Whanganui City Braced For A Massive Street Fight

DECEMBER 23, 2024: The population of Whanganui is set to explode in just three days’ time as the lower North Island city again hosts one of the most famous street fights in the world.

The Cemetery Circuit street motorcycle racing event is the much-anticipated finale of the three-round annual Suzuki International Series and it’s set to blast off on Whanganui’s world-renowned Cemetery Circuit on Boxing Day, Thursday this week.

It’s not hard to see why the annual Suzuki International Series each December has a huge following, both domestically and internationally too.

However, while the first two rounds of the 2024 edition of this motorcycle road-racing series have now been staged, it’s worth remembering that the best is always saved for last.

All that remains now for the 2024 Suzuki International Series to wrap up is for the world-renowned Cemetery Circuit races on Boxing Day, the massive annual post-Christmas festival of speed always a popular final blow-out before New Year celebrations begin.

The racing on the twists and turns of Whanganui’s public streets – with part of the circuit actually zig-zagging the riders past the Suzuki New Zealand headquarters on Heads Road – attracts worldwide interest every year, especially since this is one of the very few motorcycle street fights still being run anywhere in the world.

And, yes, the course does take the speeding riders past headstones in the inner-city graveyard, not to mention the competitors zooming close to road-side curbs, across white-painted lines, over railway lines and near to traffic islands. It takes your breath away just to think about it, although serious safety measures are in place.

It may be memorable again this year as Bay of Plenty father and son duo Tony and Mitch Rees get set to bang handlebars once more in the premier Formula One/Superbike class and as Whanganui’s home-town hero Richie Dibben attempts to dish it up to international star Davey Todd in the Supermoto class (for modified dirt bikes).

With dual-class hero Todd also racing alongside fellow Brit and fellow 2024 Isle of Man winner Peter Hickman and Christchurch’s former national superbike champion Alastair Hoogenboezem in the F1 class, you just know there will be fireworks.

Whakatane’s Mitch Rees leads the way in this premier class, but he may be as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs on Thursday when he calculates the risks and rewards in his attempt to achieve a four-in-a-row win streak on Boxing Day.

Mitch Rees previously won the formula one class overall in the Suzuki International Series in 2020, 2022 and 2023 (the series was not run in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

Meanwhile, the Robert Holden Memorial (RHM) feature race will no doubt be one of the highlights of Whanganui’s finale on the Cemetery Circuit.

It is a prestigious race that was won by Mitch Rees in 2022 and 2023, by his late brother Damon Rees in 2020 and by their father Tony Rees on seven occasions (between 1990 and 2016).

Other Robert Holden Memorial feature race winners in the past, who will also be racing in Whanganui this week include Taupo’s Scott Moir (the RHM winner in 2017) and Hickman (RHM winner in 2018).

Many eyes will perhaps also be on the racing between Dibben and Todd, with these two international stars separated by no more than the thickness of their plastic fairings throughout the Supermoto action so far.

All the other various classes too will provide nail-biting excitement, the Formula Three class, the Supersport 300 and Formula Sports classes always close affairs, while it’s worth noting that Whanganui crews will be out in force in the Formula One, Formula Two and Pre-82 Classic Sidecars classes.

Rounds one and two, at Taupo and Manfeild respectively, have given bike fans, enthusiasts, supporters, sponsors and even the riders themselves plenty to salivate over and they’ve shown how highly they value and love the competition that they’ve shown up in great numbers to watch it live and personal.

“It’s been a fantastic series so far, with great racing throughout the classes,” said Suzuki International Series organiser Allan ‘Flea’ Willacy.

“The competition has been good. The weather’s been perfect and we’ve seen great crowds. The overseas competitors have not let us down and they’ve put on a great show.

“We’re all looking forward now to the final round.”

Class leaders after the second round of three in the 2024 Suzuki International Series at Manfeild are Whakatane’s Mitch Rees (formula one/superbikes class); Cambridge’s Morgan McLaren-Wood (formula two/Supersport 600); Auckland’s Tyler King (in both the formula three and Supersport 300 classes); Wellington’s Malcolm Beilski (Formula Sport, Senior); Whanganui’s Jeff Croot (Formula Sport, junior); Glen Eden’s Daniel Mettam (Post Classics, Pre 95, Senior); Tauranga’s Darrick Kattenberg (Post Classics, Pre 95, Junior); Hastings’ Gian Louie (Post Classics, Pre 89, Senior); Lower Hutt’s Dean Bentley (Post Classics, Pre 89, Junior); Panmure’s Adam Unsworth and Whanganui’s Bryce Rose (F1 sidecars); Whanganui’s Tracey Bryan and Auckland’s Kendal Dunlop (F2 sidecars); Whanganui’s Richie Dibben (in both the Supermoto and Adventure Bike classes).

The Suzuki International Series is supported by Suzuki New Zealand, Mondiale VGL, Auto Super Shoppe Tawa, Givi, I-Tools, Bridgestone tyres, Sharp As Linehaul Ltd Whanganui, TSS Motorcycles, Ipone, Inferno Design and Digital, Kiwibike Motorcycle Insurance Specialists, Cemetery Circuit Ltd.

DATES FOR 2024 SUZUKI INTERNATIONAL SERIES:

• Round 1, Taupo, Dec 7th and 8th;

• Round 2, Manfeild, Feilding, Dec 14th and 15th;

• Round 3, Whanganui's Cemetery Circuit, Dec 26th.

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