2019 GIXXER CUP ANOTHER RESOUNDING SUCCESS
N
ow celebrating its third season, the
GIXXER Cup series has well and truly
established itself as the premier
competition for road-racing novices.
First created by Suzuki New Zealand in
December 2017 with the aim of providing
a starting place and a pathway towards
“growing future champions”, the GIXXER
Cup class was slotted into the Suzuki
International Series programme and
it proved to be a runaway success.
Many of the young riders who had their
first taste of motorcycle road-racing with
the inaugural GIXXER Cup contest in 2017
are now out on the track and racing in some
of the bigger bike classes – Formula Two
and Formula Three, for example – and it
probably won’t be long before the momentum
takes a few of them on through to the
elite superbike ranks in years to come.
The three-round 2019 Suzuki International
Series wrapped up on the public streets
of Whanganui, the traditional Cemetery
Circuit event on Boxing Day and, while some
of the GIXXER Cup riders were deemed
too young to compete on a street circuit,
there were still an astounding 19 riders who
did line up to race their Suzuki GSX150F
bikes at this post-Christmas event.
Already incredibly popular, the GIXXER Cup
this season enjoyed even greater attention from
riders and fans alike, thanks to the easing of
the age restriction and from the competition
welcoming some of New Zealand’s greatest
current and former champions – including
Suzuki’s record nine-time former national
superbike champion Andrew Stroud – to also
line up and race on the nimble GSX150F bikes.
But, surprisingly, it was some of the
youngest exponents who shone the most.
Hamilton’s Jesse Stroud, the 17-year-old son
of Andrew Stroud, was once again the leading
rider in the GIXXER Cup, eventually claiming
the series win again this year, ending the
competition a solid 29 points clear of his
nearest threat, Whanganui’s Caleb Gilmore,
KIWI RIDER 33