ROAD NEWS
MOTOFEST TO PAY TRIBUTE TO FALLEN KIWI HERO
MotoFest has been flying the flag for Kiwi motorcylists at Hampton Downs for multiple years now , but with the event closely tied to the NZSBK series , it wasn ’ t the most adventurous . That is , until now . Kicking into gea The upcoming Star Insure MotoFest will include a special tribute to fallen champion Damon Rees , the young rider from Whakatane who , sadly , passed away in the United Kingdom in June last year due to medical issues unrelated to motorcycling . The event , set for the weekend of March 2-3 , 2024 , will be the fifth edition of the popular motorcycling festival , which also doubles as the sixth and final round in this season ’ s New Zealand Superbike Championships ( NZSBK ). Incorporated into the NZSBK section of the weekend ’ s programme will be a memorial race for Damon Rees , the final race for the Supersport 600 class of the weekend / championship being dedicated to the late racer . His elder brother Mitch Rees is the defending national 1000 Superbike champion and currently leads the 2023-24 series after four of the six rounds and their father , Tony Rees , is running third overall in the same class .
Mitch Rees said he was pleased that this salute to his late brother could occur at Hampton Downs . “ Hampton Downs and the Motorcycling New Zealand road-racing commission wanted to do this memorial for Damo . The Supersport 600 championship is the class that he won back in 2017 ( before heading overseas to race ) and , significantly , he sealed it in the last race of the championship at Hampton Downs that year ,” said Mitch Rees . “ We wanted to pay homage to his winning that championship title and how he achieved that . So , the last race for the Supersport 600 class this year will be the Damon Rees Memorial . That will continue on in future years too at Hampton Downs . “ We were really close , as brothers growing up and as sibling rivals on the race track and it has left a big hole in my heart that he has now gone . “ He was a hero to a lot of people . We as a family obviously pay tribute to him , but it ’ s cool too that a lot of other people want to remember him and celebrate the joy and friendship he brought to the sport . We all want his memory to live on .”
KIWI RIDER 23