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From - Ray Whitham:
Tune into `Motor Sport Half Hour`
STROUD ON TARGET FOR HAT-TRICK
Motorcycling New Zealand\'s segregated race classes are all together again this coming weekend for the 2004 New Zealand Motorcycle Grand Prix meeting at Ruapuna Park, in Christchurch. While the Grand Prix titles, all run on the last race for each class on Sunday are a big motivation on their own, the Ruapuna meeting is also round three of six for Grp1 and the penultimate round for Grp2.
In the premiere Production Superbike class defending title-holder Andrew Stroud (Suzuki), of Auckland, scored a crucial 3-from-3 in the \"full-house\" meeting at Timaru\'s Levels Raceway last weekend, keeping his title hopes alive, and the chance to become the first rider to complete a hat-trick of title wins in the country\'s top road racing class.
With four meetings still to go however, Stroud, who turned 36 on New Years Eve, knows there can be no let-up despite returning to what was once his home-track. Fellow-Aucklander and his engine-tuner, Ray Clee, also on Suzuki, put pressure on Stroud at Levels and there is the suggestion that Clee was running his spare motor.
Stroud, through his Britten days in Christchurch, knows the circuit better than most and won there last year. Clee too, it should be remembered, won his first Grand Prix and with it the 250cc Production championship there in 1994 under intense pressure from local riders. As well, Clee\'s performance at Pukekohe when he trounced the Superbike field in the Geoff Perry Memorial Trophy race to beat Stroud home by over 7 seconds, and set a new lap record, was too convincing to be considered a one-off.
Shaun Harris, dual-Isle of Man TT winner last year, and clearly now free of the health problems he suffered throughout last years 600 Sport Production championship season, seems to have the CBR600RR Honda nicely set up, and with maximum points in the bag from Levels, he has the patience and race toughness to pressure the opposition. Defending champion Craig Shirriffs (Suzuki), well behind on points after a first-heat crash at Levels, has the class to come back from this bad start to the season but he will need big points at Ruapuna to consolidate his challenge to Harris. Jared Love (Suzuki) and Dennis Charlett (Suzuki) however, could just as easily win on the day.
It should be a classic North v South battle in Formula 3 with New Plymouth\'s Terry Fitzgerald (Suzuki) the defending champion and points leader and Oamaru\'s Andy Bolwell (Kawasaki), three times former champion, both revisiting old campaigns. If Jason Easton has the French Tigcraft Minimono sorted though, then upsets could be on.
The 250GP class is very much an open book. Points leader David Manuel of Auckland stayed upright when others fell at Manfeild but he will be under pressure from Wellingtonian Hamish Laing, a comfortable Pukekohe winner, and the Southern men Jeremy Holmes and John Beck. All are on RS250 Honda\'s.
English teenager, Midge Smart has dominated the 125GP class from a group of Kiwi teenagers headed by Dominic Jones (Invercargill), Steven Wood (Blenheim), and Robbie Wynn-Parke (Auckland). The big challenge to all of them will surely come from the 27 year old local rider Cameron Horgan, #2 last year but dogged by major machine problems in the two rounds so far this year. He is very strong on his home track. All are on RS125Honda\'s.
The NZ Sidecar TT at Pukekohe was won by the Wellsford pairing of Craig McGregor/Ed Railey (Kawasaki), the feature Jock Taylor Memorial Trophy at Manfeild by the Wairarapa team of Spike Taylor/Dennis Simonsen (LCR 1000) while pre-season favourites, Gisborne\'s Phil Law/Angus Ravenwood (Honda) have failed to do anything much at all. Maybe the NZ Sidecar Grand Prix on Sunday will be their day.
