Hamilton’s Andrew Stroud is now back where he belongs, on top of the Suzuki International Tri Series rankings.
Down in third position after the opening round of the series at Hampton Downs a week earlier, defending champion Stroud struck back in the most comprehensive way possible at round two at Manfeild on Saturday, scoring back-to-back wins.
By winning both of Saturday’s superbike races at Manfeild, the 42-year-old Suzuki star catapulted himself to the top of the series standings with just one round, the famous Cemetery Circuit race meeting on the streets of Wanganui, still to come on Boxing Day.
Stroud and fellow Suzuki rider Robbie Bugden, of Australia, finished 1-2 in both races on Saturday, the pair of them leapfrogging the round one winner, Tauranga’s Sloan Frost, in the series standings.
Stroud is now three points ahead of Bugden in the standings with Frost another five points further back.
“I was made to work for it today,” said Stroud afterwards. “It helped me a bit that I managed to qualify fastest and Robbie was on the second row. He’s riding as fast as ever, though, and I know I can’t afford to let up. Our Suzuki GSX-R1000 bikes are pretty much identical, so it’s going to come down to tyre choices or whoever makes fewer mistakes.”
Bugden said he was looking forward to racing for the first time at Wanganui’s final round this coming weekend but admitted Stroud was the favourite.
“Stroudy and (Feilding’s) Craig Shirriffs (Suzuki) too are very good at Wanganui but I will just see what feeling I get out of the bike and take it from there.
“It will be a bit of an unknown for me … I have driven around the Wanganui circuit this week and I can see it is a very stop-start course and there are some very fast sections and blind corners too. It’s going to be very interesting.
“I have a lot to learn in very little time but I’m going there with an open mind.”
Other riders to produce outstanding performances on Saturday included Wellington’s Glen Skachill (Suzuki), who bagged another two wins in the 600 Supers class. He is now unbeaten in his four races the series thus far.
Behind him, the battling between Christchurch riders Dennis Charlett (Suzuki) and John Ross (Yamaha) had the crowd on their feet.
New Plymouth’s Terry Fitzgerald (Suzuki) won the F3 Sports Bikes category with 1-2 results, pushing him to 14 points clear of Taupo’s Scott Moir and 20 points clear of Dannevirke Suzuki rider Geoff Booth in the series standings.
For further information contact
Simon Meade
Motorcycle Sales Manager
E simon@suzuki.co.nz
