    |
 |
|
|
|
The New Zealand-built BSL 600 motorcycle racer made its long-awaited debut at Timaru on Sunday, almost overshadowing Jason McEwen\'s feat of winning all four big-bike races. All Round 2 results are online, including the Series Standings so far.
Constructed by high-tech Auckland company Buckley Systems Limited to take on the worlds\'s best in the 600cc championship, the three cylinder two-stroke displays innovative design but has been plagued by teething problems.
The team eventually withdrew it from this year\'s world championship, but today company head Bill Buckley was at hand - even working on the bike himself - to see his bike run its first race, at the second round of the Motorcycle Trader national championships.
Young Aucklander Stephen Briggs started the second Formula One race from the back of the grid and worked his way through to fifth by the end of the race, running against a field of big four-strokes. \"We\'ll be winning races by the end of the season,\" he said.
Meanwhile McEwen was cleaning up both the F1 races on his near-standard Kawasaki ZX-9R, a pre-production year 2000 model. The Palmerston North rider, a former national champion, also won both the Open sports Production heats on a 1999 ZX-9R.
\"I haven\'t done that for a while,\" he said. \"I love this track but it\'s a handful here for the big bikes, I was having some big slides out there.\"
McEwen leads the Open Sports Production series by four points from Kawerau rider Tony Rees, who posted a second and third on his Yamaha R1. International racer Andrew Stroud went particularly well to finish third and second in this class, as his Honda CBR900 Fireblade had not been expected to be front-runner.
The lead in the F1 class has gone to young star Jared Love from Hamilton. Love was racing a near-standard Suzuki GSX-R750, but rode with verve to beat several more powerful machines. A close second in F1 is Mt Maunganui rider Dean Fulton, who was slowed by clutch problems with his Kawasaki ZX-7RR in race two.
Rees took a big lead in 600cc Sports Production with a win and a second on his Yamaha R6, with the other race going to New Plymouth rider Shaun Harris on a Honda CBR600.
For more information please contact Bernard Carpinter 025-528-744
