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Multi New Zealand Superbike champion Andrew Stroud has his work cut out if he's to halt Aussie defending champion Robbie Bugden's march towards another Kiwi title.
After three rounds of the Superbike title chase, Bugden leads Stroud by 15 points with another Aussie, Gareth Jones, breathing down his
neck just five points back.
Heading to Manfeild this weekend for the penultimate round of the series, Stroud knows he has to pounce now if he's to stay in touch.
"I've found it easy to pick up the pace over the last lap during the series so far," said Stroud. "I've been caught out a couple of times by not being quite close enough to pounce when the white flag has come out."
In the last few races Stroud has only just lost so he knows he's got the pace to beat Bugden and Jones. While it's okay to catch and stay with the opposition, passing him is another matter.
"Instead of leaving it to the last lap I might have to make my move a bit earlier. I've got to plan it a bit better and give myself three or four laps to try and get past rather than the last one."
Stroud has no qualms about renewing the championship battle at Manfeild, which has been a happy hunting ground for him in the past.
Stroud is the current lap record holder and knows with 25 points up for grabs in both races, he's in with a better than even chance of closing the points gap on Bugden.
"It's not going to be easy, and when last there I was almost a second slower than my record," said Stroud.
"It doesn't come easy, and I know the pace is going to be stepped up again. You always forget how fast you had to go last time and how hard you had to push it. But I feel ready for it."
Stroud's bike is a match for Bugden and Jones', so he doesn't have to worry about any sort of power disadvantage.
He's more than happy with the bike's setup and suspension, having spent a fair amount of time with his engineers and mechanics.
To gain the lead in the championship, Stroud has to work on his race craft, which should not be too much of a problem for the former champion.
"I know we've got the pace to do it, so it's up to me to be in the right place when we cross the finish line. You can't give these guys an inch at the moment," stated Stroud.
Jones may only be third in the Superbike class but he's all but wrapped up the 600cc production class with six wins from six starts. He's 30 points ahead of Jimmy Smith and could wrap the title up at Manfeild before the final round at Pukekohe, March 8.
"I may have won all the races so far," said Jones. "But the races have been close so I can't afford to relax."
Another who could clinch a title is Formula Three racer Glen Williams who has a commanding 72-point lead over Terry Fitzgerald.
Sam Love and Geoff Booth will continue their battle in the Pro Twins while Tim McArthur will want to extend his lead in the 125GP class. Brothers Chris and Richard Lawrance are working well together in the sidecars and have a 40-point buffer over Stephen Bron and Dennis Simonsen.
Racing starts this afternoon and 10.35am tomorrow.