Just for the fun of it, we’d like to share a few more photos from last weekend’s Ride With Rees endurance race action at the Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park in Taupo.
It was a great way to kick off the New Zealand road-race season, an ideal opportunity for aspiring national champions to blow away the cobwebs before the real business of the New Zealand Superbike Championships get underway in the New Year.
For the record, Honda father-and-son team-mates Tony Rees and Mitch Rees won the over-600cc three-hour race and Ben Rosendaal (Yamaha) and Matt Dunlop (Suzuki) won the under-600cc two-hour race.
It was interesting to note that, in addition to the father-and-son Rees family appearances on the Taupo race track, there were two other father-and-son combinations at the weekend, with commentator Neil Ritchie sharing duties on the microphone with son Brad and Clerk of the Course Chris Costello sharing officialdom duties with his son, Liam.
After the weekend’s two-day extravaganza at Taupo, the Honda Track Days will continue with three separate events at Hampton Downs – on December 1, February 23 and April 27.
The road-race season proper is set to kick off at Taupo on December 9 with the first of three rounds for the annual Suzuki Series, followed by the five-round nationals that will start at Ruapuna, in Christchurch, on January 5-6.
© Words and photos by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ
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A real family affair, Tony Rees (left) with his two sons, Damon and Mitch, a force to be reckoned with when the nationals roll around. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com
Father and son commentating team Neil Ritchie (left) and Brad Ritchie at Taupo’s Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com
The under-600cc two-hour race winners at Taupo last weekend, Matt Dunlop (left) and Ben Rosendaal. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com
Mitch Rees leads Scotty Moir during the over-600cc three-hour race. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com