SBK: NEW ZEALAND

Three-time Australian Superbike Champion Shawn Giles has set his sights on the New Zealand Superbike Championship.

Off the back of a highly successful season in which he tied on points for the Australian Superbike title, the Team Suzuki star rider will contest New Zealand’s premier road-racing series during the Australian off-season.

The intense five-round championship starts at Pukekohe on December 9th and wraps up on January 22nd at Ruapuna on New Zealand’s south island.

Giles will pilot a Suzuki New Zealand-supported GSX-R1000 Superbike prepared by his Australian Team Suzuki Team Manager and master tuner Phil Tainton.

“The GSX-R1000 is an absolute rocket; we’ve had a really strong season here in Australia and I think we should be very competitive,” said Giles.

“I’ve only ridden a few of these circuits before and I’m really looking forward to the challenge of new competitors and new tracks in New Zealand.

“This is the perfect way for me to keep myself sharp during the off-season; there’s no substitute for race miles and it will be fantastic preparation for the 2006 Australian series.”

Giles won his first Australian Superbike title in 2000 aboard the all-conquering Suzuki GSX-R750 before stepping up to the powerful Suzuki GSX-R1000 and taking successive victories in 2001 and 2002.


NEW ZEALAND SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP CALENDAR:

Round 1: Pukekohe (December 9-11).
Round 2: Manfield (December 16-1.
Round 3: Teretonga (January 6-.
Round 4: Timaru (January 13-15).
Round 5: Ruapuna (January 20-22).

Heavy rain on Saturday afternoon forced the opening race to be postponed until Sunday when all three races were squeezed into an action-packed schedule. Picking up where they left off in round one, the first race saw another Suzuki one-two-three with the leading trio finishing in their original championship order with Giles in third behind Ray Clee and leader Andrew Stroud.

A strong start in race two saw the Australian hero head the opening laps before being passed by Stroud. Giles came home behind Stroud and ahead of Scott Charlton.

The final nine-lap contest saw Giles rocket to the head of the field where he remained unchallenged until the chequered flag.

The third race witnessed yet another Suzuki whitewash with Clee and Stroud trailing Giles.

Giles: “In the first race there was only a very thin dry line and I ran a little wide coming on to the back section of the track - the track was so wet and slippery and that gave Andrew Stroud the opportunity he needed to get past me.

`Apparently the track at Ruapuna is quite similar to here at Timaru, so hopefully we can get a good set up again and have real shot at the title next week.”