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MARCH 14, 2007: The number 13 is often associated with luck -- sometimes good, sometimes bad -- but, thankfully, Whakatane Yamaha racer Tony Rees is not the superstitious type.
He’s just been listed as the national No.13 in the superbike ranks and will have the option of using that number should he decide to race again next season.
The eight-times former New Zealand Motorcycle Road-race Champion hung up his helmet and boots while at the top of his game, as national superbike champion at the end of 2005, but the 39-year-old father-of-two then decided he’d dust off his gear again and “have a bit of fun” at the weekend.
He borrowed a Yamaha R1 superbike and turned up at the fifth and final round of this season’s SsangYong-sponsored New Zealand Superbike Championships at Pukekohe, his one and only appearance in the series.
He immediately stunned onlookers with his two fourth-place results -- not bad for an old, retired former racer on a borrow bike – showing he’d forgotten none of the tricks that have made him famous in the sport here.
Those two results were good enough to see him finish the championships ranked 13th out of the 23 competitors in this glamour class.
“I had a bit of a laugh when I saw the series standings,” he said. “It doesn’t really matter because I’m not planning on racing next season but, if I do, I’d have no problem putting 13 on my bike.
“I was never expecting great things from myself at Pukekohe,” he said modestly. “I knew I’d struggle with the pace and I was getting tired near the end of the weekend. I have not raced three consecutive days for a few years now.”
His next mission is to conduct a coaching and fun ride day at the Taupo circuit this Friday (March 16).
“It will be the third time I’ve done a coaching day,” said Rees.
“It’s a pretty casual affair. Anyone who just wants a ride can do so and anyone who wants to be coached can approach me. I do a lot of one-on-one tutoring, ride side-by-side with riders and lead them or follow them to show them lines and so forth.
“We talk about things such as body position on the bike and bike suspension set-up. It’s generally not the race guys who show up at these days, just Joe Public who wants to learn how to have better control of a bike on the road.”
Meanwhile, Ree’s son Mitchell (14) may have his first ride on a road bike at the Taupo track this Friday. Mitchell Rees races junior motocross, with some success, and he has been provided the loan of a Yamaha 125cc GP bike “just so he can have a taste of tarseal racing”.
It could be the start of a rise to the top for another Yamaha rider called Rees.
The cost of the day-long session is $120 and it includes a barbeque.
