Mudge revved up for Taupo summer series scorcher

Racing never gets boring for Rotorua's Corey Mudge.

He is extra excited ahead of round three of the Pacific Motorcycle Club Summer Series in Taupo tomorrow, sitting third in the Pro Twin class - despite missing the first round - after two thirds and a fourth in the second round at Manfeild.

"This is why I do this sport - as soon as you're on that start line, you've got all this adrenaline in your system, you've got the sound of the bike revving, you don't care about anything else," he said.

Top national riders across all classes will contest tomorrow's races as part of their build-up to the national championships, on the same track on March 24/25. The Pro Twins run with the Superlites (F3) but Mudge said he can't realistically expect to compete with the top F3 riders, not yet anyway.

"They're not going to be there to fool around, they are going to be there to jump on the points," he said.

But he said racing against them spurred him to ride harder and faster. "You're always looking at the person in front of you, and whether they are F3 or Pro Twin, you want to catch them. It does make you ride a lot faster, puts you a bit more on edge," he said.

The races (and the nationals) will be on Taupo's track four, which is not usually used for motorcycling. Mudge has ridden it just once before.

Mudge, in his second season back after suffering serious injuries in a crash, said he simply loves racing.

"I just love the challenge," he said. "It's like anything, psyching out your opposition and finding out where they're strong and where you're strong and where you can get the better of them."

He said his aim for the summer series is a top three finish.

"Last year I missed it by a few points cause I crashed in the last race," he said.

The adrenaline junkie has his bike on Trade Me, as he plans to upgrade to a bigger bike in time for the winter series. "I want to go back to the 600cc inline-4. It's a lot faster, higher revs, a lot scarier."

Mudge believes he still needs at least this year in the club series. He hopes to step up to the national circuit in the next 12 months.