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October 15 will see the return of Endurance Racing to New Zealand, with the Inaugural 4 Hour race at Manfeild Autocourse.
Yamaha’s charge will be led by Kawerau’s Tony Rees, the current Open Sports Production Champion, who will be teaming up with Aucklander Paul Gee on a 2000 model Yamaha R1 1000cc prepared to Sports Production Specifications.
“I believe we have a good chance of success. Paul is a consistent rider and can turn in good times all day, with our experienced pit crew; we have a very strong team. But anything can happen in an endurance race.” Says Rees
Rees has considerable experience in endurance racing. He won the last Castrol 6 Hour run in New Zealand in 1988. The Castrol 6 Hour ran between 1973 and 1988, was the most prestigious motorcycle event in New Zealand at the time.
More recently Rees, partnered with Australian Graeme Morris, came home second in the Bathurst TT at the 2000 Easter Motorcycle Festival in Australia, on board a modified Yamaha R1.
During 1998/99 Rees campaigned the World Endurance Championship Series, with the British based Phase One Team, one of the highlights being a 4th Overall at Spa in July 1998.
