16 Feb 2017
Champion Taking Street Bike To A Street Fight
Ever taken a knife to a gunfight? How about taking a street bike to a street fight?
That's what New Zealand Superbike Champion Sloan Frost is about to do this weekend.
Instead of arriving at Paeroa's popular annual Battle of the Streets event this weekend armed with his Suzuki GSX-R1000 superbike, the Wellington man will bring with him one of Suzuki's fantastic new GSX-S1000 bikes.
This GSX-S1000-model bike sits the rider in a more upright position, more comfortable for open road trouing, and Frost reckons he's in for a fun time.
Widely Known as the "antique town of New Zealand", Paeroa will be transformed again this weekend to host the iconic race meeting and this Sunday marks the 26th occasion that the roadside barriers will have been put up for the "street fight".
The straw bales will be positioned and the spectator fencing again laid out along the gutters of this Thames Valley town, where the front straight of this hacksaw-shaped course is actually State Highway 2.
Each year hundreds of motorcyclists flood into Paeroa, at the foot of the Coromandel Peninsula, with the sole intention of flouting the nation’s road laws, while thousands of spectators typically enjoy the sporting occasion under a typically blazing sky, a day that usually runs like clockwork from the 7.30am riders’ briefing, right through the packed race programme that starts at 11.30am and finishes at about 5pm.
Frost will be joined by hundreds of other leading road-racers, all of them enjoying a "distraction" as their national superbike championships series takes a mid-season break.
The four-round New Zealand Superbike Championships are at the halfway stage, the two-event South Island phase of the competition already run and the second half set to kick off in the North Island in just over a week's time.
Frost is again one of the leading contenders for the superbike crown, although the 35-year-old father-of-three is also keen to express himself on the GSX-S1000 around Paeroa on Sunday.
"It has all been a bit last-minute to decide to do this race actually," Frost admits. "I was at Phillip Island (in Australia) for the recent launch of the new Suzuki GSX-R1000 and the topic of Paeroa came up.
"With changes in the wind for the superbike championships next year, where the focus goes on stock bikes, it would be nice to try one of these bikes out.
"The way bike sales are going, it seems these GSX-S1000 bikes have a lot more relevance to the average rider anyway. There are a lot of these bikes out there now.
"I have not ridden one of the GSX-S1000 models before and I really have not had a chance to practice on one on a track yet, so I guess I'm jumping in the deep end to race one at Paeroa, but it sounds like fun doesn't it?
"Unlike my superbike, the GSX-S1000 has lights and indicators, so I think the viewing public will be able to relate quite well to it. I'm not expecting to win, but any good results I can achieve will be a bonus.
"This street race is not my main focus for the season, but it's an opportunity also to keep my riding fitness up ahead of the last two rounds of the nationals.
"My fingers are crossed for good weather for Sunday. I've got tyres ordered to cover any eventuality – rain, hail or snow – but I'd much prefer to race in the sun and I think the spectators would prefer that too."
At just 1.52 km in length, the lap happens very quickly and that is not a surprise when speeds in excess of 240km/h are achieved along the main straight – this is what the fans come to see.
Sunday's programme also features races for several other bike classes, including 600cc Formula Two, Bears (non-Japanese bikes), Superlites, Seniors Classics, Junior Classics, Post Classic Pre-82, Post Classic Pre-89, sidecars, post classic sidecars and supermoto machines (converted dirt bikes).
Words and photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com