Motourage

Waikato’s Andrew Stroud is the No.1 superbike racer in New Zealand once again. The 42-year-old father-of-seven convincingly won both the premier superbike races at the fifth and final round of this year’s Castrol Power 1 New Zealand Superbike Championships at the new Hampton Downs circuit on Sunday, giving him a record eighth national title, and his first since 2006. Stroud seemed untroubled in winning the day’s first 15-lap superbike race – leading in from start to finish — but it was a different story in the second leg, the 20-lapper that also counted as the national TT title race.

In the second outing, Stroud had to power his Brother Suzuki GSX-R1000 through the field after a bad start, eventually snatching the lead from defending champion Robbie Bugden (Suzuki) at about the midway point.
Brisbane rider Bugden had no answer for Stroud, although he kept the Kiwi hero honest and harried him to the end, finishing less than a second behind Stroud.

“I didn’t get a great start and got pushed around a bit at the beginning,” said Stroud. “But I didn’t panic and when I saw the gap widening, I just put my head down a bit.  I beat Australian Shawn Giles to take the New Zealand superbike title in 2006 but, for the past three years, it’s belonged to Robbie (Bugden). It’s good to have it back … to take it back for New Zealand.”
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The weather looks set to hold, and the stage is set. It is now or never for lead riders in four of the six classes being competed for in the 2010 Castrol Power1 Superbike road race championship which concludes at the new Hampton Downs circuit south of Auckland today Sunday 28th March. The meeting also doubles as the New Zealand TT titles.

Christchurch school boy Alastair Hoogenboezem has already won the 125GP championship for 2010, but is also showing he wants to defend his 125TT title which he won last year. The battle for second in the championship is not over with Auckland pair of Avalon Biddle and Jaden Hassan equal on points 99 behind Hoogenboezem , the fight will be on between these two, with Hassan already getting second at Hampton Downs in the first race on Saturday.

The other champions already decided are in the Sidecar Championship. Wanganui’s Steve Bron and Dennis Simonsen have wrapped up the title after dominating most of the year with several lap records along the way. Second is yet to be decided, with current second placed pairing of Dave Annan/Warick Demmocks and third placed Peter Goodwin/Dion Weedon 23 Points apart.

The battle for the other four championships will come down to the wire; there are two races for each class today. In the Formula 3 Class Manawatu riders are fighting it out. Foxton’s Jason Easton and Two time and current Formula 3 Champion Palmerston North’s Glen Williams only 11 points apart. This will be close as both have won races throughout the season, with Easton taking first blood at Hampton Downs in the first race on Saturday.

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Hamilton’s Andrew Stroud could be forgiven if he seems a little preoccupied this weekend.

Though normally the friendliest of faces around the road-racing pits, the 42-year-old father-of-seven is likely this weekend to have no interest in idle chit-chat.

Waikato’s Andrew Stroud (Suzuki), ready to reclaim the national superbike crown this weekend. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com

The fifth and final round of the Castrol Power 1 New Zealand Superbike Championships hit the new Hampton Downs circuit, near Meremere, this Saturday and Sunday and Stroud is perfectly positioned to reclaim the national superbike crown he last held in 2006.

For the past three seasons the premier title has crossed the Tasman with Australian Suzuki star Robbie Bugden, but this year it’s the Kiwi Stroud who holds the balance of power, a massive 43 points in front of Bugden with just two races on Sunday to decide where the trophy goes this season.

Stroud took his Brother Suzuki GSX-R1000 to two commanding wins in the class at the previous round at Feilding’s Manfeild race circuit, while an electrical glitch meant Bugden failed to finish one of the day’s two superbike races and this may have ultimately crippled Bugden’s title defense.
“I have a good points advantage but I’m not taking anything for granted,” said Stroud this week.
“I need to finish only eighth or better in the first race and that should do it but that doesn’t mean I’ll be riding conservatively. I always race to win. ”
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