BY THE NUMBERS | Bikesportnz

Thanks to road-racing commentator Ray Whitham, we can today offer you this backgrounder on lap records around the public street course at Wanganui … the infamous Cemetery Circuit.

This year’s Suzuki Tri Series is about to launch into action, kicking off at Hampton Downs in nearly two weeks’ time, on December 8, before heading to Manfeild for round two on December 16 and, finally, wrapping up on the streets of Wanganui on Boxing Day.

So we thought this an ideal time to be looking ahead to that iconic Cemetery Circuit event.

Ray did some research for BikesportNZ.com and he found out that Dene Hollier, on his Triumph GP, was the feature race winner in that first meeting in 1951 and his fastest lap time of 66 2/5secs (66.40 secs) became the first lap record for the Cemetery Circuit.

Rod Coleman equalled that time in 1952 in his first race appearance there.

In 1955 Peter Murphy and Rod Coleman, both riding AJS 7R’s, were jointly credited with the fastest lap of 63.00 secs in the Junior feature.

In 1957, Rod Coleman set a new lap time of 61.00 seconds in the Senior race before retiring his Manx Norton with brake problems.

A year later Isle of Man reps John Anderson and John Hempleman equalled that time in the Junior race before Anderson became the first to hit the 60 seconds lap, chasing down Hempleman in the Senior Racing class feature. Hempleman responded a lap later with the same time. Both were on 500cc Manx Nortons.

Ginger Molloy equalled that time on his 350cc Bultaco in 1968 and in 1969 English-born American Ron Grant on a TR500 Suzuki set a new mark of 59.6 sec in winning the 350-500cc race ahead of Dale Wylie on his Harris G50.

The Marlboro Series began in 1973 and in that first round Dale Wylie won both Marlboro legs on his TR500 Suzuki, setting a new lap record of 55.00 seconds.

The young American Pat Hennen set a new time of 54.6sec in 1974, pared that back to 54.00 secs in 1975 and then finally to 52.6 seconds in 1976 on the RG500 Suzuki, putting it beyond the reach of anybody else for the next seven years.

In 1983 David Hiscock, on the Roberts Suzuki, finally beat Hennen’s time, setting a new mark of 52.40. The following year, Robert Holden on the same machine lowered it to 52.34 secs.

Richard Scott set a new time of 52.00 secs on his Yamaha FZR750 in 1985 and was back in 1986 for a two-day meeting that produced new lap records through the classes. Australian Craig Trinder on his RG500 Suzuki set the pace in the last race of day one with a new outright time of 51.15 secs. Robert Holden set a new Senior Production record of 51.19 secs on his GSXR100 Suzuki, and Brent Jones a new Formula Two record of 51.26 secs on his TZ250 Yamaha.

In 1986 Richard Scott on the RS500 Grand Prix Honda was a star attraction and in response to the challenge from Trinder he scorched to a new outright lap record of 49.91 secs on day two.

Scott’s record was valid for only two more meetings.

In 1989 there was a major realignment of the intersection of Heads Road and Taupo Quay and the extended kerbing and tighter entry to Heads Road added an estimated two to three seconds, perhaps more, to the lap time. A new lap record for the altered circuit was never officially established and Jason McEwen’s fastest lap of 51.00 secs on a ZX9R Kawasaki in 1999 was recorded only as the fastest time of the day and not a new lap record as it undoubtedly was.

In 2002 the circuit was wired for electronic lap timing and coincidentally three riders, Craig Shirriffs (50.973) Jason McEwen (50.704) and Tony Rees that year all lapped in the high 50’s with Rees the fastest at 50.627 secs to become the new lap record holder.

Shirriffs (50.808), Bruce Anstey (50.675) and Jared Love (50.983) all hit the 50-second mark in 2004 but still none faster than Rees’s time.

Shirriffs was consistently one of the quickest riders in those years and in 2005 he was joined in the “50 second club” by Love (50.642), McEwen (50.484) and Australian Chris Seaton (50.760). His fastest time of 50.149 secs was a new lap record but it was beaten later in the day by Andrew Stroud’s time of 50.120 secs (Stroud is pictured above).

The magic 49-second mark was finally broached several times in 2006 by Shirriffs (49.687), Seaton (49.692) and Stroud with Stroud’s fastest time of 49.061secs on the Suzuki GSXR1000 remaining the fastest ever on the circuit.

The closest to that time since has been Australian Dan Stauffer, the first non-New Zealander to win the coveted Robert Holden Memorial trophy. He recorded 49.081 in 2011 on the Bernard Racing YZFR1 Yamaha when successfully defending that title.

Cemetery Circuit Individual Lap Record Holders

1951 Dene Hollier 66.40 Triumph GP

1952 Rod Coleman 66.40= Manx Norton 500cc

1954 Rod Coleman 65.00 AJS 7R

1955 Peter Murphy 63.00= AJS 7R

1955 Rod Coleman 63.00= AJS 7R

1957 Rod Coleman 61.00 Manx Norton 500cc

1958 John Anderson 60.00 Manx Norton 500cc

1958 John Hempleman 60.00 Manx Norton 500cc

1968 Ginger Molloy 60.00= Bultaco 350TSS

1969 Ron Grant 59.60 Suzuki TR500

1973 Dale Wylie 55.00 Suzuki TR500

1974 Pat Hennen 54.60 Suzuki TR750

1975 Pat Hennen 54.00 Suzuki TR750

1976 Pat Hennen 52.60 Suzuki RG500

1983 David Hiscock 52.40 Roberts Suzuki 1000

1984 Robert Holden 52.34 Roberts Suzuki 1000

1985 Richard Scott 52.00 Yamaha FZR750

1986 Craig Trinder 51.15 Suzuki RG500

1986 Richard Scott 49.91 Honda RS500

(Circuit modifications extend lap times)

1999 Jason McEwen 51.00 Kawasaki ZX9

2002 Tony Rees 50.627 Yamaha R1

2005 Craig Shirriffs 50.149 Suzuki GSXR1000

2005 Andrew Stroud 50.120 Suzuki GSXR1000

2006 Andrew Stroud 49.713 Suzuki GSXR1000

2006 Andrew Stroud 49.359 Suzuki GSXR1000

2006 Andrew Stroud 49.061 Suzuki GSXR1000

Individual Class Lap Records as at the start of 2012

Classics 59.852 Colin Tate 2003 Norton 750

Post Classics 54.245 Steve Bridge 2004 Ducati TT2 900cc

P/Classic Sidecars 61.479 John Blaymires/ 2011 Moto Guzzi 850T

Charles Bilby

Sidecars 53.551 Stephen Bron/ 2010 LCR Suzuki 1000

Dennis Simonsen

BEARS 49.799 Sloan Frost 2010 BMW SS1000R

Superlite 52.137 Scott Moir 2010 Honda RSV450

Supermoto Open 52.284 Scott Birch 2010 Aprilia SXV550

Supermoto 450 51.736 Davide Gozzini 2010 TM SMX450F

Formula 2 49.515 Chris Seaton 2006 R6 Yamaha

Formula 1 49.061 Andrew Stroud 2006 Suzuki GSX1000R

Holden Memorial 49.081 Daniel Stauffer 2011 Yamaha YZF1000

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