Motorsport: Stroud out to regain crown

Andrew Stroud is confident 2010 will be his winning season. Photo / Andy McGechan

Super Pole is coming and Andrew Stroud is determined to cash in.

Hamilton's Stroud kicks off his Tri Series road-race title defence at round one of this year's edition at Manfeild this weekend before heading to Wanganui for the traditional Cemetery Circuit race meeting on Boxing Day.

The popular Wanganui race is a stand-alone event that also doubles as round two of the Tri Series, while that competition wraps up at the Taupo race track just two days later, on December 28.

It's seen as an ideal warm-up to the Castrol Power 1 New Zealand Superbike Championships, that five-round series set to kick off at Christchurch's Ruapuna Raceway on January 16-17.

National No2 Stroud won all three rounds of the Tri Series last season and is determined to repeat the dose this time around, although there are a few changes to the format and even more in store for next year.

"We have created what we call Super Pole for the Wanganui race," said Tri Series event manager Leighton Minnell. "It's a bit like what they have for the V8 cars at Bathurst. The riders will get a warm-up lap and then a sprint lap and the quickest rider wins a $1000 payout plus takes pole position for the main race.

"We have record entries for Wanganui this year - more than 260 riders already."

None of this worries Stroud who is focused on building towards his much-anticipated showdown with defending national champion Robbie Bugden in Christchurch next month.

"I may be 41 - and I turn 42 on New Year's Eve - but I'm as fast now as at any time in my career," said Stroud. "I just have the feeling that 2010 will be my season to win again."

And that's no hollow threat. Stroud has been in stunning form racing under the lap record at Manfeild as he tackled two rounds of the popular Victoria Motorcycle Club's Winter Series at the Manawatu race circuit.

"I'm going fractionally faster than last year, even faster at Manfeild that I was when I beat Robbie (Bugden) there last season ... and I'm not even trying that hard yet," he said. "The new bike is just so good." It is certainly going to be a busy couple of weeks for Stroud.

The Waikato ace will also line up his Suzuki in the Bikers Against Drunk Drivers (B.A.D.D.) three-hour endurance race at the Taupo track on the intervening Sunday, December 27.

For that event he will team up with fellow Hamilton rider Sloan Frost and 53-year-old five-time former Australian superbike champion Robbie Phillis.