Motorsport: Challengers hot on Stroud's heels

Andrew Stroud. Photo / Andy McGechan.

Multiple championship winning motorcycle racer Andrew Stroud will be pulling on his leathers this weekend preparing to defend his International Tri-Series title.

The three-round series bounces into action at Hampton Downs south of Auckland where there'll be plenty of action, especially with Aussie Robbie Bugden out for revenge.

Bugden, the three-time New Zealand Superbike champion who won in 2007, 2008 and 2009, will want to let Stroud know he wants his superbike crown back after Stroud took it from him this year, and this pre-Christmas mini series could just be the place to put his markers out.

Suzuki pilot Stroud wants to keep his title and the next three weekends will see if he's in good shape for the main series starting early next year. After Hampton Downs, the riders move to Manfeild with the finale around the streets of Wanganui just after Christmas.

"The Tri-Series is going to be tougher than it's been the last couple of years," said Stroud.

"It's not just Robbie who's coming over, Craig Sherrifs is also going faster and he was only a couple of tenths of a second off my lap record from the National round.

"The Canadian Andrew Nelson, who finished second in his superbike championships, is also racing and Daniel Stauffer will be hard to beat as he's finished in front of me a couple of times in the past."

For fans of superbike racing, the opening round of the Tri-Series at Hampton Downs this weekend will be a great teaser for the Castrol Power 1 Superbike championships set to kick off at Levels Raceway, near Timaru, January 29-30.

These three races on back-to-back weekends are proving to be increasingly popular with both Kiwi and overseas riders, the fields getting bigger each year.

"There's a feeling the fields for the Tri-Series are getting better and bigger than the main NZ superbike series. The reason I think it's so strong is that it's three weekends in a row and it's the off-season for everyone else in the world," said Stroud.

"It's attractive for riders from Australia and even Canada and America, having all the dates tight together.

"It definitely takes two or three race meetings to get fully up to speed and these races are just what I need before the superbike series next year.

"It was a real advantage for me racing the Tri-Series last year because I hit the ground running straight away when the nationals started but it looks like everyone's got the same idea this year."

A fly in the ointment for Stroud, and the other more established big-bike riders, may well be fellow Hamiltonian and 2010 NZ 600 Sports Production champion Nick Cole.

He moves up to the big-bore class on a Kawasaki and has been setting competitive lap times around Hampton Downs.

Hayden Fitzgerald is Honda's representative, while another Honda rider to keep an eye on is Ryan Hampton who starred at the Burt Munro Festival.

Stroud was the victor when he and Bugden last went head-to-head at Hampton Downs, but Bugden will arrive in New Zealand confident he can turn the tables on Stroud after a solid year in the Aussie superbike series.

Racing in all three rounds may prove a challenge as Stroud's wife Karen is expecting their eighth child, due on December 18.

The 2009 Tri-Series Supermoto champion, Davide 'Speedy' Gozzini, will be flying even faster having just finished runner up in the World S1 Supermoto championship a few weeks ago.

Gozzini went into the final round in Spain tied for the lead, but missed out on the world championship by just two points, to teammate Thomas Chareyre.

Tri-Series

Round 1: Hampton Downs, today

Round 2: Manfeild, December 18

Round 3: Wanganui Cemetery Circuit, December 26