Wellington’s Sloan Frost (Suzuki GSX-R1000A), with a sizeable lead in the superbike nationals. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com

It could be mission impossible now for anyone hoping to catch Wellington’s Sloan Frost in this year’s New Zealand Superbike Championships title chase.

The trophy is not entirely out of the reach of Frost’s superbike class rivals, but the task ahead for them certainly looks ominous, the Suzuki man a whopping 24 points in front, with the four-round series now at the halfway stage.

Christchurch’s Al Hoogenboezem (BMW), one of the fastest men on the track, but unlucky so far this season. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com

The third round of four is set for Hampton Downs in just over a week’s time, on March 3-4, and Frost’s main challengers – Whakatane’s Mitch Rees (Honda) and Glen Eden’s Daniel Mettam (Suzuki) – will no doubt have been frantically plotting a fight-back.

And, with 25 points available for a race win and three superbike races on the programme for that weekend, Frost cannot afford to relax just yet. A crash, flat tyre or a mechanical failure could so easily wreck his campaign.

There is sure to be a phenomenal amount of focus that weekend as DHL Express NZ Ltd presents round three of the superbike nationals and the fans will arrive hoping to see close fighting between Frost, Rees and Mettam, among others.

It was a tight contest at round one of the superbike nationals in Christchurch, with three different winners in the premier Superbike class – Christchurch’s Alastair Hoogenboezem (BMW), Mettam and then Frost sharing the wins – but, at round two at Timaru a week later, the weekend belonged solely to Frost.

Frost arrived at Timaru with a slender one-point advantage over his chief rivals – Mettam and Rees sharing the No.2 spot – but a hat-trick of wins at Timaru blew his leading margin out to 24 points over Rees, with Mettam slipping slightly to third overall, 15 points further back.

Re-joining the superbike action after a long break following injury will be the youngest of injured 2017 national superbike champion Tony Rees’ two sons, the 23-year-old Damon Rees (brother of 25-year-old Mitch), and the 2017 national Supersport 600 champion will be keen to confirm he’s just as potent on a 1000cc machine as his dad and his big brother.

The man who finished runner-up to Damon Rees in last year’s Supersport 600 title chase, Wainuiomata’s Shane Richardson, will make his only New Zealand appearance in the 2018 nationals this weekend, racing in the Supersport 600 class at Hampton Downs before he heads back to continue racing in the United States.

Other class leaders in the national series after the second round of four are Christchurch’s James Hoogenboezem (Supersport 600 class); Tauranga’s Regan Phibbs (Supersport 300); Hamilton’s Jordan Burley (650 Pro Twins); Christchurch’s Nick Cain (250 Production); Huia’s Nathanael Diprose (Superlites); Rodney’s Blayes Heaven (125GP); Pukekohe’s Thomas Newton (GIXXER Cup), and Auckland’s Peter Goodwin and Kendall Dunlop (Sidecars).

The weekend at Hampton Downs will not only be stellar in terms of the New Zealand Superbike Championships, but will also be out of this world in terms of entertainment and excitement, with the superbike championships just one part of a jam-packed inaugural Mike Pero MotoFest.

Hampton Downs will host a wide assortment of motorcycling activities over the two days and, with international superstars such as American Randy Mamola, Englishman Steve Parrish, Australian Robbie Phillis and New Zealander Aaron Slight, Graeme Crosby, Hugh Anderson and Andrew Stroud, among others, in attendance, there will be plenty to enthral the crowds.

Hampton Downs Motorsport Park’s commercial manager, Mike Marsden, said the event will have a “festival feel, with high profile racing on two circuits and track time for amateur riders”.

He said the Franklin Farm freestyle motocross team will thrill the crowd with aerial action on the main Skid Pan, while the Kawasaki Public Trail Ride, which will be run on adjacent farmland, gives families and enthusiasts the chance to go for a ride and then stay around to enjoy all other aspects of the events – including the Motul Stadium Moto Trial event, the Star Insurance Bike Show and the Alpinestars Legends Dinner, being staged on the Saturday night of the event.

The fourth and final round of the superbike nationals is set for Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park in Taupo on March 17-18.

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

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