Andrew Stroud (Suzuki) leads Craig Shirriffs (Honda) at the front of Sunday's Superbike race.

Hamilton’s Andrew Stroud is possibly less than two races away from reclaiming the New Zealand superbike crown he last held four seasons ago. The Brother Suzuki rider raced to two commanding wins in the class at the weekend’s fourth round of five in this year’s Castrol Power 1 New Zealand Superbike Championships at Feilding’s Manfeild race circuit. Stroud’s double race victory in the Manawatu on Sunday means the 42-year-old has stretched his lead to 43 points over the defending champion, Brisbane Suzuki rider Robbie Bugden, with just 50 points still available, at the fifth and final round at Hampton Downs, near Meremere, in March. Stroud’s massive points advantage came about thanks to two key factors – his own fantastic talent on a motorcycle and the incredible bad luck that struck main rival Bugden when his bike mysteriously ran out of power nine laps into the 14-lapper and he was forced to withdraw.

“Winning was what I had in mind coming here and that’s also what I plan to do at Hampton Downs. I can afford to settle for seconds and thirds now but I wouldn’t be a real racer if I was happy to do that,” said Stroud.

Second best superbike class rider on Sunday was home-town favorite Craig Shirriffs (Honda), while his team-mate, New Plymouth’s Hayden Fitzgerald was third overall. With Shirriffs finishing 3-2 at Manfeild, he has moved to third in the championship standings, with Christchurch Suzuki rider James Smith slipping to fourth and Fitzgerald remaining in fifth spot. It was bad luck all around for Smith as he also lost his grip on the lead of the other class he is contesting, the 600cc sports production class. Hamilton’s Nick Cole (Kawasaki) was one of the beneficiaries after Smith and Wellington’s Glen Skachill were each penalized 20 seconds after allegedly jumping the start of race one. That decision by track officials elevated Cole from fifth to third in race one. Cole backed that up by placing fourth in race two, that battle abbreviated to just three laps following a serious crash. So, finishing 3-4 on the day was enough for Cole to zoom into the championship lead, now 6.5 points clear of Smith.

“This was a better weekend for me that I had expected,” said Cole. “Manfeild is not one of my favorite tracks.”

The day’s outright winner in the class was Inglewood’s Midge Smart (Yamaha), making his first appearance in the championship and stunning with his 1-2 results.

The battle for formula three honors continued between Manawatu friends and rivals Glen Williams (Suzuki) and Jason Easton (Tigcraft Aprilia), with defending champion Williams edging further ahead in the championship chase thanks to his 1-2-1 results.

Easton had to settle for 2-1-2 at Manfeild and was disappointed to learn he is now 16 points behind Williams with just the final round to come.

Dannevirke’s Geoff Booth (Suzuki) was untouchable in the 650 Pro Twins class, winning all three races in the class at Manfeild. He is now 36 points ahead of Christchurch’s James Hoogenboezem (Suzuki).

Meanwhile, Hoogenboezem’s bother, Alastair (Honda), overcame problems racing without a foot peg when it fell off on his warm-up lap before race one in the 125GP class on Saturday, still managing third place and then bouncing back to win both his races the following day. He is now a massive 90 points in front of Auckland teenager Avalon Biddle (Honda).

In the sidecars class, Wanganui men Stephen Bron and Dennis Simonsen (Suzuki) finished 2-1-1 at the weekend, further boosting their lead in the championship.

Leading standings after round four of the Castrol Power 1 New Zealand Superbike Championships at Manfeild on Sunday:

Superbikes:
Andrew Stroud (Hamilton, Suzuki) 178 points;
Robbie Bugden (Australia, Suzuki) 135;
Craig Shirriffs (Feilding, Honda) 113.

600cc Sports Production:
Nick Cole (Hamilton, Kawasaki) 146.5 points;
James Smith (Christchurch, Suzuki) 140;
John Ross (Christchurch, Yamaha) 106.

125GP:
Alastair Hoogenboezem (Christchurch, Honda) 266 points;
Avalon Biddle (Auckland, Honda) 176;
Jaden Hassan (Auckland, Yamaha) 172.

Formula Three:
Glen Williams (Palmerston North, Suzuki) 264 points;
Jason Easton (Palmerston North, Aprilia) 248;
Terry Fitzgerald (New Plymouth, Suzuki) 185.

650 Pro Twins:
Geoff Booth (Dannevirke, Suzuki) 260 points;
James Hoogenboezem (Christchurch, Suzuki) 224;
Jason Cameron (Kaiapoi, Suzuki) 188.

Sidecars:
Stephen Bron and Dennis Simonsen (Wanganui, Masterton) 220 points;
Dave Annan and Warwicks Demmocks (West Melton, Rangiora) 164;
Peter Goodwin and Pion Weedon (Bay of Islands, Papakura) 136

Stroud can’t afford to relax

by Andy McGechan www.BikesportNZ.com

With just four races to go to decide where the national superbike title heads this season, it is not the time to back off and play it safe.  Quite the contrary, as championship leader Andrew Stroud (Brother Suzuki) would tell you.

Robbie Bugden leads Andrew Stroud and Craig Shirriffs. Photo by Andrew Bright, Championship Digital

The Hamilton rider is just 13 points in front of defending champion Robbie Bugden (Triple R Suzuki) at the top of the superbike standings and he’ll be pushing hard for more wins at the series’ penultimate event, the fourth round of five in this season’s Castrol Power 1 New Zealand Superbike Championships at Manfeild this weekend.
“I’m not far enough in front to be relaxing just yet,” said the 42-year-old Stroud, determined to win back the title he last held in 2006.

Stroud knows Australia’s Budgen is a fierce adversary. The Brisbane rider is used to winning races – having won the New Zealand title for the past three seasons – although he hasn’t had it all his own way in 2010. There are two races for the superbike class at Manfeild on Sunday and a further two at the final round at Hampton Downs, near Meremere, to wrap up the series
“If I finish behind Robbie in these final four races, he’ll be leading the championship at the end … I know I can’t afford to let that happen,” said Stroud.

Meanwhile, Christchurch rider James Smith is on target for double celebration as he sits in a podium position in two classes, third overall in the superbikes class and on the top step in the 600cc Sports Production class. The 30-year-old printer shared the day’s overall honours with Hamilton’s Nick Cole (Kawasaki) at the previous round at Levels Raceway, just outside Timaru, last month and was therefore able to maintain his six-point advantage at the top of the standings. But, like Bugden, Cole is not a rival to be taken lightly. Cole has actually won more races in the 600cc class than Smith. Cole has won four of the six races thus far but a DNF thanks to a broken drive chain at round two has proved very costly in the Waikato man’s drive to nail down his first championship.

Foxton’s Jason Easton (Aprilia Tigcraft) is within just 11 points of defending champion Glen Williams (Suzuki), of Palmerston North, in the Formula Three class, while Dannevirke’s Geoff Booth (Suzuki) continues to lead the 650 Pro Twins class, albeit now by just three points from Christchurch’s James Hoogenboezem. Meanwhile, Hoogenboezem’s bother, Alastair (Honda), is still the man to beat in the 125GP class, a massive 69 points in front of Auckland teenager Jaden Hassan (Yamaha).

In the sidecars class, Wanganui men Stephen Bron and Dennis Simonsen (Suzuki) comfortably lead from Canterbury pair Dave Annan and Warwicks Demmocks (Suzuki).

While we in the U.S. were freezing our dupas off this weekend, they were racing in New Zealand. Round 3 of the New Zealand Superbike Championships were at the Timaru International Motor Raceway on Jan 30 and 31.

Results from selected races are as follows. Stay tuned for more NZSBK race reports

Superbike Race 1:
Andrew Stroud
Robbie Bugden
Craig Shirriffs (New Lap Record 1.03.788)
James Smith
Hayden Fitzgerald

Superbike Race 2:
Robie Bugden
Andrew Stroud
Craig Shirriffs
Hayden Fitzgerald
James Smith

125GP Race 1:
Eric Oliver-Maxwell
Gordon Hastings
Adam McCutcheon
Jaden Hassan
Colin Hastings

125GP Race 2:
Alistair Hoogenboezem
Jared Hassan
Eric Oliver-Maxwell
Avalon Biddle

125GP Race 3:
Eric Oliver-Maxwell
Gordon Hastings
Adam McCutcheon
Jaden Hassan
Colin Hastings
Glen Orwin
Angela Buunk

Sidecar Race 1:
Stephen Bron/ DennisSimosen (New Lap Record 1:11.512)
Dave Annan/ Warwicks Demmocks
Peter Goodwin/ Pion Weedon
Graeme Harris/Colin Grace
Bill Newton/ Paul Bolton
Brent Hall / Phil Tomkins

Sidecar Race 2:
Stephen Bron/ DennisSimosen
Dave Annan/ Warwicks Demmocks
Peter Goodwin/ Pion Weedon
Graeme Harris
Bill Newton/ Paul Bolton
Brent Hall / Phil Tomkins

Sidecar Race 3:
Stephen Bron/ DennisSimosen
Peter Goodwin/ Pion Weedon
Dave Annan/ Warwicks Demmocks
Bill Newton/ Paul Bolton
Brent Hall / Trevor Stokes

600SP Race 1:
Nick Cole (New Lap Record 1.05.320)
James Smith
John Ross
Glen Skachill
Karl Morgan
Dennis Charlett

600SP Race 2:
James Smith
Nick Cole
John Ross
Karl Morgan
Jay Lawrence
Dennis Charlett

Other Timaru lap records set this weekend:
Geoff Booth 650 Pro Twin 1.09.711
Jason Easton F3 1.08.609
Jaden Hassan 125GP 1.09.294

Current Timaru lap records: UPDATED 31/1/2010
Superbike: Andrew Stroud    1.03.598
600SP: Nick Cole                    1.04.809
F3: Jason Easton                    1.08.501
650 Pro-twin: Geoff Booth      1.09.771
125GP: Alastair Hoogenboezem  1.08.396
Sidecar: Steve Bron/Dennis Simonsen 1.11.512
Street Stock:  Johnny Small   1.17.891
Motards: Leighton Selfe  1.12.606
Clubmans: Mark Taylor  1.10.781

Australian Robbie Bugden won’t be sitting back and taking it lightly in Invercargill this weekend.  The Suzuki rider from Brisbane, AU has won the New Zealand Superbike title for the past three seasons, winning the title last year by a solid 29 points over fellow Suzuki man Andrew Stroud of Hamilton.  But now the boot is on the other foot and it’s Stroud who is on top after the series opener at Christchurch on Sunday.  Stroud leads fellow Hamilton rider Sloan Frost by two points, with defending champ Bugden back in fifth spot overall and 13 points behind Stroud.  But the series has a long way to go yet and the action is only just starting to warm up.

Robbie Bugden will need to act fast if he hopes to hold off an early season charge by Andrew Stroud

It’s round two at Invercargill’s Teretonga Park this weekend, followed by the Timaru International Motor Raceway event the following Sunday. Then the riders head north to round four at Feilding’s Manfield Circuit and, finally, the new track at Hampton Downs, near Meremere.

So a lot is likely to happen before the championship reaches Hampton Downs on March 28 and Bugden has plans to catch and overtake the four men ahead of him.

Bugden’s race team manager, Red Fenton, is confident his man can do the job.
“Robbie always goes very strong at Teretonga and I’m sure he will get amongst it and come away from there with the gap a lot closer.  We always go out to win and that’s what we’ll be trying to do this weekend.”

Andrew Stroud has come on strong and looks to open up a points lead this weekend

Bugden’s teammate, Christchurch’s James Smith, is enjoying his debut season in the Superbike class, and he is currently third in the standings. Smith is also racing in the 600cc Sports Production class and hoping to improve upon his runner-up finish of last season.  That might be a difficult proposition, though, for Smith, after the sparkling performance of Hamilton’s Nick Cole (Kawasaki) at round one.  Cole looked comfortable in winning both 600cc races at Christchurch, and he has a solid 10-point lead over Smith and 21-point gap over third-ranked John Ross (Yamaha) after that opening round.

Racing is also close in the other classes, with more exciting action expected in the Formula Three, Pro Twins, 125GP, Super Motard and Streetstock categories.

Read more…

This could be Andrew Stroud’s year. The Suzuki rider from Hamilton won the day at the opening round of this year’s Castrol Power 1 New Zealand Superbike Championships at Christchurch’s Ruapuna Park on Sunday, instantly signaling to his rivals that he means to take back the superbike crown he last held in 2006.

Andrew Stroud looks to take back the New Zealand Superbike title that he last held in 2006

For the past three seasons it has been Australian interloper Robbie Bugden who has crossed the Tasman to steal away the coveted Kiwi title and he was hoping to make it four in a row this year. It certainly looked a distinct possibility when the Suzuki rider from Brisbane won the first of two superbike races on Sunday — albeit less than a second ahead of Christchurch Suzuki rider James Smith — and Stroud crossed the line in a disappointing fourth spot. But the 42-year-old Stroud, a seven-time former champion, is possibly as fast now as at any time in his career and the balance of power swung convincingly in the Waikato man’s favor when he ran off to an impressive victory in the next outing, winning the race by a whopping 15.9 seconds.

That race win also gave Stroud the New Zealand Superbike GP title. Bugden, meanwhile, found had himself stuck in traffic and his bid to break free ended in disaster as he crashed his bike on the opening lap. Bugden was unable to finish the race and those lost points may prove costly for the defending champion as the five-round series progresses, with round two set for Invercargill’s Teretonga circuit next weekend. “The pack seemed half a lap behind me,” said Stroud afterwards. “I guess you could say the weekend worked out good for me. I struggled a bit in the first race and it took me a while to work out how much traction I could find on the wet surface. It all turned back in my favor in race two though.” Fellow Hamilton rider Sloan Frost (Suzuki) finished 3-2 to take second overall for the day, while Smith’s 2-4 placings gave him the third step on the superbike podium.

One of very few riders to tackle two classes this season, Smith had his work cut out to keep sight of Hamilton’s Nick Cole in the 600cc sports production class. Kawasaki-mounted Cole was simply sensational, winning both 600cc races by a comfortable margin with Smith runner-up both times. “I won both races by quite a large margin. I’m rapt, of course, and taking the GP title was great too,” said Cole. Another Christchurch rider, Yamaha’s John Ross, finished the day in third spot overall after posting 4-3 results.

Read more…