Suzuki International Tri-Series - Wanganui on Boxing Day.
Wed 29 Dec: Suzuki GSX-R1000 mounted Andrew Stroud didn’t have it all his own way on the famous Cemetery Circuit however as rivals pushed the Hamiltonian in each of the premier F1 Superbike races.
Copy and photos courtesy of Terry Steveson.
To win the title Stroud only
needed to finish ahead of street circuit rookie but main rival Robbie
Bugden. Instead, the 42 year old father of eight went straight to
the front in the opening F1 Superbike race to make a statement of
intention. Within a few laps however Kawasaki mounted Nick Cole stormed
into the lead, which he held for several laps until Stroud made his
winning move and went on to take the chequered flag.
An
average start left Craig Shirriffs (Suzuki GSX-R1000) to claw his
Suzuki way up to and then past Australian Dan Stauffer, on a Yamaha, to
cross the line third and fourth respectively, ahead of BMW’s Sloan
Frost.
Former
three-time NZ Superbike champion Bugden discovered racing on Wanganui’s
famous Cemetery Circuit is quite difficult. The Australian had a slow
start but worked his way up to sixth by race end, leaving Stroud with a
more comfortable 14 point buffer before the final race.
The
second re-start of the final leg proved disastrous for Bugden, who was
taken out by another rider at turn one, along with Hamilton’s Cole.
Bugden suffered a broken right leg (tibia and fibula) which saw an end
to his title aspirations, although Cole made the delayed re-start. With
the race proper underway Stroud lead for the first two corners when a
brilliant Stauffer took control of the race to win his first street
race, on debut, finishing ahead of Stroud and a charging Shirriffs, with
Frost and Cole further back.
Stroud’s
second place secured his third successive Suzuki Tri-Series title for
Suzuki. Consistent riding from Frost earned second place for BMW, with
an injured Bugden third, also for Suzuki.
![](/i/images/vol.215/wsuperbike.jpg)
Andrew Stroud leads hungry F1 Superbike pack. TerryStevenson photo.
Stroud
says, "It’s good to be winning and the whole family appreciate it as
well, cheering me on - they’re my biggest fans ! In the first race Nick
(Cole) had the pressure on the whole time, and the in the second race
Dan Stauffer got in front of me early on and pulled a gap straight away.
I was pushing reasonably had trying to catch him but it wasn’t
happening, so that was it.”
![](/i/images/vol.215/wstauffer.jpg)
Dan Stauffer on his way to a win. TerryStevenson photo.
The
Robert Holden Memorial feature race was an epic thriller between Stroud
and Stauffer, with the Australian re-taking the lead on the last corner
to become the first ever Australian to win the prestigious Robert
Holden Memorial trophy.
F1 Superbikes race 1: Andrew Stroud (Hamilton, Suzuki GSXR1000), 1; Nick Cole (Hamilton, Kawasaki ZX-10R), 2; Craig Shirriffs (Feilding,
Suzuki GSXR1000), 3; Dan Stauffer (Australia, Yamaha YZF R1), 4; Sloan
Frost (Tauranga, BMW S1000RR), 5; Robbie Bugden (Australia, Suzuki
GSXR1000), 6.
Race 2: Stauffer, 1; Stroud, 2; Shirriffs, 3; Frost, 4; Cole, 5; James Smith (Christchurch, Suzuki GSXR1000), 6.
Final
series points; Andrew Stroud, 141; Sloan Frost, 119; Robbie Bugden,
105; Nick Cole, 92; Craig Shirriffs, 91; Dan Stauffer, 74.
Robert
Holden Memorial: Dan Stauffer, 1; Andrew Stroud, 2; Sloan Frost, 3;
Nick Cole, 4; Andrew Nelson (Canada, Yamaha YZF-R1), 5; James Smith, 6.
In
the F2 600 category Glen Skachill and his Suzuki GSX-R600 remained
unbeaten in all six Suzuki Tri-Series races to win that title, ahead of
Dennis Charlett and Karl Morgan.
F2 600 Supers race 1: Glen Skachill (Wellington, Suzuki GSXR600), 1; Dennis Charlett (Christchurch, Suzuki GSXR600), 2; Adam Chambers (Clive, Kawasaki ZX600), 3; John
Ross (Christchurch, Yamaha YZF-R6), 4; Karl Morgan (Auckland, Suzuki
GSXR600), 5; Ashley Payne (Wanganui, Suzuki GSXR600) 6.
Race 2: Skachill, 1; Charlett, 2; Chambers, 3; Morgan, 4; Payne, 5; Ross, 6.
Final series points; Glen Skachill, 126; Dennis Charlett, 88; Karl Morgan 81; Adam Chambers, 80; John Ross 80; Jaden Hassan (Auckland, Yamaha YZF-R6), 76.
The
massive Wanganui crowd weren’t disappointed with Davide ‘Speedy’
Gozzini’s two 450 Supermoto wins for TM. Gozzini was pushed hard by
fellow Italian Andrea Occhini and Kiwi Jayden Carrick in each race yet
wrapped up his second Suzuki Tri-Series championship in as many years.
Toby Summers was second in the series with Carrick third.
450
Supermoto race 1: Davide Gozzini (Italy, TM SMX450F), 1; Andrea
Occhini (Italy, Suzuki RMZ450), 2; Jayden Carrick (Wanganui, Suzuki
RMZ450), 3; Toby Summers (Auckland, Yamaha YZF450), 4; Richard Dibben
(Wanganui, Honda CRF450), 5; Duncan Hart (Tauranga, Husqvarna SMRR450),
6.
Race 2: Gozzini, 1; Occhini, 2; Carrick, 3; Summers, 4; Dibben, 5; Steven Croad (Auckland, Honda CRF450), 6.
Final
series points; Davide Gozzini, 148; Toby Summers, 122; Jayden Carrick,
122; Andrea Occhini, 116; Richard Dibben, 100; Duncan Hart, 88.
Supermoto
Open race 1: Scott Birch (Rotorua, Aprilia SXV550), 1; Scott Moir
(Taupo, Aprilia SXV550), 2; Casey Bullock (Taupo, Aprilia SXV550), 3;
Doug Stockwell (Auckland, Aprilia SXV550), 4; John Oliver (Hawera,
Aprilia SXV550), 5; Leeroy Verdegem (New Calendonia, TM530); 6.
Race
2: Moir, 1; Birch, 2; Bullock 3; Verdegen, 4; Glenn Haden (Wanganui,
Honda CRF490), 5; Nick Payne (Wanganui, Husqvarna SMR570) 6.
Final
series points; Scott Moir, 146; Scott Birch, 139; Craig Flood (New
Plymouth, Aprilia SXV550), 90; Lewis Waho (Taupo, Aprilia SXV550), 84;
Doug Stockwell, 82; Glenn Haden, 81.
The Steve Bron/Dennis Simonsen
pairing scored two good wins aboard their sleek Suzuki LCR1000 sidecar,
ahead of the Adam Unsworth/Stu Dawe and Darryl and Scott Dowman
combinations. Bron and Simonsen’s victories were enough to win the
series title from last year’s winners Unsworth and Dawe. Des James and
Jonathan Shaw were third.
F1 Sidecars race 1: Steve Bron/Dennis Simonsen
(Wanganui/Masterton, Suzuki LCR1000), 1; Adam Unsworth/Stu Dawe
(Wanganui, Windle F1 1000), 2; Darryl Dowman/Scott Dowman (Wanganui,
Yamaha R1 1000), 3; Stu Prentis/Louise Blythe (Hawera, Yamaha 1000), 4;
Des James/Johnathon Shaw (Auckland, Applecross GSXR1000), 5; Darren
Pate/Karl Verdell (Katikati, Kawasaki 1000), 6.
Race 2: Bron/Simonsen, 1; Unsworth/Dawe, 2; Prentis/Blythe, 3; Dowman/Dowman, 4; James/Shaw, 5; Tracey Anderson/Steve Bryan (Tauranga, Yamaha DMR 600), 6.
Final series points; Steve Bron/Dennis Simonsen, 196; Adam
Unsworth/Stu Dawe, 177; Des James/Jonathan Shaw, 96; Darren Pate/Karl
Verdellen, 90; Brian Read/Darren Prentis (Auckland, Kawasaki ZX10R), 63;
Stu Prentis/Louise Blythe (Hawera, Yamaha 1000) 58.
Other class series winners were Sean Donnelly for Kawasaki in Post Classics, Scott
Moir in Open Supermoto, defending F3 champion Terry Fitzgerald on a
Suzuki SV650 with Scott Moir a close second, and John Ross in BEARS
racing a BMW S1000RR.
John
Woodley finished down the order at Wanganui on his MV Agusta R312 in
each BEARS heat, to complete his first series in three decades in fourth
position, behind Australian Joel Reed, and Peter Tanner. Woodley
recalled his last race at Wanganui was in 1979.
![](/i/images/vol.215/wwoodley.jpg)
John Woodley at Wanganui, TerryStevenson photo.
Post
Classic race 1: Glen Williams (Palmerston North, Yamaha FZR1000), 1;
Sean Donnelly, (Paraparaumu, Kawasaki GPZ1100), 2; Mike Webster
(Wellington, Kawasaki ZXR H1 750), 3; Jason Hulme (Marton, Honda NC30
400), 4; Peter Smith (Rotorua, Suzuki 1989 GSXR1100), 5; Bernard Ryan,
6.
Race 2: Williams, 1; Donnelly, 2; Webster, 3; Smith, 4; Ryan, 5; Hulme, 6.
Final
series points; Sean Donnelly, 123; Mike Webster, 107; Glen Williams,
101; Jason Hulme, 94; Chris Sales (Feilding, Honda XR500), 60; Graham
Moorhead (Takapuna, Suzuki GS1000), 51.
BEARS
race 1: Sloan Frost (Tauranga, BMW SS1000R), 1; John Ross
(Christchurch, BMW S1000RR), 2; Peter Tanner (Feilding, Aprilia
RSVR1000), 3; Joel Reed (Australia, Aprilia RSV4), 4; Mark Perry
(Palmerston North, Aprilia RSV1000), 5; Steve Bridge (Ngaruawahia,
Ducati F1 1000), 6.
Race 2: Frost, 1; Ross, 2; Tanner, 3; Reed, 4; Perry, 5; Jarrod Wintle, 6.
Final
series points; John Ross, 141; Joel Reed, 112; Peter Tanner, 109; John
Woodley (Australia, MV Agusta R312), 76; Damian Mackie (Te Puke, Ducati
998S), 68; Duncan Coutts (Whangarei, Aprilia RSVR1000), 57.
F3
Sportbikes race 1: Scott Moir (Taupo, Honda RSV450), 1; Glen Williams
(Palmerston North, Suzuki SVR650), 2; Terry Fitzgerald (New Plymouth,
Suzuki SV650), 1; Daniel Kempthorne (Palmerston North, Suzuki SV650), 4;
Paul Duncan (Rotorua, Suzuki SV650), 5; Yoshi Kishimoto, 6.
Race 2: Moir, 1; Williams, 2; Fitzgerald, 3, Kempthorne, 4; Bentley (Lower Hutt, Suzuki SV650), 5; Kishimoto, 6.
Final
series points; Terry Fitzgerald, 134; Scott Moir, 131; Geoff Booth
(Dannevirke, Suzuki SV650), 74; Daniel Kempthorne, 96; Dean Bentley, 60;
Jason Easton (Palmerston North, Tigcraft Aprilia), 47