The final round of the Castrol New Zealand Superbike Championships had its ups and downs at Pukekohe this weekend.
Australian Robbie Bugden (Suzuki) took the last of the 2008 Silverware with a win in the New Zealand Superbike TT, which also served as the Geoff Perry Memorial race.
However he didn’t have it all his own way, with fellow Australian Gareth Jones (Yamaha) and Feilding’s Craig Shirriffs (Suzuki) hard on his heals. The lead changed several times and the lap record fell at least three times with Bugden setting a new record of 56.345 secs.
In the 600 Sports Production class Christchurch’s Dennis Charlett clinched the title on his Suzuki ahead of team-mate James Smith. Unfortunately the first race was marred by a fatal accident, so the field choose not to continue racing as a mark of respect.
The other championships where won by riders who had been dominant all season. 125ccGP went to Christchurch’s Cameron Jones on his Honda, Formula Three to Palmerston’s North’s Glen Williams on a Suzuki and the 650 Pro-twins to Auckland’s Carl Morgan on another Suzuki.
The exception was the sidecars with Wanganui’s Steve Bron bring the World championship winning LCR home after a later charge.
Provisional Results
Round Five:
Castrol New Zealand Superbike Championships
Pukekohe 8 – 9 March 2008.
Production Superbikes:
Race one: Andrew Stroud (Hamilton) Suzuki, 1; Robbie Bugden (Australia) Suzuki, 2; Gareth Jones (Australia) Yamaha, 3; Craig Shirriffs (Feilding) Suzuki, 4; Tony Rees (Whakatane) Yamaha, 5.
Race Two, Production Superbike TT: Bugden, 1; Jones, 2; Shirriffs, 3; Stroud, 4; Damian Cudlin, 5.
Championship: Bugden 245, Stroud 176, Jones 170, Shirriffs 145, Cudlin 92.
600 Sports Production:
Race One: Midge Smart (UK) Yamaha, 1; Dennis Charlett (Christchurch) Suzuki, 2; Jay Lawrence (Wellington) Kawasaki, 3, Jason Hulme (Wanganui) Yamaha, 4; Nicholas Cole (Hamilton) Kawasaki, 5.
As a mark of respect, the field choose not to race again today, after the fatal accident at the end of race one.
Championship;
Charlett 192.5, Smith 140.5, Lawrence
Formula Three:
Race One: Terry Fitzgerald (New Plymouth) Suzuki, 1; Jason Nairn (New Plymouth) Suzuki, 2; Glen Williams (Palmerston North) Suzuki, 3.
Race Two: Steven Wood (Blenhiem) Suzuki, 1; Fitzgerald, 2 Nairn, 3.
Race Three, NZ Formula Three TT: Williams, 1; Wood, 2; Nairn, 3.
Championship: Williams, 304, Fitzgerald, 273, Wood, 246.
Pro-Twins 650:
Race One: Karl Morgan (Auckland) Suzuki, 1; Geoff Booth (Dannevirke) Suzuki, 2; Alan Zitnik (Tauranga) Suzuki, 3.
Race two: Morgan, 1; Booth, 2; Tom Bos (Christchurch) Kawasaki, 3.
Race Three, NZ Pro-Twin TT: Morgan, 1; Booth, 2; Anthony Stephens (Invercargill) Suzuki, 3.
Championship: Morgan, 375, Booth, 242, Stephens, 210.
Sidecars:
Race One: Stephen Bron/ Dennis Simonsen (Wanganui), 1; Peter Goodwin/ Gavin James (Bay of Islands) LCR Yamaha, 2; Andy Scrivener/ Steve Bryan (Taupo) Sowersby Hyabusa,3.
Race Two: Bron/Simonsen, 1; Leighton Minnell/ Louise Blythe (Wanganui) LCR, 2; Goodwin/James, 3.
Race Three, NZ Sidecar TT: Bron/Simonsen, 1; Goodwin/James, 2; Minnell/ Blythe ,3.
Championship: Bron/Simonsen 270, Scrivener/ Bryan 221, Goodwin/ James 182.
125ccGrand Prix:
Race One: James McKay (Hamilton) Honda, 1; Tim McArthur (Dunedin) Honda, 2; Cameron Jones (Christchurch) Honda, 3.
Race Two: Cameron Jones, 1; Adam Chambers (Clive) Honda, 2; Mc Arthur, 3.
Race Three, NZ 125ccGP TT, In two parts: Mckay, 1; Mcarthur, 2; Chambers, 3.
Championships: Cameron Jones 293.5; McArthur 253.55, Chambers 173.5.
