It was a season with a “remarkable number of firsts”, the organisers said, including Kiwi motorcycling power couple Jake and Avalon Lewis becoming the first husband and wife team to win individual championshiptitles on the same day.
Jake, on a Yamaha, won the Supersport 600 class and Avalon, also on a Yamaha, won the ProTwins category.
Jake also became only the second rider to have a perfect season record, winning all 12 races in the four-round NZ Superbike series. The first to achieve the feat was Aprilia rider Luke Ryder, who won the SuperTwins class.
“Very happy to wrap up the championship... We qualified fastest being the first ever 600 to do a 1.28min lap at Taupo Motorsport Park,” Jake said on social media.
Ryder dominated the category from the opening round at the Burt Munro Challenge in Invercargill in February.
Meanwhile, Avalon came close to matching her husband’s stats, finishing with an 11 out of 12 win record and rounding out her season with a pole position, three wins and a lap record.
“Pole, three wins and a new lap record by over a second 1.35.9 here in Taupo for the NZSBK finale — can’t complain about that,” Avalon said on social media.
She and ProTwins runner-up Billee Fuller are now preparing for the Women’s World Championship in Europe.
“It’s been an awesome season here in New Zealand and great track time but I’m under no illusion how tough the challenge ahead for the rest of the year will be as the circuits are way different in Europe.
“We’ve had so much fun this season and I hope our supporters enjoyed it as much as we did.”
Burt Wolland (kneeling left) and Vaughan Maine and crew celebrate their NZ Sidecar title.
In the sidecar class, Burt Wolland and Vaughan Maine became the first rookie crew to win a New Zealand Championship. Maine took up the passenger role during the first round, having initially entered the series as a solo rider.
Another to finish the season with lap records and 11 wins was Honda rider Mitch Rees, who claimed his third Superbike title. Rees is due to announce details of the next stage in his career, which could point to racing overseas.
There were also three other new champions crowned last weekend.
Young rider Tyler King, 19, was named the inaugural winner of the Cormac Buchanan Trophy for outstanding performances by a young rider.
King won the Superlites category and contested the 300 Supersport class, standing on the championship podium 20 times during the series.
Winners of the 150 and 300 Supersport Championship remain subject to official confirmation, however, Nixon Frost (Yamaha) and Cameron Leslie (KTM) have been named provisional winners respectively.
