It doesn’t get any more comprehensive than this.

It is now Suzuki 1-2-3 at the top of the glamour superbike class after another inspiring performance at the weekend by defending national champion Andrew Stroud, three-time former champion Robbie Bugden and rising star James Smith.

Racing at the third round of five in the New Zealand Superbike Championships at Ruapuna Park, just outside Christchurch, at the weekend, Stroud (Documentary Channel Pirelli Suzuki GSXR1000) further stamped his authority on the class with another pair of wins.

He was chased to the chequered flag by Australian visitor Bugden (Triple R Mack Truck Suzuki GSX-R1000) in the opening superbike race but then Bugden lost some of his forward momentum after a wrong choice of tyres for the day’s second damp outing and ended up a disappointing, unexpected and unaccustomed 12th overall.

It was Taranaki’s Hayden Fitzgerald, previously not a feature in the championship, who finished runner-up to Stroud in that fateful second outing.

Even with that minor set-back for Bugden, the man from Brisbane and his Christchurch-based Triple R team-mate Smith (Elf Oils Suzuki GSX-R1000) are now lining up for a crack at the No.1 spot, each of them hoping to knock Waikato’s Stroud off the top of the podium with two rounds remaining.

Smith enjoyed a very productive time at Christchurch’s Ruapuna Park circuit at the weekend, moving his Suzuki up from fifth in the championship standings to third overall after finishing fourth and sixth in his two outings on Sunday, now just 19 points behind team-mate Bugden.

Stroud continues to lead the title chase, now a massive 44 points clear of Bugden.

“It was a great day at the office,” Stroud confirmed afterwards.

Rain threatened the second superbike race of the day and, although some riders opted to change their tyres from ‘slicks’ to ‘wets’, Stroud kept with the un-grooved slicks and that proved to be the right choice.

“It was one of the trickiest races I’ve ever done because you couldn’t see where the traction was on the slippery track surface. I didn’t know whether I’d find traction or not in some corners. It was all a bit of a gamble.”

In the 600cc class it was a similar story of double glory for Christchurch’s Dennis Charlett (Avon City Suzuki GSXR600).

The 42-year-old Charlett won both 600cc races at Ruapuna and now enjoys a 22-point lead at the top of the championship standings.

“It was an absolutely brilliant weekend. Even the crowd gave a standing ovation after the racing,” said Charlett, now well on target to reclaim the national 600cc title that he previously won in 2008.

“I’m still not counting my chickens before they’ve hatched but perhaps I just need to ride consistently to the finish of the series now.”

Meanwhile, Timaru’s Johnny Small (Blastcraft Suzuki SV650) has stretched to more than 50 points his lead in the Pro Twins class over fellow Suzuki riders Daniel Kempthorne (Palmerston North) and Terry Fitzgerald (New Plymouth); Winton’s Phillip Mair (Suzuki RG150) continues to lead the street stock 150 class; Palmerston North’s Glen Williams (Redpath Greenhouses Suzuki SVR650) maintains his strong challenge for championship honours in the superlites class and Wanganui pair Stephen Bron and Dennis Simonsen (Suzuki) scored a hat-trick of wins at Ruapuna to further increase their lead in the sidecars division.

The series now heads north for round four at Hampton Downs, near Meremere, on March 26-27, with the fifth and final round at Manfeild, near Palmerston North, on April 2-3.

Credit: Words by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com

The trans-Tasman Suzuki rivalry continues in this season’s New Zealand Superbike Championships.

Hamilton’s Andrew Stroud (Documentary Channel Pirelli Suzuki GSX-R1000) and Australian Robbie Bugden (Triple R Mack Truck Suzuki GSX-R1000) have picked up where they left off last season and continue to battle for Kiwi glory.

They are still the men to beat at the top of the glamour superbike class standings after the second round of five at Teretonga Park, near Invercargill, on Sunday.

The day’s action at Teretonga was cut short because of shocking weather and it was Tauranga’s Sloan Frost who won what became the only superbike race of the day, but with Stroud and Bugden finishing second and third respectively, it continues to be the two Suzuki men who lead the championship standings.

Stroud now enjoys an 18-point lead over Bugden as the series now heads to Ruapuna Park, Christchurch, for round three this coming weekend. Frost is third overall, another 11 points behind Bugden.

“It was appalling weather all day … the organisers did the right thing to call it off,” said defending champion Stroud afterwards.

“I’m happy with my day but it would have been nice to do the second race. It was dangerous though, racing at speeds of 270 kmph, with the bikes skimming in the water and side winds making it doubly dangerous.”

Bugden’s Triple R Suzuki Team manager, Christchurch’s Red Fenton, was impressed that the Australian three-time former New Zealand champion was still so competitive, despite not being 100% fit.  The Brisbane rider had his leg broken at Wanganui’s famous Cemetery Circuit on Boxing Day but, regardless of that, Bugden put aside his crutches to be on the starting line at Levels Raceway for round one of the nationals, near Timaru, just over a week ago and then continued the brave fight on Sunday.

“I think, if Robbie had been fit at the start of this campaign, nobody would have been able to touch him,” said Fenton.

“He is still riding fantastically considering the condition he is in. I know he’s going to get stronger each weekend from here.”

Bugden’s Triple R superbike team-mate, Christchurch’s James Smith (Elf Oils Suzuki GSX-R1000), finished eighth on Sunday and unfortunately slipped from fourth to fifth in the series standings.

“But then I wheel-spun on the start line in the race, dropped back to about eighth, and had to fight my way through for the win,” said the 42-year-old.

Meanwhile, Wanganui’s Ashley Payne (Hookes Pacific Suzuki GSX-R600) was the best of the 600cc superstock racers, winning the race-within-a-race – this class run in conjunction with the supersport bikes but scored separately.

Payne is now fifth in the superstock class standings.

Palmerston North’s Glen Williams (Redpath Greenhouses Suzuki SVR650) extended his lead in the superlites class at Teretonga, while Johnny Small (Blastcraft Suzuki SV650) leads the Pro Twins class, Winton’s Phillip Mair (Suzuki RG150) leads the street stock 150 class and Wanganui pair Stephen Bron and Dennis Simonsen (Suzuki) lead the sidecars division.

Credit: Words by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com

The Suzuki men are at it again, scrapping at the front of the field for national superbike glory.

Defending champion Andrew Stroud and three-time former champion Robbie Bugden were difficult to separate as the New Zealand Superbike championships kicked off at Levels Raceway, near Timaru, at the weekend.

Kiwi hero Stroud and Australian Bugden, who have between them dominated the class for at least the past five years, raced handlebar-to-handlebar on the twisty South Canterbury track on Sunday, joined at times by a second Australian rider, Dan Stauffer, as the tone was set for another thrilling summer of superbike race action.

Stroud (Documentary Channel Pirelli Suzuki GSX-R 1000) won both the superbike class races, but that only tells half the story with action on the track much closer than that, less than a second the difference in the lap times of the leading riders.

The double win gives Hamilton’s Stroud a solid 14-point early lead over the two Australian riders, Bugden and Stauffer sharing second and third place finishes at Levels.

Bugden may be injured and practically written-off by his rivals, but the Christchurch-based Triple R team rider showed he was not ready to lie down just yet.

The three-time former New Zealand Superbike Champion from Brisbane had his leg broken at Wanganui’s famous Cemetery Circuit on Boxing Day but, regardless of that, the popular Brisbane rider still lifted himself from the sick bed to be on the starting line on Sunday.

Bugden (Mack Truck Suzuki Superbike), and his Christchurch team-mate James Smith (Elf Oils Suzuki Superbike), travelled to Timaru at the weekend to both race in the prestigious superbike class and each of the riders emerged with their credentials enhanced.

Despite his build-up being hampered by injury, Bugden qualified his Suzuki GSX-R 1000 on pole position and then ran at the sharp end of the field all weekend.

“It wasn’t a bad result,” said Bugden, in classic understatement.

“I certainly had the speed. I’ll only get stronger and faster from here as my recovery (from injury) continues.”

Meanwhile, team-mate Smith twice finished fourth on Sunday and he had to settle for fourth overall after this opening round.

Round two of the series is set for Teretonga Park, Invercargill, on February 5-6, with round three at Ruapuna Raceway, Christchurch, on February 12-13. The series then heads north for round four at Hampton Downs, near Meremere, on March 26-27, with the fifth and final round at Manfeild, near Palmerston North, on April 2-3.

Credit: Words by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com

The national motorcycle road-race championship season

kicks off in the South Island this weekend with a pair of

Suzuki riders again favoured to lead the way in theglamorous superbike class.

Suzuki riders won four of the six New Zealand Superbike Championship classes last season and it looks as though it could be the men on the distinctive blue and white bikes who feature prominently this time around too.

Three-time New Zealand superbike champion, Brisbane’s Robbie Bugden, has declared he will be fast and fit to go when the 1000c bikes line up for battle at Levels Raceway, just outside Timaru, this weekend.

This is despite the fact that he hasn’t been able to ride as much as he’d have liked in the pre-season build-up period following an accident at the Cemetery Circuit street races in Wanganui on Boxing Day.

The victim of an over-exuberant rival, Bugden was shunted from behind, resulting in the popular Australian leaving the track with a broken leg.

Bugden won the New Zealand superbike crown in 2007, 2008 and 2009 and he would like nothing better than to snatch it back again in 2011.

But, even if he is back to his fighting best this weekend, most pundits favour his great rival, 2010 champion Andrew Stroud, to dominate.

Stroud wrapped up his third consecutive superbike title in the popular Suzuki International Tri Series, that competition wrapping up at that fateful Boxing Day race meeting, and the Hamilton-based 43-year-old father-of-eight is obviously still at the top of his game.

“I’m looking forward to battling with Robbie again,” said Stroud.

“Hopefully he’s fine again, but even if he’s only 90% fit, he’ll be very fast indeed. He’s a very determined rider and a great competitor. It takes more than just pain to stop him.

“He certainly makes my life interesting on the race track,” he laughed.

But it will not be just a two-horse race -- Stroud and Bugden expect to be challenged all the way by fellow Suzuki stars Craig Shirriffs (Feilding) and James Smith (Christchurch), as well as Australian first-timer at the Kiwi nationals Dan Stauffer, Hamilton’s Nick Cole and Tauranga’s Sloan Frost.

“Yes, I think Craig (Shirriffs) in particular will need to be watched. He usually goes very well around Levels Raceway.”

Wellington’s Glen Skachill, Auckland’s Karl Morgan and Christchurch’s Dennis Charlett should again rank among the leading riders in the 600cc class, split this year into two separate divisions, for supersport and superstock (unmodified) bikes.

With another Port of Nelson street race win placed under his belt just a couple of weeks ago, Charlett is currently in top form, while the Christchurch brothers James and Alastair Hoogenboezem move up from the 125cc and 650 Pro Twins class respectively to also give the 600cc class a good crack.

Dannevirke’s Geoff Booth (Suzuki) won’t be defending his Pro Twins 650 class title but fellow Suzuki rider Daniel Kempthorne, of Palmerston North, is ready to step into his boots.

Meanwhile, Wanganui pair Stephen Bron and Dennis Simonsen (Suzuki) are favoured to defend their crown in the sidecars class.

Few could match Mount Maunganui’s Cody Cooper at round two of the New Zealand Supercross Championships at Taupo on Sunday afternoon.

Cooper (Suzuki RM-Z450) Christened the new Taupo circuit with an outright win, finishing 3-1-1 in his three open class outings to head off former Grand Prix motocross star Josh Coppins (Yamaha).

It was a sparkling performance from the Power Balance MotoGB team rider that also saw him rocket up into second spot in the championships standings as the series reached the halfway stage.

He is just 13 points behind Coppins as the championship moves across Cook Strait for the two South Island rounds of the series, at Motueka this coming weekend, with the final round set for Timaru on January 15.

"It would have been good to win all three races today, but I can’t complain," said Cooper afterwards.

"I crashed while leading the first race and ended up third, so that was costly. But I’m in a solid position in the championship now."

Meanwhile, Atiamuri’s Dion Picard (Suzuki RM-Z250) won all three junior 250cc races at Taupo on Sunday, elevating him from third to first place in that championship chase.

He is a solid 16 points ahead of Rangiora’s Micah McGoldrick (KTM).

"I was pretty average at round one in Tokoroa (three weeks ago), but I won everything here, so that makes up for it," said the 15-year-old Picard.

By leading the championships after the first two rounds it means Picard also clinched the North Island Supercross Championship title.

"I crashed out of this series last year, so it’s nice to bounce back like this."