has a huge following , both domestically and internationally . The public street course at Whanganui is unique in world road-racing circles , affectionately regarded as the “ Isle of Man of the Southern Hemisphere ”, taking the speeding riders past headstones in the inner-city graveyard , not to mention the competitors zooming close to road-side curbs , across white-painted lines , over railway lines and near to traffic islands . It takes your breath away just to think about it , although serious safety measures were in place .
SUPERBIKE / FORMULA ONE The father-and-son Honda Team-mates of Tony and Mitch Rees were tough to separate on the purpose-built tarmac race tracks in Taupo and at Manfeild , respective hosts for rounds one and two of the Series . The dynamic duo from Whakatane then headed to the third and final round in Whanganui running first and second in the standings for the premier Formula One / Superbikes class The just-turned 32-year-old Mitch Rees was the defending champion in this series and his
57-year-old dad , Tony , also a multi-time former New Zealand champion , was able to join him on the podium at both round one and round two . In fact , it was the “ elder statesman ” who finished the weekend top step of the podium at Manfeild , ahead of another former national champion in Canterbury ’ s Alastair Hoogenboezem ( Yamaha ), with Mitch Rees forced to settle for an unaccustomed third overall after he crashed out of the second of three F1 races at the Manawatu circuit . But they headed to Whanganui ’ s grand street fight finale on Boxing Day with Mitch still on top of the F1 standings , albeit by just four points from his father , with impressive 2024 Isle of Man champion Davey Todd ( BMW ), from the United Kingdom , in third position overall . Each riding a brand-new Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade motorcycles , Tony Rees surprised when he qualified fastest at Whanganui , and then backed that up with a second and a third in the two points races that followed . Mitch Rees , meanwhile , perhaps a little chastened at being bested by his “ old man ” in qualifying , proceeded to stamp his authority by
It was a sensational start to the 2024-25 road-racing season for Whakatane father-and-son team Mitch Rees (# 92 ) and Tony Rees (# 11 ) as they finished the three-round Suzuki International Series ranked No . 1 and No . 2 respectively in the premier Formula One / Superbikes class ( pictured here with UK rider Davey Todd )
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