KIWI RIDER 01 2019 VOL.2 | Page 110

MOIR SUPERBIKES here was a golden Suzuki streak running through proceedings at round two of the 2019 New Zealand Superbike Championships, near Timaru, on January 12-13. Suzuki stars Scotty Moir and Sloan Frost came on strong at this second round of five in the 2019 superbike nationals at the two-day event at Timaru’s Levels International Raceway, claiming the top two spots and dominating the weekend in the glamour 1000cc superbike class. Racing virtually identical Suzuki GSX-R1000 bikes, Taupo’s Moir and Wellington’s Frost finished respectively first and second in each of the three superbike races at Timaru. Whakatane’s Damon Rees (Honda CBR1000SP) had dominated the 1000cc superbike class at the opening round of the series at Ruapuna, on the outskirts of Christchurch, at round one a week earlier, but at Timaru it was Moir all the way. It was enough for Moir to rise up from fifth in the standings to snatch the top spot. Rees crashed out of the first of three superbike races at Timaru on the Saturday and, after repairing his bike, he did return to the race track on Sunday, but managed only two fourth-place finishes. The riders now have seven weeks to re- group before for the three North Island rounds that will follow, starting with Hampton Downs, near Huntly, on March 2-3. Christchurch’s Alastair Hoogenboezem (Yamaha R1) remains second in the superbike class standings, 17 points behind Moir, with defending national superbike champion Frost improving at Timaru from eighth in the table after round one to now settle in at third in the rankings.