by Andy McGechan
The three-round competition kicks off in Taupo this weekend December 7-8), heads to Manfeild, in the Manawatu, the following weekend and concludes, as it always does, with the frenetic ‘street fight’ around Whanganui’s world-famous Cemetery Circuit on Boxing Day.
It’s not fair to single out any one category as any more exciting than the others, with every twist and turn in all the various bike classes delivering so much, and surely every one of the many talented riders will end up having a story worth telling.
To cut a long story short, Whakatane’s Mitch Rees made it back-to-back series wins in the premier Formula One/Superbikes class last season, as well as repeating his Robert Holden Memorial feature race win at Whanganui, and he’s obviously one of the favourites to win this time around as well, although he’ll have to contend with some fierce opposition in the shape of a pair of Isle of Man TT champions from England, Peter Hickman and Davey Todd.
Todd is one individual who will be twice as busy as most riders as he also lines up to race in the Supermoto class (for highly-modified dirt bikes).
Some of the closest battles witnessed last year were in the Supermoto class, where Todd and Whanganui’s Richie Dibben found themselves in the fight of their lives (the two of them pictured here locking horns at Manfeild).
These two international riders were never more than a bike length apart throughout the Supermoto class racing and, if it weren’t for Todd slipping off his bike at round two at Manfeild, costing him vital points, then this class would surely have gone down to the last corner on the final lap of the closing race.
As it was, the pair traded wins at Whanganui, separated only by the additional point Dibben earned for qualifying fastest, so it really could have been an outcome decided by a solitary point.
Whanganui’s Roger Bland, rounded out the podium in the Supermoto class, making it a Suzuki 1-2-3, with him also riding a Dibben-built and DS Moto-prepared Suzuki RM-Z450.
Dibben won the inaugural national Supermoto crown in 2022 and was naturally delighted to hold onto that title last year, although Todd might have a few things to say about that as he fights to his friend and rival Dibben once more.
Dibben will be a dual class “ironman” too, as he is entered also in the inaugural Adventure Bikes class, set there to race a Suzuki V Strom machine, and he will be up against former national superbike champions Russell Josiah, from Taumarunui, and Lower Hutt’s Sloan Frost.
Class winners in the 2023 Suzuki International Series:
Whakatane’s Mitch Rees (F1/Superbike class & Robert Holden Memorial feature race winner & TT title winner); Invercargill’s Cormac Buchanan (F2/Supersport 600 class); Wainuiomata’s Shane Richardson (F2/Supersport 600 class TT title winner); Taupo’s Karl Hooper (F3/Pro Twins); Morrinsville’s Nick Kampenhout (F3/Pro Twins TT title winner); Feilding’s John Oliver (Formula Sport, Senior); Whanganui’s Jeff Croot (Formula Sport, Junior); Hamilton’s Jesse Stroud (Supersport 300); Hamilton’s Joseph Stroud (GIXXER 150); Upper Hutt’s Keiran Mair (Supersport 150); Taupo’s Karl Hooper (Post Classics, Pre-89, Senior); Lower Hutt’s Dean Bentley (Post Classics, Pre-89, Junior); Invercargill’s Jon Rawcliffe (Post Classics, Pre-95, Senior); Christchurch’s Jordan Leslie (Post Classics, Pre-95, Junior); Whanganui’s Richie Dibben (Supermoto & TT title winner); Panmure’s Adam Unsworth and Whanganui’s Bryce Rose (F1 Sidecars); Whanganui’s Peter and Lucy Dowman (F2 Sidecars); Carterton’s Mark Smith and Isaac Taylor (Classic Sidecars, races run at Whanganui only).
CAPTION: Whanganui’s Richie Dibben (right, Suzuki RM-Z450), challenged here by visiting international rider Davey Todd (Suzuki RM-Z450) last year and sure to put on another scintillating display this weekend. Photo by Andy McGechan
© Words and photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ