Two-Year Hiatus No Handicap for Fitzgerald

TWO-YEAR HIATUS NO HANDICAP FOR FITZGERALD

CAPTION: Taranaki's Hayden Fitzgerald (Yamaha), immediately back inside the top 10. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com

DECEMBER 5, 2016: It's been two years since Taranaki's Hayden Fitzgerald last threw his leg over a superbike, but you wouldn't have known that by watching him race in Taupo on Sunday.

The 32-year-old new dad showed that his two-year hiatus from the sport was no handicap, taking his Yamaha bikes to finish inside the top 10 in both the two premier classes at the opening round of the annual Suzuki Series at Taupo's Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park.

Fitzgerald took two years away from the sport as he grieved the loss of his road-racing legend father, Terry, he then got married to his long-time sweetheart, Lisa, and they started a family, with son Liam now just about to turn one.

But Fitzgerald showed at the weekend he'd not forgotten how to twist a throttle.

Riding a stock-standard Yamaha R1 in the talent-laden Formula One/Superbike class, Fitzgerald twice finished seventh, good enough for sixth overall in the class.

He also raced a Yamaha R6 in the Formula Two/600 Supersport class, this time finishing sixth and fifth in the two outings and that was sufficient for him to claim fifth overall for the day.

"It was a good, positive weekend for me," said Fitzgerald afterwards.

"This was my first race on the new Yamaha bikes and we made a bit of a dent in the job of getting the machines set up for me. I had some good battles with (visiting British rider) James Flitcroft and, although nothing is planned yet, I might consider racing at least two rounds of the national now."

The Suzuki Series now takes riders to Manfeild for round two next Sunday, December 11, before its traditional Boxing Day finale on the public streets of Whanganui.

The four-round New Zealand Superbike Championships are set to kick off at Mike Pero Motorsport Park (formerly Ruapuna Raceway), on the outskirts of Christchurch on January 7-8, with rounds to follow at Teretonga on January 14-15, Taupo's Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park on February 25-026 and, finally, it all wraps up at Hampton Downs, near Meremere, on March 4-5.

"I'm loving the two bikes and feel very comfortable on them."

Words and photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com

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