Brave Move Beats Superbike Champ

Media release from Motorcycling New Zealand
Sunday 13 January 2013

Brave Move Beats Superbike Champ

Craig Shirriffs ended Australian Robbie Bugden’s run of victories with a risky-looking but perfectly judged move at Timaru’s second round of the national Superbike championships today.

Bugden, the defending and four-times champion, had won both races in Christchurch last weekend and also today’s first heat despite intense pressure from Shirriffs.

Shirriffs, from Feilding, shadowed the Aussie through most of the second race and pounced just before the end, braking very late and shooting up the inside as they went into the chicane before the final straight.

“That was my plan all along,” Shirriffs said. “I was faster than him there and if I’d passed him anywhere else he would have got me back.

“I went in a bit hot and ran wide. Robbie said afterwards he thought I wasn’t going to make the corner.

“I wanted to do the same in race one but I wasn’t fast enough out of the corner before the chicane.”

The finish to race two was particularly exciting because Hamilton rider Nick Cole had caught up with the leading pair and was right behind Shirriffs – although Shirriffs had not realised he was there.

Bugden now leads Shirriffs by 10 points, with Christchurch rider Dennis Charlett third in his return to the superbike class.

The day started with some heavy rain but later dried out.

The first 600cc Supersport race was run in the rain and saw plenty of action, including a few crashes.

Christchurch rider Seth Devereux was the bravest and he pushed his Kawasaki hard to record his first victory in this class, heading off Rhys Holmes and Jeremy Holmes (no relation).

Rhys Holmes also posted a first in the second race, claiming his debut class victory on his Yamaha in a frenetic race in which the top six all ran very close and positions changed constantly.

Christchurch teenager Jake Lewis took second, also on a Yamaha, while some of the bigger names fell by the wayside.

Australian teenagers Luke Burgess and Troy Guenther lead their categories, 250 Production and 125 GP respectively. Burgess is now the only rider in any class with a perfect record of victories in all his races.

Leaders in other classes are: Superlite, Richard Newbery; Pro Twins, Hamish Murphy; and sidecars, Spike Taylor/Astrid Hartnell.

For further information please call Bernard Carpinter, 0274-528-744.

Attached photo shows Bugden leading Shirriffs at Timaru today. It is free to use but pleased credit fotocd.co.nz

MOTORCYCLE RACING

New Zealand Superbike championships, round two, Timaru.

Superbikes – Race one: Robbie Bugden (Australia) Suzuki 1; Craig Shirriffs (Feilding) Suzuki 2; Dennis Chareltt (Christchurch) Suzuki 3; Sloan Frost (Wellington) BMW 4; Ryan Hampton (Christchurch) Honda 5; James Smith (Christchurch) Honda 6.
Race two: Shirriffs 1; Bugden 2; Nick Cole (Hamilton) Kawasaki 3; Charlett 4; Smith 5; Frost 6.
Championship points: Bugden 95, Shirriffs 85, Charlett 61, Cole 49, Fitzgerald 42, Smith 37.

600cc Supersport – Race one: Seth Devereux (Christchurch) Kawasaki 1; Rhys Holmes (Katikati) Yamaha 2; Jeremy Holmes (Invercargill) Honda 3; Alastair Hoogenboezem (Christchurch) Suzuki 4; John Ross (Christchurch) Suzuki 5.
Race two: R Holmes 1; Jake Lewis (Christchurch) Yamaha 2; Adam Chambers (Clive) Honda 3; Daniel Ormsby (Christchurch) Yamaha 4; John Ross (Christchurch) Suzuki 5.
Points: Ross 65, Lewis and R Holmes both 60, Jaden Hassan (Auckland, Yamaha) 49, Devereux 43.

Superlite – Race one: Richard Newbery (Balclutha) Kawasaki 450, 1; Glen Orwin (Auckland) Yamaha 450, 2; Glen Agate (Oamaru) Kawasaki ZXR400, 3. Race two: Newbery 1; Gavin Veltmeyer (Auckland) Suzuki SV650, 2; Agate 3. Race three: Newbery 1; Orwin 2; Veltmeyer 3. Points: Newbery 137.5, Veltmeyer 81.5, Orwin 78.5.

Pro Twins – Race one: Nathanael Diprose (Auckland) Suzuki SV650, 1; Hamish Murphy (Wellington Suzuki SV650, 2; Nick Southerwood (Auckland) Suzuki SV650, 3. Race two: Murphy 1; Dean Bentley (Lower Hutt) Suzuki SV650, 2; Nathanael Diprose (Auckland) Suzuki SV650, 3. Race three: Murphy 1; Diprose 2; Bentley 3. Points: Murphy 140, Diprose 119, Southerwood 92.

125 GP – Race one: Troy Guenther (Australia) Honda 1; Scout Fletcher (Christchurch) Honda 2; Scott Kinder (Geraldine) Honda 3. Race two: Guenther 1; Fletcher 2; Tyler Lincoln (Havelck North) Honda 3. Race three: Guenther 1; Fletcher 2; Aaron Hassan (Auckland) Honda 3. Points: Guenther 141, Fletcher 96, Kinder 90.

250 Production – Race one: Luke Burgess (Australia) 1; Grant Ramage (Timaru) 2; Richard Willetts 3. All rode Kawasaki Ninjas. Race two: Burgess 1; Bailie Perriton (Ashburton) Kawasaki 2; Ramage 3. Race three: Burgess 1; Ramage 2; Sarah Elliot (Otaki) Kawasaki 3. Points: Burgess 150, Ramage 101, Willetts 78.

Sidecars – Race one: Peter Goodwin/Darren Prentice (Bay of Islands) Windle 1000, 1; Grant Waters (Timaru)/Matthew Gibbs (Christchurch) Windle 1000, 2; Graeme Harris/Colin Grace (both Christchurch) Yamaha 1000, 3. Race two: Spike Taylor (Masterton)/Astrid Hartnell (Wanganui) LCR 1; Waters/Gibbs 2; Harris/Grace 3. Race three: Waters/Gibbs 1; Taylor/Hartnell 2; Goodwin/Prentice 3. Points: Taylor/Hartnell 133, Waters/Gibbs 113, Goodwin/Prentice 101.

Bugden 13 leads Shirriffs Timaru 2

ENDS

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