The 2025 New Zealand Superbike Championships (NZSBK) kick off in the South Island this weekend and so will begin the intense battle to find the nation’s best motorcycle road racers.
Motorcycle road-racing in New Zealand is always edge-of-the-seat excitement and, for the much-anticipated 2025 season, it will perhaps be an adrenaline rush like never before with this opening round an integral component of the popular Burt Munro Challenge festival week that is, as always, centred in Invercargill.
After Teretonga Park Raceway this weekend, the NZSBK series then heads north for round two, just up the road at Levels International Motor Raceway, near Timaru, a week later (on Friday, February 14 and Saturday, February 15).
Some of the best-performed superbikes class riders last season, and others who should be worth watching out for this time around, include Whakatane’s Mitch Rees, his multi-time former champion father Tony Rees, 2020 season champion Alastair Hoogenboezem, Upper Hutt’s Rogan Chandler, Auckland’s Dave Sharp and Christchurch’s former national Supersport 600 champion Dale Finch, to name a few.
Invercargill’s Cormac Buchanan (the Supersport 600 & Supersport 300 champion last season) is currently racing overseas, but we should expect riders such as Whanganui’s Luca Durning, Christchurch’s Jake Lewis, Tirau’s Dillon Telford and Wanaka’s Seth Devereux and Auckland’s Tyler King, for example, to be among the frontrunners in the Supersport 600cc class.
Other riders worth watching out for this season might include Taupo’s Karl Hooper, Nelson’s Jonny Lewis, Pukekohe’s Haydn Fordyce, Lower Hutt’s Nixon Frost, Christchurch’s Hunter Charlett and his multi-time former champion father Dennis Charlett.
In the ProTwins class, it will be worth looking out for Brisbane-based Kiwi Avalon Lewis (née Biddle) and her young protege from Taupiri, Billee Fuller, as they sharpen up ahead of their respective campaigns later this year in the Women’s World Championships.
In the sidecars classes, expect fireworks from the likes of Palmerston North’s Barry Smith teamed with Stu Dawe and Whanganui’s Tracey Bryan with Auckland’s Kendal Dunlop.
Whatever class you’re a fan of, a packed programme of races awaits spectators at Teretonga this weekend and it’s sure to be furious action, with championship campaigns perhaps won or lost at this opening round.
DATES FOR 2025 NZ MOTORCYCLE ROAD-RACE SEASON:
Round 1, Feb 7-9, 2025, Teretonga (part of Burt Munro Challenge week);
Round 2, Feb 14-15 (Friday and Saturday), 2025, Levels International Motor Raceway, Timaru;
Round 3, March 8-9, 2025, Hampton Downs (MotoFest);
Round 4, March 15-16, 2025, Taupo (MotoMania).
© Words and photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ
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