Cemetery Circuit: Records broken at Whanganui street races thanks to perfect conditions

Bay of Plenty’s Mitch Rees (Motul Honda CBR1000RR-R) set a new lap record at the 2023 Cemetery Circuit. Photo / Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com

Perfect conditions for racing in Whanganui helped break records and crown champions at the 2023 Cemetery Circuit motorcycle races.

Whanganui streets are turned into a 1.5km race track for the annual Boxing Day event, and organiser Allan Willacy said the volunteer team walked away happy with how the day went.

Around 7000 spectators showed up for the day’s racing, with people coming from across New Zealand and abroad.

“We had spectators from Switzerland and Australia come and watch it,” Willacy said.

Willacy said the event generated $2 million for the economy over two days.

“For a one-day event - and it’s every year - it’s the biggest event for Whanganui in terms of people and money for the economy,” he said.

As well as spectators, 180 riders took part in the event, including local racers and an international contingent from England.

The weather stayed dry all day long, creating perfect conditions for racing.

“It was [so] good, we had lap records broken in a lot of the classes,” Willacy said.

Chief among these record-breakers was Whakatāne superbike racer Mitch Rees, who broke the lap record for the circuit atop his Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade.

Rees also won the Robert Holden Memorial feature race, which Willacy said was the highlight of the day.

As well as his feature win, Rees took out the Suzuki International Series, which the Cemetery Circuit is the final round of, and the New Zealand TT title.

Whanganui racers had a strong showing at the event, with Supermoto racer Richie Dibben taking out the Supermoto title for the Suzuki crown, and Jeff Croot doing the same for Formula Sport Junior.

Sidecar racing was also prime territory for Whanganui racers, as Bryce Rose took home the series crown in F1 Sidecars along his with partner, Pamure’s Adam Unsworth, while the local pair of Peter and Lucy Dowman won the series in F2 Sidecars.

Adam Unsworth and Bryce Rose (#1) won the Suzuki International Series for F1 Sidecars. Photo / Steve Carle

There were no major accidents during the day.

Willacy said since it was first run in 1951, the race has become an iconic fixture of Whanganui as a city and both the New Zealand and worldwide motorbike racing scene.

Plans are already under way for next year’s event, with the intention of bringing in another group of foreign riders to have a go at tackling the circuit.

“We’re already looking at bringing in some riders from Europe next year, we’re already in discussions [regarding] that,” Willacy said.

He said the event was community-driven and wouldn’t be able to be held if it weren’t for the efforts of volunteers and the support of the local businesses lining the track.

“A lot of volunteer work goes into an eight-hour window. It’s a massive undertaking to set up a racetrack,” he said.

Finn Williams is a multimedia journalist for the Whanganui Chronicle. He joined the Chronicle in early 2022 and regularly covers stories about business, events and emergencies. He also enjoys writing opinion columns on whatever interests him.