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The Suzuki Trans Tasman Challenge - 4/5 November - Pukekohe Race Circuit, in conjunction with LK500 Car Endurance Race.
Two days of rain & wind welcomed our Trans Tasman visitors to our shores and the first live televised motorcycle road race for some 15 years.
But the old adage \"when the going gets tough, the tough get going\" applied to most of the riders. They all knew this was a special event that needed their total cooperation, dedication & incredible skills to prove to TV viewers that when most other sports in that region stopped, road racers would brave the elements & race.
Television New Zealand showed our races live on Suzuki Sport Zone on Saturday & again on Sunday on the Shell Helix Motorsport programmes - nearly 6 hours of motorcycles. And according to the ratings, they were well above average, with many viewers phoning in to compliment TV1 for their efforts. Apparently at 6pm on Saturday night when the news came on, there were still 100 calls on the TV1 switchboard awaiting response.
So if you would like to do something positive for motorcycles, send a complimentary e-mail to TVNZ Production Associate of Sport, David Turner at dturner@tvnz.co.nz for a fine effort.
The Trans Tasman Formula Xtreme Challenge was a nail biter. The first of the two races on Saturday went \"NZ\" way when Tony Rees and his Kawerau Motorcycles Yamaha R1 led home Australian Team Yamaha rider Kevin Curtain, who also had team mate Craig Coxhell dnf with a flat battery. Australia\'s Damian Cudlin (Yamaha R1) came in 3rd, while fourth Aussie teamster David Butler (Ducati 955) was 8th.
Strong back up to Rees came from Derek McAdam & his Kawasaki ZX9-R with a fine 4th, after leading the race for 2 laps, Dean Fulton making a debut in Australasia for a Kawasaki ZX12-R 5th, & Ray Clee on a standard Honda CBR900RRY 7th.
Points situation in New Zealand\'s favour - 58 to 44.
Round 2 and the Rees versus Curtain duel warmed up. Rees led for the first 6 laps, Curtain took over for two laps, then Rees for 3 more. But the checker flag is where it matters most, & Curtain won by .22 of a second.
The rest of the Aussie Team finished well - Cudlin 3rd, Coxhell 4th & Butler 10th.
Again McAdam was our #2 man with a 5th, Fulton 8th & Clee 9th.
Points score overnight was now NZ ahead by one - 104 to 103.
Third & final race was on Sunday, and over 20 laps. It was a real \"IF\" this or \"IF\" that.
Rees led Curtain for 3 laps, Curtain tailed him then took over for 2 more laps. Rees slithered by for 8 more laps, before a worn & shredding tyre gave warning signs to our Tony that discretion was needed.
Things were looking good for the Kiwis. McAdam & Fulton were well placed.
Meanwhile Aussie # 2 Coxhell had fallen at Castrol, Cudlin had aquaplaned off the track along the back straight, but was up & away quickly to eventually finish 7th, one behind Butler.
On the last lap Curtain\'s R1 had a lower fork come loose and his intended directions were not where he went! Furthermore the fork oil dropped out onto the circuit, & dropped the hard charging McAdam, with Fulton also falling out elsewhere. Two dnf\'s were not what NZ needed!
Rees spotted the slowing Curtain & closed up to .72 of a second by the finish line, and Clee 10 seconds adrift was 3rd. But with two out of the home team & only one out of the Aussies, the scores were getting dramatic.
Final scores 147 to Australia & 137 to New Zealand.
Now IF the race was one lap shorter McAdam would have scored good points & NZ would have won.
IF the race had been one lap longer, Curtain would not have finished, as he stopped on the slow down lap!
And NZ would have won! IF ONLY!!
Three of the four in the Australian team were teenagers! Cudlin 17, Coxhell just 18 & Butler 19. The first two are products of the very strong Moriwaki CR80 road race class in Australia, also popular in Japan, where very young riders can ride these well set up road race bikes on go-kart tracks to gain experience. Australian World GP rider Anthony West is another product already hitting the big time from this \"teach `em young\" class.
David Butler started off in moto-cross, then enduros, grass track, more motocross & now road racing.
Has New Zealand got any road racing teenagers up to that standard yet? Why?
For full results of this Suzuki Trans Tasman Challenge please look at our website motorcyclesport.co.nz
It won\'t be raining there. Please leave your comments on the Visitors whiteboard.
