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FEBRUARY 13, 2006: Wellington's Derek McAdam expects a torrid time when he tackles the second and final round of this season's Battle Of The Streets motorcycle championships in Paeroa this coming weekend.
The Museum Hotel Race Team rider says it is likely to be another furious battle between himself and last year's championship winner Craig Shirriffs.
The two men finished first and second in the street series last season and it is again shaping up to be a very public street-fight in Paeroa this time too between the Kawasaki ace and his Suzuki rival from Palmerston North.
McAdam (Kawasaki ZXR600RR) said the Paroa event signals the end of the season and he'd like nothing better than to sign off his Formula Two (600cc super sports class) campaign with a bang.
“And I'll race the same bike in the Formula One class too. It's a versatile machine, a great bike, and it won't be too handicapped against the bigger bikes, except maybe on the main straight. I'm aiming for a top-10 in F1. It may be a bit of a battle but it's all good fun.
“The bike's been brilliant. It's just a matter fo me getting the tuning right,” said McAdam, a bike mechanic by trade.
“I'll leave the suspension the way it is. The streets will be rough in places but still quite fast.”
McAdam finished third in the F2 class in the just-completed national road-race championships and believes he can go one place better on the twisty, curb-lined streets.
Shirriffs won the F2 class in the road-race championship and leads this division in the streets series too but McAdam and his 600cc four-cyclinder Kawasaki are close enough to pounce.
“I'm in with a good chance but both Craig Shirriffs and Andrew Stroud will be h! ard to beat.
“I don't approach this race different from any others. You can't take it easy in the streets ... you'll never win a race like that. I will be going hard and worry about the consequences when something lets go.
“The Kawasaki is a better bike this ! year with more top end and more mid-range. It jumps out of corners very well and that's just what I need around the streets of Paeroa.”
