A defending champion, an injured three-time former champion, rising young stars and a couple of first-timers … this season’s national motorcycle road-race championships have it all.

And that’s just the superbike class we’re talking about.

The Castrol Power 1 New Zealand Superbike Championships kicked off at Levels Raceway, near Timaru, at the weekend with typically close racing among all the various bike categories, but most eyes were focussed on what was happening with the 1000cc superbike racers.

Defending champion Andrew Stroud (Suzuki) qualified only sixth fastest during Saturday’s preliminary sessions at the South Canterbury circuit but all that counted for little when the racing proper began the follow day.

Hamilton’s Stroud raced his way to two wins on Sunday, sounding alarm bells for his superbike rivals that he will again be the man to beat this summer.

But Stroud will need to be wary because the racing was close and, in terms of lap times, less than one second covered the top five or six competitors.

Second equal in the superbike class is pole-winner Robbie Bugden (Suzuki) and fellow Australian Dan Stauffer (Yamaha), the two men sharing second and third positions on the day.

It was an amazing performance from both the Australians, Budgen not yet fully recovered from the broken leg he suffered on the streets of Wanganui on Boxing Day and Stauffer a first-timer at the New Zealand championships and unfamiliar with the circuit.

Other leading riders were Christchurch’s John Ross (Yamaha) and Christchurch’s Dennis Charlett (Suzuki), first equal in the supersport 600 class; Inglewood’s Midge Smart (Yamaha) and Auckland’s Jaden Hassan (Yamaha), equal first in the superstock 600 class; Palmerston North’s Glen Williams (Suzuki) leads the superlite class.

Timaru’s Johnny Small (Suzuki) leads the Pro Twins; Tapanui’s Seth Deveraux (Kawasaki) holds top spot in the Prolite 250 class; Winton’s Phillip Mair (Suzuki) leads the Streetstock 150 class; Rangiora’s Jake Lewis (Honda) leads the 125 GP division; Oamaru’s Brad Selfe is king of the super motards, with Wanganui’s defending champions Stephen Bron and Dennis Simonsen (Suzuki) leading the sidecars.

Round two of the series is set for Teretonga Park, Invercargill, on Saturday and Sunday (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.

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