Suzuki trio storms to
six-hour victory
I
by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com
f this year’s Motul Six-Hour motorcycle
endurance race at Hampton Downs could
be considered a litmus test for the coming
road-racing season, then it’s going to be a
scorching summer. A total of 30 three-riders
teams signed up to race at this season’s third
annual edition of the popular endurance event on
Sunday, November 12, and, when the chequered
flag waved at about 4.30pm, the Suzuki New
Zealand trio of Daniel Mettam, Sloan Frost and
Scotty Moir were way out in front, and the only
combination to complete 314 laps in the six hours.
It was a comprehensive start-to-finish victory
after the team had first topped the qualifying
table and then shot away quickest from the
Le Mans (run-to-the-bikes) start just before
10.30am. The lead increased slightly each hour
as first Mettam, then Frost and then Moir each
took turns on their new Suzuki GSX-R1000 bikes,
with the eventual two-lap winning margin equal
to an advantage of more than two minutes.
The runner-up trio this year was the M1
Motorsport team comprising Manukau’s Toby
Summers (Kawasaki ZX10R), Orewa’s Avalon
Biddle (Kawasaki ZX6R) and Christchurch’s Alastair
Hoogenboezem (BMW S1000RR), crossing the
The winning Team
Suzuki riders (from left)
Daniel Mettam, Sloan
Frost and Scotty Moir
finish line two laps behind, while the Honda DNA
team of Whakatane’s Tony Rees, his son Mitch
Rees and Invercargill’s Jeremy Holmes (each
of them on Honda CBR1000RR bikes) claimed
third overall, another six laps further back.
Riders race to their
bikes lined up at
Hampton Downs