ROAD NEWS

( Christchurch) be the first round of the NZSBK Nationals, it is a GP weekend as well. Add to that a shed-full of legends, literally, and you have a weekend like no other. That shed of legends is likely to produce a shed-full of something else as the legends of our race heritage discuss who won what and who really was fastest. It is sure to be a sidesplitting debate as Stu Avant, Mike Sinclair, Paul McLachlan, Owen Galbraith, Mike Pero, John Boote, Paul Treacy, Aaron Slight will all be there, along with some iconic machines that tell the tale of Kiwis racing motorcycles. All of these amazing New Zealanders have stories to tell about their exploits, the riders they raced, with all the nitty-gritty details and once the stories start flowing, hang on to your hats... Bikes on display include a Britten, the ex Simon Crafar Yamaha YZR500 that he won the British GP on in 1998( ridden by none other than Aaron Slight) – thanks to Paul Treacy and a few other tasty morsels... Also in the spotlight is a very special Yamaha R6 race bike, dripping with go-fast goodness, being raffled as a fundraiser for our own MacAttack, Cormac Buchanan as he sets his sights on the 2026 Moto3 season. As well as all of that, which would be an

Top: Tech guru to the stars Mike Sinclair and multi world champion Wayne Rainey. Photo Henny Ray Abrams. Above: Three Legends( from left) John Woodley, Owen Galbraith and John Boote. Below: Can we recreate at Ruapuna this iconic image from the 1970s Mike Sinclair, Stu Avant and John Boote. Photos Brian Hopping.

awesome event in its own right, you get the best racers in the land doing battle in the national series. With classes that everyone can relate to from the smaller 300 Sueprsports right up to the fire-breathing Superbikes, it will be a full-on weekend of what we love, so mark the calendar, make the excuses and head to Ruapuna for the weekend of January 31 – February 1.

KIWI RIDER 17