Whakatane’s Mitch Rees cracked the ‘triple’ once again this season after an emphatic performance on Boxing Day. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com
The Boxing Day annual Cemetery Circuit in Whanganui saw Whakatāne’s Mitch Rees crack the “triple” in what was an enthralling day of action.
Old records were tumbled and new ones were created in the 74th edition of the iconic motorcycle street race.
The event was the third and final round of the 2025 Suzuki International Series.
The riders were forced to make critical tyre choices, further adding to the gamble of high-speed racing.
Rees added three more vital pieces of silverware after winning the premier Formula One/Superbike class overall for the series, the New Zealand F1 TT title for winning race two in Whanganui and snatching the coveted Robert Holden Memorial feature race trophy.
The 33-year-old qualified his 1000cc superbike fastest and then won both F1 races at Whanganui before putting icing on the cake by winning the Robert Holden Memorial (RHM) feature race.
Rees previously won the Formula One class overall in the Suzuki International Series in 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024 (the series was not run in 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic).
It was also the fourth time in a row that he has won the Robert Holden Memorial feature race.
His late brother, Damon Rees, won it in 2020.
“My goal this year was to make history, to do something that’s never been done before, and I achieved that,” Rees said.
“To get my name on the Robert Holden Memorial trophy four years in a row was absolutely mega.
“It has been something of a development year for me as we try out different things with the bike and I’ll be ready to face up to some big-name international riders expected to come over for this series next season.”
Porirua’s Rhys Lindsay and Taupiri youngster Jesse Stroud completed the Robert Holden Memorial podium.
Stroud’s father, Andrew Stroud, was the original winner of the F1 class at the inaugural Suzuki International Series in 2008 (and the three years that followed) and Andrew Stroud also won the RHM at Whanganui on two memorable occasions (in 2006 and 2009).
A solid performance by Cameron Leslie gave him the Formula Two (600cc) title this year, the Auckland man finished the series ahead of Bulls rider Ashton Hughes and Waikato’s Jesse Stroud, while Silverdale’s Tyler King was the dominant force in both the Formula Three and Supersport 300 classes.
One of the most talked-about performances this year would possibly be that of Canterbury’s Harriet Grace.
The 24-year-old, a parts and accessories manager at a bike shop in Christchurch, celebrated the first podium visit of her racing career when she finished runner-up in a Supersport 300 class race at Manfeild two weeks ago.
However, Grace magnificently went one better at Whanganui on Boxing Day when she won the day outright for her class, at the same time becoming the first female ever to win a solo bike class overall at Whanganui.
Many Whanganui riders were at the forefront of other classes, particularly in the sidecars classes.
Tokomaru’s Barry Smith, with Whanganui’s Louise Blythe as co-pilot, won the F1 sidecars class, while it was a Whanganui sweep of the podium in the F2 sidecars category with Tracey Bryan and Jo Franzen leading the “Dowman family affair” of sibling teammates James and Michael Dowman and then father-and-daughter crew of Peter and Lucy Dowman to the top step.
Whanganui’s Richie Dibben qualified his lightly-modified Suzuki RM-Z450 motocross bike fastest in the supermoto class at each of the rounds this year and then set about winning every race at every round, making him a rarity as the only individual unbeaten among the more than 200 competitors this season.
The all-female Bryan and Franzen team were unbeaten in the F2 sidecars class this year.
Class winners in the 2025 Suzuki International Series, which wrapped up in Whanganui on Boxing Day, are:
Whakatāne’s Mitch Rees (formula one); Auckland’s Cameron Leslie (formula two/supersport 600); Silverdale’s Tyler King (formula three); Silverdale’s Tyler King (supersport 300); Paraparaumu’s Richard Markham-Barrett (formula sport, senior, over-600cc); Whanganui’s Jeff Croot (formula sport, junior, up to 600cc); Auckland’s Paul Pavletich (Pre 89 post classics, senior, over-600cc); Auckland’s Scott Findlay and Hāwera’s Martin Gray (Pre 89, post classics junior, under-600cc) first equal; Upper Hutt’s Keiran Mair (Pre 95, post classics senior, over-600cc); Te Awanga’s Eddie Kattenberg (Pre 95, post classics junior, under-600cc); Tokomaru’s Barry Smith/Whanganui’s Louise Blythe (F1 sidecars); Whanganui’s Tracey Bryan & Jo Franzen (F2 sidecars); Whanganui’s Richie Dibben (supermoto); Masterton’s Jadin Galway (pre 72 classic solos, Cemetery Circuit only); Carterton’s Mark Smith & Graham Wilkinson (pre 82 classic sidecars, Cemetery Circuit only).
Robert Holden Memorial feature race top five:
1. Mitch Rees, 2. Rhys Lindsay, 3. Jesse Stroud, 4. Levin’s Tahana Parker, 5. Upper Hutt’s Sasha Drain.
This article is provided courtesy of Andy McGechan and BikesportNZ.com