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Pic - Bruce Anstey, we look forward to his return:
Words - Ray Whitham:
As Kiwi Superbiker Bruce Anstey packs in preparation for his return to Great Britain in a few weeks he must wonder how the biggest prizes in New Zealand motorcycling eluded him in a homecoming season that promised much but in the end delivered little. Things started out well. His first major public appearance was at the 2004 New Zealand Motorcycle Awards dinner at Auckland at the end of November where he shared centre stage with World MX2 champion Ben Townley. Quite predictably Ben Townley was the award winner for the New Zealand Off-Road Rider of the Year while Bruce Anstey was the On-Rider Rider of the Year Award winner.
While Townley's return home was more about rest and recuperation Anstey however had returned to New Zealand to do business on the race track. Basing himself in his hometown of Wellington his plans included contesting the New Zealand Superbike championship as well as the high profile Battle of the Streets series.
Anstey had previously won three New Zealand titles, two in the Formulas 2 class in 1993 and 1999, and the 600cc Sports Production title also in 1999. Most fans remembered his outstanding riding in what was then called King of the Streets events in the early nineties on his Yamaha 250.
Under the banner of Wellington sponsors Sawyer Motorcycles and Museum Hotel, and with Sawyer's principal Barry New as Team Manager, the team prepared the TAS Suzuki, specially air-freighted from Ireland, for the first homecoming event which was the New Zealand Superbike Grand Prix at Ruapuna Park, Christchurch.
In December 2004 the usual warm and breezy early summer weather gave way to chill southerlies and rain and it was in these conditions that Anstey cantered away with the NZ Superbike Grand Prix. In a season that promised some of the best racing in years with strong representative teams from the 'big four" importers and almost all the top riders contesting all rounds, his 13 second lead early in the race left no room for challengers. Not even from former World BEARS Series champion and Daytona winner Andrew Stroud, the defending NZ Superbike champion chasing his sixth title.
The NZ Superbike championship was raced over four rounds, two in the South Island before Christmas and the other two in the North Island, at Manfeild and Pukekohe in March. The weather for the second round, raced at the most southern circuit in the world at Invercargill's Teretonga Park was little different from that at Ruapuna the previous week, except colder.
When the points were added up at the end of the two South Island meetings Anstey had a comfortable points lead in the New Zealand Superbike title chase, and he confidently went to Wanganui's world famous Cemetery Circuit for the traditional Boxing Day Battle of the Streets series opener.
The Cemetery Circuit celebrated 50 years in 2004, which year coincidently was the fiftieth anniversary of the Junior TT win by Rod Coleman of Wanganui, and whose father the late Percy W Coleman, himself a former Isle of Man TT rider was one of the organisers of the first Cemetery Circuit meeting all those years ago.
As part of the on-track celebrations Rod Coleman was invited to ride the "Legend Lap of Honour" and Bruce Anstey then joined him in a second lap giving the 10,000 plus crowd the photo opportunity of a life-time, New Zealand Isle of Man TT winners, fifty years apart, the first and the most recent. The fans loved it, and so too did the nations two Television networks who featured generous coverage of the occasion in their evening news bulletins.
Once described by Peter Clifford, one-time "Motocourse" editor and nowadays MotoGP team manager, as "the greatest little circuit in the world", Wanganui's Cemetery Circuit held no surprises for Anstey. Many remember his outstanding ride there on a Yamaha TZ250 in 1994 as perhaps the best ever by a 250GP rider on the circuit, and that from a long list of world class riders including former Australian champions Gregg Hansford and Kenny Blake, and English privateer and TT winner Chas Mortimer.
He lived right up to his billing in winning the two Superbike races, and setting a new outright lap record, but in the two longer Robert Holden Memorial feature races, he was not so lucky. In the first heat he went down while challenging Jared Love, the eventual series winner, for the lead, and in the second heat he was slowed to a lucky third by gearbox problems. His chances of winning the coveted Robert Holden Memorial Trophy, with the third and final leg to be run at Paeroa in mid-February had taken a big blow..
And so it turned out. On a blazing hot February day, the small rural township of Paeroa in New Zealand's dairy land region swelled to a record 14,000 plus fans for the "Battle of the Streets" decider. Anstey has been a previous winner at the high-speed circuit, where the quick Superbikes reach speeds in excess of 265kph through the main street, but 2005 was not to be. A continuation of the gearbox problems from the Cemetery Circuit worried him. "This is not a good place to be jumping out of gear" he remarked before parking up the Suzuki and becoming a spectator for the day.
Anstey's luck was no better as the NZ Superbike Championship resumed the following weekend at Manfeild Park. Set to build on his championship points lead he was troubled with suspension set-up and with former champion Tony Rees, in comeback mode on his new Yamaha R1 in white-hot competition with Stroud, there was no room for Anstey on a poorly handling bike.
The final round of the championship was held at Pukekohe the following week and the frustrations for Anstey continued. The team borrowed the ex-Dennis Charlett Suzuki from Team Bernard Racing but they were beset with electrical problems and after qualifying only 7th, Anstey's race record for the day was one 5th place and two DNF's. There was a chance for a 125GP class ride as a gesture to the fans but an objection from one of the leading teams in the class soon quashed that. It was time to go home.
Team Manager Barry New said it had been a frustrating homecoming for Anstey. "Bruce is bitterly disappointed for his fans. I think he'd like to come back and try and set the record straight. We'll just have to wait and see".
And so we will. Despite all the problems, Kiwi race fans saw enough of Bruce Anstey to recognise his world class. He will finish his packing and return to Great Britain taking with him the best wishes of everyone for a successful northern season, and perhaps beyond that, a successful return season back in New Zealand.
