“This year’s entry list is building to be the
largest we’ve had in the 10 years since
the inaugural Suzuki Series (in 2008). The
popularity is global, particularly for the
emetery ircuit final round on o ing ay,
said Willacy.
“It has been truly incredible. We have all the
usual suspects entered in the Formula One
(superbike) class and we welcome the return
this year also of likeable Liechtenstein rider
Horst aiger.
Saiger was absent for family reasons last
year, but he did win the Suzuki Series’
F1 class in 2014 and he will this year be
bringing his own Yamaha bikes with him.
However, Saiger, along with all the other
premier F1 class riders, may have their work
cut out this time around with Suzuki Series
debutant Peter Hickman, arriving from the
United Kingdom.
Internationally-renowned Hickman won
at the Isle of Man earlier this year, setting
a new lap record on the fabled “Mountain
ourse , and also celebrated wins in
at
the North West 200 in Northern Ireland and
at the lster rand ri .
Hickman will race at all three rounds of the
u uki eries and will be racing his
motorcycle under the arl o
otors orts
banner.
Other international stars set to make the
tri
ownunder include ritish and world
sidecar championship contender John
Holden, who will again have Tauranga’s
obbie horter as his wingman . Holden
and Shorter won the sidecar class in the
2016 edition of the Suzuki Series.
ritish duo ary ryan and hil Hyde
also add international sparkle to the
sidecars class in what will be their first iwi
a earance, while an racing regular igel
Rea, also from the UK, will make his Kiwi
debut as well, and offer undeniable class to
the 600cc class.
ormer utch sidecar cham ion ees
Endeveld and Australian’s Phil Underwood
and Stephen Ford will also be hoping to put
their respective nations on the map here
this summer.
Current New Zealand Superbike Champion
Sloan Frost, from Wellington, should also
be greatly respected and he is certainly a
contender.
Frost won the Suzuki Series in 2015, ahead
of Whakatane’s Tony Rees, with Saiger, the
early leader in the series that year, slipping
down to eventually settle for third overall.
he year before that, in ecember
, it
was a classic down-to-the-wire battle in the
Suzuki Series between Saiger and Taupo
hero Scotty Moir. In the end, Saiger won the
series by just three points from the hard-
charging Kiwi.
u uki rider oir broke through to finally
claim the Suzuki Series F1 crown last year,
but this year it’s again anybody’s guess as
to who will dominate the series or, perhaps
even more importantly, who will win the
o ing ay finale and its signature obert
Holden feature race.
The Suzuki Series F1 winner in 2016,
Whakatane’s Tony Rees, will have his two
e ually-talented sons, itch and amon,
riding shotgun with him this season and
these three Honda men will almost certainly
also rate among the series frontrunners.
Another top Kiwi, Wainuiomata man Shane
Richardson, won the Formula Two (600cc)
class last year and he will return from a
successful racing stint in the United States to
compete here again in 2018.
In addition to the F1, F2 and sidecars
classes, the Suzuki Series programme also
caters for F3 sport bikes, super moto bikes,
GIXXER Cup bikes, pre-89 post classics, pre-
sidecars and ears non- a anese bikes .
“The series’ growing popularity has created
a bit of a headache for me again this year in
terms of over owing entries. ut su ose
it s a nice roblem to have, said illacy.
Willacy said members of the public could
save money by purchasing ‘early bird tickets’
through Ticketek on-line and then they’ll also
go in the draw to win a Suzuki GIXXER150
bike.
As well as being a passionate supporter of
motorcycle racing, international
arl o
will also host a concert at the end of the
day s racing at hanganui on o ing ay.