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Contributor: Tim Gibbes.
Manfeild near Feilding in the Manawatu is the venue for this Sunday’s (July 14) fourth round of six in the Suzuki Championship Road Race Series
Up front of the fast “A” grade class will undoubtedly be two BSL 500 Grand Prix bikes, one ridden by regular BSL rider Stephen Briggs, & the other for “guess who”.
Competition for the BSL will be hard & mean from current A grade leader Dean Fulton from Tauranga & Palmerston North’s Dennis Charlett, who will both ride Brian Bernard Racing Suzuki GSXR1000 “missiles”.
Not letting them ever get out their sights will be Putaruru’s Ronnie Dewys (Aprilia RSV Mille) & outstanding 600cc Sports Production rider Terry Fitzgerald from New Plymouth riding a Labrum Suzuki GSXR600.
A fast growing new class is Super Motard that brings “off road” originated motorcycles into road racing. By fitting slick or street type treaded tyres, larger brakes & “taller gearing” the class has a lot of appeal, and using a short 1 km “Club” circuit at Manfeild, plus a front straight “Z” chicane, a new dimension of road racing has been born.
Stephen Briggs will hop off his BSL GP bike onto a KTM 640cc 4-stroke (shortly to join the World Super Moto Championship) to try to continue to lead this class, while the competition behind him improves at every race.
Brendon Stephenson from Dannevirke riding a KTM 520EXC is second & Seatoun’s Malcolm Hanson (Husaberg 650) is 3rd, & are within reach of catching the flying Briggs. Palmerston North’s Nigel Healey has just taken delivery of a new KTM 520 with all “trick” Super Motard gear fitted, while Brent Symes from Napier (Honda CRF450) is making major inroads into the results after a late start in the series.
In the Tauranga “Business Directions” Formula 3 Plus class, Glen Tanner from Tauranga riding a Kawasaki ZXR400 holds a commanding lead from Hawera’s Matt Meads (Ducati F1 750) - 87 points, while 16 year old schoolboy from New Plymouth Hayden Fitzgerald (Suzuki RGV250) is just one point behind.
“Rent-a-Racer” is a new term in any form of motor sport, but the ability to “Rent-a-Racer” is part of the Suzuki Series format. In a mix of “hardened” racers, first time riders, & everything in between, Suzuki SV650’s can be rented for the special “SV650” class. All the bikes are identical & have the same Pirelli “Super Corsa Street” controlled tyres fitted, whether the bikes are rented or “own your own”.
Bruce Hansen (Hawera Motorcycles SV650) from Hawera leads this class by 17 points from Wanganui’s Andrew Bretherton (Whitelock Suzuki SV650), while commuting from Christchurch for each round, Brendon Marshall leads the “Rentas” with 129 points & 3rd place overall.
Catering for first time riders is part of the Suzuki Series, so these “wanna bees” have a race of their very own, the Buell Motorcycles D Grade Novice class, where they learn away from the heated competition seen in the Motorcycle Trader & News C Grade & Metzeler Tyres B Grade.
The A, B, C & D Grades are worked from each riders lap times through the series, so close racing is assured in each class.
Racing starts at Manfeild this Sunday at 10.30 am, with a 21 race programme through to 4pm, interrupted at midday with an “expression session” where bike riders can show their skills for a special prize.
This Sunday will see something really special.
Admission for spectators is FREE.
Saturday is an “Open Day for Motorcycles”, starting at 10am.
Anyone can ride on the race circuit to “blow away the cobwebs” [no speed cameras or radars] and as well be coached by leading road racers, Dennis Charlett & Brian Bernard.
