (app) out.

Never mind that with all the rugby on even the GP's that can be viewed at a decent hour will be delayed, even on SKY. This app allows you to review the race (albeit rider markers as opposed to actual footage), lap by lap at your convieince.

You can even follow your favorite rider when the cameras are following someone else.

I will be trying it for this weekends Japanese MotoGP.

The application is for android and iphones.

See here for more details

RUSSIA GETS ROUND OF 2012 SBK

2011-09-23T11:44:00.000+12:00

Rome (Italy), 22 September 2011 – Exactly four months after the press conference held in Moscow in which Paolo Flammini, CEO of Infront Motor Sports and Alexander Yakhnich, CEO of YMS Promotion Ltd announced a partnership agreement, a contract was signed in Rome between the two companies on Wednesday making YMS Promotion Ltd the official organizer of the Russian Round of the FIM Superbike World Championship.

The accord, which will have a ten-year duration, stipulates that next year the FIM Superbike and Supersport World Championships will make their first appearance in Russia at the Moscow Raceway circuit on the outskirts of Moscow.The date scheduled for the event is 26 August 2012.

Paolo Flammini declared: "In the last few months we have been working very closely with Alexander Yakhnich and his team and we have managed to define all the details in preparation for the arrival in Russia of the championship in 2012. To hold a race in Moscow, in the very first year, was our declared intention and we are therefore extremely satisfied with the choice of Moscow Raceway, a truly state-of-the-art circuit that is in an advanced phase of construction, and which will be completed in a few months time. World Superbike will be the first championship to arrive in Russia, a demonstration of Infront Motor Sports’ commitment to opening up important new markets for motor sport".

Alexander Yakhnich added: "We are delighted to be able to officially represent such a prestigious championship as Superbike in Russia. We know that months of hard work lie ahead of us for the organization of the event but we are certain that in August everything will be ready to give a worthy welcome to the Superbike and Supersport Championships and their protagonists. The commitment of my group for the development of motorcycle sport in Russia will also be shown by the debut of the Yakhnich Motorsport team in the 2012 FIM Supersport World Championship with Russian rider Vladimir Leonov and another rider still to be decided".

WIMA PINK RIBBON RIDE - OCT 2nd

2011-09-22T09:03:00.001+12:00

Auckland Branch presents the 8th Annual

2011 Pink Ribbon Motorcycle ride

Proudly supporting the NZ Breast Cancer Foundation.
All motorcyclists, women and men, plus trikes & scooters welcome.

Date: Sunday 2 October 2011

Open 9am - Auckland Netball Centre Car Park,
7 Allison Ferguson Drive, St Johns, Auckland

Departs 10.30am sharp!

BRIDGESTONES FOR CASTROL HONDAS

2011-09-14T16:54:00.002+12:00

Blue Wing Honda has announced further changes within their Castrol Honda Superbike team.
With the two new riders, Christchurch’s Ryan Hampton and Invercargill’s Jeremy Holmes joining long time team member Hayden Fitzgerald, new arrangements were required specifically concerning tyre sponsorship and the teams' riding gear.
The Castrol Honda team are pleased to reveal that for the 2012 race season they will be competing on Bridgestone racing slicks in the Superbike class and the all new Bridgestone R-10 in the Supersport championship.
Bridgestone Motorcycle tyre distributor Eurotred NZ said “We are extremely excited to be back in the premier class of New Zealand Road Racing and believe that Bridgestone's proven Moto GP technology will give the Castrol Honda team riders a competitive edge”.
Hayden Fitzgerald recently tested the new rubber and was immediately happy with both the turning ability and the grip levels. “It’s great to have Bridgestone supporting the team this year. I have used Bridgestone tyres overseas and I’m sure they will perform well this season. I’m really looking forward to the race season starting and can’t wait to get back on the track”. Gear-wise all three riders will wear Teknic Xlerator race leathers, Shoei X-Spirit 2 helmets, Five RFX-1 racing gloves and Sidi Vortice boots.
The team will continue using RK high performance Chains, the same chains that have been on the winning bike at the Suzuka 8-Hour for 27 consecutive years.
This year they will also run all new RK sprockets too. Blue Wing Honda and the Castrol Honda Superbike team wish to thank all their sponsors for their support for the upcoming road race championship.

3DTT MOVIE. LAST CHANCE

2011-09-02T09:23:00.005+12:00

Words: Todd Sutherland

This really is one of those things you need to get off your arse and see. "Closer to the Edge" is the Richard De Aragues directed story of the 2010 Isle of Man TT.

The film is a 3D documentary of last years meeting and a fabulous insight into what attracts so many to such a deadly pursuit.

Run on a small island between England and Ireland in the Irish sea, for over 100 years. Kiwi's have had a long association with the event.

A couple of Kiwi's make brief appearances in the film (although no mention is made of the fact that Anstey lead a couple of races and had no less than three mechanical breakdowns over race week)and along with some great action shots, contribute to viewers getting an idea of what the TT races mean.

I promise you that getting along to see this film is the closest you will get to experiecing a TT short of travelling to that side of the world.

It is sheduled to run a couple more days.

Below is a link to where you can see it in 3D. Type your local city in the "Change Location" box on the left.

Movie Screening Info

STAUFFER WINS TITLE

2011-09-01T13:45:00.004+12:00

Dan Stauffer, riding the BMW S 1000 RR has won the Western Australian Superbike title, the first ever superbike title for BMW in Australia.

Riding the Warp Speed Auto Classic S 1000 RR, Dan has an unassailable lead in the State Championship. In Round 4 Daniel continued his domination of the series with the perfect weekend of racing.

"It has been an amazing season," said Daniel "The S 1000 RR is a magnificent motorcycle with dynamic performance and balance. Winning every race of the series has been brilliant and although I have secured the title I will be going all out in the final round".

Auto Classic's Jonas Goulden was ecstatic with the result.

"Unbelievable. We knew the S 1000 RR was a fantastic motorcycle but to secure the title with a round still to go is well, unbelievable. As well as a great motorcycle we have a great team and all praise goes to Dan Stauffer whose ability and professional attitude has been rewarded," said Jonas.

BMW Motorrad Manager for Australia and New Zealand, Tony Sesto was excited by Stauffer's performance.

"A fantastic effort by Dan to claim the WA title, the first by the S 1000 R in Australia. The S 1000 RR has made its mark around the world and it is exciting for us to see the first Australian title" said Tony.

The final round of the Championship is on September 25 at Barbagallo.

COOPER TO TAKE ON WORLD’S ELITE

2011-08-18T17:06:00.003+12:00

By Andy McGechan

New Zealand MX1 motocross champion Cody Cooper (Suzuki) has been drafted in to replace an injured Clement Desalle for the remaining rounds of this year’s MX1 world championships in Europe.

Belgian rider Desalle, who had been leading the world championships earlier this season, was sidelined with serious shoulder and arm injuries sustained at the Belgian Championships in August, prompting the emergency call-up for the talented Kiwi rider.

Cooper will race for the Rockstar Energy Suzuki factory team at the final two rounds of the world championships, in Germany and Italy in September.

Read the full story in the October issue of Kiwi Rider, due out in the first week of September.

HERO'S WELCOME FOR COURTNEY

2011-08-04T11:25:00.007+12:00

A hero's welcome awaited Junior MX star (and KR columist) Courtney Duncan when she, step-dad Noddy Turner and sponsor/mentor Jeremy McKnight touched down at Auckland International Airport on their way home from the Ponca City MX Nationals in the US today.

Courtney was one of the real stars of the annual Ponca City Nationals meeting, winning the girls' class pretty much unchallenged and carding a third and a fourth in the all-in 85cc classes she raced in on her Yamaha YZ85.

There to greet her at the airport was TV3 News's Dobbo plus KR's Ross MacKay, internet media man Alan Henderson and a small group of friends and well-wishers.

We'll have a full run-down of how Courtney's event panned out in the next KR.

In the meantime here she is standing in front of the special banner made for the occasion by CSC's Cannon Smith.

IT’S 1-2 TRIUMPH FOR HOKIANGA BROTHERS

2011-07-29T13:52:00.001+12:00

Damon and Mitchell Nield

Words and photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com

They live together, they work together and they race together ... and even on the race track there is not much to separate sibling rivals Mitchell and Damon Nield.

The Hokianga men, who run their own building firm during the week but race for Triumph New Zealand at the weekends, both celebrated wins this season when the New Zealand Enduro Championships wrapped up at Wairakei, just north of Taupo.

It has been a virtual civil war in the Experts under-200cc two-stroke class all season long with Mitchell Nield (Gas Gas EC125) and Damon Nield (Husqvarna CR125) battling throughout the six-round series to take the top spot.

As it transpired, the 23-year-old Mitchell had done enough before Taupo’s finale to have wrapped up the national title early, but his 20-year-old brother Damon was still determined to secure the runner-up placing.

Although Damon Nield suffered from a head cold at the final round, the pressure eased as his nearest rival, Auckland’s Callan May, came unstuck with bike problems.

Despite his illness, Damon Nield still managed a courageous seventh overall at Taupo, the first of the small bike riders, and he snatched the runner-up position for the championship.

Mitchell Nield also had serious issues to deal with at Taupo, dirt getting into his carburettor and forcing him to stop for nearly half an hour to clean and reassemble it. He had to stop a passing rider and borrow pliers to complete the job.

But it all worked out for him in the end because he didn’t even need to even race this final round to take the title.

While the national titles went 1-2 in Mitchell’s favour, the positions were switched around in their fight for glory in the parallel Northern Top Trail Rider Series, that competition also wrapping up at the Taupo event, with Damon winning the under-200cc two-stroke crown by just one point from Mitchell.

And no sooner was the ink dry on their respective championship certificates and they were already planning their next racing adventure.

Mitchell has support from a group of Northland businessmen to go to the Kingdom of Lesotho in South Africa to contest the Roof of Africa Extreme Enduro in November.

He has previous international experience, having won silver and gold medals racing in the Australian Four-Day Enduro in recent years but this will by far be his biggest overseas adventure.

“It is all very exciting for him,” said his mother, Kiri. “It means he will be able to take his racing to that next level.”

It is expected that Damon will make the trip to the Roof of Africa next season.

Both riders are sponsored by Triumph New Zealand and by Kiwi Rider magazine, with Mitchell supported by Gas Gas New Zealand and Damon supported by Husqvarna New Zealand.

MEAD REGAINS NATIONAL ENDURO TITLE

2011-07-25T12:16:00.001+12:00

Taupo’s Rory Mead (Yamaha), left, is presented
with the new ‘overall winner’ trophy
by Motorcycling New Zealand
Enduro Commissioner Gary Powell .

Words and Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com

Taupo’s Rory Mead is the national enduro champion again.

In a 2011 season showing such high promise, the Yamaha rider finally
delivered on that with a convincing win at the sixth and final round of the Yamaha-sponsored series near Wairakei on Saturday.

He returned from racing in the United States to wrap up the domestic championship he had led virtually from the start.

It was important that he did make the flight back from America’s east coast, because although he already had one hand on the outright crown in New Zealand, Auckland’s Karl Power (Honda) was still within strike range.

Mead also wanted to make sure he wrapped up the class win as well, and a solid result at Saturday’s final was essential if he was to achieve that.

Mead had switched bikes, jumping from a 250cc Yamaha to a 450cc Yamaha after the opening round and, because he had abandoned his 250cc class attempt and converted to the bigger bike after the competition had already started, he was one round behind in the chase for 450cc class honours and therefore forced to play catch-up from there on.

As it turned out, Mead’s overall win on Saturday not only confirmed his win ahead of Power for the series title outright but also gave him the over-300cc four-stroke title for 2011 as his performance on Saturday snatched that crown away from Tauranga’s Reece Burgess (Husaberg), the rider who had led the class from round one in January.

“It was a pretty trouble-free run today. I did have a couple of high-speed get-offs but nothing major,” said Mead.

“I won outright in 2009 and to win it outright again this season is very special too.”

Power was philosophical in defeat.

“It would have been nice to win outright but Rory would have to have not finished on Saturday for me to beat him. But still, I am satisfied ... I wrapped up the under-300cc four-stroke class win with a round to spare.”

Other class winners this season were: Hokianga’s Mitchell Nield (Hokianga, Gas Gas), under-200cc two-stroke class; Auckland’s Michael Skinner (KTM), over-200cc two-stroke class; Tokoroa’s Sean Clarke (Yamaha) veterans’ (over 40 years) class.

KTM KIDS TO COMPETE IN AUSSIE NATS

2011-07-13T14:01:00.004+12:00

Click to enlarge

Words: Todd Sutherland

The 'Junior KTM Cup' is a new title, which will give junior competitors the oppurtunity to compete in Australia.

KTM steward Cannon Smith and Martin Collins, of CMR Racing, have put together the 'Junior KTM Cup' race meeting to help youngsters get a chance to race in the Australian Junior Nationals. By arranging bikes for each of the class winners to use at the Australian Junior Nationals in October, the pair have taken away perhaps the biggest hurdle to youngsters taking that next step.

The 'Junior KTM Cup' is to be run at the Tokoroa track on the 18th of September. Entry is only open to KTM racers. Contact Cannon on 0272 655 778 for more infomation.

RECOVERED YZ450

2011-07-11T11:41:00.000+12:00

This note just in:

Kerikeri police recently recovered a YZ450 from an address in Waipapa with a VIN Number: JYACJ03C83A009362 and ENGINE Number: J313E0009418, it had been swapped for stolen boat.

It originates from the Taupo and New Plymouth area but may have been stolen locally. Were trying to find and owner for it.

I have attached a couple of pics.

If anyone recognises it or knows who owns it can you let me know so it can be returned to its rightful owner.

cheers.
Wayne DAVIES
Constable W530
Crime Scene Officer
Kaikohe

FORTHCOMING CLASSIC BIKE ATTRACTIONS

2011-06-22T09:16:00.001+12:00

Classic Bike enthusiasts - make a note of these dates:

June 24-25-26th Gisborne ‘Weka’ Rally

September 16-17-18th Hawkes Bay Classic Rally

September 24-25th Taupo NZCMRR Rnd 4

October 24-25th Hampton Downs NZ Classic TT and Rnd 5

November 4-6th Manawatu Classic Rally (+ WCMC Comrades link-up)

November 4-6th Manawatu-Orion 100 Years Celebration

November 19-20th Manfield NZCMRR Rnd 6 Final

Contact Robert Cochrane (robertc@amcom.co.nz) if you need more details for any of these events and he'll put you in touch with the proper folks in the know.

THREE-WAY BATTLE FOR DIRT BIKE TITLE

2011-06-21T10:14:00.002+12:00

Napier’s John O’Dea (Suzuki)

Words and Pic By Andy McGechan

An exciting three-way battle is likely to define the motorcycle racing near Whakamaru this weekend.

It is the third and final round of the popular Dirt Guide Cross-Country series on Saturday and, as expected, the hunt for the title will go down to the wire with at least three riders all vying for the main prize – Auckland’s Callan May (Yamaha YZ125), Napier’s John O’Dea (Suzuki RM-Z450) and Tauranga’s Reece Burgess (Husaberg FE450).

Just one point separates these three riders at the top, with Tokoroa’s Sean Clarke (Yamaha WRF450), Auckland’s Karl Power (Honda CRF250) and Mount Maunganui’s Joel Byrne (Kawasaki KX250F) also pushing for a podium finish.

May finished second and third at the two earlier rounds, while O’Dea did the opposite, finishing third and second, but Burgess tops the standings by one point with his slightly superior 4-1 results.

Power won round one but was unable to attend round two, leaving him with a bit of catching-up to do, but, as he has already proven, he is more than capable of scoring maximum points again on Saturday.

The Kiwi Rider magazine-sponsored series has been a real hit with the country’s off-road bike riders, with competitor numbers growing with each outing and this weekend’s finale is no exception.

In addition to attracting full fields, the talent runs deep with many current or former national champions among those entered.

In the Intermediate class, Tokoroa’s Mark Newton (Husaberg) and Putaruru’s Phil Skinner (KTM) are separated by just a handful of points and a fierce battle is likely on Saturday between the tenacious twosome.

In the junior grade, Huntly’s Ryan Hoskins (Husqvarna) has dominated both events so far and is firm favourite to celebrate another win this weekend.

Fast-improving Taupo rider Greg De Lautour (Yamaha) and Tokoroa’s Jesse Clarke (Yamaha) won’t be far behind.

Younger riders such as Putaruru’s Liam Anderson (Kawasaki KX85) and Te Awamutu’s James Scott (Kawasaki KX65) will also be worth watching.

The cross-country series is run parallel with but separate to the Dirt Guide Trail Ride Series, with that phase of the weekend’s action set for the same venue following day.

The 90-minute junior race kicks off at 9.30am and the senior race begins at 12.30pm. Sunday’s trail ride starts at 9.30am.

CALENDAR (trail ride on day two in each case):

Round one, Tar Hill, Tokoroa, April 30, May 1.
Round two, The Pylons, Atiamuri, May 28-29.
Round three, Whakamaru, June 25-26.

For any other information, call Sean Clarke on 0275 996 045

ANSTEY GRABS THIRD IN ISLE OF MAN SENIOR

2011-06-13T10:00:00.003+12:00

Words:Todd Sutherland

Honda mounted Bruce Anstey managed to claim third place in the Isle of Mans' Senior race on Saturday, the last race of the TT week.

After a week of ups and downs Anstey capped things off with a strong showing in one of the weeks premier races.

Anstey was 3 seconds behind early leader Guy Martin(Suzuki)after the first lap with John McGunness (Honda) four seconds back joining the pair in averaging over 130mph on the first lap. McGunness powered on to over take the pair and romp to his 17th ever TT win at record pace. Martin holding Anstey out for his best finish of the week.

Report

ANSTEY FIFTH IN SECOND RACE

2011-06-10T11:24:00.006+12:00

Words: Todd Sutherland

Honda monunted Kiwi, Bruce Anstey could only manage fifth in this mornings Supersport race at the Isle of Man TT races(1215pm start GMT).

Gary Johnston took his maiden victory after setting a blistering pace early on.
Fellow Honda rider and Australian Cameron Donald was closing down the 11 second lead that Johnston enjoyed when his machine broke down close to the finish.

Anstey, who is the only rider to set a lap over 131mph in practice, will be racing in today's Senior TT run at 1215am New Zealand time.

Race Report

ROSS WINS RACE AT AUSSIE NATS

2011-06-10T09:24:00.004+12:00

Words: John Ross / Todd S

Kiwi John Ross took a race win and finished second overall at the fourth round of the Australian Pro Stock Championship in Queensland last weekend.

John has been competing in the Australian Pro Stock Championship on his BMW S1000RR. The class is for near standard 1000cc road machines.

John takes up the story for the latest round

The weather was great in Queensland the whole weekend. A crew of nine of us went over so I had plenty of help. We were pleased to find the bike when we turned up at the racetrack. The freighting company which had transported the bike had gone in liquidation while transporting it! Robbie Bugden may have forgot to pick up the bike but that didn't matter as he lent me a ute for the weekend.The bike had been sitting in the crate since last round. We went to uncrate the bike at the track and found all my tools had been stolen. A quick trip to Supercheap soon fixed this.

Restorace supplied a new set of KTech suspension for the weekend. We only had three practice sessions before qualifying. I slowly worked up the grid each session and qualified second row in fifth. Race One: with my BMW handling the best it ever has I put my head down and went hard from the start. From sixth place into the first corner I worked my way through to the front leading for the last few laps of the race. Cru Halliday tailed me the entire time putting a pass on three corners from the checkered flag....I was able to cut back and pass him straight back coming out of turn five. Cru lost a place and dropped back to third with Pat Metcalf finishing second.

Race 2 I finished fourth, it was a bit of a boring race. Race 3 I worked myself from fourth place to second place only to drop two places back to fourth battling with Cru for third till the very last corner. He managed to hold me out and I finished fourth. I finished second in the round to Pat Metcalf. Cru Halliday was third. I know am in fourth in the series overall. 13 points away from second and only a couple of points off third.

My next race in Australia will be riding in the MotoGP support class in October at Phillip Island followed by the forth and final round of the Australian Prostock Championship at Phillip Island in November.

SHERWOOD HAS ACCIDENT

2011-06-09T12:26:00.004+12:00

Kiwi FMX hero Levi Sherwood has hurt himself while competing in Las Vegas.
Sherwood is reported to have fractured his wrist, a few vertebra and sustained internal injuries after he hit a false neutral on an up ramp.
Sherwood will miss the upcoming X Games where he has finished second to Travis Pastrana in the past.

ANSTEY WEIGHS IN ON TT RACE

2011-06-09T08:48:00.005+12:00

Words Todd Sutherland

Bruce Astey was one of a number of riders that asked that the second Supersport race not be started at the Isle of Man Wednesday afternoon.

Riders were unhappy that the delayed race was started when even on the first lap there were a number of damp patches and threathening dark clouds. The second lap bought down the rain and the race was stopped.

Anstey is quoted as saying "a few of the boys came flying past me in all directions but it wasn't for me" after returning to the pits.

Scot Keith Amor fell uninjured on the second lap at Union Mills.

Refering to the Clerk of the Course's decision to start the race Guy Martin said "I reckon we should go up to Eddie Nelson and give him a thick ear - the race simply shouldn't have started."

The large part of the days program was abandoned with only a parade lap completed. The Supersport race is resheduled to start 1215am Friday morning New Zealand time.

Former multi road race world champion Mick Doohan said that he would have been happy with a 31mph lap after completing his parade lap with Nicky Hayden, Cal Cruthlow and Josh Brookes. The Aussie legend said keeping the travelling marshal in sight was hard enough without thinking about the 131mph laps the top guys are doing.

Link Here

ANSTEY WINS

2011-06-07T10:47:00.004+12:00

Words Todd Sutherland

Kiwi Bruce Anstey won Monday's Supersport race at the ISle of Man TT races,on his Honda after a mechanical breakdown ruled him out of the top spot in Saturday's Superbike race.
Anstey is quoted as saying he felt he was 'riding like a wuss' but was able to capitilize on problems experienced by others in the leading group.
Both second and third place finishers had remarkable journeys to the rostrum. Keith Amor crashed in practice injuring his shoulder but rode a gutsy race to claim the runner up spot. Meanwhile Guy Martin crashed in the race, at Cregny Baa, but was able to compete after the intial race was restarted.
The intial race was marred by the death of Derek Brein.
Link here

Full results

ANSTEY SETS FASTEST LAP ON DAY 3

2011-06-03T09:35:00.003+12:00

Words: Todd Sutherland

Honda mounted Kiwi Bruce Anstey set his and this weeks fastest lap of the Isle of Man at over 129mph average. Racing begins on Saturday June 4.
The Padgett's sponsored man rode the Wednesday night practice on his Superbike and then went out on his Superstock 600. Fellow competitor Keith Amor was reported to have fallen at Quarterbridge and dislocated his shoulder. Anstey set a 124.396mph lap on his Superstock machine.
Follow the link here

METTAM HOLDS THIRD IN WSBK SUPPORT

2011-06-02T15:34:00.004+12:00

Words: Todd Sutherland

Daniel Mettam continues to do well in the World Superbike support series for 14 to 17 year olds.
Mettam was second at the first round and now sits third after the latest rond in Monza.
Follow Mettam here

NATIONAL ENDURO BATTLE RESUMES

2011-06-01T12:25:00.003+12:00

Words & Pic by Andy McGechan

Tokoroa’s Sean Clarke (Yamaha)

Nearly three months have passed since the elite of the nation’s off-road motorcycle community last went head-to-head for New Zealand Enduro Championship glory.

The competition resumes this weekend with the fifth round of six in this year’s Yamaha New Zealand Enduro Championships in the Riverhead Forest, near Auckland, and the racing on Sunday is sure to sort the protagonists from the pretenders.

With three outright wins in a row, Taupo’s Rory Mead is edging ever closer to the national motorcycling title that he last held in 2009.

After the fourth round of the series near Whangarei in March, the 24-year-old Mead (Yamaha YZ450F) put himself a comfortable 11 points ahead of his nearest rival, Auckland’s Karl Power (Honda CRF450).

In addition to winning the Whangarei event outright and firming his grip on the title, Mead also moved to within just a few points of taking over the lead in the over-300cc four-stroke class, the advantage there currently held by Tauranga’s Reece Burgess.

Other riders likely to step up this weekend include Hokianga brothers Mitchell and Damon Nield, who finished fourth and fifth overall respectively at the previous round, while Burgess and Auckland trio Sam Greenslade, Michael Skinner and Caleb Van Dragt should also feature.

Tokoroa’s Sean Clarke is top of the veterans’ class and, as a many time former national champion and former International Six Days Enduro medal winner, he can never be counted out.

The sixth and final round of the Yamaha-sponsored series is set for Taupo on July 2.

MCGUINNESS SETS IOM PACE

2011-06-01T09:48:00.008+12:00

John McGuinness again set he pace during Tuesday evening's qualifying sesssions at this year's Isle of Man TT meeting.

The riders were out at 6.30pm with Michael Dunlop and Guy Martin first to leave the line, Martin on the Superbike and Dunlop on the Supersport machine. Cameron Donald and Gary Johnson were the next pairing to go, swiftly followed by Ryan Farquhar, Bruce Anstey, Keith Amor and Dan Stewart. All were Superbike mounted as was Adrian Archibald out for the first time on a brand new ZX-10R Kawasaki. Fifteen time race winner John McGuinness was in the 8th pairing away.

Johnson was the first man back at 127.71mph just ahead of Martin at 126.325mph, followed by Donald at 125.05 and Anstey at 126.24. Amor and Stewart were slightly slower at 125.9mph and 125.8mph whilst McGuinness moved up to second quickest on 126.975mph.

Meanwhile, Dunlop was the fastest 600 with a lap of 123.59mph followed by James Hillier on 118.415mph and Luis Carreira on 118.402. Conor Cummins was also improving steadily, breaking the 120mph at 120.203mph. McGuinness clocked the quickest time through the Sulby speed trap at 190.6mph

Most of the main contenders were able to complete 5 laps during the session with Donald putting in a late flyer of 128.08mph on his Superbike.

ANSTEY TOPS TT PRACTICE

2011-05-31T15:47:00.008+12:00

Words: Todd Sutherland
The 2011 Isle of Man TT festival has started with Honda mounted Kiwi Bruce Anstey doing well in the first practices this morning.
The Padgett's sponsored Anstey was fastest in the stock 600cc class and 1000cc classes (and second fastest outright) in the combined, reduced to two laps because of rain, Superbike / Stock 1000cc session. John McGuinness was fastest.
Read more here or try the www.iomtt.com site (which was down when we tried it this afternoon)which may have live timing 0620hrs for prcatice session.

WORLD'S FASTEST ELECTRIC BIKE TESTING

2011-05-26T12:47:00.005+12:00

Cool press release! With more electric vehicle developments every day, this really is impressive:

Sponsors, media and friends!

We have been working 12-hour days in advance of our historic entry into the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb...with amazing results!

This weekend, on Saturday May 21, we were at Auto Club Speedway for a day of testing as follows:

Complete testing and finalize our wheelie control software (remember we are taming 400 ft/lbs of torque!)
Test a rear fin to combat high speed buffeting (worked well at high speeds)
Test customized extensions to our swingarm to improve stability
Test tires for Pikes Peak
Test suspension settings for Pikes Peak

Present at the test along with me were:
Chief Engineer Ben Ingram
Race Engineer Robert Ussery
Crew Chief Jimmy Summers

The results of the test day were incredible - most notably our extended swingarm design has virtually transformed the superbike into a beautifully handling racebike so much improved that it feels like the "successor" to the bike I've been riding! The longer wheelbase still handles very well through tight turns and quick transitions, but makes massive improvements to stability and also allows us to run an additional 40 NM without wheeling - the extra torque simply goes to improving our already devastating acceleration!

Combined with Ben Ingram's wheelie control software (which worked like a charm), the bike is more stable while laying down more torque, with no wheelies, and giving me some vastly improved rideability. Its so good, I'm relighting a fire under some future roadracing events this year where we can go head to head with 600cc and even 1000cc superbikes to show just how good a bike we have developed. On Saturday, I was able to pass 1000cc superbikes at will on the track by simply driving around them - the acceleration is unrelenting!

I only have a week to go before we tow out to Colorado Springs for the official 2-day test June 4th and 5th and so all hands are on deck to make final preparations. Thanks to Mike Fitzgerald from Thermosman Suspension (Ohlins Dealer) who is not only customizing our Ohlins shocks and springs to handle the longer swingarm forces, but is also flying to Colorado for race week to support our race team!

Following the June 4-5 test, I'm home for about 10 days to make final changes, then towing back for race week June 21-26. We have some big plans for our booth at the Pikes Peak Fan Fest on Friday June 24th from 5-10 PM in downtown Colorado Springs, where 35,000 fans are expected. We will be signing commemorative posters and showing off the electric superbike in person as well as playing on-board videos and music in our 32 foot booth! We will also be doing a press conference at UQM Technologies corporate offices in Longmont, Colorado. The race is Sunday June 26th and I'm scheduled to be the first motorcycle to take to the course after all the cars have run.

To commemorate the tremendous success we have had with our UQM motor and controller, we have initiated a campaign of "POWERED BY UQM TECHNOLOGIES" to raise awareness for the incredible efficacy of their PowerPhase Traction System. We are proud to feature UQM decals prominently on our bike and on my leathers because we believe they make the best EV electric motors in the world! Remember that my motor is 11 inches diameter by 11 inches long, weighs just 110 lbs but produces a mind numbing 240 horsepower and 400 ft/lbs of torque.

As if that's not enough, I'm also planning a big event where we will blow through 200 MPH...I'm very confident that we will achieve this once we have some breathing room after Pikes Peak so stay tuned for that!

Attached are some photos from this weekend - we will not be running the rear tail fin at Pikes Peak, although it did work to settle the buffeting at very high speeds.

Feel free to contact me with any questions or to schedule any interviews before we leave for beautiful Colorado.

We've updated www.chipyates.com a bit, but with things changing so rapidly, Twitter is the best way to track us and my account is "chipyates89" if you're interested.

Chip
Chip Yates
The World's Fastest Electric Superbike (190.6 MPH)
The World's Most Powerful Electric Superbike (241 HP)
The World's Most Technically Advanced Electric Superbike

Superbike Sponsors: McKenna, Long & Aldridge LLP // Yoyodyne // Ohlins USA // MoTeC Systems USA // Dainese // SolarReserve // Manzanita Micro // MicroStrain // UQM Technologies // Performance Machine // CPR Fabrication // Catalyst Racing Composites

DIRT GUIDE SERIES HALFWAY

2011-05-25T10:42:00.006+12:00

Callan May

Words and photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com

One of New Zealand’s most popular off-road motorcycle series warms up to full excitement mode this weekend.

The second round of three in the Dirt Guide Cross-country and Trail Ride series is set for both days this weekend, with the cross-country race on Saturday and a more social trail ride to follow at the same venue the next day.

The venue for this weekend’s round is at The Pylons, just off State Highway 1, about 30 kilometres south of Tokoroa. The venue will be well signposted.

With racing on Saturday marking the halfway stage of the competition, there is plenty at stake and a good ride here should set up the series for a thrilling conclusion in June.

Sponsored by Kiwi Rider magazine, the series kicked off last month with Auckland riders Karl Power and Callan May emerging as the most likely title contenders.

Napier’s John O'Dea and the overall winner of the series in 2009, Tauranga’s Reece Burgess, are also expected to be to the fore this weekend.

Hokianga’s Mitchell Nield should also be a contender. He was leading the race at round one until a crash saw him drop back to finish sixth.

Putaruru’s Phil Skinner won the Intermediate grade overall at round one, with Tokoroa’s Mark Newton not far behind in second and 17-year-old Brendon Imlig, of Reporoa, rounding out the top three. These riders are favoured to again lead this class.

The top rider in the junior ranks, Huntly’s Ryan Hoskins, is expected to return this weekend with Taupo’s Greg De Lautour and Tokoroa’s O’Neill Sinclair expected to give him a run for his Money.
The 90-minute junior race kicks off at 9.30am and the senior race begins at 12.30pm. Sunday’s trail ride starts at 9.30am.

CALENDAR (trail ride on day two in each case):

Round one, Tar Hill, Tokoroa, April 30, May 1.
Round two, The Pylons, Atiamuri, May 28-29.
Round three, Whakamaru, June 25-26.
For any other information, call Sean Clarke on 0275 996 045

BATTLE OF THE NZ MOTOCROSS CLUBS 2011

2011-05-19T12:43:00.000+12:00

Twenty of New Zealand's top motorcycling clubs are sending a six person team to compete in Taupo for the ultimate "king of trophy's" which carries the award of being called the champion New Zealand motocross club.

The event is in its second year and is used as a fundraiser to send the New Zealand representative team to the Motocross of Nations. The event is scheduled for Saturday May 28th at the Digger McEwen Motocross Park and will see New Zealand's top riders competing for their own club in a combined format.

There will be 3 races per senior and junior groups with points accumulating per race, combining toward a grand total that will give us the top club.

The Motocross of Nations is being hosted by the French federation at St Jean D' Angely, September 17th & 18th 2011, at the renowned GP circuit situated in the west of France. Three riders from New Zealand will be selected to represent the country at this prestigious "Olympics" of motocross, where the riders will face-off after a gruelling seasons racing.

Current and past champions will be competing in Taupo, including the Darryl & Shayne King, locals Nick Saunders and Brad Groombridge who will be showing us a true spectacle of action packed motocross racing.

Winners of the inaugural event, Pukekohe Motorcycle Club are fronting up with a formidable line up of riders eager to hold on to the trophy. "It will be a pleasure to drive the trophy home again on Saturday night" says Scott Wilkins team captain from Pukekohe Motorcycle Club.

The Taupo Motorcycle Club is getting behind fundraising needed to guarantee that NZ have a team at the Motocross of Nations 2011 and will be asking for gold coin donation to view this event. Racing will be underway by 10:30am at the Digger McEwen Motocross Park, Miro St, Taupo.
Taupo Motorcycle Club.

STONER STORMS TO LE MANS WIN

2011-05-16T02:55:00.004+12:00

By MICHAEL ESDAILE

HONDA’s Casey Stoner proved unbeatable in an action-packed French Grand Prix at Le Mans on May 15, racing away to a huge win over Repsol team-mate Andrea Dovizioso after dominating every practice session as well as the qualifying session and the pre-race warm-up.

The race was marred by Honda riders Marco Simoncelli and Dani Pedrosa making contact, with the result that Pedrosa crashed and suffered another collarbone injury. The result of this was that Marlboro Ducati rider Valentino Rossi was then in a position to make a bid for the podium and when Jorge Lorenzo ran wide with four laps to go, Rossi needed no further invitation.

But Stoner was oblivious to all the drama going on behind him as he romped away to his second win of the year, smashing Jorge Lorenzo’s 2010 race record by 25.159 seconds in the process.

It was a consummate performance from the Australian, whose race winning pace averaged almost nine tenths of a second a lap faster than Lorenzo’s effort last year. Along the way, Stoner also managed to slice more than half a second off Valentino Rossi’s lap record, set in 2008, the last year of open competition between tyre manufacturer’s in motorcycle racing’s premier class.

All of which would have been more than satisfying for the 2007 World Champion but more importantly, due to the actions of San Carlo Gresini rider Marco Simoncelli, and championship points leader Jorge Lorenzox struggling home in fourth place, Stoner jumped from third in the title chase to second, just 12 points behind Lorenzo.

So you could say it was an excellent day for the Australian.

That’s more than could be said for his other Repsol Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa who ended the day back in the medical centre with a broken right collarbone after he and Simoncelli tangled.

Race Direction considered Simoncelli’s passing manoeuvre was dangerous and ordered him in for a ride through penalty. By then Pedrosa, who had been running second, was back in the medical centre where his ‘good’ collarbone was discovered to be broken.

The 28 lap race started with Simoncelli getting the jump off the line after Stoner experienced a bit of clutch trouble but by the time the field made it to the first corner Pedrosa had the lead and Stoner sliced past Dovizioso for second.

The Australian sat behind Pedrosa for a lap, then made his move and from that point he was never headed, despite a very strong challenge from Pedrosa for the first ten laps. It was only then that Stoner got a gap which he managed to increase over the next five laps.

Pedrosa then fell back into the clutches of Simoncelli, a rider Jorge Lorenzo had criticised in the Spanish press prior to the Portuguese race as being dangerous. At that time, Pedrosa had nothing bad to say about the 2009 World 250 Champion, but after the Italian sliced across his front wheel and left him no where to go, the Spaniard may have a different view.

After the Simoncelli-Pedrosa incident, Stoner had an 8.6 second lead and after Simoncelli was called in for a ride through penalty, the Aussie was 14 seconds ahead of the new second place man, Dovizioso who was engaged in an absorbing battle for the second podium position with Rossi with Lorenzo a distant fourth.

Way behind Lorenzo, Yamaha team-mate Ben Spies got the better of a dice with Nicky Hayden but then had Simoncelli, who had made his ride through penalty, come whistling past to grab fifth.

The interest then was who would be second, Dovizioso or Rossi. In the finish, Dovizioso used his head, set up Rossi perfectly and dived through to take the second rostrum position.

Still, with Rossi finally on the podium, after starting from the third row of the grid after qualifying ninth, a big part of the 88,000 strong crowd went delirious with delight.

Stoner was surprised to see the Italian beside him in the parc ferme and it was then he heard about the Pedrosa-Simoncelli incident. Not only did Rossi benefit from this with his first podium of the year, it also meant that Stoner took over the runner-up spot in the title chase and moved to within 12 points of Lorenzo.

At the time Pedrosa and Simoncelli collided, Pedrosa was on course to take over the lead in the championship from Lorenzo, so perhaps Honda Racing Corporation Executive Vice President Shuhei Nakamoto is reconsidering the wisdom of supplying the San Carlo Gresini team with a works RC212V for the woolly-haired Italian this season.

Without that incident, Honda would have scored a first to fourth sweep of the race, would have had Pedrosa take over the championship lead and by pushing Lorenzo further back, would have moved Stoner even closer to the top of the points table.

But it wasn’t only Honda that had its troubles, Yamaha too had its share of concerns. These began when Lorenzo crashed in the pre-race war-up session in the morning and while he got up and ran to the bike, the engine, with the throttle stuck wide open, blew in a fiery display. Then in the race both Tech 3 Yamaha riders, Cal Crutchlow and Colin Edwards, crashed, and Spies was struggling. The Texan’s works Yamaha MotoGP experience is far from the convincing performance he gave when he scored Yamaha its first Superbike World Championship in 2009.

For full results, click on: http://resources.motogp.com/files/results/2011/FRA/MotoGP/RAC/Classification.pdf?v1_c4ebe1bc

HONDA'S NEW CBR250 NOW LANDED

2011-05-10T13:09:00.005+12:00

In a positive turn around of events Blue Wing Honda have announced that their new CBR250R's are due in store in the next few weeks!
Originally not sheduled to be in the country until July, some Auckland dealers are rumoured to be receiving the bikes before the end of next week!
KiwiRider is currently in possesion of one of the single cylinder, fourstrokes and will have a report in the next issue, on sale 7 June.
The bikes recommended retail is $7495.

HISTORIC YAMAHA DOUBLE AT MONZA

2011-05-09T15:25:00.032+12:00

Laverty Springs a Surprise
By Michael Esdaile

In day of high stakes Superbike racing there was drama aplenty at the fourth round of the 2011 Superbike World Championship, held at Italy’s historic and high speed Monza circuit near Milan on Sunday.

First surprise was the fact Ireland’s Eugene Laverty not only won the first race, but backed up to win the second. The first race win was the first time the Yamaha man had stood on a Superbike podium in his career. Not a bad way to make the podium.

Other surprises were defending champion Max Biaggi’s mistakes in the first race, then a ride through penalty in the second race that cost the Italian a clear shot at his first race win of the year.

Other drama came at the start of the second race when Jakub Smrz (Ducati), Leon Haslam (BMW) and Jonathan Rea (Honda) all came down in a tangle just as the field was heading for the first corner. They were unable to continue.

But that was not the end of it: after working through to second place and giving Aprilia hope for a 1-2, Leon Camier crashed; then there was Biaggi’s ride through penalty that took him from a comfortable lead to 11th place; and just when he was looking like a mid-field man, Michel Fabrizio turned in a strong ride on the Alstare Suzuki to nett the team its first podium of the year. And finally, with three laps to go, championship points leader Carlos Checa’s Ducati suffered an engine problem that dropped him from sixth to tenth. In fact, with two corners to go to the finish, the Ducati started smoking badly and the Spaniard had to coax the bike across the line.

The result was that Checa’s 43 point lead in the championship was slashed to 27 points, with Melandri taking over the number two place in the title chase, abeit by just one point from Biaggi, who really wanted to win both races at Monza to get his title defence onto a firm footing.

Biaggi leads the Yamaha of
Eugene Laverty early in the first race.

POLE FOR BIAGGI
Biaggi had emerged from the three round Superpole session with a new pole record for the ultra-fast 5.77 km circuit, blasting the Alitalia Aprilia around in 1m 41.745s, well under the 1m 42.121s lap he used to take pole last year.

At that stage, he was focused on winning both races at a track where the 1000cc four cylinder machines can clearly use their superior top speed to good effect over the 1200cc twins. What was the difference? Well, Biaggi and Laverty were clocked at 332 km/h while Checa managed 329 km/h hanging in the draft in the first race, but running without the advantage of a slip-stream the Ducati could manage ‘only’ 318 km/h. That’s still wickedly fast for a two cylinder engine, but giving away a big speed advantage at a track with two long straights was always going to make Monza a tough nut for Checa to crack.

In the end his Ducati almost threw in the towel entirely in the second race.

Carlos Checa rode hard all day but the two cylinder
Ducati was out-gunned by the four cylinder bikes.

However, none of this detracts from the superb job Laverty did to emerge victorious with a double win on the Yamaha World Superbike Team’s YZF-R1. Laverty said later that he would have been happy to have just made it to the podium at Monza, but to take a double victory was something he had not considered likely beforehand.

MAX MAKES MISTAKES
His first race win came after a tough battle with defending world champion and pole sitter Max Biaggi who was showing plenty of determination by taking the lead off the Irishman several times in the first few laps. But each time they crossed the finish line, it was the Yamaha man in front. Laverty then got some respite from the relentless attacks from Biaggi when the Italian ran wide on three occasions and dropped placings so that he had to fight his way back toward the front, engaging in titanic scraps with Marco Melandri (Yamaha) and Leon Haslam (BMW) in the process.

In the end though, Laverty made no mistakes, apart from a big slide in the Parabolica on the last lap, and won by 1.5 seconds from Biaggi with Haslam grabbing the final podium spot from Melandri.

Michel Fabrizio had worked up from tenth on the first lap to get the Alstare Suzuki into sixth after five laps then got past holeshot man Troy Corser’s BMW to run in fifth to the finish.

With three laps to go, Assen first race winner Jonathan Rea also got past Corser, who had actually led for the whole of the first lap before dropping back due to some big slides from the German machine.

Biaggi’s team-mate Leon Camier helped the Aprilia cause by stalking Checa – who had started from 13th and got as high as eighth – passing the Spaniard on the last lap, bumping the Althea Ducati man to ninth.

Jakub Smrz got his Team Effenbert-Liberty Racing Ducati home tenth, less than a second behind Checa, with Ayrton Badovina (BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team) and Sylvain Guintoli (Team Effenbert-Liberty Racing Ducati) 11th and 12th, more than six seconds ahead of Tom Sykes on the Kawasaki Racing Team’s ZX-10R, with Maxime Berger (Supersonic Racing Team Ducati) and Rueben Xaus (Castrol Honda) rounding out the final points scorers.

CORSER HOLESHOTS AGAIN…
The second race saw Corser holeshot once again to lead almost to the end of the first lap, when Biaggi whistled past to take over out front. The Italian was in determined mood, clicking off a series of blazingly fast laps to pad his lead.

Behind him, Camier got the second factory Aprilia into second after diving inside the PATA Racing Aprilia of Noriyuki Haga into one of the chicanes then a lap later blasted past Corser.

By then Biaggi was 1.5 seconds clear and pulling away. Over the next three laps he stretched the gap to his Aprilia team-mate to 4.1 seconds while Corser slipped back to sixth after being passed by Melandri, Fabrizio and Haga.

At that point Laverty had made his way steadily toward the front from ninth at the end of the first lap and was right on Corser’s tail.

APRILIA DENIED
On the eighth of 18 laps Camier went down in a cloud of dust and flying debris after the front tyre of the Aprilia suffered an abrupt loss of traction in a terrifying front-end tuck. That left Biaggi leading by 5.2 seconds from Melandri with Fabrizio third from Haga, Laverty and Corser, with Checa seventh.

With a five second cushion over the scrap for second place between Melandri, Laverty, Fabrizio and Haga, Biaggi eased the pace to hold the gap steady at a little over five and a half seconds. He was looking well on target for his first win of the year, vital if he was to pull back a bigger bunch of points off Checa.

Then, on the tenth lap, he arrived at one of the chicanes way to hot and rather than trying to take the bend, he ran on through the slip road, rejoining the track on the other side of the chicane. He sat up then got his head down once more, with the gap to second placed Melandri 5.4 seconds. Laverty had by now passed Fabrizio to tail his Yamaha team-mate but any mistakes would see the Suzuki man back past, with Haga hot on his heels. It was very close.

Then the race officials announced Biaggi would have to take a ride through penalty for running on at the chicane.

Biaggi shook his head in disbelief but knew better than to ignore an official instruction so with just five laps to go he dived into the pit lane for his ride through, re-joining in 11th place behind the Kawasakis of Tom Sykes and Joan Lascorz.

From there he worked his way forward, passing the Kawasakis on successive laps, then nailing Checa after the latter ran into engine problems.

YAMAHA BATTLE
Out front Melandri had inherited the lead but had team-mate Laverty virtually glued to him, pulling alongside on occasion, the Yamaha men almost three seconds ahead of Fabrizio’s Suzuki, with Haga right up the GSX-R1000’s tail pipes.

In the last two laps, the huge Monza crowd was treated to a tense battle between Melandri and Laverty, decided on the final lap by Laverty getting the better of his team-mate. Behind the two Yamahas, Fabrizio held out Haga’s PATA Racing Aprilia ato give Suzuki its first podium of the year after a real cut-and-thrust final two laps between the former Xerox Ducati team-mates.

So after it appeared early on that Aprilia was going to score a 1-2, the first Italian V4 home was Haga in fourth, almost two seconds clear of Corser who was having a much better time on the BMW. Badovini brought the Italian team’s BMW home sixth ahead of Guintoli, Lascorz and Checa.

If Laverty’s first race win was a thriller, his second was epic: he’d come from ninth at the end of the first lap and had to engage some serious hard men in his race to the front. Two wins was just reward for his big effort.

POINTS CHASE
For Biaggi it was a case of what might have been. But for the mistake at the chicane and the subsequent ride-through penalty, he almost assuredly would have narrowed Checa’s lead in the title chase to just 11 points. Still, with another nine rounds (18 races) to go, Biaggi has time on his side.

However, with the next three rounds – Miller Motorsport Park, Misano and Aragon – being places where Checa and the Althea Ducati can be counted in the hunt for race wins, not to mention the new-found competitiveness of the Yamahas, it’s looking like a torrid next few weeks for Biaggi.

For full results from Monza, click on this link:

http://sbk.perugiatiming.com/pdf_frame.asp?p_Round=ITA1&p_Anno=2011&p_Manifestazione=04&p_Gara=01&p_Sessione=001&p_Stampa=CLA

World Superbike Championship points (after four of 13 rounds):
Carlos Checa (Althea Ducati 1198R) 145
Marco Melandri (Yamaha World Superbike Team YZF-R1) 118
Max Biaggi (Alitalila Aprilia RSV4 Factory) 117
Jonathan Rea (Castrol Honda CBR1000RR) 89
Eugene Laverty (Yamaha World Superbike Team YZF-R1) 85
Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport S1000 RR) 84
Michael Fabrizio (Alstare Suzuki GSX-R1000) 74
Leon Camier (Alitalila Aprilia RSV4 Factory) 58
Jakub Smrz (Team Effenbert-Liberty Racing Ducati 1198R) 55
Noriyuki Haga (PATA Racing Aprilia RSV4 Factory) 47
Troy Corser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport S1000 RR) 46
Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team S1000 RR) 35
Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team Superbike ZX-10R) 34
Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Racing Team Superbike ZX-10R) 33
Rueben Xaus (Castrol Honda CBR1000RR) 31

MOTO NZ ON THE COROMANDEL

2011-05-09T12:10:00.001+12:00

Here's a note just in from Moto NZ.
--------------------------
Hey guys,

By now you will have recieved our press release announcing MOTO NZ, and hopefully you have had a chance to check out our website www.motonz.org.nz.

And now we are moving really quickly onto our first initiative and we would like to give you a bit of a heads up, and invite you to come along to be part of it all. MOTO NZ is working with the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) on an initiative to improve safety for motorcyclists on New Zealand roadways.

MOTO NZ’s involvement starts with a large-scale ‘rider assessment’ of the roads in question, scheduled for 9th-15th May. It will take various forms, including a series of ‘passes’ by an expert rider hooked up to video and audio. This will be supplemented by a ‘ride the Coromandel loop’ event on 15th of May, expected to involve over 100 riders.

We are asking riders to ride the loop at their leisure, and give us their feedback either on the day 15 May 2011, at the Thames Racecourse, or via our websitewww.motonz.org.nz. The Council members will be at the Thames Racecourse from 11.00 am to 3.30 pm.

We are expecting to see at least 100 riders ride the loop, and it would be great to see you there.

Cheers,
Paul Searancke
Deputy Chairperson
Motorcycle Safety Advisory Council

Click here to download a .pdf of the flyer

FELLS FARM SERIES SUNDAY 5 JUNE START

2011-05-09T11:14:00.005+12:00

The annual Fells Farm series kicks off on Sunday 5 June.
The Cyclespot Honda sponsored event is a popular one with everyone from Expert through novice, intermediate, Vet and Junior catered for.
The natural terrain course allows good close racing and prize money is paid for all classes.
Fells farm is signposted from the Silverdale exit, north of Auckland. Sign on from 8am.
See http://www.fellsfarmmx.co.nz for more information.

MOTO NZ BRAND UNVEILED

2011-05-09T10:32:00.000+12:00

Motorcycle Safety Body Unveils Website Plans & ‘Moto NZ’ Brand

The Motorcycle Safety Advisory Council, under the Chairmanship of Dr Gareth Morgan, is moving quickly to establish communication channels with New Zealand riders.

A website is under development and a brand is being established that better reflects the status of the organisation.

“We didn’t want to proceed with a name like The Motorcycle Safety Advisory Council,” says Morgan. “It doesn’t reflect what we are really all about, which is motorcyclists being in control of the options we take. It sounds like a government department, which we are not. We are an organisation that represents motorcyclists, which the government has given opportunity and support to.”

The new brand is an acronym: “Motorcyclists Own The Options” or, MOTO_ NZ. “It’s simple, short and the sort of name riders are familiar with,” says Morgan. “It also tells it like it is. We want riders to understand that MOTO NZ is all about us - bikers, scooter and moped riders - owning the decisions. We have a fund of money that we have all put into, and we have government help to organise it. Now it’s up to us to own the options and make them happen.” The brand name is accompanied by a positioning statement along similar lines: “Our money, our priorities”

The new MOTO NZ brand will make its appearance on the website, currently under construction. The site has two broad purposes, according to Morgan. “First, it’s where riders can go to know what actions are being taken and their status. Second, it’s where motorcyclists - or anyone else with sound, well-considered plans - can contribute.”

In the initial stages, visitors to the site can register to be kept informed on developments. Once the first set of plans are under way, it will then act as a conduit for ideas and tenders going to the council.

“The intention is two-way traffic,” affirms Morgan. “We’re not short of ideas right now. In fact, we’re brimming with them - the sort of ideas many of us get frustrated about because they seem common-sense but they’re not happening. Our main areas of focus are roading improvements, like black spots, and ways to up rider skills and knowledge. Improved awareness of the riders perspective by the general driving public is also a relevant area for us.”

MOTO’s website now live at www.motonz.org.nz

KAWASAKI TEAM DENIES WRONG DOING

2011-05-03T13:30:00.002+12:00

OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM PAUL BIRD MOTORSPORT:

2nd May 2011
Statement from Paul Bird Motorsport

Following media speculation, Paul Bird Motorsport can confirm that a quantity of banned substances had been deposited in a race transporter while the vehicle was in Holland attending the recent Assen World Superbike event.

The substances, along with a number of other illegal items, were discovered upon the vehicle's return to the UK at the port of Dover during a routine examination by HM Customs. Naturally, the discovery came as a shock to the whole team, including those who were present during the search.

The team are confident that no team member has any connection whatsoever with the items discovered. No one has been detained after the time of the search and all team members are able to undertake their normal duties.

There is no suggestion of the Paul Bird Motorsport Team being involved in illegal activities and no other team members have been interviewed following the incident. The team staff present at the time of the search and discovery enjoy the full support and confidence of the team and all involved are determined to offer their full cooperation to HM Customs in their ongoing investigations.

Understandably, the team are now taking stringent measures to increase the security of their vehicles as they travel throughout Europe in future. Despite the personal effect on the team, Paul Bird Motorsport will be attending the next World Superbike event at Monza, Italy at full strength and with a determination to focus on the Championship.

ENDS

KAWASAKI TEAM MEMBERS BAILED

2011-05-02T12:17:00.004+12:00

FOUR members of the Paul Bird Motorsport team that runs Kawasaki's Superbike World Championship effort have been arrested on suspicion of importing drugs into England following the Assen round of the Superbike World Championship.

They were subsequently released on bail pending further investigations.

However, the Paul Bird Motorsport team has since issued a media statement saying that the discovery of drugs, a handgun and some ammunition in one of its race transporters came as a complete surprise to the team.

"The team are confident that no team member has any connection whatsoever with the items discovered. No one has been detained after the time of the search and all team members are able to undertake their normal duties," the media statement reads.

"There is no suggestion of the Paul Bird Motorsport Team being involved in illegal activities and no other team members have been interviewed following the incident. The team staff present at the time of the search and discovery enjoy the full support and confidence of the team and all involved are determined to offer their full cooperation to HM Customs in their ongoing investigations," the statement says.

For the full Paul Bird Motorsport statement, click on: http://krnewsroom.blogspot.com/2011/05/kawasaki-team-denies-wrong-doing.html

The four men arrested - Philip Roe, Gary Matthews, Mattia Fontanta and Daniel Swyer - were initially detained after two Paul Bird Motorsport transporters were inspected at Dover Eastern Docks in April on their way back to the team's base in Morecambe, Lancashire, returning from the Assen round of the Superbike World Championship.

England's daily paper The Telegraph broke the story in its May 2 edition and reported that a UK Border Agency spokesman said: "Two lorries were searched by UK Border Agency officers as they passed through Dover Eastern Docks. Quantities of Class A drugs, Class B drugs and a handgun were discovered," he said.

"Four men, aged 50, 40, 32 and 27 were arrested on suspicion of the importation of controlled drugs and firearm offences. They were questioned and later released on bail pending further enquiries."

The Telegraph is speculating that the drugs discovery will result in closer scrutiny of all motorsport teams entering and departing Britain.

For the full story, click on:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/8485812/Superbike-team-lorries-found-to-contain-drugs.html

PEDROSA, BRADL & TEROL WIN AT ESTORIL

2011-05-02T09:38:00.011+12:00

WHILE Stefan Bradl and Nicolas Terol were the clear favourites for victory in the Moto2 and 125GP classes at Portugal's Estoril circuit on Sunday, both starting from pole position and winning their races, Dani Pedrosa was the unfancied winner of the MotoGP race.

Bradl led all but one lap of a hectic Moto2 race while Terol simply cleared off from the start of the 125 race and never even looked like being headed.

In a similar manner, Jorge Lorenzo put his Yamaha into the lead of the MotoGP race from pole position but Dani Pedrosa dogged his ever move. Just when it looked as if Lorenzo was about to grab an historic fourth successive win at the Portuguese circuit, to add to his 2008, 2009 and 2010 wins there, Pedrosa pounced with three laps to go, and pulled away to a brilliant win.

It was Honda's first victory at Estoril in the 800cc era of MotoGP. The previous Honda win there came from Toni Elias on a 990cc Honda V5 in 2006.

For the full 125 results, click on:
http://resources.motogp.com/files/results/xx/2011/POR/125cc/RAC/Classification.pdf?v1_52a44757

For the full Moto2 results, click on:
http://resources.motogp.com/files/results/xx/2011/POR/Moto2/RAC/Classification.pdf?v1_fce6501b

For the full MotoGP results, click on:
http://resources.motogp.com/files/results/xx/2011/POR/MotoGP/RAC/Classification.pdf?v1_59409e98

DIRT GUIDE SERIES THIS WEEKEND

2011-04-26T11:02:00.002+12:00

Karl Power will be racing this weekend

Words and Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com

Motorcycle riders are being spoiled for choice these days it’s not getting any easier.

This weekend will feature two separate outings in the South Waikato region to cater for all tastes and abilities and the choice is actually quite easy, go and ride both days.

In almost any corner of the country you'll see floods of vans, utes and cars with trailers, carting dirt bikes away for another weekend of off-road fun, typically an enjoyable challenge.

And the words "enjoyable" and "challenge" can certainly be used in the same breath when discussing the three-round Dirt Guide Cross-country Series and parallel Dirt Guide Trail Ride Series, now in their fourth season.

Sponsored by Kiwi Rider magazine, the series kicks off this Saturday at a venue called "Tar Hill", about 15 kilometres south of Tokoroa. The following day, a trail ride will be run at the same venue.

“This series is set in the pine forests south of Tokoroa and it has now built a reputation as being a really fun competition,” said organiser Sean Clarke, of Tokoroa.

“There is a class or category that caters for everyone. The tracks for all the events this year have been prepared with a bulldozer, so they should hold up really well, even with this bit of rain we have had lately,” he said.

Previous overall winner Damon Nield, of Hokianga, has entered and national enduro championship contender Karl Power, from Auckland, is also expected to make the journey.

The 90-minute junior race starts at 9.30am, with the two-hour senior race to follow, starting at 12.30pm.

Racing will be on similar terrain to that used for part of the big International Six Days Enduro in November 2006.

Sunday’s trail ride features a 30-kilometre loop and 10-kilometre short loop option for riders too. There is also a one-kilometre course for children. The ride starts at 9.30am.

CALENDAR (trail ride on day two in each case):
Round one, Tar Hill, Tokoroa, April 30, May 1.
Round two, Pylons, Atiamuri, May 28-29.
Round three, Whakamaru, June 25-26.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
Sean Clarke
Phone 07-886-5918
Email: foresttrailevent@xtra.co.nz

BRACE YOURSELVES FOR ACTION

2011-04-20T15:16:00.003+12:00

Youth talent heads to Tokoroa for the
Leatt New Zealand Junior Motocross Championships
this weekend.

Words and Pic By by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com

Brace yourself for action as the most significant event on the junior motocross calendar kicks off in the Central North Island on Friday.

Tokoroa will this Easter weekend host the three-day Leatt New Zealand Junior Motocross Championships with more than 300 riders entered.

The popular Amisfield track, on the outskirts of Tokoroa, is the venue for this annual championship weekend and top talent from throughout Australasia is expected to rapidly fill up the South Waikato forestry town’s motels.

It is hard to pick a favourite to win the 14-16 years’ 250cc class but it’s certain to be a brutal battle between top Kiwis such as Dunedin’s Campbell King, Rotorua’s Haki Waller, Matamata’s Jacob Kneebone, Kumeu’s Liam Underwood, Whakatane’s Damon Rees, Takaka’s Hamish Harwood, Auckland’s Brandon Tipene and Hastings rider Jonty Birrell.

Rangiora’s Micah McGoldrick will certainly be one rider worth watching this weekend. He won the 13-16 years’ 85cc class and finished third in the 12-14 years’ 125cc class last season.

He steps up to the 15-16 years’ 125cc class this season, where he will face stiff opposition from such talented riders as Rotorua’s Cameron Vaughan, Levin’s James Anderson, Paeroa’s Kent Morley, Katikati’s Garth Amrein and Te Puke’s Logan Blackburn, to name a few.

Top Australian 125cc rider Jesse Dobson arrives from Queensland to bid for the 12-14 years’ 125cc class title and there he will line up against top Kiwis such as Hadleigh Knight, of Atiamuri, Rangiora’s Cody Murphy, Opotiki’s Tyler Breingan and Tauranga’s Kurt Langford.

In the 85cc class battles, riders such as Hamilton’s Josiah Natzke (last season’s 11-12 years’ 85cc class champion), Otago’s Courtney Duncan (the former 85cc world No.8), Taupo’s Wyatt Chase (the 8-10 years’ 85cc class winner in 2010), his brother Cohen Chase, Papakura’s Kurtis Lilly, Pahiatua’s Scott Sowry, Oamaru's Joel Meikle, Christchurch's Dylan Walsh, Hawera’s Nick Hornby, Tauranga's Cameron Forlong and Australian riders Hunter Lawrence and Blake Cobbin should feature.

Sponsored by Leatt (the neck brace people), the national championships feature racing in seven separate age-group and bike capacity classes. The championship will comprise five races in each category.

KIWI'S AT AUSSIE ROAD RACE NATIONALS

2011-04-20T11:05:00.005+12:00

Photo / Words. Todd S Caption: Josh McGrath (left) and Maarty Van Booma at Hidden Valley race circuit, Darwin.

KiwiRider ran into Cantabrians John Ross and Red Fenton at the third round of the Australian Championship recently. Maarty Van Booma (Hawkes Bay resident) was another helping riders out.
The venue was Darwin's Hidden Valley Circuit on the 16-17 of April. Fenton and Van Booma helping out honary Kiwi's Robbie Bugden (Superbike) and Josh McGrath (125GP) respectively. Both riders having competed in New Zealand this summer.
John Ross (BMW-Prostock) carded a third, fourth and another third for the best results of the weekend, second overall. Ross sits ninth in the championship, although only 25 points behind second spot, after horror results at round two in Tasmania.
The championships next round in Perth, Western Australia. April 30, May 1.

EASTER RIDE DAY AT HAMPTON DOWNS

2011-04-19T12:57:00.000+12:00

By Darren Sweetman

The powers that be have decided in their infinite wisdom that we should have two public holidays on the same day. How does that work, do we get one in lieu??

Oh well, not to worry as we are having a Ride Day at Hampton Downs that day anyway. It’s a four day weekend so why not spend 3 days with the family and then come and have some adrenaline charged fun at the race track on Easter Monday/Anzac Day.

As usual we will cater for all types of bikes and speed groups. We will be running a first timers program to help those Ride Day virgins to have a great day and make them feel more comfortable in this new environment. We have bikes and gear available for hire and we have tires available on site if you need some.

To book your spot please go to www.hamptondownsridedays.co.nz

Our upcoming events are as follows:

Monday 25th April – Anzac Day/Easter Monday
Saturday 14th May
Sunday 22nd May
Sunday 12th June
Sunday 10th July

Come along and have some fun with us.

Enjoy the Ride

Darren

JOSH COPPINS WINS IN AUS

2011-04-11T09:13:00.003+12:00

Josh Coppins

CDR Rockstar Yamaha duo of Josh Coppins and Jay Marmont put on a clinical display at round three of the Rockstar Energy MX Nationals as they romped their way to a 1-2 finish for the day in the premier Pro Open class.

Still driven by the disappointment of round one, the CDR Rockstar Yamaha Team have been on a mission the last two rounds to claw back points. That drive and the success from the Appin and Raymond Terrace rounds now sees Josh Coppins take the lead in the championship chase with team mate Jay Marmontleapfrogging his way to third after a sensational showing at the Barleigh Ranch circuit.

Josh Coppins entered the round withmomentum after winning round two a week priorbut he is still plagued byan ankle injury that prevents him from riding and training during the week. Coppins again showed his class and determination by taking the round win in commanding fashion, finishing the day with 2-1-1-2 places in the four points paying races.

The big points haul now sees Coppins head the points table, despite finishing seventh at the opening round.

"It was a good day," Coppins shrugged at the end of the final moto. "We always knew we had good lap speed but our starts had been letting us down so we invested plenty of time getting the right set up and the best tyre for getting off the gate and so far it seems to be working well."

"With a few weeks break between the next round it will give my ankle a chance to heal, then I will be able to get back into training full swing as the season gets into the busy part of the year," Coppins said.

Jay Marmont continues to show the fight and tenacity that made him the reigning and three times MX National champion. Marmont again battled bravely through the day to take third, highlighted by an impressive moto win in the final race.

With two podium finishes at the last two rounds, Marmont has climbed back to an impressive third overall in the point's standings and beginning to find the form that would have his competitors worried.

"Again, today was another good step in the right direction. Last year I struggled hereso it was good to bounce backget a podium result today," Marmont said.

"I was able to be pretty consistent today which is important with this format and some of the other guys were a bit up and down so we made up a heap of points. But now the real work begins as we still have 24 races to go and anything can happen."

Team owner Craig Dack was also a satisfied man at the end of the day and watched proudly as his riders took the top two steps of the podium at presentation.

"I'm just really happy for the team that we got these results at the past two rounds and especially today. The mechanics have worked long hours and did whatever it took to get the bikes and riders in good shape and the rewards are in the results."

"The goal now is to maintain the drive and intensity we have showed the past two rounds and keep the confidence and momentum of the riders flowing as we still have a long way to go," Dack explains.

The Rockstar Energy MX Nationals now takes a three week break before the teams and riders meet again at Murray Bridge track in South Australia for round four where the CDR crew will be looking for similar success.

For a for list of results and more information on the MX Nationals, please visit www.mxnationals.com.au

A video package from round two of the CDR Rockstar Yamaha team can also be viewed at ; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXdH-Wp-wlc

Bikedeadline

MEAD WINS OPENING X-COUNTRY BATTLE

2011-04-11T09:09:00.002+12:00

Rory Mead

Words and photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com

The New Zealand Cross-country Championships kicked off near Blenheim on Saturday with Taupo’s Rory Mead leading a star-studded field of off-road motorcycling talent to the chequered flag.

Runner-up in this first round of four in the Suzuki-sponsored series was Mokau’s Adrian Smith, with Palmerston North’s defending champion Adam Reeves taking the third podium spot.

“It was very rocky and quite steep in places, but, overall, it was a great course,” said the 24-year-old Mead.

“I am off to race overseas in a few weeks, so I will miss two rounds of this championship,” he said, meaning Mead’s results over the first two rounds will probably act as a spoiler for the actual title contenders.

Fourth, fifth and sixth overall respectively on Saturday were Huntly’s Michael Vining, Raglan’s Brandon Given and Te Awamutu’s Mark Penny.

Always a contender and sure to be near the top when the series eventually winds up near New Plymouth in May, Suzuki star Penny was thrilled to be back in action after a 2010 season that was virtually a write-off.

Penny missed the entire cross country season last year with a knee injury, then returned in August to win the ironman class at the Taupo 4-hour, before breaking his hand a week later.

To finish sixth overall at the weekend was an encouraging result.

Round two of the series is set for farmland near Waipukurau this weekend.

PHILLIPS WANTS TOP STEP AT THE TERRACE

2011-04-07T19:04:00.001+12:00

Michael Phillips

Quiet Kiwi wants top step of the dais in Raymond Terrace

Carlton Dry Honda Thor Racing’s Michael Phillips is hoping to better his 2010 third placing with a win at Round 3 of the Aus. MX Nationals in Raymond Terrace this weekend.

Now mounted aboard a CRF450, Phillips has shown he is much more at home in the Pro Open class.

The quietly spoken Kiwi, who finished third in the New Zealand motocross Championships a fortnight ago narrowly missed a podium placing at Appin last weekend but says the Hunter-regional track is a personal favourite.

“I am really looking forward to Raymond Terrace this weekend. It’s a track I enjoy and I finished on the podium there last year,” Phillips said.

“I have had a good couple of days riding back home in New Zealand. For me this is my fifth consecutive weekend of racing so I have taken it a little easier in the lead-up.

“With four sprint races each weekend there is a long way to go and it is so important to be consistent and not make mistakes. Last weekend showed it is consistency and not necessarily race wins that achieve silverware,” he added.

Teammate Cheyne Boyd who currently sits fifth in the Pro Open Championship has spent much of this week testing with the Carlton Dry Honda Thor Racing Team.

With the focus being rideability and starts, the team tested a number of engine configurations ahead of this weekend’s event.

Boyd said he was happy with the changes and saw an immediate improvement in his starts.

“I was fairly disappointed with last weekend,” Boyd admitted. “I have the speed and pace to run up front but when you are starting mid-pack it makes it really hard.

“We tested this week and the team made some changes to the engine configuration and I have felt a big improvement.

“The stuff we have changed has really helped me with my starts so I am looking forward to putting it all into play on Sunday,” Boyd added.

The third round of the 2011 MX Nationals will be held on Sunday 10th April at MX Central in Raymond Terrace.

Top Ten MX Nationals Pro Open Championship Standings after Round 2 of 9

1. Dean Ferris 139pts
2. Billy Mackenzie, 137pts
3. Josh Coppins, 134pts
4. Ryan Marmont, 128pts
5. Cheyne Boyd, 123pts
6. Lawson Bopping, 121pts
7. Jay Marmont, 118pts
8. Michael Phillips, 113pts
9. Louis Calvin, 99pts
10. Cody Cooper, 96pts

Source: Fluid PR

RACING ACROSS THE COUNTRY

2011-04-07T13:23:00.003+12:00

Mark Penny

Words and Pic by Andy McGechan,
www.BikesportNZ.com

Ready to endure, withstand and brave the elements as you race for many kilometres across the country ... and all at eye-watering speeds?

The 2011 Suzuki New Zealand Cross Country Championship season is all set to kick off with the first of four rounds near Blenheim on Saturday.

Pahiatua’s Adam Reeves (Yamaha) will feel the pressure as he attempts to defend his national crown, with last season’s third-ranked rider Adrian Smith (Yamaha), of Mokau, and fourth-ranked Michael Vining (KTM), of Huntly, also expected to be on fire again this year.

Eyes will also be on other top contenders such as Aucklander Sam Greenslade (Husqvarna), Te Awamutu’s Mark Penny (Suzuki), Napier’s John O’Dea (Suzuki), Marton’s Cam Smith (Suzuki), Gore’s Richard White (Husaberg), Milton’s Liam Taal (Kawasaki) and Dunedin’s Shaun Blackie (Yamaha).

Round two is near Waipukurau a week later (on April 16), followed by round three near Cheviot (April 30) and the fourth and final round is set for rough terrain at Urenui, near New Plymouth, on May 14.

In the junior ranks, expect to see a fierce battle between riders such as Raglan’s Jason Dickey (Kawasaki), Dannevirke’s Stacy Smyth (Kawasaki), Cambridge’s Christopher Foster (Yamaha), Timaru’s Brodie Wilton (Honda), Richmond’s Dylan Waghorn (Honda) and Ashburton’s Tim Williams (Honda).

Only three of the four rounds count, allowing riders to discard their worst result, and this will ensure the series goes right down to the wire.

In addition to Suzuki New Zealand, the series is also sponsored by DRD magazine and Hydraulink Fluid Connectors.

LORENZO KEEPS HIS HEAD

2011-04-04T14:23:00.011+12:00

Jorge Lorenzo (File Pic)

LORENZO KEEPS HIS HEAD WHILE ALL ABOUT HIM OTHERS ARE LOSING THEIRS
By Michael Esdaile

JORGE Lorenzo was always going to be in the hunt for a podium at Jerez for the second round of the 2011 MotoGP Championship, but even he would not have predicted a win in front of almost 124,000 loyal Spanish fans.

As at the opening round at Qatar, the Repsol V4 Hondas of Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa had set the pace through practice and qualifying, ending up first and second on the grid while Lorenzo turned in a mighty effort on the Yamaha in-line four to take the last place on the front row of the grid, the only other rider to get under 1m 39s in qualifying.

Lorenzo’s Yamaha team-mate Texan Ben Spies squeezed out a 1m 39.390s qualifying lap to head row two from Marco Simoncelli on the factory bike he’s riding under the San Carlo Honda Gresini banner. Andrea Dovizioso was sixth fastest on the third Repsol Honda, just ahead of Randy De Puniet (Pramac Racing Team Ducati), Colin Edwards and Cal Crutchlow on the Tech 3 Yamahas.

Having crashed from losing front tyre adhesion on the Marlboro Ducati early in Saturday’s qualifying, nine times world champion Valentino Rossi was 12th on the grid, bested by not only De Puniet, but also Marlboro team-mate Nicky Hayden.

But qualifying on a dry track with a surface temperature of 30°C was far different from the conditions on Sunday, when it rained. In the Sunday morning warm-up session, the track temperature was 17°C and wet, but Stoner was again fastest. However, the surprise was Rossi, second fastest on a damp track. Behind the Ducati rider was Dovizioso, who had won the 2009 British GP at a rain-soaked Donington, with Hayden and Lorenzo next quickest in the damp.

By the time the MotoGP bikes went out on the sighting lap, it was raining steadily, but as the riders gridded up, the rain eased, but the track temperature was just 15°C. Not surprisingly, everyone was on rain tyres. Stoner made good use of his pole position to holeshot the race and lead into turn one, with Pedrosa alongside him briefly. Then the Spaniard dropped down through the field as he worked to find traction, and get his confidence up, and completed the lap in ninth place just behind a charging Rossi.

Out front Stoner led from Lorenzo with Simoncelli up to third place mid-way through the first lap, chased by Dovizioso, Spies, Hayden, Edwards and Rossi. The Marlboro Ducati may have been a handful in the dry, but whatever fuel/ignition map the crew had chosen for the wet was definitely working, Rossi making up ground everywhere in his rush toward the front. At the end of the second lap he dived inside team-mate Hayden and before the third lap was over he had got past Spies and Dovizioso.

Stoner was still leading narrowly from Lorenzo with Simoncelli closing in at a great rate, chased by Rossi, then Dovizioso, Hayden and Spies. But Simoncelli was definitely a man on a mission, diving past Lorenzo at turn one, then nipping under Stoner shortly after to lead. Shortly after, there was drama almost all through the field.

Firstly Rossi nipped under Lorenzo for third then a lap later he decided to come from a long way back to pass Stoner on the brakes in the right-hand turn one. But, as Stoner was to observe later, “his ambition outweighed his talent.”

Clearly Stoner had given the Italian plenty of room, and Rossi dived in, lost the front under brakes, went down and his sliding Ducati took the Australian out. Both jumped to their feet, got their bikes untangled and upright, and a group of Spanish marshals gave Rossi a shove and he was away. Not so for Stoner, the Australian later fuming about what he saw as favouritism to Rossi. He reported the Honda was undamaged and he could have got going too, with a similar effort from the marshals.

This was eight laps into a 27 lap race, and as events were to unfold, there is no question Stoner could well have scored some good points had he been able to re-join. As it was, before that lap was over, Rossi had already passed last-placed Toni Elias and was working his way back toward the front again.

The departure of Stoner and Rossi from second and third put Lorenzo into second place, with Hayden third, then Spies and in a terrific come-back Dani Pedrosa was fighting his way toward the front and was now fifth. Two laps later he passed Spies and at the same time his Repsol Honda team-mate Dovizioso began experiencing tyre problems, running wide in corners and going backwards.

With Stoner out and Dovizioso in trouble, Honda’s hopes now rested on Simoncelli in the lead, and Pedrosa in fourth. On the 11th of 27 laps, Pedrosa took third away from Hayden and started closing on Lorenzo. A lap later Simoncelli lost the front and crashed out, putting the patient Lorenzo into the lead. Pedrosa took the fight too the Yamaha man, but after a few laps it was clear he was just not able to get the job done, so he wisely elected to consolidate second.

However, having left Hayden trailing in his wake, Spies picked up the pace and slowly but surely reeled Pedrosa in while Tech 3 Yamaha’s Crutchlow was making similar advances on fourth placed Hayden as Tech 3 team-mate Edwards maintained a watching brief a little further back. But Crutchlow also sucuumbed to a loss of front tyre traction, crashing on the 20th lap but managing to re-join.

Meantime Spies continued on his mission to make it a Yamaha 1-2, taking the runner-up spot away from Pedrosa on lap 24 while not far behind, fellow Texan Edwards was starting to put the pressure on Hayden for fourth.

Then ‘wham’, in the blink of an eye, Spies was down – off into the gravel after a sudden loss of front-end traction. It happened so fast he had no warning.

“As soon as I passed Dani I knew that we had second place under control, he wouldn’t be able to get back by but I needed to not make any mistakes,” Spies said later. "Every corner after I passed him I slowed down, taking it easy then all of a sudden I was on the ground. Obviously it was my mistake, but looking at the data, I was going slower than I had all race. It was one of those things; I think the tyres were the limiting factor today.”

With Spies out, Pedrosa was back into second and Edwards passed Hayden, so it was looking like a Yamaha-Honda-Yamaha finish. But on the last lap, the fuel pump in the Tech 3 Yamaha failed, and Edwards rolled to a frustrated stop.

Thus Nicky Hayden scored his first podium since Aragon in mid-September last year by staying out of trouble and finishing strongly. The same could be said of Jorge Lorenzo, although in his case, he was always in the leading group, and in the final analysis, led way more laps (16) than anyone. It was fitting reward and to underline his mastery of the very tricky conditions, he finished almost 20 seconds in front of Pedrosa, with Hayden another 10 seconds astern. Fourth was Hiroshi Aoyama on the San Carlo Gresini Honda and a surprise fifth was – Valentino Rossi! The Italian had shown great pace in the wet, but his cause was also helped by other riders crashing ahead of him. After he re-joined the race and got past Elias, he tagged onto the back of a four bike group and was promoted a place when Dovizioso pitted to change his rear tyre.

Then he got past Loris Capirossi and stand-in Suzuki rider John Hopkins at about the same time Randy de Puniet crashed. So with 10 laps to run, Rossi was tenth. From there he eventually got the better of Hector Barbera, gained another place when Crutchlow crashed out of fifth, and two more places courtesy of the exit of Spies and Edwards. Lorenzo though showed all his world championship winning class on the Yamaha.

Not only did he win the race, he also took the MotoGP Championship lead after two rounds, with 45 points. Second on the points table, as in the race, was Pedrosa (36) while Stoner’s 25 points from his win in Qatar keep him third on the points ladder, just ahead of the Marlboro Ducatis of Hayden (23) and Rossi (20). “We made a good start to the race and the bike felt good for the first few laps, then the tyres seemed to move a little so we tried to conserve them in case it rained again,” Stoner reported afterwards. “I really wanted the chance to fight the Spanish riders here in a dry race, so it was disappointing for me that it was wet.

However, we were competitive here in the wet and dry and this is very important for us - at a track that hasn't been that great for me in the past. After so much hard work I hate to have a race like this because the team did a great job all weekend and now we go home empty-handed,” he added. Describing the incident in which Rossi cleaned him out, Stoner added, “I heard Valentino closing in but I wasn't worried about anyone passing me at that point in the race so I gave him plenty of room.

It was a racing incident and there's not much we can do. What is more frustrating is the reaction of the stewards and their assistance for Valentino and not for me; it was unbelievable. I want to just get to the next race now in Estoril, where I'm sure we can be competitive again.” Lorenzo was delighted with his win, but said, “I think everyone wanted a dry race, but at the end it rained, so we had to race.” He added that he found it “really difficult to keep the focus, the concentration.”

He said that toward the end, every lap the tyres were in worse and worse shape as the treaded wets were chewed up on a drying track. “So every corner you have to slow down a little bit more, every lap but keep the concentration. And when you see the others crashing around you, it is not so easy. And so it was a long race. But we keep on the bike and we win the second time here in Jerez, which is the best circuit in the world."

Full results: http://resources.motogp.com/files/results/xx/2011/SPA/MotoGP/RAC/worldstanding.pdf?v1_a4ec180c

BEST AND WORST FOR STROUD

2011-04-04T12:06:00.000+12:00

Stroud on his way to seven wins from nine starts

Words and photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com

It was the worst of days and the best of days for Hamilton’s Andrew Stroud in the Manawatu on Sunday.

The 43-year-old father-of-eight had already wrapped up the 2011 Castrol Power 1 New Zealand Superbike Championship, his ninth national superbike crown, at the previous round a week earlier, so the pressure was off for him to perform at the fifth and final round at Manfeild, near Palmerston North, at the weekend.

But that didn’t stop him from trying to wrap up his campaign in the best possible way, the Suzuki star determined to win both superbike races at the sun-baked Manawatu circuit on Sunday.

However, he couldn’t quite manage to clean-sweep the event, local hero Craig Shirriffs (Suzuki) denying him by winning the day’s first of two superbike races, while Stroud recorded his worst finish of the series, coming home an unaccustomed third, behind Shirriffs and Australian rival Robbie Bugden (Suzuki).

Stroud had been leading the race but Shirriffs left him nowhere to go in one of the sweeping corners, running him off the track.

But, if a third place finish was Stroud’s worst result of the series, how good was his best result? The answer to that question came swiftly afterwards.

Stroud bounced back to win the second superbike race in thrilling style, snatching the lead from Bugden halfway through the 20th and final lap of the race.

And this was a race that promised more than just bragging rights too, with the host Manawatu-Orion Motorcycle Club offering a special one-off ‘King of Manfeild’ trophy to the winner of that second race – and it was perhaps appropriate that Stroud won it because he has long been New Zealand’s superbike king, the softly-spoken and popular rider tucking away a record ninth title this season.

“It was a good way to finish the championship,” beamed Stroud afterwards.

As for the championship itself, Brisbane’s three-time former New Zealand champion Bugden settled for runner-up spot overall, a massive 67 points behind Stroud, with Tauranga’s Sloan Frost (BMW) taking third place, another 34 points behind Bugden.

Other national champions conformed at the weekend were Christchurch’s Dennis Charlett (Suzuki, 600cc supersport class); Inglewood’s Midge Smart (Yamaha, 600cc superstock class); Timaru’s Johnny Small (Suzuki, 650 Pro Twins); Foxton’s Jason Easton (Aprilia, Superlites); Christchurch’s Seth Devereux (Kawasaki, Prolite 250) and Rangiora’s Jake Lewis (Honda, 125GP).

Wellington’s Glen Skachill (Suzuki) took the Gumboot Grand Prix trophy, the one-off special prize for the winner of the day’s second 600cc class race.

IT’S ONE HELL OF AN EVENT

2011-04-04T10:42:00.000+12:00

by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com

Ever been told to “go to Hell”?

This is probably the place they meant ... the No Way In Hell enduro, the country’s premier extreme enduro event, run by the man who should know, Tokoroa enduro wizard Sean Clarke.

This year’s Kiwi Rider-sponsored No Way In Hell enduro is just the second time it has been run and, quite frankly, a second time around was perhaps something nobody had planned for ... it’s a surprise anyone survived last year’s inaugural event.

In fact, only two out of more than 60 starters did survive last year’s inaugural race.

Set for Oparau, near Kawhia, on Saturday, April 9, this year’s No Way In Hell enduro will be just a little different, not in terms of its soul-destroying and body-breaking qualities but in the ability for spectators to enjoy witnessing the anguish close up.

“After last year’s successful event, we have decided to make the event more compact for the riders and better viewing for the spectators,” said Clarke, himself an enduro rider with impeccable credentials.

Clarke is a multi-time New Zealand champion and a four-time medallist at the “Olympic Games of enduro racing”, the International Six Days Enduro.

The race will be started by shot-gun (aimed in the air) at 9am and every competitor, regardless of class entered, will be on the same start line.

“Last year we had split starts for the different classes and this spread the field out to much,” Clarke explained.

The start its self will be called the ‘Bull Rush’ and it will consist of a run up the rockiest river bed imaginable for 1500 metres. The first person to get to the end of this section will win the first $100 in prize money being offered.

“After this, the course this year will consist of three laps that will get harder and harder as the event goes on. Mathew and Nigel Scott, the legends from Oparau, are putting a course together that they hope will even test the best of Kiwi talent, including Kiwi international extreme enduro aces Chris Birch (Auckland) and Rory Mead (Taupo).

Multi-time former national champion and world-renowned extreme enduro specialist Birch has indicated that he would make the trip back from his new home in South Africa especially for this event.

“There will be some pretty hard sections to test the riders but these won’t be thrown in until the second and third laps. The course will be changed as the event goes on,” said Clarke.

“Each lap will be about 25-30 kilometres long and, after each lap, riders will be back at the woolshed for refuelling and food.

“Riders will carry an enduro time card this year and this will be marked when they complete some of the harder sections. If a rider can’t make a section and their card isn’t marked, they will be out of the race.

“There will also be a time limit set this year for the completion of the race. The total time for the race will be six hours. If nobody has finished the course in six hours there will be no finishers.”

Back at the woolshed there will be a fantastic viewing section for spectators. In addition, each time the riders return to the woolshed they will have a mini extreme section to complete.

Only five of the more than 60 bikes that braved the elements actually made it around the entire course at last year’s inaugural No Way In Hell enduro.

The winner was Birch, the only one to finish unaided, in a time of three hours 12 minutes. Hokianga’s Mitchell Nield was 2½ hours behind in second place. Then came Taupo’s Mark De Lautour, Mokau’s Adrian Smith and Marton’s Cam Smith, who arrived to finish a race that for them had lasted eight hours and 11 minutes.

Using this year’s stipulations that meant only two riders out of more than 60 starters last year would be recognised as having completed the race.

2011 EVENT DETAILS:

Pre entry fee $60 includes a meal after event.
Entry on day $85
Entries close April 5
Email your entry to foresttrailevent@xtra.co.nz with rider’s name, bike details, race number and the class to be entered, and the organisers will send out payment details.
Camping is available Friday and Saturday nights.
The classes are as follows:
Class 1, Under 200 two-stroke /Under 300cc four-stroke combined
Class 2, Over 200 two-stroke / Over 300cc four-stroke combined
Class 3, Vets 35-45 any bike
Class 4, Vets 45+ any bike
Class 5, Teams 2 riders (must finish together)

For any other information, call Sean Clarke on 0275 996 045