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Contributed by: Tim Gibbes.
Dennis Charlett recorded his first big-bike race victories in tricky conditions at the third round of the Suzuki Road Race Series at Taupo yesterday.
The Palmerston North racer, who won the series outright on a \"little\" Suzuki GSX-R600 last year, twice beat former National Superbike Champion Dean Fulton, both riding Suzuki GSX-R1000s.
Charlett – at only his third meeting on the mega-power Suzuki -- showed more determination in damp, changing conditions as he scored two landmark victories in A Grade over team-mate Fulton, who comes from Mt Maunganui.
But it was Fulton, an experienced big-bike racer, who came out on top for the day and increased his lead in the series, as Charlett fell at the hairpin while leading on the final lap of heat two.
“I’ve got the first win and the first crash out of the way,” Charlett said. “At this round I thought I was ready to give it a good go.”
Fulton said he had been more cautious, because it was hard to judge how slippery track was and with a good points lead he had no reason to take risks.
Another top rider to take a tumble was Aucklander Stephen Briggs, who normally rides the BSL 500 GP bike. At Taupo he was riding a KTM 380 motocross bike, in B Grade and the new Supermotard class.
He won his first two races in fine style and was even thinking of racing the dirt bike in A Grade, but then he fell – at a time when, he said, he was not going that fast. He suspected he had hit oil on the track. Briggs was then out for the day with a dislocated shoulder.
Andrew Bretherton from Wanganui, who had been leading the Suzuki SV650 class, won his first race but then fell in the second.
Glen Tanner from Tauranga won all three Formula Three races in convincing style on a Kawasaki ZXR400.
On a similar bike borrowed from Fulton’s father Jim, 17-year-old Hayden Fitzgerald from New Plymouth did well to score two thirds and a second, while Hastings rider Brent Symes took the other podium placings on a Honda CRF450 motocross bike.
Fitzgerald’s father Terry made it a good day for the family with three wins in the 600cc production class on his Suzuki.
Wanganui’s Stew Graham swept all three Streetstock 150 races on his Kawasaki KR150, although only after some good battles with his opposition.
Results - Suzuki Championship Road Race Series, round three, Taupo
A Grade – Race one: Dennis Charlett (Palmerston North) Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1; Dean Fulton (Mt Maunganui) Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2; Chris Wiltshire (Auckland) Yamaha R6, 3; Terry Fitzgerald (New Plymouth) Suzuki GSX-R600, 4; Josh Sage (Palmerston North) Suzuki, 5.
Race two: Fulton 1; Wiltshire 2; Ronnie Dewys (Putaruru) Aprilia RSV1000, 3; Grant Russell (Wellington) Suzuki GSX-R1000, 4; Fitzgerald 5.
Race three: Charlett 1; Fulton 2; Ronnie Dewys (Putaruru) Aprilia RSV1000, 3; Wiltshire 4; Josh Sage (Palmerston North) Suzuki GSX-R600, 5
Series points: Fulton 174, Charlett 136, Dewys 110, Fitzgerald 104.
Production Superbike – Race one: Charlett, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1; Fulton, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2; Warren Goodin (Carterton) Suzuki GSX-R750, 3.
Race two: Fulton 1; Dewys, Aprilia RSV1000, 2; Grant Russell (Wellington) Suzuki GSX-R1000, 3.
Race three: Charlett 1; Fulton 2; Dewys 3.
Points: Fulton 174, Charlett 140, Dewys 122.
600cc Sports Production by Pirelli – Race one: Fitzgerald, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1; James Cardow (Auckland) Kawasaki ZX-6R, 2; Craig Gollop (Upper Hutt) Yamaha R6, 3.
Race two: Fitzgerald 1; Gollop 2; Cardow 3.
Race three: Fitzgerald 1; Gollop 2; Cardow 3.
Points: Fitzgerald 177, Cardow 143, Greg Hassan (Auckland, Yamaha R6) 122.
Formula Three Plus by Telecom Business Directories – Race one: Glen Tanner Tauranga) Kawasaki ZXR400, 1; Brent Symes (Hastings) Honda CRF450, 2; Hayden Fitzgerald (New Plymouth) Kawasaki ZXR400, 3.
Race two: Tanner 1; Symes 2; H Fitzgerald 3.
Race three: Tanner 1; H Fitzgerald 2; Symes 3.
Points: Tanner 147, Matthew Meads (Hawera, Ducati F1) 87, H Fitzgerald 86.
150cc Streetstock by Dunlop – Race one: Stew Graham (Wanganui) Kawasaki KR150, 1; William Richards (Hamilton) Suzuki RG150, 2; Andrew Graham (New Plymouth) Kawasaki KR150, 3.
Race two: S Graham 1; Greg Ellis (Thames) Suzuki RG150, 2; A Graham 3.
Race three: S Graham 1; Scott Birch (Rotorua) Kawasaki KR150, 2; Richards 3.
Points: S Graham 151, Richards 139, Karl Morgan (Auckland, Suzuki RG150) 112.
Supermotard – Race one: Briggs, KTM 380SX, 1; Nigel Healey (Palmerston North) Yamaha YZ426F, 2; Simon Turner (Waikanae) Husqvarna, 3.
Race two: Healey 1; Kendrick Youngman (Te Aroha) Kawasaki KX500, 2; Brendon Stephenson (Dannevirke) KTM 520, 3.
Race three: Brent Symes (Hastings) Honda CRF450, 1; Stephenson 2; Healey 3.
Points: Briggs 134, Stephenson 96, Malcolm Hanson (Wellington, Husaberg FE650) 84.
Suzuki SV650s – Race one: Andrew Bretherton (Wanganui) 1; Bruce Hansen (Hawera) 2; Todd Sutherland (Auckland) 3.
Race two: Hansen 1; Sutherland 2; Jason Nairn (New Plymouth) 3.
Race three: Hansen 1; Brendon Marshall (Christchurch) 2; Sutherland 3
Points: Hansen 157, Bretherton 140, Marshall 129.
B Grade by Metzeler – Race one: Stephen Briggs (Auckland) KTM 380, 1; Greg Percival (Te Kauwhata) Yamaha FZR600, 2; Brent Symes (Hastings) Honda CRF450, 3.
Race two: Peter Tanner (Thames) Triumph 955, 1; Symes 2; Percival 3.
Race three: P Tanner 1; Sean Bishop (Auckland) Suzuki GSX-R600, 2; Brent Russell. Suzuki GSX-R750, 3.
Points: Warren Goodin (Carterton, Suzuki GSX-R750 93, Peter Adams (Auckland, MV Agusta) 81, Tanner 77.
C Grade by NZ Motorcycle Trader & News – Race one: Craig Sergeant (Waipukurau) Husaberg FX650, 1; Perry Lett (Wanganui) Husqvarna 570, 2; Malcolm Hanson (Wellington) Husaberg FE650, 3.
Race two: Sergeant 1; Hanson 2; Brett Grice (Te Aroha) Honda CB400, 3.
Race three: Grice 1; Sergeant 2; Hanson 3.
Points: Sergeant 133, Hanson 82, Steve Pearce (Tauranga, Kawasaki G PZ750) 77.
D Grade by Buell – Race one: Jason Hulme (Wanganui) Honda VFR400, 1; Jayden Carrick, Suzuki RM250, 2; Michael Bullock (Palmerston North) Honda NSR250, 3.
Race two: Carrick 1; Hulme 2; Bradley Morrison (Wellington) Kawasaki KR150, 3.
Race three: Carrick 1; Hulme 2; Morrison 3.
Points: Hulme 114, Ross Brown (New Plymouth, Kawasaki GPZ750) 109, Morrison 84.
