News Release

Bagden Bags Another Two

22 January 2008
This season’s New Zealand Superbike Championships look entirely hopeless … for anyone trying to catch Suzuki’s Robbie Bugden that is.
 
The 27-year-old Australian visitor may be running away with the jewel in the crown of New Zealand’s road-racing community as he continued his unbeaten streak at round two of the national series at Levels Raceway, just outside Timaru, on Sunday.
 
As he had at the series opener at Christchurch’s Ruapuna Park a week earlier, defending superbike champion Bugden (Suzuki GSX-R1000) bagged another pair of wins at Timaru on Sunday, although, on this occasion, he had to break free from a five-rider freight train before he could claim the top step of the podium
 
The high-speed superbike snarl-up again featured fellow Suzuki riders Andrew Stroud, of Hamilton, and Craig Shirriffs, of Feilding, with two more Australian visitors, Gareth Jones and Damian Cudlin, both on Yamahas, joining the fray.
 
“The day was spot-on for me,” Bugden declared afterwards. “It was great racing, come of the toughest I have ever been involved with in a long time.
 
“The bike was faultless and the conditions were perfect. Racing doesn’t get much better than this but I’m not thinking yet about winning the championship again. It’s just one race at a time for now. There is still a long way to go.”
 
As for Stroud, the Suzuki man who had been Bugden’s biggest threat at Ruapuna, it was tough day at the office on Sunday.
 
Stroud finished fifth in the day’s first race, the racing so tight that Stroud was only one second behind race winner Bugden as he brought up the rear of the five-man train.
 
It was business as usual for Stroud in the next race, with the Kiwi international fighting back through the leading bunch to snatch runner-up spot. However, his fifth in race one has proved costly with Stroud now slipping to 29 points behind Bugden at the top of the standings.
 
“It was nose-to-tail racing,” said Stroud. “It’s a difficult track to pass on and everyone wanted so badly to win. The pace was frantic with all five lead riders going half a second under the Levels track record.”
 
More of the same hot action is promised when the riders arrive at Invercargill’s Teretonga circuit for round three this coming weekend.
 
Meanwhile, in the 600cc sports production class, Christchurch’s Dennis Charlett (Suzuki GSX-R600) produced a flawless performance to add two more wins to his series tally.
 
Charlett is now 32 points ahead of Wellington’s Jay Lawrence (Kawasaki) at the top of the standings, with Christchurch’s James Smith (Suzuki) still third overall.
 
Aucklander Karl Morgan (Suzuki SV650) scored another hat-trick in the 650cc pro-twin class, extending his lead to 55 points over Dannevirke’s Geoff Booth, on another Suzuki SV650.
 
Palmerston North’s Glen Williams (Suzuki SV650) has meanwhile extended his lead in the formula three class to 33 points over Hokitika’s Eric de Boer (Kawasaki), with yet another Suzuki rider, Blenheim’s Steven Wood, just six points further back in third overall.
 
The five-round national championships series continues at Invercargill’s Teretonga next weekend (January 26-27), then Manfeild on February 23-24 and, finally, Pukekohe on March 8-9.


LEADING STANDINGS AFTER ROUND TWO OF THE NEW ZEALAND ROAD-RACE CHAMPIONSHIPS:
 
Superbikes points:
Robbie Bugden (Australia, Suzuki) 100;
Andrew Stroud (Hamilton, Suzuki) 71;
Gareth Jones (Australia, Yamaha) 62.
 
600cc sports production class points:
Dennis Charlett (Christchurch, Suzuki) 97.5;
Jay Lawrence (Wellington, Kawasaki) 65.5;
James Smith (Christchurch, Suzuki) 58.5.
 
Formula three class points:
Glen Williams (Palmerston North, Suzuki) 95;
Eric de Boer (Hokitika, Suzuki) 62;
Steven Wood (Blenheim, Suzuki) 56.
 
650 pro twins class points:
Karl Morgan (Swanson, Suzuki) 150;
Geoff Booth (Dannevirke, Suzuki) 95;
Tom Bos (Christchurch, Kawasaki) 80.
 
 
CALENDAR:
Round One: January 12&13 - Ruapuna - including the NZ Grand Prix
Round Two: January 19&20 - Levels
Round Three: January 26 & 27 - Teretonga
Round Four: February 23 & 24 - Manfeild
Round Five: March 08 & 09 – Pukekohe – including the NZ TTs