NZ Superbikes Ready To Go
With just over a month to the start of the 2009 Castrol Power1 New Zealand Superbike Championships everything is looking good for another fantastic seasons racing.
The Championships are again backed by Castrol New Zealand, the distributors of Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha, as well as local motorcycle magazine Motorcycle Trader & News.
The newly named New Zealand Superbike class is set to again be a Trans-Tasman battle with the return of reigning Champion Australian Robbie Bugden (Suzuki) and fellow Australian, Yamaha “Young Gun” Gareth Jones.
From the Kiwi side of the Tasman we will have Hamilton’s Andrew Stroud and Kumeu’s Ray Clee on Suzuki’s, while the big news for this season must be Feilding’s Craig Shirriffs’ change to Honda. He and New Plymouth’s Hayden Fitzgerald will be looking to take their new CBR1000R8s to the top step of the podium.
The 600 Sports Production class will be just as hard and fast as the big class. Dennis Charlett (Suzuki) will be out to defend his title, but the Christchurch grandfather will not have it all his own way, with the return of ’07 Champion Pukekohe’s Sam Smith (Yamaha) returning to the class, after a not so successful season in Superbikes last year. There will also be Charlett’s team-mate Christchurch’s James Smith (Suzuki), Hamilton’s Nick Cole (Kawasaki) and his team-mate Clive’s Adam Chambers who has moved up from the 125cc GP class.
Current Pro-Twin 650 Champion Auckland’s Karl Morgan has also returned to the 600 field, but the man to watch, hot from his season racing in the European Superstocks, will be Yamaha’s Gareth Jones, who this year will be doing double duties in both Superbikes and 600 SP.
The smaller classes will be just as exciting, with some of New Zealand’s new crop of road racers coming through in the 125cc Grand Prix Class, with riders such as Christchurch’s teenagers Cameron Jones and Nick Cain. Jones was recently awarded Promising Newcomer (Road Racing) at the Motorcycle Trader & News Motorcycle Awards, while Cain spent a several days in the Italian sun, testing for the Red Bull racing squad in September.
In the Formula Three class, we will again have the old heads of Palmerston North’s Glen Williams and New Plymouth’s Terry Fitzgerald battling the youth of Blenhiem’s Steve Wood all on Suzuki 650s.
While the Pro-twins 650 class which was dominated by Morgan last season, his move to 600SP, will leave the way clear for Dannevirke’s Geoff Booth to come through following his successes during the winter. .
Sidecars look set again to be dominated by the imported LCR machines, such as those ridden by Wanganui’s Steve Bron and Leighton Minnell, but you can never exclude the likes of Auckland’s Lawrence Brothers on their Anderson Yamaha.
Castrol Power1
New Zealand Superbike Championship
Round One: Teretonga, Invercargill January 10 – 11
Round Two: Levels, Timaru January 17-18
Round Three: Ruapuna, Christchurch January 24 – 25 (includes NZ GPs)
Round Four: Manfeild, Feilding February 14 – 15
Round Five: Pukekohe, Auckland March 7 – 8 (includes NZ TTs)
