    |
 |
|
|
|
Photo - Dean Fulton, #100 and Jared Love, #69, in practice on their Castrol Honda CBR1000RR Superbikes.
A JaredLove.com: - Press Release:
The 2005 New Zealand Motorcycle Trader & News Road Race championship got underway at Ruapuna over the weekend. The strong field of star-quality Superbike riders enjoyed clear weather during Saturday’s first race, but deteriorated into heavy rain for Sunday’s two races.
Riding a Castrol Honda Red Riders CBR1000RR Fireblade, Hamilton’s Jared Love qualified fourth fastest behind defending champ Andrew Stroud, Ray Clee (both Suzuki GSX-R1000s) and Yamaha R1 rider Tony Rees.
After a year off, Rees immediately stamped his authority in race one of the Superbike class to win a very closely fought race. Following a poor start, Love worked his way up to fourth position before forced to slow with front tyre trouble, to eventually finish in eighth place. Clee and Shaun Harris (GSX-R1000) filled the podium.
In his very first wet weather race, Love tackled race two on Sunday like a duck to water. He rode around most of the field at the first turn and by mid-race held fourth place - until his anti-fog visor came off inside his helmet. Love couldn’t see from the rain in his eyes and dropped to finish sixth at the flag. “I had to lift the visor up in the rain so I could see where I was going,” Love said after the race. Bruce Anstey (GSX-R1000) won the race ahead of Clee and Love’s Castrol Honda Red Riders team-mate, Dean Fulton.
Jared Love was on the gas in the final race of the day, which doubled as the New Zealand Grand Prix. After a bad start in the rain, Love worked his way through the field to pass Rees and Clee and begin closing rapidly on leader Anstey, who had broken away from the field. But the nine lap race ended too early for Love, who followed Anstey across the finish line for second place in the NZ Grand Prix. Clee finished third.
Race positions; 8th, 6th and 2nd.
At the end of the meeting Love said, “I think my Castrol Honda was the best bike in the rain - the handling was unbelievable. It was doing wheelies out of every corner in the wet! A lot of work still needs to be done but we’re on the money.”
Team-mates Love and Fulton ended the weekend fourth equal on points. Anstey leads the Superbike championship with 68 points, with Clee second with 64 and Rees on 59 points.
2005 New Zealand Road Race schedule;
December 11-12, Teretonga, Invercargill.
December 26, Battle of the Streets Rnd 1, Wanganui (Cemetery circuit).
February 20, Battle of the Streets Rnd 2, Paeroa (Hacksaw circuit).
February 26-27, 2005, Manfield, Fielding.
March 5-6, Pukekohe (includes TT titles).
March 19-20, John Britten Memorial, Ruapuna, Christchurch. (Superbike and 600 Sports Production classes only)
Full Ruapuna results are at MyLaps.Com:
