2011 Suzuki International Tri-SeriesMotorcycle racing is one of the
most spectacular sports of any kind. Impossibly high lean angles are
matched by incredibly fast Superbike acceleration rates, and the
occasional spill. The 2010 Suzuki International Tri-Series eclipsed all expectations, and this year will be no different with $30,000 prizemoney up for grabs!
Heading the F1 Superbike class is defending three-time Suzuki Tri-Series champion Andrew Stroud, 43, and his David Reid Homes supported Suzuki GSX-R1000. Anyone with hopes of winning this year’s Suzuki Tri-Series has to get past the nine times NZ Superbike champion, and that will be no easy task.
Yet three men were fast enough to beat Stroud last year, two from Australia, so the Hamiltonian didn’t have it all his own way. Kiwi Sloan Frost fired the first shot by winning the opening race at Hampton Downs on his BMW 1000RR, and went on to claim second in the title chase. Australian top-runner Robbie Bugden won race two for Suzuki, however Stroud retaliated with a pair of wins at Manfield. But the father of eight got more competition than he expected during Wanganui’s final round on Boxing Day. Stroud held off strong challenges by Nick Cole (Kawasaki) and Craig Shirriffs in race one, then Australian Dan Stauffer (Yamaha) surprised everyone by taking victory in the final race during his first visit to the Cemetery Circuit.
After a long duel with Stroud, Stauffer went on to win an exhilarating Robert Holden Memorial feature race.
This year Wellington’s Frost will pose a real threat during his second season on a BMW Superbike, and only needs to move up one step to win the Suzuki Tri-Series. Winning the F1 Superbike title may prove an uphill challenge for Cole, as the injured Hamilton rider has just eased back into training following a recent collarbone break. Shirriffs is likely to push the boundaries at Hampton Downs and Manfield, while Hayden Fitzgerald and Ryan Hampton will certainly feature on their Honda Fireblade CBR1000RRs. Christchurch’s James Smith enjoyed some good performances on his Suzuki GSX-R1000 last summer so could be another racer heading for success.
GSX-R1000 mounted Ray Clee is seldom far from the action, although fans should keep a watch on rising star Scott Moir (Honda) during his debut season on a big bike. Moir has a successful motocross background, and last year won the Suzuki Tri-Series Supermoto Open title and placed a close second in F3 Sportbikes to veteran Terry Fitzgerald.
One racer out to make amends will be Australian Darren Love, entered on a Ducati 1198. He crashed during the opening 2010 race at Hampton Downs and suffered a shoulder injury, which kept him off the grid for the series.
Multi champion Stroud wrapped up testing his Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbike at Hampton Downs over the weekend knowing it’ll take something special to make it four straight Suzuki Tri-Series titles, starting on Saturday. "I'm looking forward to going racing again though I have no doubtsthere willbe some very tough competition at Hampton Downs.Robbie (Bugden) will be in fine form coming off the back of a verycompetitive Australian Superbike Series. Plus, riding for the factory team over there he's bound to have some new tricks up his sleeve that could be applied to his bike, which is being built here.Craig Shirriffs is also in good form, as is Nick Cole, Sloan Frost, Ray Clee, and others,” Stroud says, who’s 13 year old son will also race at Hampton Downs and Manfield.
Wellington’s Glen Skachill was unbeaten in all six 2010 races on his Suzuki GSX-R600, and would be a strong bet to take home his second F2 600 Sport title. Racing a similar machine, current NZ 600 Supersport champion Dennis Charlett wouldn’t agree, and there’s a hoard of top liners behind that strong pair, including Karl Morgan (Suzuki). 17 year old Jadden Hassan and fellow-international rider Avalon Biddle, in her debut season in the middleweight class, will race at Hampton Downs and Manfield.
Australian Motorcycle News sports editor Rennie Scaysbrook is entered to race a GSX-R600 at Wanganui for a first-hand experience of NZ street racing.
International motocrosser Daryl Hurley and former NZ Superbike champ Russell Josiah will ride Suzuki RMZ450s in the closely contested 450 Moto category, won last year by Italian Davide Gozzini. You won’t pick an easy winner in this class with the likes of Toby Summers (Yamaha), Jayden Carrick (Suzuki), Richard Dibben (Honda) and Duncan Hart on a Husqvarna 450RR in the race.
F1 Sidecars is always a crowd favourite and Wanganui’s Adam Unsworth/Stu Dawe partnership will be a tough act to beat for the rest of the hugely popular sidecar field.
All the support classes will return including F3 Sportbikes, Post Classics (which promises to be a thriller this year), BEARS, Ultra Lites at the dedicated race tracks, and Classic Sidecars at Wanganui. Look for the special moment when multi-1960s and ‘70s NZ sidecar champion Gordon Skilton and his granddaughter Maxine Skilton line up on the Wanganui grid on a 1968 Norton Commando outfit!
The Stroud legend continues in 2011. Eldest son Jacob will race at the same event as Andrew for the first time, riding a Suzuki RG150 in the Ultra Lites class. Under no pressure to race from his parents, the thirteen year old isn’t slow either - clocking the same lap times as dad on Jacob’s small Suzuki during testing at Hampton Downs!
Andrew Stroud talks about his sons foray into motorcycle racing, "Jacob has only done one bucket race so he's not really expecting to be competitive, but wants to get some experience. He just loves being out on the track and he certainly doesn't have any pressure or expectations coming from Karynor I. We're happy for him to just ride around, learn something, and enjoy it.”
Organiser Allan Willacy said rider entries are at the same level as last year’s record. "This is our biggest motorcycle road race series! All the top New Zealand riders are confirmed in the premier classes, including Robbie Bugden from Australia - who is yet to confirm he will ride at Wanganui,” Willacy says. Bugden was taken out by another rider in race two last year and suffered a broken right leg (tibia and fibula), ending his title aspirations.
"We want the Suzuki Tri-Series to continue growing and perhaps join the national series on one or two tracks next year. This year we have delayed TV coverage on TV1, and Sky Sport is covering all three rounds with a highlights package for Hampton Downs and Manfield, with full coverage at Wanganui. We also have live streaming for a worldwide audience via our cemeterycircuit.co.nz website.” On-line tickets are available at www.cemeterycircuit.co.nz.
2011 Suzuki International Tri-Series Schedule;
Andrew and Jacob Stroud compare lap times at Hampton Downs on Saturday. Image - Terry Stevenson |
Andrew Stroud leads Nick Cole and Dan Stauffer, Wanganui 2010. Image - Terry Stevenson
Andrew Stroud testing at his Suzuki at Hampton Downs on Saturday. Image - Terry Stevenson
BMWs Sloan Frost ready for action. Image - Terry Stevenson