ROUND ONE Actually , the series did get off to an inauspicious start … and probably the less said about that the better … suffice it to say that round one at the Taupo International Motorsport Park on December 3-4 never actually got going and it was abandoned before the first race , all due to track surface problems . Crumbling tarmac aside , it had been a mostly joyous occasion , despite the circumstances and no-racing outcome , with the motorcycling community just happy to be back and mixing and mingling once again after two years of inaction brought about by pandemic restrictions . Even more importantly for the race-hungry 2022-23 season campaigners , the competition would this time be rolling two major series into one . The first two rounds of the 2022 Suzuki

International Series were also this season being recognised for the first time as the opening two rounds of a new , revamped and revitalised , three-phase , six-round New Zealand Superbike Nationals .

ROUND TWO So , disappointed , but undeterred , after the shock of the series ’ first of two planned visits to Taupo being cancelled , all parties packed up and moved on to try it all again at round two – Manfeild Circuit Chris Amon in Feilding – the following weekend , on December 10-11 . This time , thankfully , it all went off without a hitch . The racing at Manfeild was fierce and of the highest calibre , with several individuals outstanding , particularly runaway Formula One / Superbike class winner Mitch Rees ( Whakatane , Honda ); F2 / Supersport 600 class winner Ashton Hughes ( Bulls , Triumph ) and unlucky runnerup rider Rogan Chandler ( Upper Hutt , Suzuki , who won two of the three races but suffered mechanical gremlins in the other ); unbeaten F3 / Pro Twins class rider Karl Hooper ( Taupo , Honda ); Supersport 300 triple race winner

Alastair Hoogenboezem , Mitch Rees and Dave Sharp celebrate in the usual fashion .

KIWI RIDER 59