KIWI RIDER 05 2020 VOL1 | Page 27

WE ARE MINDFUL OF THE ENVIRONMENT WE ARE CURRENTLY IN, WE WANTED TO PROVIDE SOME CLARITY FOR YOU ALL, AND WITH THE UNKNOWN IMPACT OF COVID-19 TO OUR SPORT WE BELIEVE THIS IS THE BEST DECISION take the title,” said Dibben, “Regardless of how the season was going to pan out, I had already decided that I will be in the (1000cc) superbike class for next season’s nationals. “It should be a good challenge. I have never even ridden a superbike before,” Dibben laughed. So is it optimistic and ambitious to jump up to a 1000cc Suzuki? “Yes, but it’s the same as for me racing the GSX-R600 this year. I never really knew whether I would feel comfortable with it to start with. It will just be a time thing to get used to another bike and try to go fast,” said the amiable father-of-two. Meanwhile, the champion in the Superbike class is Canterbury’s Alastair Hoogenboezem – the Christchurch Yamaha rider a meagre three points ahead of Taupo’s Scott Moir (Suzuki) after three rounds – while Whakatane’s Damon Rees (Honda) was third overall. Rees won the first two rounds of the series before heading overseas to race at the end of January, while Moir won the superbike class at round three, at Hampton Downs on March 7-8. All of the nine race wins were shared exclusively between this talented trio – Rees won five of the six races he contested before he left the country, while Hoogenboezem and Moir won two races apiece. However, this class result is deemed provisional, with technical checks still to be conducted on a number of motorcycles. “Please appreciate that this decision has not been made lightly,” Motorcycling New Zealand KIWI RIDER 27