victory at the Suzuki Summer Nationals at Pleasure Valley Raceway in Armagh, Pennsylvania at the weekend. Wimmer not only captured one-one moto finishes to take the overall victory, the defending AMA ATV Motocross Champion also moved into the championship points lead with this result. This victory marks Wimmer's fifth win of the season, which is even more impressive considering he was injured mid-season and had to miss a round. Adding to the excitement of the weekend, Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Doug Gust followed his team mate home in an impressive second place. Gust carded third- and second-place moto finishes to take second-place overall and is Gust's fourth visit to the podium this year. Dustin Wimmer: "It feels good to take the win and be back in the points lead. I just need to put in three more solid motos to have the championship wrapped up. There was definitely some good racing going on this weekend. I think this round was the most exciting so far. There was a lot of back-and-forth, so I had to stay focused and fast on my Rockstar Makita Suzuki QuadRacer R450. I'm going to do some extra training for the next round at Red Bud because it can get really rough and I want to be ready for it."

AMA Superbike Top 10 Finishers:

Relentless Suzuki's Alastair Seeley's remarkable run of race wins continued today at Knockhill in the British National 1000cc Superstock class on his 2009 GSX-R1000 as he took seven wins from seven starts.

The Carrickfergus rider picked himself up after a high-speed qualifying crash on Saturday to increase his championship lead to 48 points.

In the British Superbike races, Ian Lowry had a day of mixed fortunes, taking sixth place in race one after a race-long battle with Simon Andrews and James Ellison, but a technical problem forced the 22-year-old to retire in race two after completing only 7 laps. Atsu Watanabe improved on his 2008 results at Knockhill taking 14th and 15th in the two BSB races.

"We are running out of superlatives for Alastair Seeley. He showed a lot of character this weekend after that big crash on Saturday. He carried a slight injury into the races but didn't complain or make any excuses, which is a rare trait these days with riders. There's been a lot of talk about putting Alastair on a Superbike but we aren't getting carried away. He has a job to do in the Superstock class and at the minute it's going to plan on the 2009 GSX-R1000.

"Ian had another confident display on the Superbike, again after a big accident in qualifying when another bike took him out. The boys spent all night rebuilding the bike for Ian, so it was good to see him rewarding the team with his fighting spirit. He's now confident enough to start experimenting with different types of set-up, and that's what we aim to test in the coming weeks.

"Atsu is continuing to build his confidence on the British tracks and bettered his times at Knockhill. BJ Toal was a bit unfortunate having to ride this weekend with a shoulder injury."

JULY 6, 2009: It's now three in a row for Taumarunui ATV ace Quentin Palmer.

The Suzuki all terrain vehicle (ATV) racer was unstoppable at the New Zealand TT Championships near Kuratau, on the south-western tip of Lake Taupo, at the weekend, storming to an unbeaten string of five wins over the two days.

Championship after taking third position and a moto victory at a hot Sevlievo circuit for the Grand Prix of Bulgaria and the second round of 15 in the 2009 series. After hours spent cleaning the bikes and gear in the wake of a weather-hit and ruined Italian Grand Prix last week, the Belgian team were saved more laborious work after some gloriously bright, sunny and splendid racing conditions in Bulgaria. The award-winning Sevlievo circuit is one of the best on the calendar, even if the fast layout and hard-pack terrain can be an acquired taste. De Dycker, who took his first pole position and the sixth of his career yesterday, flew to his first moto victory of the season in the opening sprint. The Belgian was in superb form to keep Josh Coppins and Max Nagl behind him for the entire duration of the race. In the second moto he couldn't find a slot in the top five around the first bends and then settled into a rhythm just behind the second group. Unable to unearth the same pace that had dragged him to the front earlier in the day, De Dycker motored to a safe eighth place to make sure of his podium spot and the red number plate as world championship leader. Team-mate Steve Ramon showed some promising speed during practice and qualification but the former World Champion stalled his RM-Z450 in Moto1 that dropped him from fourth position into the lower top-10. In the second sprint, he couldn't find effective lap-times to move close to the first five and crossed the line with seventh place, collecting a ranking of eighth overall. De Dycker holds an advantage of one point over Josh Coppins in the early championship table. Ramon is ninth and 24 points from his team-mate. Teka Suzuki Europe World MX2 had cause to celebrate as Xavier Boog gained his - and the team's - first podium trophy with third place on the RM-Z250. The achievement marks the first time since the Grand Prix of the Netherlands in 2008 that two Suzukis were present on the rostrum of both classes. It is also only the second top-three result for the RM-Z250. After heading east through Europe Team Teka Suzuki will continue their voyage beyond the continent this week as they travel to Istanbul for the first time and the Grand Prix of Turkey for round three in seven days time. Ken De Dycker, 3rd: "I had a good start and it really helps on this kind of track. If you can make a good rhythm and not many mistakes then it is not too difficult to maintain your speed. I don't think I was ready for the second moto and to do so well here in the first race, last year I was 12th and 14th so I may have pushed too much to get to the front. Steve Ramon, 8th: "The first race was OK. I made a good start and was fourth but then I made a mistake and stopped. I had to restart and lost my way a little bit because I was already pushing when I had the stall. It took a while to come up to speed so the result was not too bad considering. My start was disappointing in the second moto and from the first few laps I was struggling to keep smooth. I was fast in practice and qualification so this was a bad day because I want to do better than this." Xavier Boog, 3rd (MX2): "I am really happy; this was a good result. The track became really technical by the end and you could make time across the bumps and jumps. It is a really nice place and I was good here as well last year. Last season was not bad for me but now I want to take some more podiums and aim for a top-five slot in the championship. I feel that I will get better through the season."

in California, Rockstar Makita Suzuki team mates Mat Mladin and Tommy Hayden dominated Sunday's race with another one-two victory. A Red Flag stopped the race early on and in the restart Hayden was able to take the holeshot ahead of Mladin. They exchanged the lead once more during the race before Mladin capitalised on a nearly-flawless race to the chequered flag. Hayden was not able to keep pace with Mladin in the final laps but he succeeded in holding off the rest of the field and earning another second-place finish for the Suzuki Superbike Challenge weekend. Newly signed Blake Young had a rough day, jumping the start and then working his way up from last place. The young rider made the best of a bad situation, however, and brought home a top-10 finish. Mat Mladin: "I had a good race today. We learned a little bit from Tommy Hayden yesterday and we changed a couple things today. We made some improvements and it allowed me to stay close to him and make the move when I needed to. We ran a little bit hotter pace today and it was a very good race overall for Rockstar Makita Suzuki. It's great to have Suzuki up here on top again with first and second-placed finishes. The Rockstar Makita Suzuki crew can take most of the credit for that. I show up for the weekend and have a great motorbike to race in the Suzuki GSX-R1000. " Tommy Hayden: "It was shaping up to be a pretty good race battling with Mat. I got on the front straightaway and missed a couple gears. Overall, the Suzuki GSX-R1000 was very good. I had some issues with grip today so it was a little harder for me to run with Mat. He had his head down today. It was a good weekend with two second-placed finishes. I've got a little momentum going into Road Atlanta and we'll try to keep up what we've been doing. " Blake Young: "My race started out good. I got a good start and then we had the red flag and had to re-grid. I just jumped the start so I had to come into the pits and do a ride-through and that's basically where my race ended. But I did my best and worked my way through to ninth place. I think as far as looking at the positives from today, we learned a lot from race one on Saturday and applied it to race two on Sunday. And because of that, I think we have a better bike going into Road Atlanta because of it."

Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Chad Reed has increased his lead in the AMA/ FIM Supercross Championship after winning Saturday night's round at Edward Jones Dome in St Louis, Missouri. The Australian now leads Yamaha's James Stewart by 11 points after the Yamaha rider crashed with five laps of the 20-lap Main Event to go. More than 55,800 fans packed the stadium, which featured a technical track designed by Team Suzuki's Travis Pastrana. The Freestyle and motocross star also raced but failed to get through the Last Chance Qualifier. Two-time, defending AMA Supercross Champion Reed got a great start and charged hard all night to take the win but prior to that he also won his heat race at the beginning of the night. Rockstar Makita Suzuki team mate Mike Alessi rallied after a mid-week crash to finish an impressive fourth in his heat race and then seventh in the Main Event. Michael Byrne remains injured and did not race. He hopes to be back racing again soon. In the Supercross Lites class, Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Nico Izzi overcame a nasty crash in practice to have a good night overall. The young rider finished second in his qualifying heat race and then ran second in the 15-lap Main Event for most of the race before bringing home a strong third-place finish. Izzi has been on the podium in all but one of the Supercross Lites races this year. Chad Reed: "Like I say every week, you've got to be in it to win it and that's what we're doing. I was having a ball out there. The track was just awesome - Suzuki freestyle rider Travis Pastrana designed a great track and I just love the St. Louis dirt. I just kept my head down and rode my Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450 as hard as I could and it was good for the win this week." Mike Alessi: "My day started out a little rough. I had some back issues after my crash during the week. But I rode practice and after practice, I had to make a decision on whether I was going to race or not. And I realised I just had to get out there and do it. I had to be a gladiator and tough it out. It was important to get the points and it turned out pretty good. In my heat race, I got a good start and was fourth. In the Main, I got another good start and was right there with my team mate Chad Reed. I wound up riding my own race and ended up seventh, which isn't bad considering I wasn't even sure if I was going to race." Nico Izzi: "It was a good race at St. Louis. Getting ready for this race, I went home and had a solid week of training. I came out to the Edward Jones Dome and felt really good. In the first practice, I was fastest and then in the second practice I had a pretty bad get-off but I hung tight for a good race and I have to thank the Rockstar Makita Suzuki team for doing such a good job for me." Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing will race next at the Rodgers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on Saturday, March 28th.

Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Mat Mladin celebrated his 73rd AMA Superbike victory by taking the win at Thursday's Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The six-time AMA Superbike Champion also captured the coveted pole position in the new Superpole procedure, taking his 56th career pole position. Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Tommy Hayden qualified right behind Mladin and rode an impressive 15-lap race. Hayden got a rough start but worked his way up into third place. Right down to the wire, he was battling for second position and the final result was a photo finish with Hayden taking third. The team's newest team member, Blake Young, started the season strong by carding an impressive fifth-place finish in his first AMA Superbike race with his new team.

Chad Reed has regained the AMA/ FIM Supercross series lead after winning Saturday's Daytona Supercross in Florida. The Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider is now 11 points clear of James Stewart after 10 of 17 rounds after the Yamaha rider crashed in the opening corner of the 20-lap Main Event and had to charge back from dead last to seventh. The race was led by Reed's team mate Mike Alessi for three laps as third team rider Michael Byrne was taken down in the first corner crash, but Reed - having carved through from eighth at the start - took to the front on lap 17 and held it to the flag. In the East Coast Supercross Lites class Nico Izzi collected his fourth podium position in as many round, finishing third overall.

It will be if Hamilton's Andrew Stroud has anything to do with it.

The Suzuki rider kicked off his 2008-09 road-racing campaign with back-to-back superbike wins at the season-opening ProMoto Tri-Series at Manfeild on Saturday.

Suzuki riders won five of the six championship classes last season and, although superbike No.1 Robbie Bugden has not yet raced here this season and 600cc champion Dennis Charlett and formula three winner Glen Williams are keeping their powder dry for the nationals, Stroud was quite happy to make it an explosive first outing for himself on Saturday.

Just three weeks after being crowned the 2008 New Zealand Road-rider of the Year at a black tie function in Auckland, the 40-year-old Stroud showed he may well be in line to win that title again with a scintillating display at the Manawatu circuit.

Suzuki wrapped up its second SuperX Championship at the weekend with Chad Reed securing the inaugural Australasian SuperX Pro Open Championship a week after Team Shift Motul Suzuki rider Matt Moss won the Pro Lites category. Reed was a dominant force throughout the series aboard his Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450, winning six of seven rounds including the final round at Brisbane in Australia. Having missed out on the final last week in Townsville, Reed was back to his brilliant best in Brisbane, clean-sweeping the event with four race wins in the Quadruple Sprint format to give him six round wins and a 19-point Championship victory over Jay Marmont. With a month to prepare for the American Supercross season, Reed has given himself a terrific platform to launch into the American season: He has showcased his quality in Australia this year, and, after his overwhelmingly-successful and smooth transition to the Suzuki camp will head to the US full of confidence. Cameron Taylor was eighth overall in Brisbane, securing seventh in the Championship; a strong result in his first season with team Shift Motul Suzuki.

Needing only 12 more points to give Suzuki double Australasian SuperX Championships in 2008, Reed will head to Brisbane confident he can get the job done, but certain to leave no stone unturned until the title is assured. Ricky Girdwood placed 15th for the Team Shift Motul Suzuki development squad in the Pro Lites category. Matt Moss: "To wrap up the Championship is just a great feeling, not only for me personally but for everyone at Team Shift Motul Suzuki. I knew that if I kept my head down I was a contender this year and I think my consistency has really paid off, it's hard to describe how good a feeling it is to be the first winner of the Pro Lites SuperX title for Suzuki. "The RM-Z250 has been amazing to ride and it's played a huge part in this Championship. Hopefully I can have some more success in the next Motocross season and be back to defend this title as well for Suzuki in 2009. We celebrated over the weekend with the team, but its straight back into it with one round remaining and it would be perfect to go out on a winning note to top off the Championship." Chad Reed: "The new formats have really added some spice to SuperX and all credit to Jay and Daniel - they rode very well this weekend. "With a knock out format, anything can happen and although my form has been great this season, I was beaten on the night and it just goes to show how exciting these new formats can be. I've still got the lead in the Championship, and it has always been the goal to win the first Australasian SuperX title for Suzuki and that's what we are going all out to do this weekend in Brisbane." Cameron Taylor: Drawing Chad in the first heat was a bit of a catch 22 situation, one Suzuki rider was going to go and Chad is the best in the business but I was happy with my heat: I definitely had a crack. I hope to really finish strongly in Brisbane and get myself into the top five in the Championship that would be a great result to have two Suzuki's finish in the top five." 2008 Australasian SuperX Standings (after 5 rounds): PRO OPEN: 1 Chad Reed (Suzuki RM-Z450) 145, 2 Jay Marmont 131, 3 Chayne Boyd 101, 4 Daniel McCoy 101, 5 Troy Carroll 88, 6 Cameron Taylor (Suzuki RM-Z450) 82. PRO LITES: 1 Matt Moss (Suzuki RM-Z250) 141, 2 Tye Simmons 99, 3 Ryan Marmont 94, 4 Luke George 90, Danny Anderson 82.

Suzuki has continued its domination of the Australasian SuperX Championship with Chad Reed winning his fifth straight event aboard his Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450 in Wollongong, Australia at the weekend - and Matt Moss scoring his third round-victory of the season in the Pro Lites category for Team Shift Motul Suzuki. Reed's domination of this year's SuperX comes as no surprise; his credentials as a World Champion are well known and his presence in the Australian series is going a long way towards establishing the series as a World Class Australian Championship. But what has been so impressive about his 2008 campaign to date is such a smooth transition to the Suzuki fold and the RM-Z450 which he is yet to be beaten aboard after five rounds. The only rider to lap the Wollongong course in less than 40 seconds with several lap times in 39 second bracket, Reed lapped the field up to second place in the final using all his experience on larger style Supercross tracks to completely dominate the Wollongong event.

NOVEMBER 17, 2008: The racing may have been dirty but the trick was to stay clean at the New Zealand All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) motorcycle championships in the Waikato at the weekend.

Taumarunui's Quentin Palmer (Suzuki LTR-450R) avoided the mud from a heavily watered track at Patetonga to race away at the start each time and show a clean pair of heels to his rivals for the prestigious 750cc title.

"The track was dry and dusty but, because they'd watered it to hell, it was very slippery and muddy for the first lap or so. I figured that if I got out in front I could avoid getting filled in with mud.

"I finished the weekend pretty clean. It won't take me long to clean up the bike tonight," he laughed.

It was a similar story for Christchurch rider Sam Henderson (Suzuki LTZ400), in the 301-425cc class, and Otane's Liz Krawczyk (LTR-450R), in the women's battles, who made it a Suzuki sweep of the three main classes at the weekend.

Henderson won the 301-425cc class, ahead of Stratford's Scott Keegan and Amberley's Stephen Clyne, while Krawczyk was unbeaten in all seven races as she beat Tauranga's Emma Goldstone to the women's title.

Chad Reed and Matt Moss put Suzuki firmly on top in round four of the Australasian Supercross Championship at Sydney's Parramatta Stadium in Australia on Saturday, storming to victory in the Pro Open and Pro Lites classes.

Emerging victorious in a new survival format in front of 15,000 fans, Reed maintains an unbeaten record and further extends his championship lead, while Moss' second Pro Lites round win of the year moves him into top spot on the ladder.

After topping practice and qualifying, Reed took his Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450 to a 23-second victory in his heat race. He then cruised through the new survival format, in which 20 riders started and the lowest five were eliminated after each five-lap race, going on to win the fourth and final race by five seconds.

The win is Reed's fourth in as many rounds, with the Suzuki rider holding a 16-point championship advantage entering the final three rounds.

Picking up where he left off in Geelong a fortnight earlier, Team Shift Motul Suzuki's Cameron Taylor turned in another promising performance.

Following fifth in his heat and fourth-place finishes in the opening two sprints of the survival format - including a $1,000 prize for getting the holeshot and leading the first race into Turn One - the Victorian looked set to book a start in the final on his RM-Z450.

However after a slow start in the third race, Taylor could only recover to seventh and was eliminated, retaining sixth in the championship.

Team Shift Motul Suzuki rising star Matt Moss surged into the lead of the Pro Lites class with a dominant performance. Moss won his heat and set up victory in the final with the holeshot to lead into Turn One, earning himself a $500 bonus.

From there, he was never headed, taking victory by five seconds and claiming a 20-point series lead.

"The weekend went really well, we're pleased with Suzuki's results across the board.

"Chad continues to handle whatever they throw at him+ he adapted to the new format really quickly and looked good, as he has all year. The format caught Cameron out in the end, unfortunately. He was getting good starts and running up at the front, but he was slow away in the third survival race, couldn't get back up into the Top Five and was eliminated.

"Matt had a perfect weekend+ he's back on top of the championship and he's only going to get stronger. It's a really hectic part of the season but the guys are handling it well.

"There's three rounds left in the next three weeks and we'll be working hard to end the year with Suzuki on top in Pro Open and Pro Lites."

Kiwi riders are making a huge impact in the United States this season.

There seems to be no stopping Pahiatua's Paul Whibley (Suzuki RM-Z450) as he notched up yet two more major victories on the American cross-country bike racing scene.

Whibley won round five of the Kentucky Off Road Harescramble Series (KORHS) near Louisville a week ago and then backed that up by also winning the CRA Cross-country Race at Lightning Raceway, in Ohio, on Sunday.

"I raced the KORHS series a lot last year and I ran into Rick Hollenkamp at an OMA (Off-road Motorcycle and ATV) race a few weeks back. He asked if I could come back and do some of the KORHS events this year," said Whibley.

"It was cool to get invited back and know my efforts racing were appreciated there."

Though he ended up winning the day easily, it was the Kiwi's first showing in the Kentucky series this season and he therefore finds himself down at fifth in the series standings.

Whibley suffered a rare bad start at Louisville but was soon up to speed and on the tail of the men in front.

"I caught up to the leaders and Allan Westerfeild was up front on his little KTM and being chased hard by Nathan Alering (Yamaha). I tried a different line to try get around Nathan and got up beside him only to be covered in muddy water as he splashed through a small mud hole. I grabbed a tear-off and my vision was restored to perfect again through my goggles.

"I made a pass stick on Nathan and zeroed in on Allan. On a tricky rocky hill climb I cranked the RM-Z450 up and passed Allan and took the lead. I put the hammer down the rest of the lap and built a comfortable lead.

"Time for the pit stop. Somehow I had set my gas up on part of the track that was used in the morning race and was not being used for the afternoon event. I had been making laps trying to work out where my gas was then I saw my pit crew at trackside, holding up my gas can. They had carried it over to the proper track ready to gas me up.

"I completed the two hours safely and took the win."

Whibley leads another of America's big cross-country championships, the OMA series and is running second overall in the prestigious Grand National Cross-Country Series as well.

Meanwhile, fellow New Zealander Cody Cooper also put himself on the podium in the US on Sunday, the second time he has done that in America since switching to Suzuki earlier this year.

Cooper took his Suzuki RM-Z450 to finish 7th and 2nd in his two open class races at Sunday's penultimate round of the AMA Motocross Championships at Southwick, Massachusetts, good enough to finish the day ranked second overall, just behind all-conquering American factory Kawasaki star James Stewart.

Another American factory rider, Tim Ferry, went 4-4 to take the third step on the podium.

Cooper's result cemented him at fifth in the series standings.

However, he is 75 points behind fellow Suzuki rider Michael Byrne (of Australia) and, with just a maximum 50 points available at the final round this weekend, the Kiwi rider has no chance of improving his series ranking.

Even so, it has been a remarkable season for Cooper, riding a privateer Suzuki against the factory stars.

Everyone is gunning for Suzuki star Daryl Hurley.

And that suits the man from Hawera just fine. He believes his Suzuki team is still the one to beat.

The 32-year-old took his Suzuki RM-Z450 to win both the open class motocross title last season and the open class supercross crown earlier this year and now he's planning a strategy to repeat the feat this summer.

The international star has withdrawn from racing across the Tasman as he concentrates on putting all his energies into the race scene in New Zealand and that spells trouble for his rivals.

He again heads up the Team Suzuki race effort, the team has been streamlined this year with his team-mate from last year, Luke Burkhart, taking the option of joining Honda and battling against his former boss.

That should make for interesting dynamics, especially with Honda also gaining the services of national 250cc champion Mike Phillips, as he leaves Kawasaki to join Burkhart under the red Honda awning. 

Yamaha and Kawasaki are also tipped to be building formidable teams, setting this season's four-round national motocross championship season to be a real dogfight.

But Hurley is relaxed about the forces lining up against him, especially with the knowledge that he'll be joined by a strong team-mate this season, with the return from Europe of GP rider Scott Columb.

Despite riding with many distractions from his personal life -- his wife giving birth to their first child and then his father dying just two weeks later -- Hurley still finished runner-up in Australia this season and he believes he's as strong in his riding now as he has ever been.

Both Hurley and Columb will ride the phenomenal new fuel-injected Suzuki RM-Z450, a bike identical to that raced by world MX1 champion Steve Ramon, with Hurley also opting to race the smaller RM-Z250 in the 250cc class.

"We have streamlined our operation and have only the best riders possible for each category," said Suzuki New Zealand sales manager Simon Meade. "And they have good support from our development riders as well, Michael Menchi and Matt Hunt."

Waikanae's Menchi will race the RM-Z250, while Auckland-based former Gisborne rider Hunt will race both the RM-Z250 and RM125 bikes as he tackles both the 250cc and 125cc divisions.

Teenager Menchi finished third in the 125cc class last season -- the top rookie -- and this year he steps up to the bigger 250cc machine.

"Both Menchi and Hunt have been working in New Zealand's off-season by racing the under-19 championships in Australia and they both had good success there," said Meade.

"The future of motocross in New Zealand depends on the development of our younger riders and that the balance that Suzuki aims to achieve.

It has been a golden period for Suzuki in the past 12 months with riders of the yellow brand winning nine national motorcycle titles in 2007-2008.

Suzuki riders won the supercross, motocross, cross-country, enduro and also five of the six road-racing categories this season.

They must be getting sick and tired of Paul Whibley in the United States this season.

Whibley continues to stamp his authority on the US off-road motorcycling scene with the man from Pahiatua taking his Suzuki RM-Z450 to another commanding win, this time at round six of the prestigious OMA (Off-road Motorcycle and ATV) cross-country series in Ohio at the weekend.

Whibley's Suzuki team-mate, Ohio's Jimmy Jarrett, had held second spot until late in the race when he crashed.

Suffering concussion, Jarrett was out for the day, effectively ruining his hopes of adding a fifth consecutive series title to his résumé.

8 wins (5 Wimmer, 2 Gust, 1 Wienen)

4 seconds (2 Wimmer, 2 Wienen)

4 thirds (2 Wimmer, 2 Gust)

Although the championship series is over, next up is the invitation-only Steel City ATV Open, to be held August 30th at Steel City Raceway in Delmont, Pa. Although it will be a non-points paying event, The Suzuki Squad will be there in force to put on a good show and win bragging rights.

We can confirm release of the fantastic new fuel-injected RM-Z450K8!

Stocks of this competition-winning bike will be available for delivery to dealers mid-August. And it will have been worth the wait.

• The engine's all-round power characteristics present strong "roll-on" power and responsive low-to-mid range powerband.
• The innovative lightweight battery-less electronic fuel injection system uses KEIHIN throttle body with progressive throttle linkage, built specifically for motocross, makes for efficient low-throttle power delivery. (Pic 2)

• 18-pin magneto senses feedback on crankshaft position, rotation speed and stroke for the ECU to calculate optimum injection and ignition timings.
• Single-phase all-charging system, with the magneto supplying all the necessary electric power.
• Suzuki Advanced Sump System (SASS) with separate crankshaft and transmission compartments allows a highly compact, short and low-slung engine.
• Aluminum cylinder with Suzuki Composite Electrochemical Material (SCEM) coating, built for durability, light weight and efficient heat transfer.
• 5-speed transmission provides extra flexibility, offering gear ratios suited for various terrains and conditions.
• Link-type shifting system offers smooth transitions through the gears.
• Hot starter positioned on the right handlebar, helping allow rider's left hand to focus on clutch operation.
  Slim chassis design makes for a slim riding position, opening up the cockpit to help allow the rider to actively take control of the machine. (Pic 3)

• Lightweight twin-spar aluminum frame built with racing feedback for corner-railing, whoops-blazing rides and agile handling on various terrains.
• Inverted twin-chamber SHOWA front forks and piggyback-reservoir SHOWA rear shock absorber, both designed focused on lightweight and smooth shock absorption.  (Pics 4 & 5)

 

• Lightweight swingarm helps enhance terrain-traversing performance over bumps. (Pic 6)

• Race-inspired disc rotors offer enhanced cooling performance and efficient mud slinging.  (Pics 7 & 8)

• Factory aluminum fuel tank holds 6.2 litres. (Pic 9)

• The footpegs are positioned with ample clearance from the mounting brackets to help prevent mud from caking up. (Pic 10)

• Sloped-down front fender and front number plate air-duct shaping help guide fresh air to the radiators for enhanced cooling performance.
• Air intakes shaped on to both sides of the rear fender help heighten intake efficiency.
• Stylish two-tone radiator shrouds accentuate the RM-Z450's agile looks.
• Gripper seat, with projected cross-shaped patterns on top surface to provide additional grip.
• Factory gold-colored chain adds the finishing touches to the RM-Z450.

One man; one bike, two motorcycling codes; two national titles -- Marton's Cam Smith has had a truly glorious season.

The Rangitikei farmer wrapped up the experts grade at the New Zealand Enduro Championships' sixth and final round near Bulls on Sunday, adding that title to the national cross-country crown he secured in June, both titles won on exactly the same bike, a 2007-model Suzuki RM-Z450.

"I knew I only needed to finish third or better today because I had a 10-point lead in the championship at the start of the event," said the 31-year-old Smith.

Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing's Mat Mladin celebrated his fifth AMA Superbike win of the year and his 68th such career victory at Monterey, California's Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on Sunday afternoon. The six-time AMA Superbike Champion put in an impressive ride on his Rockstar Makita Suzuki GSX-R1000, finishing 10 seconds in front of his team mate Ben Spies. Defending, two-time AMA Superbike Champion Spies started from pole position - his fifth of the year and 21st of his career - and got the holeshot in the 28-lap race, but - having just finished a remarkable eighth place in the day's earlier MotoGP race - was passed by his team mate and finished in second place. Jordan Suzuki's Aaron Yates, meanwhile, put in a great ride, moving through the pack to capture the final spot on the podium and Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Tommy Hayden returned to racing after having been out due to injury for more than two months: The former AMA Supersport Champion raced his GSX-R1000 to a more-than-respectable fifth-place finish.

Ben Spies: "It was a good race. We got a decent start, but Mat came by and we tried to get behind him and get into a rhythm. But he kept stretching and stretching the gap and we just didn't have the pace today - we didn't have the speed at all. Once we got a good gap on third place, we just hit the cruise control and brought home second place. There was no way we could run with Mat today; there was no need to do anything silly, and so it was a pretty uneventful race, really."

Aaron Yates: "The race was pretty good. We didn't have the best starting position but we got off the line pretty well on the Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000 and got past a few guys. I just tried to pick people off with every lap, tried to keep chopping away, and take it up to a podium position."

Tommy Hayden: "It felt good to get out there racing again. It was all right for my first race back. I guess I have to accept that I'm a little bit rusty on my racing. I wasn't quite aggressive enough with making the passes when I needed to. But overall, it's good to be back and come back with a solid result."

Superbike Results:

1. Mat Mladin (Rockstar Makita Suzuki)
2. Ben Spies (Rockstar Makita Suzuki)
3. Aaron Yates (Jordan Suzuki)
4. Jamie Hacking (Kawasaki)
5. Tommy Hayden (Rockstar Makita Suzuki)
6. Roger Lee Hayden (Kawasaki)
7. Neil Hodgson (Honda)
8. Jason DiSalvo (Yamaha)
9. Eric Bostrom (Yamaha)
10. Miguel Duhamel (Honda)

AMA Superbike Championship Points:
1. Spies - 411
2. Mladin - 375
3. Hacking - 319
4. Hodgson - 317
5. DiSalvo - 288
6. Bostrom - 276
7. Yates - 263
8. Duhamel - 259
9. May - 218
10. Jensen - 204

PALMER WINS ANOTHER TT TITLE

08 July 2008

Quentin Palmer has the No.1 boldly emblazoned on his Suzuki for a good reason.

The Taumarunui man is simply the best.

And he proved that once again when racing at the New Zealand TT Championships at Kuratau, at the southern tip of a snow-blasted Lake Taupo at the weekend.

The four-wheeled action was dominated by the national ATV champion, with Palmer coming from behind to battle past Amberley's Ian Ffitch for the open class ATV title.

Braving the chilly conditions, Palmer (Suzuki LTR450 ) set about his job of dominating as he had at the same event the year earlier, winning the first of five open class battles but then being forced to settle for second behind Ffitch in the next outing.

That meant Ffitch had the psychological advantage as day one wrapped up, the pair equal on points but the South Islander leading on the count-back rule.

Next morning and it was time for the 27-year-old Palmer to wind the throttle to the stop and check out with him taking a hat-trick of wins on day two, eventually winning the title by a safe 17 points from Ffitch.

"I wouldn't say it was an easy win," said the modest Palmer. "I had to work for it".

"I said to myself at the start of day two that I needed to win at least two out of three to beat Ffitch. I ended up winning all three so that was good".

"It was a very fast track, especially down the main straight. It was about 95 km/h in the rough, so that's pretty impressive."

Palmer was thrilled to be able to hand another national title across the counter to his sponsors, the men at Taumarunui’s Bike Torque Suzuki dealership, the outlet just a few kilometres away from the scene of the weekend’s triumph.

His next big event is the second round of the Off-Road Franklin ATV Short-course Championships in Whakatane on July 27.

"I didn't race at round one so I have no real chance of winning the trophy but Suzuki sponsors the race so it would be nice to show up and wave the flag."

KIWI KEEPS THE PRESSURE ON

CLEAN SWEEP FOR SUZUKI'S SMITH

The Rangitikei sheep and beef farmer had been unbeaten in the first three rounds of this year's Suzuki-sponsored series, wrapping up the title ahead of Saturday's fourth and final round near Ashburton.

But, as the rules dictate, Smith still had to put in an appearance at the South Island venue on Saturday.

And what an appearance that was, Smith again dominating the day to make it an incredible four in a row for the 31-year-old.

"I was determined to make it a clean sweep and win all four rounds," he said. 

And that's exactly what he did, shooting into the lead on lap one and never looking back.

He did find himself locked in a tussle with fast-starting Tauranga rider Reece Burgess, losing his lead briefly, but then he set about the task at hand, re-took the lead and built up a winning margin.

"I think I was about 40 seconds in front at the end," said Smith (Suzuki RM-Z450).

"With Suzuki sponsoring the series, I think the company will be very happy that I won," Smith grinned.

Pahiatua's Adam Reeves finished runner-up on Saturday, also finishing the series as No.2 man, while Te Kauwhata's Jason Moorfield was third.

"It has been a perfect series for me, " said Smith. "I didn't know what to expect when going down south and I knew everyone would be out to beat me but it was a great event.

"It was very fast and rocky. I got a flat front tyre with about one lap to go but, by that stage, I had already built up a good lead."

Although Smith had already wrapped up the overall and over-300cc four-stroke titles, the battle was still on in Ashburton for titles in the other various individual bike categories and that's where another Suzuki rider, Napier's John O'Dea, was pinning his hopes.

O'Dea (Suzuki RM-Z250) finished fifth overall at Ashburton, the first of the small four-stroke bikes to come home, and that was enough for him to wrap up the four-stroke under-300cc class title.

Smith now turns his attention to a slightly different dirt bike code when he tackles the sixth and final round of the New Zealand Enduro Championships in the Santoft Forest, near his Marton home, at the end of next month.

It's entirely possible for Smith to make it two national titles this season. He is just three points adrift of Reeves as the two anticipate a season-defining enduro clash in Santoft.

In the hands of Craig Shirriffs and Robbie Bugden, Suzuki’s GSX-R1000 has totally dominated New Zealand Production Superbike racing so far this summer.

Shirriffs got the ball rolling, winning five races from as many starts at Wanganui’s Boxing Day races in a celebration of the seventh anniversary of the Suzuki’s world début win – on the same track. (The 999cc Suzuki’s inaugural world race win came when Hawera’s Shaun Harris took the first model GSX-R1000 to victory in the Chris Daws Masters race on Wanganui’s Cemetery Circuit on December 26, 2000).

In the years since then, Suzuki’s GSX-R1000 has been very much the bike to beat in production-based racing right around the world, and 2007 was no different.

In the United States, Texan Ben Spies dominated in the AMA Superstock Championship, a class which allows little modification to the standard models. In this class, Spies wrapped up the title at the eighth and penultimate round, at Braselton, Georgia, allowing him to then concentrate on defending his Superbike title at the final round at Laguna Seca in California. 

There he and Yoshimura Suzuki team-mate Mat Mladin did what they had done in US Superbike racing all year – completely dominated, battling for the win, and the championship between them.

In the finish, Spies took the win, and the title, in a record setting season that saw the Texan and Aussie Mladin between them take pole position and win every race in the tough 19 race series.

It was the first time in the 30 year history of the AMA Superbike Championship that a single manufacturer had dominated every race. And in one of the closest championship finishes ever, Spies clinched the title by just one point from Mladin, 652-651.

Behind them in the final race at Laguna Seca, Aaron Yates finished third on a GSX-R1000 backed by basketball star Michael Jordan to make it a Suzuki 1-2-3 sweep of the final race.

The Yoshimura Suzuki team’s domination in 2007 followed a brilliant 2006 season in which the GSX-R1000 won all but one race of the AMA Superbike Championship.

Meantime, on the opposite side of the Pacific, 1 Atsushi Watanabe clinched the All-Japan Superbike Championship from Honda’s Takashi Yasuda, 152 points to 143 on his Yoshimura Suzuki, marking the first time the Yoshimura team had won an All-Japan Championship since 1989 when Texan Doug Polen did the honours.

Proving it is not only in sprint racing where the 999cc Suzuki is the bike to beat, the French Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (SERT) clinched its third successive World Endurance Championship with the GSX-R1000 Suzuki in 2007, wrapping up the title with a race in hand.

Actually, the potent GSX-R1000 has been the bike to beat in endurance racing since its introduction. In 2001, it took a 1-2-3 sweep of the Super Production Cup in the WEC and since then Suzuki has won another five World Endurance Championships.

While Northern Hemisphere racing is in its off-season, Suzuki is keeping the winning tradition going Down Under. Defending champion Robbie Bugden has taken pole position at each of the first three rounds of the NZ Production Superbike Championship run so far, and won six races from six starts, setting lap records at Ruapuna and Teretonga along the way.

Although Bugden missed out on setting a lap record at Levels Raceway, Suzuki still went into the record books with the lap record at the Timaru circuit courtesy of Shirriffs, emphatically underlining Suzuki’s slogan for the GSX-R range: "Own The Racetrack".

Points after three of five rounds:

1, Robbie Bugden (Suzuki GSX-R1000K7) 150

2, Gareth Jones (Yamaha YZF-R1) 102

3, Andrew Stroud (Suzuki GSX-R1000K7) 98

4, Craig Shirriffs (Suzuki GSX-R1000K7) 90

5, Damian Cudlin (Yamaha YZF-R1) 59 3

6, Hayden Fitzgerald (Honda CBR1000RR) 50

7, Jon Lowther (Yamaha YZF-R1) 50

8, Ray Clee (Suzuki GSX-R1000K7) 45

9, Carey Brier 29

10, Brendan Booth (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 29

There’s a long way to go yet before Hamilton’s Andrew Stroud throws in the towel.

The many-times New Zealand superbike champion is starting to lose sight of the lead in the 2008 championships, but he’s not yet ready to concede the title to fellow Suzuki star Robbie Bugden.

It’s a matter of pride and, now that Stroud’s slipped to third in the points standings after the weekend’s third of five rounds near Invercargill, it’s important to the Kiwi icon that the season does not end up an Aussie 1-2 double punch in this elite category.

Bugden (Suzuki GSX-R1000) and Stroud (Suzuki GSX-R1000) have been battling back and forth throughout the series so far but now another Australian, Yamaha rider Gareth Jones, has joined the party and that has made it very hot indeed at the front of the field. Throw into the mix former 600cc champion Craig Shirriffs, on yet another Suzuki GSX-R1000, and you have an amazing four-way battle for superbike glory.

There has been very little to separate these riders on the track this summer with barely a second between the men in qualifying and in the races themselves. All of them have gone under the lap record at the various tracks they’ve struck so far.

"The pace is just so hot this year," said Stroud. "Robbie has obviously taken a liking to the new Suzuki but I feel there are probably four or five of us still capable of taking races from him.

"I still feel like I’m right there to win races but it looks like Robbie is now in a comfortable position to retain his title," said the 40-year-old father-of-six, as he looks ahead to the next round at Manfeild, just outside Palmerston North, in just over three weeks’ time.

"Robbie is a great rider and very focussed and he’s in a strong position, but I’m not giving up. I’m not that far behind him and I beat him in both races at Manfeild last year. I’m feeling very strong at the moment but, I admit, it’s been jolly hard work. The pace is simply incredible."

Meanwhile, in the 600cc sports production class, Christchurch Suzuki rider Dennis Charlett (Suzuki GSX-R600) produced another flawless display at the weekend, delivering another 1-1 double whammy in winning both races and extending his series lead to 53 points, ahead of fellow Suzuki rider James Smith, of Christchurch, at the top of the standings.

Aucklander Karl Morgan (Suzuki SV650) scored another hat-trick in the 650cc pro-twin class, extending his lead to 85 points over Dannevirke’s Geoff Booth, on a similar Suzuki SV650, with yet another Suzuki rider, Invercargill’s Anthony Stephens, now up to third overall.

Palmerston North’s Glen Williams (Suzuki SV650) has meanwhile pushed his lead in the formula three class out to 65 points over the new No.2 rider in the championship, Blenheim’s Steven Wood (Suzuki SV650). New Plymouth’s former national F3 champion Terry Fitzgerald (Suzuki SV650) has now moved up to third in the standings, 17 points behind Wood.

The five-round national championships series continues at Feilding’s Manfeild circuit on February 23-24 and, finally, Pukekohe on March 8-9.

LEADING STANDINGS AFTER ROUND TWO OF THE NEW ZEALAND ROAD-RACE CHAMPIONSHIPS:

Superbikes points:

Robbie Bugden (Australia, Suzuki) 150;

Gareth Jones (Australia, Yamaha) 102;

Andrew Stroud (Hamilton, Suzuki) 98.

600cc sports production class points:

Dennis Charlett (Christchurch, Suzuki) 147.5;

James Smith (Christchurch, Suzuki) 94.5;

Jay Lawrence (Wellington, Kawasaki) 88.5. 

Formula three class points:

Glen Williams (Palmerston North, Suzuki) 210;

Steven Wood (Blenheim, Suzuki) 145;

Terry Fitzgerald (New Plymouth, Suzuki) 128.

650 pro twins class points:

Karl Morgan (Swanson, Suzuki) 225;

Geoff Booth (Dannevirke, Suzuki) 140;

Anthony Stephens (Invercargill, Suzuki) 137.

125GP class points:

Cameron Jones (Christchurch, Honda) 184;

Tim McArthur (Dunedin, Honda) 169;

Adam Chambers (Clive, Honda) 108.

CALENDAR:

Round One: January 12 & 13 - Ruapuna - including the NZ Grand Prix

Round Two: January 19 & 20 - Levels

Round Three: January 26 & 27 - Teretonga

Round Four: February 23 & 24 - Manfeild

Round Five: March 08 & 09 – Pukekohe – including the NZ TTs

Pahiatua’s Paul Whibley was No.6 in the United States in 2007 but he was No.1 at Woodville on Sunday.

Picked to dominate the crowd-pleasing river races at the weekend’s 47th annual New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix at Woodville, the Suzuki star didn’t disappoint.

The professional off-road motorcycle racer – known affectionately as the "Axeman" thanks to his former occupation as a tree feller – was unstoppable on Sunday, a couple of water-proofing strips of duct tape across the airbox of his Suzuki RM-Z450 all the modification he needed.

He led virtually from start to finish on the big 450cc four-stroke.

But it wasn’t as easy for the Kiwi international as he probably made it look. Whibley learned just half an hour before his first race on Sunday that one of his biggest fans – his grandfather, "Grundy" – had passed away and it was an emotional Whibley who eventually decided to press on with the racing.

"I wasn’t going to race. I wanted to pack everything away and head to Dannevirke to be with my family. But Grundy would have wanted me to race. He was a big fan of my racing.

"It was hard for me to concentrate on the racing but, once I was underway, it was okay."

On the top step of the podium at the end of the day, Whibley dedicated his victory to his grandfather’s memory.

Whibley left the track before the rest of the day’s action was complete, off to the airport to catch his flight to San Francisco.

Sixth in the United States Grand National Cross-Country (GNCC) series last season, the 29-year-old again rates as one of the favourites this time around. The 2008 series kicks off in Florida on March 4.

Travelling with the factory Suzuki team, he will train with his team-mates at different locations across continent.

"It will take us three or four days’ driving to reach Florida. I ran out of fuel while running fifth in the Florida race last season. We learned from that mistake."

If he can make sure his Suzuki has enough fuel this time around, the flying Kiwi believes he can again finish on the podium.

"It’s just a matter of being consistent all through the season," he said.

Meanwhile, fellow Suzuki rider Luke Burkhart was also a dominant force at Woodville on Sunday, the 23-year-old from Hawera unbeaten in all three 250cc four-stroke motocross races.

It was a consolation, of sorts, for Burkhart, who had led the 2007 national championships in this class when a huge crash at the series’ finale wiped out his dreams of another national title.

"The class was packed with all the top riders, so it was a good feeling to win today," he said.

"Winning at Woodville was a goal I had set for myself to start the season and I can tick this one off now.

"Normally I feel wrecked after a day’s racing at Woodville, but I feel fine right now."

His team leader, Hawera’s national 500cc champion Daryl Hurley, battled hard to keep world No.3 Josh Coppins honest in the 500cc races. 

Hurley (Suzuki RM-Z450) finished 3-2-2 in his 500cc outings, even leading the 2008 world championship favourite during one of the races. He also finished runner-up to Coppins in the weekend’s big Invitation International feature race.

A third member of the Suzuki motocross team, Queenstown international Scott Columb, finished third overall in the 250cc four-stroke class and then rode out on an RM-Z450 to finish fourth in the all-capacities feature race.

Hurley now switches focus to an entirely new assignment -- he marries his long-time girlfriend Jo in Hawera this coming Saturday.

Hurley, Burkhart, Columb and the crew of Team Suzuki thank their sponsors: Suzuki, Shift, Scott, Elf, Bridgestone, Asplundh, ilabb, Total Paints, PPG, DID, Tag Metals, Alpinestars Boots, Pro Circuit, One Industries, Trooper Helmets, Acerbis, E-Z up, JT Sprockets, Talon Hubs, Vortex Ignitions, Giltrap Prestige.

This season’s New Zealand Superbike Championships look entirely hopeless … for anyone trying to catch Suzuki’s Robbie Bugden that is.

The 27-year-old Australian visitor may be running away with the jewel in the crown of New Zealand’s road-racing community as he continued his unbeaten streak at round two of the national series at Levels Raceway, just outside Timaru, on Sunday.

As he had at the series opener at Christchurch’s Ruapuna Park a week earlier, defending superbike champion Bugden (Suzuki GSX-R1000) bagged another pair of wins at Timaru on Sunday, although, on this occasion, he had to break free from a five-rider freight train before he could claim the top step of the podium

The high-speed superbike snarl-up again featured fellow Suzuki riders Andrew Stroud, of Hamilton, and Craig Shirriffs, of Feilding, with two more Australian visitors, Gareth Jones and Damian Cudlin, both on Yamahas, joining the fray.

"The day was spot-on for me," Bugden declared afterwards. "It was great racing, come of the toughest I have ever been involved with in a long time.

"The bike was faultless and the conditions were perfect. Racing doesn’t get much better than this but I’m not thinking yet about winning the championship again. It’s just one race at a time for now. There is still a long way to go."

As for Stroud, the Suzuki man who had been Bugden’s biggest threat at Ruapuna, it was tough day at the office on Sunday.

Stroud finished fifth in the day’s first race, the racing so tight that Stroud was only one second behind race winner Bugden as he brought up the rear of the five-man train.

It was business as usual for Stroud in the next race, with the Kiwi international fighting back through the leading bunch to snatch runner-up spot. However, his fifth in race one has proved costly with Stroud now slipping to 29 points behind Bugden at the top of the standings.

"It was nose-to-tail racing," said Stroud. "It’s a difficult track to pass on and everyone wanted so badly to win. The pace was frantic with all five lead riders going half a second under the Levels track record."

More of the same hot action is promised when the riders arrive at Invercargill’s Teretonga circuit for round three this coming weekend.

Meanwhile, in the 600cc sports production class, Christchurch’s Dennis Charlett (Suzuki GSX-R600) produced a flawless performance to add two more wins to his series tally.

Charlett is now 32 points ahead of Wellington’s Jay Lawrence (Kawasaki) at the top of the standings, with Christchurch’s James Smith (Suzuki) still third overall.

Aucklander Karl Morgan (Suzuki SV650) scored another hat-trick in the 650cc pro-twin class, extending his lead to 55 points over Dannevirke’s Geoff Booth, on another Suzuki SV650.

Palmerston North’s Glen Williams (Suzuki SV650) has meanwhile extended his lead in the formula three class to 33 points over Hokitika’s Eric de Boer (Kawasaki), with yet another Suzuki rider, Blenheim’s Steven Wood, just six points further back in third overall.

The five-round national championships series continues at Invercargill’s Teretonga next weekend (January 26-27), then Manfeild on February 23-24 and, finally, Pukekohe on March 8-9.

Superbikes points:

Robbie Bugden (Australia, Suzuki) 100;

Andrew Stroud (Hamilton, Suzuki) 71;

Gareth Jones (Australia, Yamaha) 62.

600cc sports production class points:

Dennis Charlett (Christchurch, Suzuki) 97.5;

Jay Lawrence (Wellington, Kawasaki) 65.5;

James Smith (Christchurch, Suzuki) 58.5.

Formula three class points:

Glen Williams (Palmerston North, Suzuki) 95;

Eric de Boer (Hokitika, Suzuki) 62;

Steven Wood (Blenheim, Suzuki) 56.

650 pro twins class points:

Karl Morgan (Swanson, Suzuki) 150;

Geoff Booth (Dannevirke, Suzuki) 95;

Tom Bos (Christchurch, Kawasaki) 80.

CALENDAR:

Round One: January 12 & 13 - Ruapuna - including the NZ Grand Prix

Round Two: January 19 & 20 - Levels

Round Three: January 26 & 27 - Teretonga

Round Four: February 23 & 24 - Manfeild

Round Five: March 08 & 09 – Pukekohe – including the NZ TTs

It looks increasingly likely that this year’s New Zealand Supercross Championships will finish with Suzuki 1-2 in both the premier classes.

Team Suzuki leader Daryl Hurley was again untouchable as he swept all before him in the open class at Tokoroa on Saturday night.

Hawera’s Hurley (Suzuki RM-Z450) leads the open class from his Queenstown team-mate Scotty Columb (Suzuki RM-Z450), while dual-class ironman Columb (this time on the Suzuki RMZ-250) has a narrow one-point buffer over a third Suzuki team-mate, Luke Burkhart (Hawera, Suzuki RM-Z250), in the lites (small bike) class. 

Hurley is confident he can add the national open class supercross crown to the 500cc motocross title he picked up last November.

If he can achieve that -- and the odds strongly favour the 31-year-old Kiwi international -- then he would be the country’s best dirt bike rider this season in both the outdoor and stadium versions of the sport.

Hurley dominated at round one of the supercross series near Motueka a fortnight ago, winning all three races in the big bike class, and he has established a solid nine-point buffer over Columb.

He doubled that advantage to 18 points over his Suzuki team-mate Columb after the second of four rounds at Tokoroa on Saturday night.

Meanwhile, Columb also continues to have a fight on his hands in the lites class, where he remains locked in a battle with fellow Suzuki rider Burkhart.

Burkhart won the night at Tokoroa and sliced into Columb’s class lead, his advantage now just a solitary point as the series reaches the halfway point.

"The team is doing really well," said Hurley in classic understatement, modestly deflecting the spotlight away from his own personal glory.

But there’s no ignoring Hurley’s total dominance of the premier class.

"I am unbeaten so far in six open class races and it looks like the Suzuki team could finish 1-2 in both senior classes," he agreed.

Meanwhile, Burkhart said he was happy to have eaten into his team-mate’s lead in the lites class and acknowledges there is still a long way to go with two rounds remaining, at the TelstraClear Events Centre, Manukau, on February 16 and at Wanganui’s Cook’s Gardens on March 1.

"If I had won the last race, it would be me in the championship lead," lamented Burkhart afterwards. "But I’m happy with how my night went. I won the night (in the lites class, finishing 1-1-2) and gained some good points.

"With us two Suzuki riders finishing 1-2 in every race, it is hard to make up significant ground on Scotty (Columb).

"I feel good on the bike. My only frustration was making that mistake in the final race … but that’s racing."

Hurley, Burkhart, Columb and the crew of Team Suzuki thank their sponsors: Suzuki, Shift, Scott, Elf, Bridgestone, Asplundh, ilabb, Total Paints, PPG, DID, Tag Metals, Alpinestars Boots, Pro Circuit, One Industries, Trooper Helmets, Acerbis, E-Z up, JT Sprockets, Talon Hubs, Vortex Ignitions.

It could easily be a Suzuki 1-2 in both the main classes when this season’s New Zealand Supercross Championships wrap up in March.

But first, Team Suzuki leader Daryl Hurley needs to keep a close watch on his own men as they squabble between themselves over which of them will end up as the national No.1.

Hawera’s Hurley (Suzuki RM-Z450) leads the open class from his Queenstown team-mate Scotty Columb (Suzuki RM-Z450), while dual-class ironman Columb (this time on the Suzuki RMZ-250) has a narrow four-point buffer over a third Suzuki team-mate, Luke Burkhart (Hawera, Suzuki RM-Z250), in the Lites (small bike) class.

Hurley is confident he can add the national open class supercross crown to the 500cc motocross title he picked up last November. 

If he can achieve that -- and the odds strongly favour the 30-year-old Kiwi international -- then he would be the country’s best dirt bike rider this season in both the outdoor and stadium versions of the sport.

Hurley dominated at round one of the supercross series near Motueka a fortnight ago, winning all three races in the big bike class, and he has established a solid nine-point buffer over Columb.

"We’re just riding to do our best out there on the track. If any of the Team Suzuki members win a title, that’s just a bonus," said Hurley.

The next round is this Saturday night in the South Waikato forestry town of Tokoroa, using a popular purpose-built permanent track that has been in operation since 1989.

Round three on February 16 is set for the TelstraClear Events Centre in Manukau, with the fourth and final round at Wanganui’s Cook’s Gardens arena on March 1.

"No disrespect to the tracks at Motueka or Tokoroa but the Manukau event is just what this sport needs, taking supercross to a major population centre. It will be an untried circuit, freshly built and that won’t give anyone any advantage either.

"But these are the sorts of events we must produce to bring the sport to wider attention, in front of bigger crowds, and to sharpen up our young riders. It was being able to race supercross that earned me my factory slot in Australia. Manukau is going to be awesome."

Hurley previously won the national open class supercross title in 2001 and 2005.

He also won the national 125 class motocross title in 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2004 -- and, of course, he took the 500cc class title in November.

He is therefore on target this season to repeat his glorious double whammy of 2001 – when he last won titles in both the outdoors and stadium versions of the sport.

Meanwhile, Burkhart won the open class supercross crown last season and Columb is the defending Lites class supercross champion but this year they go head-to-head in the same class and there can be only one Lites winner.

World motocross No.3 Josh Coppins won all the Lites races at Motueka but he is not continuing with the series as he instead prepares for another campaign in Europe.

New Zealand Supercross Championships leading standings after round one:

Open class:

Nick Saunders (Taupo, Kawasaki) 58. 

Lites class:

Josh Coppins (Motueka, Yamaha) 75;

New Zealand Supercross Championships:

Round one: 6 January 2008, Motueka

Round two: 19 January 2008, Tokoroa

Round three: 16 February 2008, Manukau – TelstraClear Events Centre

Round four: 01 March 2008, Wanganui – Cook’s Gardens