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Rees triple treat but Frost wins Suzuki Series

2015 Suzuki Series

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Sunday, December 27, 2015

Rees triple treat but Frost wins Suzuki Series

Suzuki mounted Sloan Frost won the 2015 Suzuki Series in hot conditions at Whanganui on Boxing Day.

Frost and Horst Saiger, of Liechtenstein, entered the day equal on points but it was Frost who made the most of his opportunities on his Fujitsu TSS Red Baron Suzuki NZ GSXR1000. Frost snatched second place from Taupo's Scott Moir in the opening race, which had been restarted after Saiger crashed his Red Devil's Racing Kawasaki ZX-10R and was able to make the restart.

In reply Saiger could only manage fifth on the famous Cemetery Circuit, leaving the Suzuki F1 Superbike points advantage to a stronger looking Frost for a race two showdown.

Saiger however wasn't riding at his best which allowed Frost to ride defensively, as all the Wellingtonian had to do was finish in front of Saiger. Frost closed the Suzuki Series with a podium third placing while Saiger scored another fifth, handing Frost his first Suzuki Series after several valiant attempts.

Frost said after the racing, "In the first race we got a solid start and worked our way through the field up to second behind Tony Rees, I managed to set the fastest lap in that race. I got a great start in the second race but for the first couple of laps I took it easy, so long as I didn't see a green bike (Saiger's Kawasaki) come past me I was happy! I just wanted to win that championship for Suzuki.

"I wanted to finish in the top three, and a win would have been great, but when I saw Toby [Summers] come past, and then Tony [Rees] I wasn't going to put up a fight. Tony was catching in the points but as long as I stayed close to him that was all I needed to do.

"This is great momentum going into the national series as that's the one we want to win, but it's nice to win the Suzuki Series because Suzuki do so much for me so it's nice to reward them with the championship. I have several guys who come over from Australia to help me and they put so much time and effort into it, and my team, my family, MC2, TSS Red Baron and Fujitsu, it's great to reward them all with the championship."

Saiger realised too late that he should have used a different riding style on the tricky street circuit. "I did it all wrong, that's what happened. We ran long (high) gearing and I tried to carry higher corner speed, I tried to go faster and faster but I was just doing it wrong with my riding style," Saiger says.

"That was how I rode last year but the grip was much better then. I learned a lot in the last race because I could see how Tony Rees in front of me was riding, he was never in danger and was much faster with a completely different riding style and completely different gearing."

The rider of the day went to 48 year old Tony Rees, who took three wins from three races which included the non-championship Robert Holden Memorial feature race.

Rees qualified his Honda Rider Insurance CBR1000RR on Pole and also set the fastest lap of the day during the feature race with a quick 49.862 second lap time. The Whakatane rider has entered legend status by taking his sixth Robert Holden Memorial feature win at Whanganui - his first victory coming 25 years ago in 1990, which must be a record in itself for any sportsman between wins.

Rees said, "I made a few tweaks and I had a pretty good bike all day! It was easy to ride, I don't run any traction control or wheelie control here, so it was all throttle control, but the bike was good to ride. 

"I just like going to ride. I came here to have a go, I've been there and done that, it's not like I have to win but I enjoy the riding. That is why I am here all these years later, and I feel comfortable on my bike. It means a lot to me to win all these years later." 

With Rees winning the opening race and Frost second, Taupo's Scott Moir (Penny Homes GSXR1000) completed the podium with a surprisingly fast Toby Summers fourth on his almost stock Barnes Jenkins Insurance Kawasaki ZX-10R. Saiger was fifth.

The race two finishing order was Rees, Summers, Frost, Moir, who dropped several positions after he hit a hay bale, and Saiger. Rees' two series victories pushed him up to second in the Suzuki F1 Superbike championship, behind Frost. Saiger was third in the title chase followed by Moir and, equal on 74 points, Jamie Maindonald and Andrew Stroud, who didn't race at Whanganui.

The Robert Holden Memorial finishing order was Rees, Saiger, Summers, Perth-based Adam Chambers riding his smaller capacity Wolfpack Racing Honda CBR600RR, and Swiss Red Devil Racing Kawasaki ZX-6R rider Roman Stamm, returning after injury at Manfeild two weeks ago. 

UK-based Tim Reeves again easily won the Quality Inn F1 Sidecar races on the Carl Cox Motorsport E-Aide LCR with new passenger Robbie Shorter, although the Aaron Lovell (Hamilton) and Bryan (Tauranga) pair had qualified their Shuzi LCR on Pole.

In race one the Auckland-based Adam Unsworth/Stu Dawe combination shot their Eni Windle F1 off the second row of the grid ahead of Lovell, but behind Reeves. The positions didn't change all race, with Masterton's Spike Taylor and Astrid Hartnell fourth on their Stealth Electric Bikes LCR. Des Harvey and Dirk Jeal looked good for fifth until a strong ride by locals Corey Winter and swinger Kieran Whitham passed the Perth-based pair mid-race.

Reeves cleared out to win race two by nine seconds from Lovell, followed by Unsworth, Winter and Taylor. Seven-time world sidecar champion Reeves won the 2015 Quality Inn F1 Sidecar title ahead of Lovell/Bryan, Unsworth/Dawe and Taylor/Hartnell.

Reeves enjoyed his summer in New Zealand, "It has been an excellent series. This track was the most difficult because it is so tight and twisting - it's just hard work to ride my big bike around here. I've really enjoyed it, everyone has been so welcoming and they've been really pleased with us here. All the other teams have been spot-on. I think we've helped them a bit, I've been working with Aaron [Lovell] on his bike yesterday and I think it got a little bit better than before.

"They've invited us back again for next year so we'll be coming, but I'm coming with Mark [Wilkes, who passengered the first two rounds] because Mark needs to finish off from where we started, and by this time next year he'll be fully fit.

"Next year I'll be doing the world championship, selected British championship races, but the Isle of Man TT will be big, then we'll be back here our next winter!"

Aucklander Daniel Mettam won the Nationwide Accessories F2 600 Suzuki Series on his RCM Suzuki NZ GSXR600 after series leader Shane Richardson crashed his Motorad Kawasaki ZX-6R while entering turn one of the opening F2 race while leading.

Tony Rees 20 year old son, Damon Rees, finished overall second on his Honda Rider Insurance CBR600RR in the Suzuki Series, just 1.5 points ahead of 20 year old Richardson, Adam Chambers and Roman Stamm of Switzerland.

With Richardson out of the opening race, a still injured 19 year old Mettam went on to win from Stamm, Rees, Isle of Man rider Billy Redmayne on his Biggles Racing ZX-6R, and Shaun Harris (New Plymouth), who was having a great day on his TT1 The Chassis Shack GSXR600.

While Adam Chambers could only muster seventh in race one, he snatched a brilliant victory in race two to win by just 0.089 of a second from Richardson (Wellington), who made a fine recovery after his earlier fall. Mettam rode a safe third with Harris improving for fourth, and Stamm fifth.

Mettam had torn ACL ligaments in his shoulder. "After my Manfeild crash two weeks ago, last night I was deciding if I was even going to ride because I wasn't feeling up to it! I took a couple of pain killers this morning and ended up second on the grid. In the first race I was just going to get some points, my goal was to finish second overall in the series, but Shane went down in the race so I said to myself 'I just need to finish' and get some points and I should take the lead, and if I bring it home in the second race I should have the championship," Mettam says.

The ACC "Ride Forever" F3 class was dominated by Glen Skachill on the day, with the Wellington racer taking both wins on his Moto TT Honda NSR300, although it wasn't enough to catch Suzuki Series class winner Gavin Veltmeyer riding his Coleman’s Suzuki GVR645. Original series leader Leigh Tidman's machine suffered an engine failure during race one leaving the Taumarunui rider third in the standings, just one point behind Skachill.

Riding a BMW S1000RR, John Oliver locked up the Q-west Boat Builders BEARS series, but the Feilding  racer did it the hard way after suffering a spectacular fast crash onto the start-finish straight while leading the opening heat. That race was won by Masterton's Jamie Galway on a Triumph 675 with Mark Perry a fine second on an Aprilia. Oliver came back to take second in race two which was won in fine style by Perry, who rode his best ever race at the Cemetery Circuit.

There was high drama in the Edmonds Painting Supermoto category. Richard Dibben almost had the championship in the bag but the Whanganui ace dropped his Tyresheild CRF450 on lap two of the opened leg while he had a big lead, leaving Tauranga's Duncan Hart to grab an unexpected victory on his Mimico Yamaha YZF450. Casey Bullock, of Reporoa, was third on a KTM 450. Dibben came back to take the race two win ahead of Bullock and Hart but it wasn't enough claw back the lost points, leaving Hart as 2015 Suzuki Series Supermoto champion!

Dibben and Bullock closed the series equal with 128 points, however Dibben takes second overall due to his previous four victories at Hampton Downs and Manfeild.

Paraparaumu racer Sean Donnelly won both Lyndsay Tait & Associates Post Classics Pre ‘89 heats on his Kawasaki Z1000R to finish third in that title chase, won by Te Awanga's Eddie Kattenberg on his Bimota YB8. One of the rides of the day came from Dave Freeman, of Paraparaumu, who raced his Harris GSX1100 into second position, in each heat ahead of Kattenberg. Freeman also set the fastest Post Classic lap time of the day during race two.

Hamilton lawyer Shane Lawrey won the Lyndsay Tait & Associates Pre ’89 Junior series on his Yamaha FZR600, ahead of Wellingtonian Terry Moran, and Steven Gregg. Matthew Eggleton won both legs at Whanganui.

Peter Tanner won the Classic Solo race on a Manx Norton 630, while the John Baymires/Charles Bilby combination from Pahiatua won both Classic Pre '82 sidecar races on their 1976 Moto Guzzi Le Mans classic sidecar.

The two $2,995 Suzuki UK110 scooter winners are Anne Ginty of Blackball, and Graeme Josephson of Lower Hutt.

Final 2015 Suzuki Series results from Wanganui on Boxing Day, December 26.

Quality Inn F1 Sidecars race 1: Tim Reeves/Robbie Shorter (UK-NZ, Carl Cox Motorsport LCR), 1; Adam Unsworth/Stu Dawe (Auckland, Eni Windle F1), 2; Aaron Lovell/Tracey Bryan (Hamilton/Tauranga, Shuzi LCR Suzuki), 3; Spike Taylor/Astrid Hartnell (Masterton, Stealth Electric Bikes LCR), 4; Corey Winter/Kieran Whitham (Whanganui, DMR600), 5.

F1 Sidecars race 2: Reeves/Wilkes, 1; Lovell/Bryan, 2; Unsworth/Dawe, 3; Winter/Whitham, 4; Taylor/Hartnell, 5.

F1 Sidecars final series points: Reeves/Wilkes, 152; Lovell/Bryan, 131; Unsworth/Dawe, 114; Taylor/Hartnell, 110; Winter/Whitham, 93.

Suzuki Formula 1 Superbike, race 1: Tony Rees (Whakatane, Honda Rider Insurance CBR1000RR), 1; Sloan Frost, (Wellington, Fujitsu TSS Red Baron Suzuki NZ GSXR1000), 2; Scott Moir (Taupo, Penny Homes Suzuki GSXR1000), 3; Toby Summers (Barnes Jenkins Insurance ZX-10R), 4; Horst Saiger (Liechtenstein, Red Devil Racing Kawasaki ZX-10R), 5.

Formula 1 Superbike, race 2: Rees, 1; Summers, 2; Frost, 3; Moir, 4; Saiger, 5.

F1 Superbike final series points: Frost, 133; Rees, 125.5; Saiger, 123; Moir, 110; Andrew Stroud (Hamilton, Suzuki NZ GSXR1000) and Jamie Maindonald (Hastings, Easybach Transportable Homes), 74=.

Robert Holden Memorial feature: Tony Rees, 1; Horst Saiger, 2; Toby Summers, 3; Adam Chambers, 4; Roman Stamm, 5.

Nationwide Accessories Formula 2 600, race 1: Daniel Mettam (Auckland, RCM Suzuki NZ GSXR600), 1; Roman Stamm (Switzerland, Red Devil Racing Kawasaki ZX-6R), 2; Damon Rees (Whakatane, Honda Rider Insurance CBR600RR), 3; Billy Redmayne (Isle of Man, Biggles Racing ZX-6R), 4; Shaun Harris (New Plymouth, TT1 The Chassis Shack GSXR600), 5.

Formula 2 600, race 2: Adam Chambers (Clive-Perth, Wolfpack Racing Honda CBR600RR), 1; Shane Richardson (Wainuiomata, Motorad Kawasaki ZX-6R), 2; Mettam, 3; Harris, 4; Stamm, 5.

Formula 2 600 final series points: Mettam, 124.5; Rees, 112; Richardson 111.5; Chambers, 202.5; Stamm, 89.

ACC "Ride Forever" Formula 3, race 1: Glen Skachill (Wellington, Moto TT Honda NSR300),  1; Ashley Payne ( Whanganui, Suzuki GSXR450), 2; Gavin Veltmeyer (Auckland, Coleman’s Suzuki GVR645), 3; Jonny Lewis (Nelson, Carters Yamaha R450), 4; Dean Bentley (Lower Hutt, TSS Red Baron SV650), 5.

Formula 3, race 2: Skachill, 1; Payne, 2; Robert Whittall (Raglan, NTB Racing Aprilia SXV550), 3; Veltmeyer, 4; Bentley, 5.

Formula 3 final series points: Veltmeyer, 112; Skachill, 102; Leigh Tidman (Taumarunui, Yamaha RS450), 101; Payne, 98; Whittall, 86.

Edmonds Painting Supermoto race 1: Duncan Hart (Tauranga, Mimico Yamaha YZF450), 1; Casey Bullock (Reporoa, KTM450), 2; Glenn Haden (Dyno Lab Suzuki RMZ450), 3; Aden Brown (Whanganui, Harvey Round Motors RMZ450), 4; Richard Swain (Whanganui, Keown Honda CRF450), 5.

Supermoto race 2: Richard Dibben (Whanganui, Tyresheild CRF450), 1; Bullock, 2; Hart 3; Haden, 4; Brown, 5.

Supermoto final series points: Hart, 129; Dibben & Bullock, 128=; Haden, 110; Brown, 98.

Lyndsay Tait & Associates Post Classic Pre ’89 Senior race 1: Sean Donnelly (Paraparaumu, Kawasaki Z1000R), 1; Dave Freeman (Paraparaumu, Harris GSX1100), 2; Eddie Kattenberg (Te Awanga, Bimota YB8), 3; Paul Russell (Auckland, Suzuki GSXR1100), 4; Paul Wootton (Waikane, Suzuki GSXR1100), 5.

Post Classic Pre ’89 Senior race 2: Donnelly, 1; Freeman, 2; Kattenberg, 3; Phil Duxbury (Auckland, Suzuki GSXR1100), 4; Russell, 5.

Post Classic Pre ’89 Senior final series points: Kattenberg, 142; Russell, 120; Donnelly, 115; Freeman, 101; Wootton, 97.

Lyndsay Tait & Associates Post Classic Junior race 1: Matthew Eggleton, 1; Shayne Lawrey (Hamilton, Yamaha FZR600), 2; Nick Kampenhout (Morrinsville, NV Motorcycles Husqvarna CR390) 3; Terry Moran (Wellington, Kawasaki ZZR600), 4; Steve Clarke (Masterton, Honda), 5.

Post Classic Junior race 2: Matthew Eggleton, 1; Steven Gregg (Masterton, Honda CBR600), 2; Lawrey, 3; Kampenhout, 4; Mark Robinson , 5.

Post Classic Junior final series points:  Lawrey, 139; Moran, 120; Gregg, 106; Nigel Lennox (Auckland, Honda), 90; S J Cavell (Napier, Honda VFR400), 89.

Q-west Boat Builders BEARS race 1: Jamie Galway (Masterton, Triumph 675), 1; Mark Perry (Sanson, F1E Motor Works Aprilia 1000), 2; Jason Bardell (Whanganui, BMW S1000RR), 3; Stephen Leggett (Auckland, Aprilia RSV4 S), 4; Jonny Lewis (Nelson, Carters Aprilia RSV4 1000), 5.

BEARS race 2: Perry, 1; John Oliver (Feilding, BMW S1000RR), 2; Lewis, 3; Galway, 4; Bardell, 5.

BEARS final series points: Oliver, 125;  Bardell, 108; Dwayne Bishop (Whanganui, Aprilia RSV4), 104; Leggett, 100; Shaun Manson (BMW S1000R), 95; John Woodley (Australia, MV Agusta F4 1000), 81.

ENDS

Words & photos by Terry Stevenson

Photos:                

-          Suzuki Series winner Sloan Frost riding on rails at Whanganui.

-          2015 Suzuki Series winner Sloan Frost.

-          Tony Rees leads the F1 Superbike pack around the Cemetery Circuit.

-          Triple race winner at Whanganui Tony Rees with Robert Holden Memorial trophy.

-          Tim Reeves leads the charge in Sidecars race 1.

-          Shane Richardson leads series winner Daniel Mettam during race 2 in F2 class.

For further information or high resolution photographs contact;

Press, Terry Stevenson  027 222-5656, Email;  tappit@paradise.net.nz

Organiser, Allan Willacy  021 212-6873, Email;  admin@cemeterycircuit.co.nz

Or visit www.cemeterycircuit.co.nz

Tim Reeves smashes lap record

2015 Suzuki Series

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Tim Reeves smashes lap record

Tim Reeves showed his world sidecar title winning class after two emphatic wins in blustery conditions during round two of the 2015 Suzuki Series at Manfeild on Sunday.

Aaron Lovell and Tracey Bryan took the Quality Inn F1 Sidecar race one holeshot on their Shuzi LCR ‘chair’ and only just held it from the Auckland-based Adam Unsworth/Stu Dawe combination riding an Eni Windle F1 machine.

Lovell enjoyed the starts, "I was getting off the line really well as it's the only chance we have of getting in front of Tim and beat him, but of course he's still fast around the corners. Our straight line speed is much the same but he's quite a bit better than us around the corners," Lovell says.

Polesetter Reeves and Wilkes soon got their Carl Cox Motorsport E-Aide LCR up to speed and shot into the lead on lap two then put on an incredible display of cornering speed not seen in New Zealand before. The duo smashed the sidecar lap record with a 1m 08.958s on their way to an inevitable win by a long margin. It may be a long time before this record is surpassed.

Although Lovell (Hamilton) and Bryan (Tauranga) reduced their own lap times the pair remained second and crossed the line ahead of the improving Unsworth/Dawe combination, who enjoyed a race-long battle with Masterton’s Spike Taylor and Astrid Hartnell, and Aucklander ‘Pirate’ Pete Goodwin and Darren Prentis.

Unsworth and Dawe grabbed the race two holeshot from the second row of what turned out to be an interesting race, with Lovell and Bryan taking the lead within a few corners as Reeves and Wilkes appeared to be slow off the line. 

Unsworth adds, "We had excellent starts in both races, I probably wasn't aggressive enough in race one but I managed to get third, so I'm happy with that. In race two we were a bit more aggressive so we got into turn one and Aaron and Tracey tried to come around the outside of us so we held out line and managed to come out in front."

Reeves later revealed that his plan was to get an easy start so he could show the NZ drivers the fastest cornering lines. That plan went out the door when he saw his pit board showing a 20 second penalty due to a jump start.

The UK pair immediately put the hammer down with a series of incredibly fast laps as the men from Kent stretched out their lead to 23 seconds ahead of Lovell and Bryan by race end to officially win by just over three seconds!

Unsworth and Dawe filled the last podium spot. Taylor and Hartnell brought their Stealth Electric Bikes LCR home in fourth followed by the Corey Winter/Kieran Whitham duo and Perth riders Des Harvey/Dirk Jeal, who were lapped by Reeves.

Unbeaten, Reeves and Wilkes lead the Suzuki Series heading into the final round at the famous Cemetery Circuit at Whanganui on Boxing Day, which may see another spectacular performance considering seven-time world champion Reeves has also won at the Isle of Man TT.

Reeves said after the race, "In the first race I just got a rubbish start, I don't know why, then I pushed hard and I was really happy to get a 1m 08s. In the second race I thought we'd have a race with the boys and try to give them a bit of a tow and show them a few lines. But then I came around at the end of the first lap and saw on the board that I'd jumped the start - I don't know how as I was sixth into the first corner. So it left me with no choice, I had to push as hard as I could - we only won by a few seconds!

"It made it fun didn't it!"

F1 Superbike front-runners Toby Summer and Jayden Carrick were unable to make the start line.

Sloan Frost got away first ahead of Scott Moir in the opening Suzuki F1 Superbike race and promptly set about building a large gap on his Fujitsu TSS Red Baron Suzuki NZ GSXR1000 ahead of a group of riders fighting it out for second position. Suzuki Series leader Horst Saiger made a slow start, however it wasn’t long before he had his Red Devil's Racing Kawasaki ZX-10R at pace as he worked his way through the field and into second by lap five, then stormed his way towards and then past Frost on the eighth circuit of the 12 lap heat.

With his aftermarket traction control not working Frost could do no better than to follow Saiger over the finish line.

Frost says, "We had a problem with the front wheel sensor on the traction control. It's all very well to ride with no traction control but I've been testing and changing my riding style to suit what I had, so it was a big change in race one."

With Moir holding a solid third, a race long battle developed behind the Penny Homes GSXR1000 rider between Tony Rees, of Whakatane, and Andrew Stroud, of Hamilton. The trio finished in that order.

Tirau’s Dillon Telford was next across the line on his NTB Aprilia NZ RSV4RF and not far from threatening Stroud by race end.

The second F1 Superbike stanza was a near repeat of the first leg with Frost clearing off in the early laps as the pack struggled to make their way past second placed Stroud. Saiger came through the pack from down in fifth and reeled in Frost with three laps remaining. Frost could only stay with Saiger and, although Saiger crossed the line first he had jumped the start and the 20 second penalty pushed his finishing order down to sixth. Saiger set another F1 lap record at 1m 05.008s.

Frost was awarded his first win of the Suzuki Series which brings the pair equal on 91 series points to set up for an interesting finale for round three at Whanganui on Boxing Day.

Frost adds, "I was about half a second slower than what I should have been riding so we were off the pace a bit, but there was nothing we could do about it. The second race turned out a bit better but we were still struggling. It's a bit disappointing but then Horst got a jump start penalty so we came away with a win!"

Moir rode well for third place until Honda Rider Insurance CBR1000RR mounted Rees caught the Taupo racer napping under unique circumstances on the penultimate lap to fill the official podium positions.

Moir explains, "I got a little bit confused as my board was put out but it's not my normal one, so there was a green one and an orange one, so I didn't know which one to look at! I was getting confused, Glen was giving me hand signals, so I got a bit flustered and Tony caught me by surprise."

Saiger reflects, "It was a pretty good day - I did two times the lap record! In the second race I was really relaxed and I just followed the lights, I saw them dimming so I let the clutch out for a second, then they brightened up again. I don't know what to say, me I would swear I saw them going out but anyway, I was the only one.

"I didn't know if Sloan had a problem with his bike because in practice he was faster."

After a great start Suzuki NZ GSXR1000 mounted Stroud dropped down to fourth, and was lucky not to be passed by Telford who enjoyed his best finish of the series.

Two key international riders didn’t make the Nationwide Accessories F2 600 start line. German Thomas Wendell’s (Kreutz) rented Yamaha R6 didn’t arrive from Auckland and has left the German without a bike for the rest of the series. Thomas was third in F2 in 2012 and was fourth in the 2013 Suzuki Series. His family are deciding to fly home this week.

Suzuki Series F2 leader Swiss rider Roman Stamm suffered heavy bruising to his legs following a fast crash at the ‘Sweeper’ while overtaking a slower rider during qualifying, but is hoping to be fit for Whanganui.

With Stamm sidelined the F2 600 races were hard duels between 20 year old Wellingtonian Shane Richardson and Aucklander Daniel Mettam. Richardson was flying on his Motorad Kawasaki ZX-6R but Mettam was still able to put his RCM Suzuki NZ GSXR600 in front at times during each heated race.

Richardson won out after creating a gap leaving Mettam and Whakatane’s Damon Rees to fill the podium. Clive-based Adam Chambers crossed the line a fraction of a second behind on his Wolfpack Racing Honda CBR600RR, while Aaron Hassan, of Auckland was fifth. Steve Bridge enjoyed a great ride for sixth.

Race two was cut short when Mettam crashed heavily at Higgins while leading/holding second to Richardson. The pair had been battling at the front from flag-fall as Honda Rider Insurance CBR600RR rider Damon Rees again completed the three-way freight train. Results were counted back a lap giving Mettan the win from Richardson, Rees, Masterton’s Jamie Galway and Connor London fifth on his WIL Sport GSXR600?

An injured Mettam was missing from the re-start allowing Richardson to win part two of the F2 600 race ahead of Rees, Chambers, London and Galway. This race was also shortened due to a red flag situation after Rex Mincher fell at the ‘Hairpin’.

The ACC "Ride Forever" F3 category provided arguably the closest racing of the day. Leigh Tidman managed to repeat his Hampton Downs double on his Yamaha RS450 and maintains a healthy 26 point margin in the F3 title chase ahead of Gavin Veltmeyer on his Coleman’s Suzuki GVR645.

17 year old Jacob Stroud shot into the lead of the opening race from flag fall however Glen Skachill soon took the lead on his over-bored Honda NS300 two-stroke. Tidman hounded and then passed Skachill with two laps to go, but Skachill's Honda suffered a fuel issue on the final lap and did not finish, which allowed Stroud to capture second with Roman Rajek a very close third on an RS450.

Although Tidman won race two it was no forgone conclusion as he battled the lead with Gavin Veltmeyer, Steve Bridge (self-built Ducati powered VeeArma), Stroud and Skachill in another thrilling race. A small gap formed after Stroud crashed at Higgins which allowed Tidman to take win number four for the Suzuki Series, followed across the line by Veltmeyer, Skachill and Bridge.

John Oliver also clocked up his fourth win from as many starts in the Q-west Boat Builders BEARS category, while the action behind came from close scraps between Dwayne Bishop (Aprilia RSV4S ) and Jamie Galway (Triumph 675) in both legs. Former kiwi great John Woodley finished sixth and eighth in the two races on his MV Agusta.

Edmonds Painting Supermoto action came thick and fast throughout the large field of riders behind double race winner Richard Dibben, of Whanganui. Reporoa’s Casey Bullock and Tauranga’s Duncan Hart shared second and third place spoils in each race.

Eddie Kattenberg leads Paul Russell in the Lyndsay Tait & Associates Post Classics Pre ‘89 series after some serious racing on older machinery at Manfeild. Kattenberg held off Russell in both heats however the result was never settled easily as the pair swapped positions throughout each race.

Whangarei rider Duncan Coutts crashed his Suzuki GSXR1100 while fighting at the front which caused a race one red flag. He recorded second position on count back of a lap and didn't make race tow due to his injuries. Gian Louie borrowed a standard GSX1100R after engine issues with his own machine and rode very well in race two to finish seventh.

Hamilton lawyer Shane Lawrey remains leader of the Pre ’89 Junior series following two wins on his Yamaha FZR600.

Action in the 2015 Suzuki Series continues with the final round at Whanganui on Boxing Day.

Tickets for the Whanganui round are available at www.cemeterycircuit.co.nz and go in the draw after the last race to win a brand new Suzuki UK110 scooter – entrants must be present to win.

2015 Suzuki Series schedule

Rnd 3: Whanganui Cemetery Circuit, Saturday December 26

2015 Suzuki Series results from Manfeild Park, Sunday December 13.

Quality Inn F1 Sidecars race 1: Tim Reeves/Mark Wilkes (UK, Carl Cox Motorsport LCR), 1; Aaron Lovell/Tracey Bryan (Hamilton/Tauranga, Shuzi LCR Suzuki), 2; Adam Unsworth/Stu Dawe (Auckland, Eni Windle F1), 3; Spike Taylor/Astrid Hartnell (Masterton, Stealth Electric Bikes LCR), 4; Peter Goodwin/Darren Prentis (Auckland), 5.

F1 Sidecars race 2: Reeves/Wilkes, 1; Lovell/Bryan, 2; Unsworth/Dawe, 3; Taylor/Hartnell, 4; Corey Winter/Kieran Whitham (Whanganui), 5.

F1 Sidecars points: Reeves/Wilkes, 102; Lovell/Bryan, 88; Taylor/Hartnell, 76; Unsworth/Dawe, 72; Winter/Whitham, 59.

Suzuki Formula 1 Superbike, race 1: Horst Saiger (Liechtenstein, Red Devil Racing Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1; Sloan Frost, (Wellington, Fujitsu TSS Red Baron Suzuki NZ GSXR1000), 2; Scott Moir (Taupo, Penny Homes Suzuki GSXR1000), 3; Tony Rees (Whakatane, Honda Rider Insurance CBR1000RR), 4; Andrew Stroud (Hamilton, Suzuki NZ GSXR1000), 5.

Formula 1 Superbike, race 2: Frost, 1; Rees, 2; Moir, 3; Stroud, 4, Dillon Telford (Tirau, NTB Aprilia NZ RSV4RF), 5.  

F1 Superbike series points: Saiger & Frost, 91=; Rees, 74.5; Stroud, 74; Moir, 72 James Hoogenboezem (Christchurch, Valvoline M1 Motorsport BMW S1000RR), 52.

Nationwide Accessories Formula 2, race 1: Shane Richardson (Wainuiomata, Motorad Kawasaki ZX-6R), 1; Daniel Mettam (Auckland, RCM Suzuki NZ GSXR600), 2; Damon Rees (Whakatane, Honda Rider Insurance CBR600RR), 3; Adam Chambers (Clive, Wolfpack Racing Honda CBR600RR), 4; Aaron Hassan (Auckland, Suzuki GSXR600), 5.

Formula 2, race 2-part 1 (half points): Mettam, 1; Richardson, 2; Rees, 3; Jamie Galway (Masterton, Triumph 675), 4; Connor London (Taupo, WIL Sport Suzuki GSXR600), 5.

Formula 2, race 2-part 2 (half points): Richardson, 1; Rees, 2; Chambers, 3; London, 4; Galway, 5.

Formula 2 series points: Richardson 88.5; Mettam, 79.5; Rees, 77; Chambers, 63.5; London, 62.

ACC "Ride Forever" Formula 3, race 1: Leigh Tidman (Taumarunui, Yamaha RS450), 1; Jacob Stroud (Hamilton, Nationwide Accessories Yamaha R6 450), 2; Roman Rajek ( Taupo, Wolfpack Racing RS450), 3; Daniel Mettam (Auckland, RCM Suzuki NZ GSXR450), 4; Gavin Veltmeyer (Auckland, Coleman’s Suzuki GVR645), 5.

Formula 3, race 2: Tidman, 1; Veltmeyer, 2; Glen Skachill (Wellington, Moto TT Honda NSR300),  3; Steve Bridge (Ngaruawahia, VeeArma F7 Mk2), 4; Ashley Payne ( Whanganui, Suzuki GSXR450), 5.

Formula 3 series points: Tidman, 100; Veltmeyer, 74; Stroud, 68; Bridge, 58; Robert Whittall (Raglan, NTB Aprilia SXV550), 55.

Edmonds Painting Supermoto race 1: Richard Dibben (Whanganui, Tyresheild 450), 1; Casey Bullock (Reporoa, KTM450), 2; Duncan Hart (Tauranga, Mimico Yamaha YZF450), 3; Glenn Haden (Dyno Lab Suzuki RMZ450), 4; Aden Brown (Whanganui, Harvey Round Motors RMZ450), 5.

Supermoto race 2: Dibben, 1; Hart, 2; Bullock, 3; Haden, 4; Brown, 5.

Supermoto series points: Dibben, 102; Hart & Bullock, 84=; Haden, 72; Brown, 64.

Lyndsay Tait & Associates Post Classic Pre ’89 Senior race 1: Eddie Kattenberg (Te Awanga, Bimota YB8), 1; Duncan Coutts (Whangarei, Suzuki GSXR1100), 2; Paul Russell (Auckland, Suzuki GSXR1100), 3; Sean Donnelly (Paraparaumu, Kawasaki Z1000R), 4; Paul Wootton (Waikane, Suzuki GSXR1100), 5.

Post Classic Pre ’89 Senior race 2: Kattenberg, 1; Russell, 2; Wootton, 3; Donnelly, 4; Dave Freeman (Paraparaumu, Harris GSX1100), 5.

Post Classic Pre ’89 Senior series points: Kattenberg, 102; Russell, 86; Wootton, 67; Gian Louie (Hastings, Suzuki GSXR1100), 66; Donnelly, 64.

Lyndsay Tait & Associates Post Classic Junior race 1: Terry Moran (Wellington, Kawasaki ZZR600), 1; Shayne Lawrey (Hamilton, Yamaha FZR600), 2; Steven Gregg (Masterton, Honda CBR600), 3; Steve Clarke (Masterton, Honda), 4; S J Cavell (Napier, Honda VFR400), 5.

Post Classic Junior race 2: Lawrey, 1; Gregg, 2; Moran, 3: Nigel Lennox (Auckland, Honda), 4; Clarke, 5.

Post Classic Junior series points:  Lawrey, 97; Moran, 87; Gregg, 84; Lennox, 65; Cavell, 61. .  

Q-west Boat Builders BEARS race 1: John Oliver (Feilding, BMW S1000RR), 1; Dwayne Bishop (Whanganui, Aprilia RSV4), 2; Jamie Galway (Masterton, Triumph 675), 3; Rogan Chandler (Upper Hutt, Triumph 675R), 4; Shaun Manson (BMW S1000R), 5.

BEARS race 2: Oliver, 1; Bishop, 2; Galway, 3; Chandler, 4; Jason Bardell (Whanganui, BMW S1000RR), 5.

BEARS series points: Oliver, 102;  Bishop, 88; Bardell, 68; Manson, 66; Stephen Leggett (Auckland, Aprilia RSV4 S), 65; John Woodley (Australia, MV Agusta F4 1000), 59.

ENDS

Words & photos by Terry Stevenson

Photos:                

-          Tim Reeves passing Aaron Lovell at turn one during the opening sidecar race at Manfeild.

-          Multi-champion Tim Reeves & Mark Wilkes on their way to winning race two at Manfeild on Sunday.

-          Sloan Frost leads the pack into the first corner in the opening F1 Superbike race.

-          Daniel Mettam battles with Shane Richardson in the F2 600 class.

For further information or high resolution photographs contact;

Press, Terry Stevenson  027 222-5656, Email;  tappit@paradise.net.nz

Organiser, Allan Willacy  021 212-6873, Email;  admin@cemeterycircuit.co.nz

Or visit www.cemeterycircuit.co.nz

High stakes at Manfeild on Sunday

2015 Suzuki Series

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Thursday, December 10, 2015

High stakes at Manfeild on Sunday

The stakes are high as motorcycle racers from around New Zealand, Australia and Europe gather for round two of the Suzuki Series at Manfeild on Sunday.

Multi-world sidecar champion Tim Reeves and passenger Mark Wilkes scored two emphatic F1 Sidecar wins at Hampton Downs last Sunday, but Manfeild is a more technical circuit and the pair have never seen track before.

The UK-based and Carl Cox Motorsport supported LCR teams' stunning speed has to be witnessed to be believed - on a near stock Kawasaki ZX-10R motor, especially at Manfeild where the straights are longer.

Tim Reeves may have an uphill battle to protect his lead, "I just hope that we can carry on this good form and the bike will stay reliable so we can enjoy ourselves again and learn another track, and maybe try to break another lap record. Again I'll be helping the New Zealand teams to progress forward," Reeves said.

While Reeves was kind enough to offer help and advice last week to 2014 Suzuki Series champion Aaron Lovell (Hamilton) and Tracey Bryan (Tauranga) to chop off more than two seconds a lap at Hampton Downs, the BOP duo plan to put  their new-found speed into practice to close the gap to Reeves on their Shuzi LCR 1000. 

Lovell says, "Hopefully we will go a bit faster there as well, we've actually never got to the lap record time at Manfeild so Tim is someone to chase, and again we’ll have another set of new tyres, which helped tremendously at Hampton Downs."

Manfeild is the home track for several teams who have intimate knowledge of the fastest way around each corner including varying degrees of banking and camber. Former NZ Sidecar champions Spike Taylor and Astrid Hartnell like racing at Manfeild and look forward to racing their Stealth Electric Bikes LCR in front of a big crowd.

"Having that class on our tracks in New Zealand is just amazing! We never get opportunities to race against them - it's like Valentino Rossi coming here to race, that's what it's like, " Taylor says.

"Manfeild, home track, Aaron has really upped the game. Aaron and Tracey have stepped up while we haven't advanced but I think at Manfeild it'll be a different story because we know it like the back of our hand. It's like someone's hand anyway - I don't know who's!"

Formerly of Wanganui and now based out of Auckland, current NZ champions Adam Unsworth and Stu Dawe are also pretty quick around the Manawatu circuit on their Eni Windle F1sidecar, where their duels with drivers on faster sidecars are becoming legendary.

The Chris Lawrance/Richard Lawrance pair finished ahead of Unsworth and Dawe last Sunday on their FFM Helmets Anderson R1. They enjoyed a huge three-way battle which also included an improving ‘Pirate’ Pete Goodwin and swinger Darren Prentis in the last race.

In the premier F1 Superbike class Horst Saiger also carries two victories heading to Sundays Manfeild round. His Red Devil's Racing Kawasaki ZX-10R superbike is clearly on pace, but the Leichtenstein resident took a while to come to terms with the tricky Feilding circuit last year.

Saiger explains, "I want to be better because last year I did a lot of suspension changes to the bike, and I thought we had a pretty good bike but I made many changes. I had better feeling after every change but it didn't work out because the lap time was increasing. So I was happy to come fifth in the first race and it was really hard to past the other guys. Then in the second race I came second - I was faster but I couldn't pass, so it is a really tough circuit for me because it is not easy to go fast there. It is all about the braking."

Wellingtonian Sloan Frost holds second in the series and likes nothing better than winning at Manfeild on his Fujitsu TSS Red Baron Suzuki NZ GSXR1000, although he has work to do.

Frost says, "Manfeild is a different animal. We haven't had a chance to tune my bike and I think we were losing a lot on the straights at Hampton Downs. Whereas Manfeild is a bit different so we are getting the bike dyno tuned. I was able to make up a bit of time on Horst through the tight corners so hopefully that plays into my hands at Manfeild."

Frost won’t be a pushover, and neither will superbike rookie Toby Summers who has a pair of Barnes Jenkins Insurance superbike models to choose from - a Suzuki GSXR1000 which the Aucklander elected to race last Sunday, and a new Kawasaki ZX-10R.

Tony Rees, of Whakatane, is no stranger to Manfeild and he’ll be pushing hard to improve on his fourth and fifth positions last week. Rees is fourth on the Suzuki Series ladder, just 5.5 points behind Suzuki NZ GSXR1000 racer Andrew Stroud.

Rees will again be racing his higher-tuned number one Honda Rider Insurance CBR1000RR.

"Damon (son) and I enjoyed the battles last weekend, with Damon getting some fast lap times in - only a year ago he was battling to finish top 12," Rees says.

"Manfeild is a track I have always enjoyed but we haven’t seen the place since this time last year. Last weekend was the first big meeting on my number one bike as I used the more standard spare bike for the Burt Munro Challenge. Saturday should give us the much needed track time to try and improve and get closer to the pace of the leaders."

There are several riders to watch in the F1 Superbike class, including Taupo’s Scott Moir (Penny Homes GSXR1000 ), Whanganui’s Jayden Carrick (Physiotherapy Hand Clinic GSXR1000) who couldn't race last week due to a crash, and Tirau racer Dillon Telford on his NTB Aprilia NZ RSV4RF.

Red Devil's Racing Kawasaki rider Roman Stamm has more experience on bigger bikes however don’t discount the Swiss rider in the F2 600 category as he last competed on a 600cc motorcycle in the German IDM championship last year. It shows, and 'steamroller' Stamm’s two Hampton Downs wins were testament to his talent, but he may not have everything his own way this weekend.

Stamm says, "There were three or four people at Hampton Downs who could win the race and I won two times, and for Manfeild and Whanganui I think it will be much harder - now we go to Manfeild to win!"

Shane Richardson is super-fast this year on a Kawasaki ZX-6R and lead the F2 600 field at various times last Sunday, and Manfeild is his home track. Daniel Mettam was even faster and went on to score a pair of second placings at Hampton Downs, behind Stamm.

Interest will be on 20 year old Damon Rees new-found speed to see if he can remain with the leaders, and Isle of Man paratrooper Billy Redmayne will be looking to make amends after a tough round one following a late night engine change to his Biggles Racing ZX-6R.

Another rider to watch at Manfeild in the F2 600 class is Adam Chambers from Clive, on the Wolfpack Racing Honda CBR600RR.

Other classes with exciting racing include F3, BEARS, Post Classic and Supermoto. Big names in these classes include Sean Donnelly, John Woodley, Eddie Kattenberg, Richard Dibben, Grant Dalton, Ernie Cudby, Steve Bridge, and 17 year old Jacob Stroud. To name a few.

Tickets for the Wanganui round are available at www.cemeterycircuit.co.nz and go in the draw after the last race to win a brand new Suzuki UK110 scooter – entrants must be present to win.

2015 Suzuki Series schedule

Rnd 2: Manfeild, Sunday December 13

Rnd 3: Whanganui Cemetery Circuit, Friday December 26

ENDS

Words & photos by Terry Stevenson

Photos:                

-          Aaron Lovell & Tracey Bryan lead seven-time world champion Tim Reeves & Mark Wilkes at Hampton Downs.

-          Spike Taylor & Astrid Hartnell on their way to 3rd place at Hampton Downs last weekend.

-          Horst Saiger pulls a victory wheelie at Hampton Downs last Sunday.

-          Knee scraping the road, Sloan Frost could win at Manfeild on Sunday.

For further information or high resolution photographs contact;

Press, Terry Stevenson  027 222-5656, Email;  tappit@paradise.net.nz

Organiser, Allan Willacy  021 212-6873, Email;  admin@cemeterycircuit.co.nz

Or visit www.cemeterycircuit.co.nz

Euros add value to Suzuki Series

2015 Suzuki Series

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Monday, December 7, 2015

Euros add value to Suzuki Series

European racers dominated the opening round of the 2015 Suzuki Series at Hampton Downs on Sunday.

F1 Superbike rider Horst Saiger of Liechtenstein, F2 600 racer Roman Stamm from Switzerland, and seven-time world champion sidecar driver Tim Reeves with 'swinger' Mark Wilkes from Britain were all unbeaten despite stiff competition from New Zealand's fastest motorcycle racers.

Reeves and Wilkes showed their true class in F1 Sidecars as the pair literally blitzed through qualifying, the lap record, and the entire field including Australians Des Harvey/Dirk Jeal on their world title-winning Carl Cox Motorsport LCR to finish both races well ahead of the pack. The Aaron Lovell/Tracey Bryan Shuzi LCR combination were second on each occasion and didn't give up as they made a clean pass in race two, for an all too brief period.

Reeves says, "I was a bit slow into turn two and he nipped underneath me, and that was good. I just went out to enjoy myself. I think the New Zealand teams wanted to see what the sidecar teams are like on the western side of the world and I think they'd rather I pushed so they could hopefully learn some things and drag them along. And it worked, because Aaron Lovell went two and a half seconds faster than he's ever been, and he wouldn't have done that if I hadn't been here, because you only ever race as fast as you have to."

Stealth Electric Bikes LCR mounted Spike Taylor and Astrid Hartnell were third in each heat while a storm brewed behind them in a three-way race two battle between the Chris Lawrance/Richard Lawrance brothers, the Adam Unsworth/Stu Dawe pairing and 'Pirate' Pete Goodwin and Darren Prentis. The three fast rigs crossed the line in that order although there'll be scores to settle during round two at Manfeild on Sunday in the hunt for their share of the total $36,550 series prizemoney.

Reeves helped defending Suzuki Series champion Aaron Lovell (Hamilton) with advice setting up his sidecar to become more competitive. Lovell explains, "We set the lap record here last year at 1m 11s, and today we were doing low 1m 09s! Tim Reeves is someone to chase, he also helped us set the bike up as we didn't realise a couple of little things that were out - he helped set the chair wheel alignment up and told us what to do."

Onto two wheels Jayden Carrick (Whanganui) crashed his Physiotherapy Hand Clinic GSXR1000 during Saturday practise and was disappointed to miss Sundays F1 Superbike start line.

Red Devil Racing Kawasaki ZX-10R mounted Horst Saiger was the fastest F1 Superbike qualifier and took the holeshot in the opening stanza ahead of 2014 F2 champion Toby Summers, Scott Moir and a charging Sloan Frost on his Fujitsu TSS Red Baron Suzuki NZ GSXR1000. The race was red flagged after a rider fall, with riders awarded half points. By then Frost had climbed to second followed by Summers and Hamiltonian Andrew Stroud on Suzuki GSXR1000s.

Summers lead the hungry pack from the restart but not for long as Saiger grabbed the lead by turn five with Stroud and Frost in high-speed pursuit. Aucklander Summers retired his Barnes Jenkins Insurance GSXR1000 on the third lap leaving Tony Rees (Honda Rider Insurance CBR1000RR ) and Scott Moir (Penny Homes GSXR1000 ) to battle for fourth and to finish in that order.

Saiger was more decisive in race two where he lead from start to finish although Frost put the ice on him for much of the race as he looked capable of challenging for the lead until dropping pace near race end. Behind them Stroud came through the pack to dice in tight formation with Whakatane's Rees and Taupo's Moir. Superbike rookie Summers completed the race a creditable sixth.

Saiger says, "I knew after race one I could go faster because I was just going 90%, so I thought if this is enough then it's OK, it is good. For the second race I tried to push really hard right from the start to get a gap and go away from the boys, because I knew if I have a gap I can go faster than them because they cannot follow me. The plan worked but I couldn't get a gap because Sloan was the same speed as me!"

Frost put up a fighting display, especially in race two, "I think Horst by himself had a bit more pace than me. For the first nine laps he was towing me so I was able to follow him, but when we got into lapped traffic he got a bit of a break."

Stroud's results were tremendous considering that he turned up for Saturday practice just to test his Suzuki GSXR1000 but was advised he could only test if he raced on Sunday. Heading to Manfeild on Sunday for round two, Saiger leads the Suzuki Series by eight points from Frost, with Stroud only four points adrift.

Swiss rider Roman Stamm went unbeaten in the two F2 600 clashes which provided the closest racing of the day. The four-time Swiss champion has been second twice in the world endurance championship and was second in this years IDM Superstock 1000 German championship. His experience on big-bore bikes was equaled on the smaller 600cc Red Devil Racing Kawasaki ZX-6R motorcycle but Aucklander Daniel Mettam, Shane Richardson (Wellington) and Damon Rees (Whakatane) took the fight to the European rider in race two. 

Two wins were in Stamm's plan, "The competition was very good in the 600 class with very young people and they were so fast. The level is very high so it's not so easy to win the race!" Stamm explained after the race.

Recovering from an injurious mountain bike crash, Aaron Hassan crashed his Suzuki GSXR600 out of each leg from handy positions.

Superbike racing is now a family affair with Tony Rees 20 year old son Damon now keeping pace with the F2 600 leaders, while Andrew Stroud's 17 year old son Jacob is already following in his legendary father's footsteps by fighting for the win in the highly competitive the F3 class.

Riding his Yamaha WR450 powered Honda RS450 framed F3 special Leigh Tidman of Taumarunui managed to hold off Hamilton's Jacob Stroud  in the two F3 heats, as well as Steve Bridge on his self-made VeeArma with an air-cooled Ducati powerplant, and Gavin Veltmeyer. A blanket could have covered all four riders at times showing that NZ built bikes remain a force in New Zealand racing. 

In the support classes John Oliver took two runaway BEARS victories on his BMW S1000RR, as did Richard Dibben in SuperMoto, while Eddie Kattenburg had to work for his two victories in Post Classic against a very quick Paul Russell. A standout rider in this class was America's Cup Team New Zealand boss Grant Dalton, who picked up a sixth and fifth for his efforts  against stiff opposition.

Action in the 2015 Suzuki Series continues with round two at Manfeild on Sunday, with the final round at Whanganui on Boxing Day.

$25 ‘early-bird’ tickets for the Wanganui round are available at www.cemeterycircuit.co.nz and go in the draw after the last race to win a brand new Suzuki UK110 scooter in MotoGP colours – entrants must be present to win.

2015 Suzuki Series schedule

Rnd 2: Manfeild, Sunday December 13

Rnd 3: Whanganui Cemetery Circuit, Friday December 26

2015 Suzuki Series results from Hampton Downs Motorsport Park, Sunday December 7.

F1 Sidecars race 1: Tim Reeves/Mark Wilkes (UK, Carl Cox Motorsport LCR), 1; Aaron Lovell/Tracey Bryan (Hamilton/Tauranga, Shuzi LCR Suzuki), 2; Spike Taylor/Astrid Hartnell (Masterton, Stealth Electric Bikes LCR), 3; Chris Lawrance/Richard Lawrance (Auckland, FFM Helmets Anderson R1), 4; Adam Unsworth/Stu Dawe (Auckland, Eni Windle F1), 5.

F1 Sidecars race 2: Reeves/Wilkes, 1; Lovell/Bryan, 2; Taylor/Hartnell, 3; Chris Lawrance/Richard Lawrance, 4; Unsworth/Dawe, 5.

F1 Sidecars points: Reeves/Wilkes, 51; Lovell/Bryan, 44; Taylor/Hartnell, 40; Chris Lawrance/Richard Lawrance, 36; Unsworth/Dawe, 32.

Formula 1 Superbike, race 1-part 1: Horst Saiger (Liechtenstein, Red Devil Racing Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1; Sloan Frost, (Wellington, Fujitsu TSS Red Baron Suzuki NZ GSXR1000), 2, Toby Summers (Auckland, Barnes Jenkins Insurance GSXR1000), 3; Andrew Stroud (Hamilton, Suzuki NZ GSXR1000), 4; Scott Moir (Taupo, Penny Homes Suzuki GSXR1000), 5.

Formula 1 Superbike, race 1-part 2: Saiger, 1; Stroud, 2; Frost, 3; Tony Rees (Whakatane, Honda Rider Insurance CBR1000RR), 4; Moir, 5.

Formula 1 Superbike, race 2: Saiger, 1; Frost, 3; Stroud, 4; Rees, 5.

F1 Superbike series points: Saiger, 51; Frost, 43; Stroud, 40; Rees, 34.5; Moir, 32.

Formula 2, race 1: Roman Stamm (Switzerland, Red Devil Racing Kawasaki ZX-6R), 1; Daniel Mettam (Auckland, RCM Suzuki NZ GSXR600), 2; Shane Richardson (Wainuiomata, Motorad Kawasaki ZX-6R), 3; Damon Rees (Whakatane, Honda Rider Insurance CBR600RR), 4; Connor London (Taupo, WIL Sport Suzuki GSXR600), 5.

Formula 2, race 2: Stamm, 1; Mettam, 2; Richardson, 3; Rees, 4; Adam Chambers (Clive, Wolfpack Racing Honda CBR600RR), 5.

Formula 2 series points: Stamm, 51; Mettam, 44; Richardson 40; Rees, 36; Chambers & London, 31=.

Formula 3, race 1: Leigh Tidman (Taumarunui, Yamaha RS450), 1; Jacob Stroud (Hamilton, Nationwide Accessories Yamaha R6 450), 2; Steve Bridge (Ngaruawahia, VeeArma F7 Mk2), 3; Gavin Veltmeyer (Auckland, Coleman’s Suzuki GVR645), 4; Glen Skachill (Wellington, Moto TT Honda NSR300), 5.

Formula 3, race 2: Tidman, 1; Stroud, 2; Bridge, 3; Veltmeyer, 4; Skachill, 5.

Formula 3 series points: Tidman, 50; Stroud, 45; Bridge, 40; Veltmeyer, 36; Skachill, 32.

Supermoto race 1: Richard Dibben (Wanganui, Tyresheild 450), 1; Casey Bullock (Reporoa, KTM450), 2; Duncan Hart (Tauranga, Mimico Yamaha YZF450), 3; Glenn Haden (Dyno Lab Suzuki RMZ450), 4; Aden Brown (Wanganui, Harvey Round Motors RMZ450), 5.

Supermoto race 2: Dibben, 1; Hart, 2; Bullock, 3; Haden, 4; Brown, 5.

Supermoto series points: Dibben, 51; Hart & Bullock, 42=; Haden, 36; Brown, 32.

Post Classic Pre ’89 Senior race 1: Eddie Kattenberg (Te Awanga, Yamaha FZ1000), 1; Paul Russell (Auckland, Suzuki GSXR1100), 2; Gian Louie (Hastings, Suzuki GSXR1100), 3; Peter Smith (Rotorua, Suzuki GSXR1100), 4; Paul Wootton (Waikane, Suzuki GSXR1100), 5.

Post Classic Pre ’89 Senior race 2: Kattenberg, 1; Russell, 2; Louie, 3; Smith, 4; Dalton, 5.

Post Classic Pre ’89 Senior series points: Kattenberg, 51; Russell, 44; Louie, 40; Smith, 36; Dalton & Paul Wootton (Waikanae, Suzuki GSXR1100), 31=.

Post Classic Junior race 1:  Shayne Lawrey (Hamilton, Yamaha FZR600), 1; Terry Moran (Wellington, Kawasaki ZZR600), 2; Steven Gregg (Masterton, Honda CBR600), 3; Dave Smith (Auckland, Yamaha TZ250J), 4; Nigel Lennox (Auckland, Honda), 5.

Post Classic Junior race 2: Lawrey, 1; Gregg, 2; Moran, 3: Smith, 4; Lennox, 5.

Post Classic Junior series points:  Lawrey, 50; Gregg & Moran, 42=; Smith, 36; Lennox, 32.  

BEARS race 1: John Oliver (Feilding, BMW S1000RR), 1; Dwayne Bishop (Wanganui, Aprilia RSV4), 2; Rogan Chandler (Upper Hutt, Triumph 675R), 3; Nick Prestidge (Hawera, Ducati 1098S), 4; Jason Bardell (Wanganui, BMW S1000RR), 5.

BEARS race 2: Oliver, 1; Bishop, 2; Prestidge, 3; Stephen Leggett (Auckland, Aprilia RSV4 S), 4; Harrison Senior (Palmerston North, KTM RC8R), 5.

BEARS series points: Oliver, 51;  Bishop, 44; Prestidge, 40; Leggett & Bardell, 33=.

ENDS

Words & photos by Terry Stevenson

Photos:                

-          Tim Reeves & Mark Wilkes racing the Carl Cox Motorsport LCR to victory at Hampton Downs.

-          Tim Reeves & Mark Wilkes awarded the Hampton Downs Best Overall Performance trophy on Sunday.

-          Happy round 1 Euro winners, Roman Stamm in F2 600 & Horst Saiger in F1 Superbike.

-          Shane Richardson leads Daniel Mettam, Roman Stamm & Damon Rees in F2 600.

For further information or high resolution photographs contact;

Press, Terry Stevenson  027 222-5656, Email;  tappit@paradise.net.nz

Organiser, Allan Willacy  021 212-6873, Email;  admin@cemeterycircuit.co.nz

Or visit www.cemeterycircuit.co.nz

World champ racing in Suzuki Series

2015 Suzuki Series

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Thursday, November 19, 2015

World champ racing in Suzuki Series

Multi world Sidecar champion Tim Reeves will be racing in the three round Suzuki Series which kicks off at Hampton Downs on December 6 and finishes at Wanganui's Cemetery Circuit on Boxing Day.

Spread over three quick-fire rounds during December at Hampton Downs, Manfeild and Wanganui, the 2015 Suzuki Series is the richest international motorcycle series in New Zealand with a massive $36,550 series prizemoney.

Tim Reeves last won the world title in 2014 and will be partnered by Mark Wilkes for the Suzuki Series, both from the UK. Reeves is also an Isle of Man sidecar TT winner. The Reeves/Wilkes combo are bringing their world title winning LCR F1 sidecar to do battle with New Zealand's fastest riders on our home circuits.

Defending Suzuki Series champion Aaron Lovell (Hamilton) and Tracey Bryan (Tauranga) were unbeaten last year but don't plan to rest on their 2014 laurels after an off-season chassis rebuild, following a high-speed crash on their LCR Suzuki at Ruapuna back in January.

Despite fierce international opposition Lovell and Bryan were not headed at the recent Shorai Batteries International at Hampton Downs, and will prove tough to beat with a few new tricks up their sleeve. "I'm out there to prove we can win it again. Even though there's a world champion coming out we're going to give it our best shot to beat him, we want to win it again! We'll be running a new set of tyres for every meeting which we've not done in the past," Lovell said.    

Current NZ champions Adam Unsworth and Stu Dawe, of Auckland, are very competitive on their aging 1988 built Eni Windle F1sidecar, especially at Wanganui, and you can guarantee they'll will be up with the best when the flag falls.

The Western Australian pairing of Des Harvey and Dirk Jeal may upset several teams around the slower tracks on their F1 'short' sidecar, while the likes of Masterton's Spike Taylor/Astrid Hartnell (LCR) combination, Auckland brothers Chris and Ritchie Lawrance (Windle F1), and the resurgent Pete Goodwin/Darren Prentice pairing will all be in the three wheeler mix.

2014 Suzuki Series Formula 1 Superbike champion Horst Saiger, of Liechenstein, makes a welcome return to New Zealand to defend his title. Saiger surprised everybody by winning the opening race, round one and then the entire series with his smooth yet aggressive display of talented racing. Few people could have ridden his Red Devil's Racing Kawasaki ZX-10R Superbike faster.

"Last year was very special as I didn’t know what to expect and it turned out as one of the best things I was involved in all my life, so the decision was clear to come back for this year." 44 year old Saiger says.

"I’m really looking forward to the Suzuki Series as I will meet all those great people again - the Red Devil team of Graeme Cole and his family, the whole team is just a big demonstration of passion for motorcycle racing. I’m feeling really welcome and understood with them.

"Special thanks also to Kawasaki NZ, Metzeler NZ, and of course Allan Willacy from the organisation of the Suzuki Series, I couldn’t do it without their help." 

Scott Moir, of Taupo, finished second in the 2014 Suzuki Series by just three points and only needs to go one position higher to win the coveted title on his well set-up ex Jaden Hassan NZ title-winning Penny Homes GSXR1000 superbike.

Wellingtonian Sloan Frost has to be another favourite for overall victory in the 2015 Suzuki Series with a number of past wins and strong finishes on his Fujitsu TSS Red Baron Suzuki NZ GSXR1000. "Horst is going to be tough but I have a very good team from Australia helping me, we've got everything in place. I'm more confident as Suzuki have given me a new engine put together by Ray Clee which is pretty special," Frost says.

Last years Robert Holden Memorial winner at Wanganui, Tony Rees (Whakatane), will race his well prepared Honda Rider Insurance CBR1000RR superbike. Rees has won the Robert Holden Memorial four times over 24 years, with his first in 1990. Who will place bets on him going for another victory at the Cemetery Circuit?

Rees enjoyed another proud moment when he rode with sons Mitchell and Damon to second place in the recent Motul 6 Hour at Hampton Downs. A race won by Aucklanders Toby Summers, Daniel Mettam and Connor London.

None of these experienced big-bore campaigners will have a moments rest because there are plenty more fast riders on the grid.

Supersport maestro James Hoogenboezem, of Christchurch, will be one to watch as he has joined the Tauranga-based Valvoline M1 Motorsport Team to race a BMW S1000RR superbike.

Ray Clee will be racing a new Team RCM Suzuki GSXR1000 superbike, while James Smith is also capable of leading the field on his Honda CBR1000RR on any given day. Wanganui’s Jayden Carrick is looking forward to improving on last years rookie season where he rode the wheels off his Physiotherapy Hand Clinic GSXR1000 superbike, scoring surprise podium placings at Wanganui.

Tirau resident Dillon Telford is riding very well and looking comfortable on his new NTB Aprilia NZ RSV4RF, one of only 500 built.

The person who could upset a few of the fancied front-runners could be Toby Summers, who steps up to the premier F1 Superbike class for the first time on his 2016 Barnes Jenkins Insurance Kawasaki ZX-10R superbike.

Summers won the Formula 2 championship in 2014 and while he wants to concentrate on his superbike effort, the Aucklander said he may still be tempted to defend his F2 title.

Horst Saiger is bringing to NZ his 39 year old world endurance team-mate, Roman Stamm, of Switzerland, who will compete in the ultra competitive Formula 2 class.

Saiger says, "My team mate from the world endurance comes with me and I was happy (and even more lucky) that he will be on a ZX-6R [not in his F1 class], also in the Red Devil team. I don’t want to tell you how fast he will be - but I wish his rivals good luck!"

Avalon Biddle is back home after a stellar European campaign where she won the 2015 FIM European Women's Cup championship! Biddle won the 2015 NZ Superlite championship earlier in the year and this summer is stepping up a category in performance. "I'm riding the same bike I rode in the Suzuki Series last year built by Chris Osborne, except last year it was a 450cc [in F3] and this year he has reverted it back to a 600cc for me to race in F2. So essentially it’s a GXSR600 built by Ozzy Performance," Biddle said.

Other top riders in the F2 class for the 2015 Suzuki Series are returning for another crack at the big-time, including Adam Chambers (Hawkes Bay), Shane Richardson (Wainuiomata), Daniel Mettam (Auckland), Rhys Holmes (Tauranga), 16 year old Aaron Hassan (Auckland), Steve Bridge (Ngaruawahia), Billy Redmayne from the Isle of Man, Thomas Wendel from Germany - formerly known as Thomas Kreutz, and a returning champion in Shaun Harris (New Plymouth).

The Suzuki Series also includes several support categories with F3, Post Classic, Supermoto and BEARS riders all vying for top honours. Victorian and former NZ Suzuki star John Woodley makes a welcome return in BEARS on his MV Agusta F4 1000.

$25 ‘early-bird’ tickets for the Wanganui round are available at www.cemeterycircuit.co.nz and go in the draw after the last race to win a brand new Suzuki UK110 scooter in MotoGP colours – entrants must be present to win.

2015 Suzuki Series schedule

Rnd 1: Hampton Downs, Sunday December 6

Rnd 2: Manfeild, Sunday December 13

Rnd 3: Wanganui Cemetery Circuit, Friday December 26

ENDS

Words & photos by Terry Stevenson

Photos:                

-          Unbeaten in 2014, can Tracey Bryan & Aaron Lovell head off Tim Reeves?

-          Tim Reeves & Patrick Farrance racing their LCR F1 sidecar. Photo supplied.

-          Sloan Frost leads a hungry Superbike pack at Hampton Downs last year.

-          2014 Suzuki Series champion Horst Saiger, from Leichenstein.

-          F2 champion Toby Summers will be one to watch in Superbikes this year.

For further information or high resolution photographs contact;

Press, Terry Stevenson  027 222-5656, Email;  tappit@paradise.net.nz

Organiser, Allan Willacy  021 212-6873, Email;  admin@cemeterycircuit.co.nz

Or visit www.cemeterycircuit.co.nz