It’s still a Suzuki 1-2 at the top of the superbike class in
Australian Robbie Bugden again dominated the day, this time at round two of the New Zealand Road-race Championships at Timaru’s levels raceway on Sunday
And
Australian Bugden, the Kiwi superbike champion for the past two season, looks comfortable in his title defence, although
Include Australian Gareth Jones and Taranaki’s Hayden Fitzgerald in the mix and you have a collection of very fast superbike contenders, although, for the time being at least, everybody is playing second fiddle to Bugden.
Bugden (Suzuki GSX-R1000) convincingly won the day’s first of two superbike races but came under intense pressure as rain began to fall midway through the day’s second outing.
Sunday’s second superbike race – which started under darkening skies that eventually brought scattered rain – was an exciting four-way battle with Bugden, Stroud, Jones and Fitzgerald all with a chance of the win.
In the end it was Jones who won the race but Bugden nonetheless stretched his points advantage for the overall championship chase and he is now 19 points ahead of Stroud and 21 points in front of Jones.
“It was slippery and very dangerous out there in that second race,” said Bugden afterwards.
“You just didn’t know were there would be grip for the tyres. I decided to play it safe and simply pocket the points.”
Stroud agreed and said that’s also why he rode cautiously in that rain-affected second race.
“It’s still a Suzuki 1-2 in the class and that’s what matters. I made up a lot of ground on the leaders in the race but it was too little and too late.
“It wasn’t necessarily the fastest rider who would win but a matter of who was prepared to push the most in the tough conditions,” said Stroud.
In the 600cc sports production class it was Suzuki duo James Smith and Dennis Charlett, both from
While Australian import Gareth Jones won both 600cc class races on Sunday, he had Smith and Charlett for close company at the front of the pack.
Smith twice finished runner-up and defending champion Charlett was third both times.
“I was hoping to get a run at Jones into the hairpin,” said Smith. “But I couldn’t quite do it. Next weekend’s at my home track at Ruapuna and it’ll be a different story there. Bring it on I say.”
Meanwhile, Palmerston North’s Glen Williams (Suzuki SV650) is well on track to defend his formula three title after winning both his races on Sunday, while Invercargill’s Gregor Stevens, on an identical Suzuki, is running second.
Tauranga’s Sam Love (Suzuki SV650) and Dannevirke’s Geoff Booth, on another SV650, continue to lead the pro twins class, with
The national championship series now heads to Ruapuna, in
…ends…
