KIWI RIDER 04 2019 VOL.2 | Page 86

BY ANDY MCGECHAN RANGIORA’S AVALON BIDDLE (KAWASAKI ZX-6R), COMFORTABLE WINNER OF THE SUPERSPORT 600 CLASS IN THIS SEASON’S NZ SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIPS AVALON BIDDLE CREATES NZ HISTORY WITH TITLE WIN Canterbury’s Avalon Biddle created history when she wrapped up the New Zealand Supersport 600 title in Taupo on Sunday April 7, the first female to win this coveted Kiwi motorcycling crown. The 26-year-old racer from Rangiora has previously won major trophies in New Zealand and abroad too, but this perhaps ranks as among her most cherished. It was a landmark win when she snatched victory in the New Zealand TT Championship Trophy race at the third round of five in this season’s New Zealand Superbike Champs at Hampton Downs last month and her momentum continued with her claiming the national Supersport 600 title at the final round of the series at Taupo’s Bruce Mclaren Motorsport Park on Saturday and Sunday. Biddle (MTF Finance Kawasaki ZX-6R) had started the weekend at Taupo a 86 KIWI RIDER commanding 29 points ahead of her main rival for the title, Manukau’s Toby Summers (Carl Cox Motorsport Kawasaki ZX-6R) – the dynamic duo totally dominant in the class – and there was a heart-stopping moment for Biddle when she crashed out of the first of her three Supersport 600 races on Saturday afternoon. Fortunately for her – and unfortunately for Summers – he also crashed in an unrelated incident in the same corner. With neither of them scoring points in that outing it meant the margin between them remained intact and so Sunday’s two 600cc races would decide the outcome. Further misfortune for Summers occurred in race two with another non-finish – that race being red-flagged twice and eventually declared a non-scoring race – and so Biddle was crowned champion with a race to spare.