The Road race story begins:

Once Nick was old enough to obtain his New Zealand motorcycle license, his father Graeme's road racing interest took hold and Nick was hooked. Nicks Road race career began at the age of 14 with a classic 350 Triumph from his father Graeme's CYCLE TORQUE stable.

Immediately apparent was Nick's natural talent and stepping up to a more competitive 3TA results soon followed. Within 12months Nick had acheived everything he could in the 350 Classic's - Not bad for a 15 year old!

A 125 Honda RS GP bike was the next mount, used for 12 months, with a steep learning curve and many valuable experiences taken on board.

During this time as the Wanganui Cemetery Circuit races did not cater for his Honda, after a 2 mile ride up a back road on a 'never ridden before' 3TA Nick went out in abysmal conditions and kicked butt on the day [against many seasoned campaigners] - this was the first sign to many 'in the know' of his natural talent and adaptability.

Nicks sizeable stature made the next logical step to a 'Modern 600', which brings us to current history in the making, astride a HAMILTON MOTORCYCLE CENTRE supported 2005 ZX6RR Kawasaki.

THE LATEST UPDATE 6/11/2005

Nick has just arrived back from racing at Phillip Island in Australia at the Moto GP. Nick made the NZ Oceania team and with 9 days notice got his bike on the plane to Australia all freshly painted.

It was an awesome experience for Nick, he qualified 24th in qualifying and then on the first warm up lap of the racing he fried his clutch so Friday night was frantic ringing around for a new one. Team Kawasaki released one to him on the Saturday so Nick managed to get the last race in where he was in 29th position sitting behind some riders and Nick being Nick rode around them on the grass and finished 18th. He was so excited and wanted more races so it's back to Phillip Island next year. He went to the GP Function after one of the riders where kind enough to invite the Kiwi boys along and he got to shake hands with Nicky Hayden so he was rapt.

On arriving back in NZ it was announced that Shaun Harris has named Nick for his team[TEAM DYNAMIC RACING]for the 2005/2006 season and Nick will be riding a Suzuki GSXR750 along with some american riders so all is looking upwards for Nick. He then received a letter saying that he is a Finalist for the Most Promising Newcomer{Road} Award Catergory fo the NZ Motorcycle Awards to be held on the 26th November 2005.So it's off to find a suit hire outfitter that has tuxedos in extremely tall sizing.

Coming up Nick has November 20th Auckland Club series Rd2,November 26th Awards evening, December 4th Pacific club series, Dec9/10/11th Rd1 Nationals at Pukekohe, December 17/18th Rd2 Nationals Manfield, Xmas Day/Boxing Day Wanganui Street Races, December 28th Taupo Racing,January 3rd -23rd will see Nick in the South Island with 6/7th Rd3 Teretonga,13/14th/15th Rd4 Levels, 20/21/22 Rd5 Ruapuna, then it's home again and get ready to change over to Classic racing for the Festival on February 10/11/12th at Pukekohe where Nick will race his 3TA as well as swing on the sidecar.Then it's back to the moderns for Paeroa Street Racing.More later....

NOVEMBER 20TH

Today was an interesting day in that Nick got to race the Suzuki GSXR750 prepared by Shaun Harris.The new team is to be called RICOH SUZUKI DEVELOPMENTS. Nick had some fierce racing in this class and managed to get into the low times not quite making that minute flat that he wanted. He came in 6th placing so was happy with that. He found the bike a little heavy in the front but nothing that an adjustable steering dampner won't fix. Most impresssed with the bike overall.

One the Kawasaki ZXRR600 he had some hot racing with Hayden Fitzgerald, which was so competitive Hayden knocked Nick out in the last race literally. Poor Hayden lost the front end and his bike cartwheeled then flew through the air hitting Nick and knocking him off the bike. One Honda looking totalled, one Kawasaki fixable and thankfully two riders walked away with nothing but bruising and the odd swelling here and there.Fortunately they are both friends and were able to commiserate with each other after the racing.So at this stage it looks like the boys took a 3rd and 4th placing as the race was stopped and the ambulance had to go out.

Both boys will be back at Puke in two weeks so look out for some fierce competition in this years Nationals as there is far more bikes and the pace has certainly hotted up.

December 31st 2005

Well the first round of the Nationals at Pukekohe saw the Kawasaki blow the head gasket and overheat. Nick managed to pick up a reasonable placing but the second race didn't have the bike together on time so went out in the restart only to get disqualified as he hadn't been in the original start of race. Our mistake as the commentator said it was a whole new race with warm up laps as well so as the previous start had only had one lap thought we were okay. Bike was brought home and stripped to find stretched valves and gasket needed replacing.750 Suzuki went well though so that was one good thing.

Manfield the following weekend saw Nick come 11th in the Superbikes on the 750 so that was pretty good then the super sport class Nick was flying but the race was cancelled after three laps due to Chris Perrin having a big smash and the riders not being able to see who was ahead of them as the rain was so heavy. Half points for that race. Next day Sam Smith, Hayden Fizgerald and Nick all came off on different parts of the track smashing their bikes up. It made us realise that they are still kids doing a mans job.

Wanganui Boxing Day street Races. Nick took just the 600 and was pipped on the last lap for third but was happy with his 4th placing and qualifying for the Robert Holden Race. Ahead of Nick were Craig Shirriffs, Derek McAdam and Troy ODonoghue and immediately behind was Adrew Stroud. The Robert Holden race he came 11th not too bad at all. The next 600 race got off to a flying start and Nick was again in third ahead of Andrew Stroud and when deciding to move up onto Derek and Craig the bike went into a false nuetral as Nick came over the hill his legs were in the air and he was heading for the wall of haybales. The bike bounced off the wall, landed on its tail end, bounced up into the air and hit Nick in the back. Nick walked away with a sprained ankle and bruising but the bike was bent. Never might while that is being repaired we are off to the South Island to do the last three rounds and when we arrive back on the 25th we have one weekend to put the bike back together then its the classic festival with the 3TA followed by Paeroa Street Racing with the 600 hopefully. Will let you know how he gets on with the 750 in the South island.

JANUARY 2006

Well the South Island trip was not too kind to Nick, after taking the 750 to Invercargill he raced at Teretonga which is a beautiful circuit placed in the wrong part of the country. It rained, Hailed and had gale force winds that blew riders of the track. Nick managed to qualify 10th and was 9th in his race. The second race he came off and the racing was called off due to the conditions and the rivers running across the track. Plenty of riders had fairings looking worse for wear and some bikes even worse.

Levels in Timaru was sunny and Shaun Harris Nicks Team owner decided to move Nick onto a 1000cc where he managed to qualify 11th and placed 13th and 12th in his races. The bike was not able to be set up to suit Nick totally so he placed his hopes on Ruapuna.

Ruapuna had a testing day on the Tuesday and Nick and Shaun worked together to sort the bike out for Nick. Come Friday and Nick was grining from ear to ear. He was throughly enjoying the bike. He qualified 11th but before the race started he was positve that he could go faster and he was the most excited we have seen him in a long time. Race day on Saturday started out with a slight drizzle and then came out sunny. The boys lined up and as the lights changed Nick gave it too much throttle and up came the front so it was make up time. Ruapuna is a big circuit so by the time they were heading for the second corner Nick was catching up with the first bunch. Unfortunately a rider in front braked hard early and there was no where for Nick to go except into the back of him. Shauns bike and Nick did several cartwheels through the air and the bike came back on the trailer looking like confetti. Nick did a trip to Christchurch hospital where they told him on release to buy a Lotto Ticket as they cannot believe he could be so lucky. He had a sprainned ankle and a hole slightly bigger than a 50 cent piece to the bone on his arm which required a few stitches. His helmet is stuffed and so are his leathers but man you are pleased he had such good gear on.THANKS MUST GO TO SHAUN HARRIS FOR ALL HE DID FOR NICK AND HIS SUPPORT TO NICK BOTH AT THE HOSPITAL AND AFTER.

February will see Nick take a step back for a while and compete at the NZ Classic Festival on his 3TA and also do Paeroa Street races on his Triumph. Then a small break for us to give the pockets time to recoup.

Pukekohe Classic Festival.

This was probably the best Festival in years. There was 400 bikes entered and 42 sidecars in one race. The biggest in the Southern Hemisphere.

We had 9x Triumph 3TA's entered and everyone of them performed well. Nick and Graeme battled it out for the first position and Graeme came in after the race with a big grin and said "Bloody Youth!!! You just can't catch them" One race had Graeme and Nick come up over the hill and then they literally elbowed each other to the finish line with Nick taking the win. The other memorable part of these races was Warren Marsh an old adversery of Graemes who is now in his 30's but was Nicks age when Graeme first started racing , Graeme and Warren had a good battle in the first race and Warren said later in the Night it was like the good old days racing against Graeme again and he was enjoying the glory of it all until they forgot about the" Baby" and next thing you know Nick passed them both and left them standing there. We had an Umbrella Girl for each of the3TA Bikes and the girls had across their boobs the words "Triumph Twins" - their little red tops and black shorts caused quite a stir especially amongst the male species. All in all it was a great weekend had by all and a classic shot taken for us to hang on the wall was Graeme and Nick racing so closely that in the photo it looks like they are riding a tandem bike. No wonder they go so fast. Roll on Paeroa.To finish the festival off on a high was to see Nick and Sam presented with a laminated poster each which showed various stages of their lives involved with racing from babies up till the present. They were absolutely awesome and I would like to Thank Ian McDonald for sending us a copy also.[If anybody wants and awesome piece of artwork for a poster contact Ian McDonald, 9 Butler Place,Whangarei, 09 4355223]

PAEROA STREET RACES

Paeroa turned on the sunshine as it usually does and the crowd was the biggest attendance they have ever had. It was packed. There were also a large increase in riders. The day went really well with only a few offs so the majority of riders went home happy.

Nick had a brillant day although with Post classics and junior classics together it was hard at times to work out his position. He was the first 350 home each time and was having so much fun that he managed to give me a wicked grin and wave to me as he went past. He was riding Graemes bike as he had blown his up the previous weekend and during practise he skimed the haybales as he went past and Graeme wagged his finger at him which of course had Nick teasing him when he came in and telling him he gets too nervous watching so he should be out there racing with him. [I agree.]

JULY 31 ST 2006

Nick has been having a much needed break from racing and both Nick and his brother Billy have been building drift cars to have some fun in. Nick had Graeme worried there for a bit as he was showing so much enthusisam towards the cars that we thought he might give up the bikes.

Well Nick has got the Kawasaki back out and taken it to the Manfield circuit for the 3rd round of the Victoria Clubs Winter round. He rang us after the first race and said "Whoa I can't believe how fast the bike is I had totally forgotten how quick it was and had to keep reminding myself to slow down" He had gone there with the attention of getting used to the bike again and having a good time. He went out for the second race and placed 5th and was very happy with that. So he arrived back in Hamilton with bike in one piece and a grin from ear to ear. He can't wait to go back next month. The bug has bitten again.

December 2006

Nick has been out of town working hard and saving hard as well. He has decided to stand on his own two feet and not empty out Mum and Dads pockets anymore. He will be at Wanganui Street races on Boxing day and is looking forward to racing in the Formula Two class. See you all there.

Thanks must go to Auckland Steel Blasters and Pirelli Tyres, Nationwide Accessories for helping Nick out with sponsorship towards this years racing season.

FEBRUARY 2007

Well we went to Wanganui for the Boxing Day Races and I must admit to being aprehensive at seeing Nick out there again but he had a really good time qualifying again for the Robert Holden Races so was pleased with that. He was two seconds down on his time from last year but after such a long break and the nerves settling down again he is looking forward to this seasons racing.

February 1st -4th saw us at Pukekohe with the team of Red Devils again. This year we had a couple of new guys to the scene and there was some great battles going on within the class between team members. Nick and Graeme battled it out as per usual at the front each claiming wins throughout the weekend. Nick once again won the Hugh Anderson Trophy and Graeme took out the series win. Jimmy Weaver one of the new guys did a tank slapper over the hill and ended up visiting Middlemore Hospital the next day due to a bone splinter from his knee pierceing a blood vessel so he is in plaster but looking forward to the next meeting. Brian Dawson had his first win in the graded scratch class which saw many a red shirt jumping up and down urging him on to the chequered flag. The Brollie dollies were very popular with the team Norton boys trying to con them that yellow bikes with the word Norton on them was the same as red bikes with Triumph!!!!!!! The girls may be mainly blondes but have several masters and various university degrees between them so they didn't fall for that one. Thanks to Brooke Hayward for supplying all the girls once again. Nick was probably the most relaxed of the Red Devil Team as he managed to sit up and wave to Graeme as he rode past him to take the chequered flag.

The theme this year was to celebrate the 100 years of the Isle of Man TT which saw several famous TT riders and their bikes participating and Graeme got the pleasure of taking Harry Lowe out on his Matchless sidecar. Harry raced in the Isle of Man in the fifties. He loved every minute of it.

October 2007

RED DEVIL RACING EXPANDS

The Red Devil racing team that came about from Graeme building a 3TA for Nick and himself has now expanded into 15 little red 3TA's out there. This has also lead to the" Modern" version being started this year consisting of Nick, James McKay and Adam Chambers.We also have Ray Hayward as Team Manager and Darren Wheeler as mechanic.

The team is sponsored by Swann Insurance(Major sponsors)with Kawasaki, Auckland Steel Blasters, Cycle Torque, Clive Chalets,Nationwide Accessories- Pirelli, KBC Helmets,Chain, Oil etc and Motomail also looking after the team.

The bikes will be easy to spot with the Classic Team all in red and our modern team in Kawasaki green, white and black with a large Red Devil emblem. The Modern team will have the riders in Kawasaki green leathers with a large Red Devil emblem on their backs.

The boys have been doing the winter series of the Vic club and all having a successful time in this series whether it be in the results or sorting out problems so that the bikes are ready for the Nationals which start this year in January in the south island.James and Adam have taken their 125's to Phillip island for the Moto Gp this weekend so wixhing them good luck

So look out for these guys, they have already been popping up in Megaphone, Bike Rider Magazine and the local Hamilton Press. I will post more news as it comes to hand.

2008 Nationals

I have pasted the report that Ray sent to our sponsors and supporters during our trip away.

National Super Bike Red Devil challenge.

Day1 Sunday, (South bound).
With the bus loaded as far as it could be with 2 600’s, 2 125’s nearly 60 tyres, two easi ups, bedding, race gear, tools and food (well you get the picture) there isn’t enough room to get in the side door. The four (Rosanna, Graeme, James and Ray) of us set off around 3:00pm to get as far as we could before dark. Follow up vehicles were being brought by Nick and Adam and I think these will be needed to help spread the heavy load.
The first major stop was Waiuru for dinner at Subway then down to the Ohingaiti Hotel for a quick beer. As darkness descended it was a quick trip up the road to the reserve at Vinegar Hill and a quiet spot beside the Rangitiki River. With no room in the bus it was out with foam mattresses onto the grass and the rum came out to help deter the attack of the mossy’s with Graeme showing great early form consuming said repellent.
Morning broke with the more pork’s calling, the wood pigeons flapping around and the pheasants making a racket, yip 5:30am and it’s time to get up.
A bit of stone skimming a swim in the river for the brave and back for the very lite breakfast before it was time to move on.
Amazingly enough Adam (& brother Kurt), Paul & Linda plus Nick & Rachel all turned up at the ferry terminal at the same time we did, the team is now complete.

Once at Picton we had a quick reshuffle of the vehicle loads, dumping some tyres into the spare space in the vans obtaining a bit of space in the bus, man was that a relief. The journey continued down the Kaikoura Coast battling against the strong wind was a struggle.
The camping spot was found next to the Hurunui River and the search for firewood began. With the camp fire raging unbelievable a we received a text from Christchurch telling us the weather had turned for the worst and at that point the wind picked up, the easi up was out of control and I had fears the fire would quickly spread through the dry Canterbury plains. We quickly shifted camp slightly inland to a more sheltered spot.

Tuesday 8th (track time)
We were greeted with lite rain on Tuesday morning and the discussion centred around missing practise if it was too wet and to see how the weather was on Thursday. After the short drive to Christchurch the weather improved and soon enough the bikes were out of the bus, the easi up was in place and everyone was busy with the pre race bike checks.
Let the racing begin, one year of planning and here we are attending practise at Ruapuna Park.
The build up of energy was released by the 3 riders, man were they pleased to get out on the track and their times steadily improved with some great rides.
With temperatures around 28 degrees with no wind this practise was certainly a test and care was taken to ensure the water intake was kept up.
Soon enough practice day ground to a halt and with the pit area packed up it was off to Les and Lee’s (Best of British, Christchurch fame) for the night.
The practise day at the track had gone very well with all 3 riders settling into their business very quickly. The practise sessions were a full half hour so there was plenty of time for track familiarization and the checking or experimenting of race lines. This was the first time all three riders and bikes had been together and I must say the bikes looked real good and the leathers brilliant.

The sight of the team in the pits certainly made you feel proud to be associated with this team, bring on Friday really.
That evening we called the first ‘team meeting and set the ground rules for the tour, I asked each rider to write their goals for the Championship down and seal them in an envelope, these envelopes will be opened at Pukekohe after the final round when clearly we will know where each team member has finished.

Wednesday was a relaxing day with a bus tour of the Port Hills and down town Christchurch, a day of relaxation.
Thursday it was out to the track, peg out a spot for the weekend and chat to the many other competitors floating about.
We were informed of a meet the riders evening at Tuskers Bar in down town Christchurch so we loaded in a couple of bikes and headed off to town. It wasn’t a bad evening talking with members of the public who were passing the bar and spotted the various race bikes out on the footpath.
This was a great opportunity and promotion for the Championship, the sponsors and the Red Devil Race team.

Friday 11th (practise day).
Blue skies, lite winds and about 24 degrees, a great Canterbury day.
Riders brief indicated we were in for four 10 minutes practise rounds.
It was a busy day with about 200 bikes getting out on the track.
Nick was first out on the 600 and after the front suspension changes from the previous day was immediately onto the pace he finished with on Tuesday.
He was looking smooth which gave the team a great deal of confidence.
James and Adam were out next on the 125’s and likewise dropped straight into a good pace.
Ten minute practises really only allowed 4 to 5 laps and if you were late out possibly only 3 laps. By the end of the 4th practise Nick was down to 1:36’s a good 2 second increase during the day. As it turned out in discussions late in the day we discovered Nick was actually second fastest in the field to Dennis Sharlett.on a Suzuki. James improved possible the most out of all three with running 1:46’s earlier on to a final time of 1:43:28 on the last lap of the 4th practise session. This time is a good 3 seconds faster than his qualifying time of 2006. Adam was the same with an earlier of 1:46 to the mid 1:44’s. There isn’t much between the 125 field and I would say tomorrow those with a good start will be difficult to drag in.
Some interesting comments during the day from various other competitors and members of the public as to the very professional image of the team and how well presented the bikes were. This was really pleasing to hear after all he hard set up work.

Saturday 12th (race day #1)
Well here we are, riders brief at 8:30am and its all go.
Two 125 qualifying rounds today and one race and Nick having all qualifying rounds. The early weather forecast indicated we were in for a hot one. The first round of 125 qualifying proved to be the best with both Adam and James breaking the 1min:43’s. The second round the temperature had
increased to the 34.5 degrees in the shade and this slowed the track times and caused a whole set of new bike set up problems and handling issues.
The track temperature today was 44.5 degrees, very warm.
James ended up on pole with Adam beside him #2, this was a great result or team Red Devils. It was still very hot when Nick was due to qualify and after being second fastest at practise his final result was a very credible 7th on the grid which is the second row.
Race one for the 125’s was run in the heat of the day, James on pole got a shocker start and slipped back immediately to 3rd or 4th. Adam had the better start settling into 2nd place for the first few laps. However both riders slowly and slipped back through the field as they did not adjust well to the heat and slippery track. James high sided coming out of the dipper (a spot that had already claimed a number of riders this week) and was unable to continue. Adam continued to the finish but only managed a 6th place. On returning to the pit area there was a bit of damage to James bike and it was all hands on deck.
Graeme was busy working on Nick’s bike trying to get the engine temperature down. Eventually it was just too dark to continue and we packed the tools away around 10:30pm.

Sunday 2nd Race day (mounting pressure)
It was a bit cooler this morning today at 24 degrees earlier on.
There was a slight southerly blowing, the track temperature was lower.
Nick was out first in his race getting a good start from the second row being 7th into turn one. The race was red flagged with a 12 lap restart. This was a great battle with Nick coming in 5th. Everyone was really excited in the pits and confidence was high.
The 125’s were next, both riders got a good start but as the race went on both again drifted back into the pack. Adam earlier on in 2nd place was forced off the track in turn one and had to pick himself up brush the dirt off and continued on to finish 10th, James battling his way through to 6th.
Race 2 for Nick was an awesome battle; again the race was red flagged with a full restart. Nick after following the same bike the entire race managed to get by on the last lap and finished 4th in the race. This was a real buzz for the team we were all pretty proud of his ride, a lot of supporters ended up in the pit area congratulating him. The second 125 event was our last for the day, both riders were pretty frustrated and keen to improve. Both got reasonable good starts but were slightly off the pace and drifted back in the pack. The best ride came from Adam with 6th place and James in 7th.
The good thing is they have points on the board but we have some work to do with the 125’s to get the pace up, plenty of time Levels next weekend as the circus rolls on.

Wednesday16th (Levels track practise).
Another hot day now in South Canterbury and our first look at the Levels track. The fields were all mixed up and you could come and go as much as you liked. All the riders purchased a half day hire. Nick shot out on Graeme’s 125 to warm it up and after a lap or two the little bike seized. Soon Nick was out on the 600 and fitted straight back into lap times following on from Ruapuna. Adam and James seemed to apply themselves well possibly after their disappointment at Ruapuna. The day went well Nick down to the high 1:08’s on the odd lap and Adam running at 1:14’s on the 125. James was disappointed we had not put the stop watch on him as he claimed he was running 1:10. Under pressure James jumped back on the bike and I grabbed the stop watch but the track closed (well timed James indeed).
It has to be left to the official practise day on Friday now.
That evening we called a team meeting to discuss the progress team progress to date. We raised concerns that really we are one fifth of the way through this championship and with poor start for the 125’s we need to pull out their best here at Levels before the championship leaders get to far way on the points table. It was a positive 2 hour meeting where a number of individuals shared an opinions but now really it is up to the 125 guys to lift.

Thursday (free day).
It was really nice to sleep in and have time just to muck around. Graeme and I got up early and went for a two hour walk around Timaru. We discovered quickly that the locals are really friendly, we dropped into the local museum to research some ruins we found on the water front whilst walking. Some interesting history in this town especially around the maritime industry. On the way back to the camp we drove past some huge old houses that look fairly old, more great history from the area. Late in the afternoon the wind got up so we had to shoot up to the track to drop the two easi ups we had left there, just in time as well before the blew away.

Friday 18th (Official practise)
We awoke at 6;00am to the sound of rain drops on the roof, a quick look outside confirmed our concern, yep it is very cloudy, no wind and continuous rain. The group slowly gathered from all the camp site units to discuss the days action plan. It was agreed to head to the track set up the pit area and wait.
The bikes were all cleaned and the a few photo’s taken as the set up looked really good.
The tyre changing commenced, wets went on with tyre warmers, stayed on for 2 or so hours then the wets came off and slicks back on. It was now fine enough to practise.
Nick was out first and straight into business circulating where he left off on Wednesday.
Adam and James went out and likewise settled into a quicker pace than earlier.
By the end of the practise Nick had completed a 1:08 flat (Andrew Stroud on a Super Bike was doing 1:06’s). The 125’s were down to the 1;13’sm a PB for James at Levels but still room to improve for Adam. By the time we were ready to pack up all the clouds had blown away and the sun was out in full force.
Bring on the racing the boys are ready.

Saturday 19th (race day) and the day my administration assistant at work gets married.
As anticipate the weather had improved, the sun was out and the sky was blue.
We were keen to get to the track and start the day. Two qualifying rounds for the 125’s today and one for the 600’s.
Nicks practises continued to improved with real consistent times in the 1:80’s. The pressure was mounting for the 125’s and both responded. After the first qualifying round Adam was 2nd and James 4th on the grid settings, this was a good first up result. The second round James had some bad luck and split his barrel right around the base. He was very lucky that more damage was not done and also that he was not spat off. It was all hands on deck with old broken 125 bits going everywhere. James had a spare barrel and piston and half an hour latter the bike was back together and ready for the first race. Unfortunately he slipped from 4th to 6th on the grid with Adam moving to 3rd place. Race 1 for the 125’s was a beaut with Adam getting the hole shot and first to turn one, James was again blocked heading into turn 1 and lost ground. Adam did not have the top speed down the long Levels straight was overtaken. James was in 6th place and was riding well on a bike that we really didn’t know if it was going to hold together or not.
Final result was Adam 3rd and James 6thm great results in a very good race where positions changed place on a regular basis.
Nick had qualifying this afternoon and had been riding well all day with consistent times in the 1:08’s.
His final grid position was 5th which was a good 2 position improvement since Ruapuna and is very fired up for tomorrows racing.

Sunday 20th (2nd race day)
The second day in a row in Timaru with brilliant sun shine earlier on it certainly looked like it was going to be a hot one.
Out to the track early again to set up camp and to ponder over bike adjustments.
8:40am was riders briefing then straight into the tyre scrub rounds.
Soon enough Nick was out for race 1 a 15 lap event. Nick did not get away as well as normal but rode like a demon and worked his way up to 5th. The earlier laps were in the 1:07’s which was nearly a full second quicker than Nick ad ridden all through practise.
Next up were the 125’s and what a race. Adam getting the hole shot again but relinquished the lead to Cameron Jones (man this little fella looks good on a bike). In the same race James did not get away well and had to fight hard throughout the event. Final results were Adam 2nd and James 5th. With Adam running in the 1:11 range which was brilliant riding.
After the lunch break it was the second round for the day.
Nick out on the 600 this time got a really good start and rode very well trying to hang onto the front bunch of riders.
Nick did his fastest lap in this race which I think was a flat 1:07 which was awesome, Nick finished 5th again very close to Jay Laurence with over a 12 second gap behind him to the Yamaha in 6th place. Nick we think is now in 5th place overall.
Race two for the 125’s did not go so well. Adam again got the hole shot but again did not have to top end down the back straight and was swallowed up by a group of bikes. He was also having problems with grip heading into the back straight
Having to button off so he did not high side. In the same race James got a better start but his replacement barrel just doesn’t have the top speed of the old one and he had to ride very hard to stay in contact.
Adam finished 4th and James 10th, this now put Adam in 3rd position in the championship but presently we are not sure where James is placed.
Prize giving that night Adam received the prize for 3rd in the 125 section missing out on second by a few points.
This was a big buzz as it was the ‘Devils’ first podium so it indeed cause for celebration (the less said about that the better), Another great day at the track, two rounds down one to go.

Monday 21st (on da road again)..
There were a few sore heads when we awoke Monday morning with the bulk of the team finally getting to bed around 3:00am it was a good blow out after a tough weekend at the track.
Darrin was jumping on his bike and heading for the West Coast, the two vans are heading to Dunedin and das bus was loaded and heading for Alexandra. I drove through the Lindis pass and man what challenge it was a long hot grid and everyone was really happy when we arrived at Tarras so we could stretch the legs and grab another coffee. Heading past Clyde we had the local law behind us and he was concerned about the roll of the bus in the corners. We thought this was a bit odd as he bus was really stable through those roads. However after talking as fast as we could we just could not talk him around and it was off to the weigh bridge and at that point we new we were buggered.
The fine was imposed which we accepted graciously offering another donut as a gift signalling the level of appreciation.
We stayed the night at my sisters property and Graeme and Rosanna enjoyed the tour of their Log home.
It was great to shower shave and have a good nights sleep.

Tuesday 22nd (Kingston flyer day for Mr Cole).
Well they recon it doesn’t rain in the Central Otago region during the summer but this morning it is certainly raining.
As the day progressed the wind got up and the rain continued.
We headed up to the top of the lake to Kingston and we all headed off for a ride on the Kingston flyer and what a trip it was. The1hour 30 minute trip on the steam train was awesome and we learnt a couple of things. The turn table the train is turned on the 88 ton engine is turned by hand, the two engine operators really only just get the turn table moving and around it goes. Our trip continued up through Lumston and Winton before arriving at Invercargill very late in the afternoon. We found a fish and chip shop then headed out to Oreti Beach (Burt Munroe county) to observe the scene of many beach races and man was it still blowing a gale, but it was great to be here indeed.

Wednesday (rest day, your Bluffing!).
We all got a sleep in today which was well appreciated but guess what yip it is still raining and the wind is picking up.
After the morning walk we all headed into town to find the shop where Burt’s bikes are on display.
This shop was just full of old machinery in amongst the new stuff on sale, the harder you looked the more you found.
Burt’s Indian was there plus another one and one of his Velocette and we all enjoyed looking at them and checking out his engineering skills. Whilst we were there we spotted a bunch of chains, cogs, old oil and springs and it turned out to be a home made petrol motor. The motor took 18mths to build and was built from gear that was only in this guys shed it had a wooded con rod, tap as a carb and a pot as a petrol tank. You wouldn’t believe this but the guy in the shop offered to fire it up and after Hairy used his finger to choke the tap the guy spun the crank and it puttered into life.
Next it was out to Bluff and we dropped off the rock we had carted from the river at Vinegar Hill and picked on up to take back to the Waikato. The view was not that good as the rain threatened and the wind was at full force you certainly would not want to have gone fishing.

Thursday 24th (practise day).
The day dawned fine but that bloody wind is still here so who knows what the weather will end up doing.
We have quickly learnt that you can get all the seasons in one hour.
The practise sessions was good, $50:00 all day so the guys decided to make the best of it and flowed into lap after lap of practise. Things were starting to look real good. Nick circulating around the 1:03s’, James out in the first practise doing better times than his racing here the previous season evening clocking in a high 1:06. Adam went out in the earlier session on the spare 600 and return with a huge grin on his face. Adams 125 times weren’t up to his normal standard so the bike came apart to discover the head was cracked and was immediately discarded.
The highlight of entertainment was Ray out for a spin on Nicks 600 then James 125, completely different bikes but both really good fun. At the end of the day James decided he needed to replace the piston and barrel after doing his best times ever at Teretonga so it was tools out to just before dark completing the change over. A quick spin up the road in true Burt Munroe fashion the new piston is now run in.

Friday 25th (official practise).
At the track early enough this morning getting the pit area set up and tied down as the weather was still looking like any minute the heavens were going to dump on us. The wind still hasn’t gone away either go the tie downs were again used to strap the easi ups to the bus. Before riders briefing the rain started to fall (what a surprise) but in good Southland form the rain left as fast as it arrived. The day rolled on with the practise sessions coming and going and the times slowly decreasing in some areas and extending in others.
Nick got down to the low 1:02’s, James circulated in the low 1:07’s and Adam around the 1:08’s (still now doing battle with his rear suspension). One of the highlights was Adam pushing the 125 back to the pits (oh no I hear you say!)
But after close inspection it was discovered that he had run out of gas and his brother Kurt chastised for getting it totally wrong, poor bugger but as you know you make the best of it and certainly we did not let him off the hook easily.
The late sessions today in the day caused a bit of grief, Sam Smith the first to fall off in turn 1 (rumour has it he broke his wrist) then the very next session the same corner another rider fell this time things looked a little more serious.
Out for the final rounds of the day then pack up of the gear.

Saturday 26th (qualifying day atTeretonga)
The team was up early today keen to get to the track (yeh right!), 3 weeks on the road are starting to have an effect and some of the guys are starting to feel the pressure.
Today the Invercargill weather has really played it party, blue sky’s and no wind.
Set up at the track did not take long but we had to seriously debate the power issue with the coffee stand guy who was trying to mussel in on our 3 phase outlet.
We are well versed in the practise order now as it hasn’t changed over all 3 rounds to date. Nick out early on old tyres was straight onto the pace dropping to the low 1:02’s and looking very smooth.
Adam and James had two qualifying rounds today and one race. It was a bit of a sea saw really with James going well then Adam going well. Adam taking the early form with consistent times in the 1:06’s, no other 125 rider was circulating with such low times so confidence was building, James at the same seemed to be struggling and only managing low 1:07s but he stayed out on the track trying so long that e ran out of gas. However the second qualifying session was a real thriller as the pressure mounted, pit boards were flying over the pit wall, arms waving in a panic to hurry up and James pulls a flyer out of the bag at first I thought I had stuffed up the stopwatch timing as my record showed a 1:0588m the electronic timing showed a 1:0584 (great effort James). No other 125 rider was in the 1:05’s.
The final qualifying results for the 125s was James on pole again and Adam on 4thm both on the front row…outstanding.
For Nicks last qualify they decided to put on new tyres to see what surprises would pop out and Nick did not disappoint anybody with his best time being a low 1:04 which qualified him in 4th position and on the front row of the grid.
The 125s had their first race this afternoon and this was nail biting indeed. Adam got the hole shot and lead the race into turn 1m James got a good start and was sitting around 3rd or 4th, The mid pack guys we all fast and progress for James was difficult when about half way through the race he push too hard at the hair pin and tumbled off the track To James credit he picked up the bike and continued, unfortunately now in last position. Adam in the mean time stretched out a small lead and was circulating well. When the white flag popped out the chasing packed really stepped up and caught Adam, one passing him in turn one which he took back more or less immediately. One corner and a straight to go and Adam was still in the lead but he ran slightly too hot into the corner and lost some drive which result in 3 bikes crossing the line all with a meter or so between them and Adam got relegated to 3rd position what a race the pit wall went wild.
Minor repairs to James’s bike back in the pits and it is ready to rock and roll again.
Bring on Sunday really everyone in the pit was buzzing and keen to get amongst it especially in the 600’s.
I must admit I was shot this afternoon and by the time we had cleaned up it was nearing 6:30pmm she’s a killer all day being on the go and when the pressures off you just about collapse, man this is hard work.

Sunday 27th (full on race day and our last in the South Island).
They say the highs in motor racing are very and the lows are very, let me tell you we partially were exposed to this today in what we could term a tough day at the office.
The day started with great promise and confidence was very high, the 125 boys certainly keen to right yesterdays wrongs. Two races each today with one 3 lap tyre scrub.
First out was Nick on the 600 and got a great start from the front row holding his position and rode really well being past late in the 15 lap event by one of the Americans on a Burnard Yamaha’s. A 5th place finish was awesome in this race and we were very pleased to be well in front of Jay Laurence at the finish.
Race 2 for the 125’s was another close affair, Adam being in second place for the entire race until the last lap when on the final corner whilst in front was taken out by the overtaking rider (well certainly in our view) and guess what, the guy that took him out was the same guy that rammed him off the track at Ruapuna. To Adams credit he picked up the bike as continued still finishing in the points but further down in the field, it was an achievement as Adam did not realise he actually had no brakes. James in the same race got off to a good start and was riding hard but slipped back into the chasing pack finishing mid field. The incident with Adam caused a fair bit of anger in the camp so we took our protest to the MNZ steward and lodged an official complaint.
Nicks second race was awesome, placed second at the start he held this position well probably for 8 or so laps before one the Yamaha’s got by and he slipped into the chasing pack. Heading around turn 1 Jay past Nick who immediately passed him back only to loose the rear end and have a high speed slide down the track and onto the grass. Nick picked up the bike restarted it and continued to race with no clutch lever or foot peg.
The second 125 race was another tight affair. Both riders got good starts and Adam managed to hold onto the lead pack and James in the second group. Both rode well but were unable to improve their positions with Adam finishing 5th and James 9th or so.
Some really good points came out of this round 3 event, James set the fastest 125 lap time and got on pole but was unable to repeat the it, Nick got onto the front row of the grid and rode really well in both races but particularly race 2 when he was running second for so long (that raised some eye brows and was mentioned at prise giving). All three rides showed a lot of courage and determination, we didn’t have any DNF’s although all 3 fell at some point so I take my hat off to them.
Next step is to lift our game on our home tracks and take it too these guys.

Monday 28th (the big road trip home).

Pukekohe 2008 February 8th /9th /10th

Well it was the turn of our Classic Red Devils to fly the flag at Pukekohe on the weekend.

The NZ Classic Motorcycle Racing Register reserved us our own spot in the pits and we setup ready for racing.

In every race we were entered in our Red Devils came in the top placings.
The first race of the day saw three classes race with in one race making a total of 49 racers. Race 15 was the first race for us. See results below.

At Prize giving we also managed to take home our share of the silverware with James taking The Hugh Anderson Tropy for Clubmans - a trophy Nick and Graeme Cole have held for several years now before moving to the Modified section this year. Nick took the Modified class as well as the tropy for Besst Performance by a rider on a Pre 63 Overhead valve Machine.
The Championship series which runs through out the year which some of our riders have missed due to racing at Modern meetings was still taken out by the Red Devils. The Modified section saw:
Chris Hyland 1st
Ray Hayward 2nd
Rob Chappell3rd
Clubmans
Graeme Lancster 2nd
Junior
Matt Hayward 1st

Adam Chambers was also racing this weekend although not on a Red Devil bike but a 250NSU belong to one of his township members. Adam managed 2nd in his race and still proudly wore his Red Devil shirt to prizegiving.

Results for the weekends races:
Race 15.
Modified section:
Nick Cole 1st
Chris Hyland 2nd
Graeme Cole 3rd
Noel Howe 4th
Graeme Lancaster 5th
Ray Hayward 6th
Rob Chappell 7th
Byran Dawson 8th
Geoff Long 9th
Stephen Jones 10th
Shane Borrell 11th

Clubmans section:
James McKay 1st
Graeme Lancaster 2nd
Matthew Hayward 17th
Bruce Hodge 18th

Postclassics : We are not entered in that class

After that race we were divided up into many races as they are Graded scratch races were you race against others of similar time which usually sees Graeme, Nick and Chris against the big Open and Modified class bikes like 1972 750 Norton Commandos, 1972 750 Triumph Bonnevilles and 1970 900 Harley Davidson XRTT but they may be on 1962 350 Triumphs but that dosen't stop them.

Race 30:
Noel Howe 1st
Bryan Dawson 6th
Geoff Long 7th
Stephen Jones 11th
Shane Borell 15th

Race 33
Nick Cole 3rd ( photo finish against two Manx Nortons)
James McKay 5th

Race 31
Graeme Lancaster 6th
Ray Hayward 7th
Rob Chappell 8th

Race 45
Modified class:
Nick Cole 1st
Noel Howe 2nd
Ray Hayward 3rd
Rob Chappell 4th
Bryan Dawson 5th
Geoff Long 6th
Stephen Jones 7th
Shane Borrell 8th

Clubmans class:
James McKay 1st
Graeme Lancaster 7th
Matt Hayward 17th
Bruce Hodge 18th

Race 50 All Comers Invitation race
Nick Cole 2nd
Rob Chappell 8th
Noel Howe 9th
Ray Hayward 10th
Geoff Long 14th
Matt Hayward 19th

There was some amusing sights with Nick Cole coming alongside James and patting him on the bum going hurry up!! Nick also swung his long legs out at Dave the flag man making him leap backwards into Dicks arms.
Ray Gritting his teeth so hard as came up behind Noel to slip past determined to beat him and the photo shot looks like he is grinning like a chersire cat. One of the Umbrella girls who shall remain nameless as her dad is staunch Triumph but she stood beside and Ariel thinking it was one of our Triumphs. (It was red and she is blonde)

The only low was Chris crashing in Castrol where he lost the front end unfortunately. There was a big cloud of dust and all you could see was Chris feet in the air as his bike cartwheeled along. His bike is always beautifully prepared and now it is rather bend.

No Paeroa this weekend but we will be at Manfield 22nd -24th.

Just to give you a quick update on round held at the Manfield track this past weekend.

Round 4 (we need dat ting Jimmy Weafer has to make us go faster).

Friday the 22nd the team less the team manager turned up for official practise.

Judging from the early phone calls from Graeme things were going ok but not brilliant.

Terry Prangle joined us in the pits for this round to help out on Nicks 600.

The earlier sessions were used to reconfirm race and breaking lines that had been covered up with a part resealing of the track. This resealing caused a few riders some concern especially in the last turn onto the front straight where it appeared rippled somewhat right on the exit line.

Matt and I arrived late Friday night in time to attend a days de brief at the Irish Bar in town. By the time we finished the de brief we discovered that the track was fully locked up so we had to jump the fence to get back into the pits.

Nothing like sleeping with the smell of race fuel and motor bikes.

Saturday 23rd.

A big day today with two qualifying rounds for the James and Adam on the 125s and one 9 lap race.

Nick had one two practise rounds on the 600 and 1 qualifying ride.

Round 1 of qualifying for the 125’s saw James ride in a 1:158min lap, which set a provisional pole position (nobody else at that point was anywhere near the 1:15 second range).

Nick continued to circulate well in his practise rounds steadily decreasing the times.

Second qualifying for the 125’s was a ripper with James throwing in three rounds in the 1:15sec area.

Final wash was James lost pole by a hairs breath so was #2 with Adam relegated to 9th (a position he was not happy with).

Race 1 for the 125s.

Adam got a flyer from the 3rd row and pulled into 3rd position behind James in 2nd who also got a great start.

By lap 4 Adam was experiencing front fork chatter that was very concerning and retired. James battled hard holding off a determined pack behind him until the second to last lap Kenneth (Yamaha) rode under him at the hairpin to take second. Third place was a very good result for James in the final outcome.

Qualifying for the 600 was next.

This was a stop start affair with really no rhythm and Nick was disappointed with his final grid position of 7th.

Sunday 24th (we really now need dat ‘go faster ting’ Jimmy Weafer has).

Tyre scrubs were first up for all classes.

Adam was disappointed after his session as that chattering in the front end is still prevalent.

Race 1 for the 600 (15 laps).

Nick was first up for the team this morning in his first race of the weekend.

He got a flyer of a start moving to 4th by the end of turn one. He held this position for six or so laps but as he came out of the hairpin the Kawasaki jammed in 1st gear. This disappointed everyone as there was a good gap back to the next guys in the field. Graeme and Terry set to getting the broken selector out and replace. Neil from Hamilton Motorcycles turned up just in time to assist, his help was greatly appreciated.

Due to a major oil spill from the sidecar event the 125’s next race was delayed.

But I tell you once they got on the track what a ripper of a race. I recon I aged 10 years on the pit wall and had to force myself to watch the final lap. James in one move in turn one went from 6th to 3rd place, I think he forgot to brake but man did it look good. Everyone was a buzz after this real exciting race with James finishing 4th and Adam pleased to get out on the track and circulating I think finished 6th. There was certainly no room for the faint hearted in this event.

Second 600 race (20 laps).

20 laps around Manfield is a long way and we were lucky that clouds had rolled in and it wasn’t too hot.

Nick got a good start and battled to 4th place early in the race, the chasing pack was right behind him but he held this until the 11th lap when the race was red flagged (2 bikes down).

After a lengthy wait in pit lane the restart was announced, 10 lap race with one warm up.

Nick didn’t get away as well this time but battled hard and worked his way up to 5th before running off at Higgins.

This triggered the old ‘oh no what’s wrong with the bike’, coming down the front straight again he ran off narrowly missing a disastrous coming together with the tyre wall. No doubt something is wrong as Nick circulated to finish the race. It turned out the front brake had decided operate correctly and when Nick the front brake he said the bike seemed to speed up, scary stuff I recon. I am not sure of the final result but the final position was taken from both averaging both races.

The final event of the day the 3rd 125 race.

This event saw James and Adam both get good starts again, Adam getting the better start but could not hold the position.

This was another awesome race with the ride of the day really coming from Kenneth who rode down Jason Easton to pass him on the last lap for an awesome victory.

James rode well riding in the next bunch to finally 4th, Adam was still slightly off the pace all the race and finished 6th or 7th.

No need to head to prize giving tonight as our best finish for the weekend was James just being pipped for 3rd and ended 4th.

Although the results this weekend did not end up in our favour we certainly got great coverage from the race commentators with the team and the riders all being mentioned at length.

Pack up time again and the rain that has been threatening most of the afternoon has arrived.

Only a 5 or so hour drive home tonight, that’s pretty good considering what we did in the south Island.

One round to go that’s Pukekohe and lets hope the home circuit brings in the results.

LAST ROUND OF THE NATIONALS Below is a summary of the last round at Pukekohe, please enjoy reading the brief, if you want the full copy now 8 pages long let me know and I send it through. Round 5 at Pukekohe (and really it’s now or never). Once again due to work commitments I could not assist at the Friday practise day. Matt and I rode up Friday night after dinner to join the team. On arrival we spotted our favourite supporter Mr Les (previously mentioned from Best of British ChCh) who had flown up to watch the last round. Talk in the pits was of a smooth practise for Nick getting down to close to a minute flat and with James and Adam both riding well. The practise was cut short due to a blown motor on the back straight spreading a fair bit of oil about. We were still in the middle of the days de brief when Rosanna indicated it was 1:00am, right meeting closed and off to bed amongst the bikes. Saturday 8th March. What a morning, Terry turned up to help once again, the sky was blue and the boys had their minds on the job with everyone buzzing around doing all the preparation jobs which are now automatic. The 125’s have their two qualifying rounds and one race today with Nick having two practise rounds and one qualifying round. First round of the 125 qualifying saw James take a provision pole position with Adam presently positioned 7th. Nicks practises were going well with about 5 bikes all within half a second of each other (this will be very tight indeed). The second 125 qualifying round saw James drop to 4th position. He had 3 other bikes follow him around the track and on lap 8 when James did his best lap so did they. Final qualifying saw Adam 3rd and James 4th on the grid, still good positions. Nicks second practise was more of the same consistent times but he was unable to break the 1:00 minute mark and looking good. Qualifying for Nick was awesome with him pulling out his fastest time of the weekend to date a 1:03 which qualified him 5th on the grid, a great result really. The last event for the day for us was the 125 race 1. Both Adam and James got average starts but unfortunately there was a bad fall at Castrol and the race was red flagged. The two Yamaha’s tangled together and Kenneth Jones was taken to hospital. The restart worked in our favour with both riders getting off the mark well. The led changed at least twice a lap and at one stage the green bikes were 1st and 2nd. James got a jump on the bunch with a lap or two to go and held that position to the finish. Adam battled hard but finished close by in 4th position. Very quickly the points table popped out and the calculators were in action to see what points were needed to beat various riders. Man this is going to be close and real exciting. Sunday morning (final race day of this challenge). It is another beauty at Puke indeed. Today we are straight into the business, one tyre scrub each and two races. There was absolutely no mucking around today the spanners were out very early on the bikes with everyone looking for the little edge, take no prisoners today. Nick was first out for the 600 race. What a great start by Nick and he was already on the back of the front group of bikes. By mid race the lead group had bunched up and Nick was looking to pounce. However this was not to be as we all know now there was a bad two bike crash on the back straight and Nick slowed to finish a very credible 5th. One real positive was Nick rode 3 sub minute laps in a row, outstanding riding. There was a good 3 hour stoppage now at the track whilst the officials investigated what had occurred. The races were all rescheduled and shorted, the Post Classic guys races were dropped to speed up the championship program. 125 Race 2. Adam got the better of the start and fought his way up to 2nd place with 2 laps to go. James was further back fighting hard to hold his position in the chasing pack. The final result was Adam a real good second place and James dropped to 7th. As a sign of respect for the fallen riders the 600 guys all agreed that there would not be any more racing. The Red Devil team express our sincere condolences to the families and pit crew of the two riders Philip Harrison and Derek Hill, a tragedy indeed. 125 GP NZTT was up next. This race got of to a good start for us but was gain red flagged due to another accident at Castrol. The restart saw us 4th and 5th on the grid and it was to be a four lap sprint race and one not for the faint hearted I tell you. Adam and James both got good starts and got straight into very fast racing. With a lap to go James took the lead with Adam in second place and when the two green bikes came up over the hill for the final time the pit wall just erupted. What a thrill to see these guys finish 1st and 2nd in the restart. There were celebrations all round and I can tell you I was real proud of those young guys. Due to the race being split the two halves the two sections count and on the re count James won with Adam relegated one position to 3rd. This was an amazing result and the first major trophy to be won by the modern Red Devil Team; we were extremely happy and proud of the boy’s efforts. The final standings in the main championship saw Adam place 3rd and James 4th in the 125 GP class. Nick also finished with a personal best being placed 6th in the 600 production race, again an outstanding effort. The pit area pack up was a real brisk affair as we all wanted to get to prise giving on time so we could celebrate the team success in year 1. We also need to thank all those sponsors that made this season possible, with out you guys this young team would not have had the opportunity to compete at this level as part of a race team Thank you all very much. Ray Hayward. Red Devil Race team Manager.

MANFIELD 19TH AUGUST

“Sam Smith and Nick Cole are taking no prisoners – and the war hasn’t even started”. These are the words that were printed in the NZ Herald after Nick and Sam raced at Manfield in July. The war did start definitely between riders at the latest round on August 19th.

Sam and Nick were entered on their 600’s in both Superbike and Supersport classes. The weather was cold and pouring down but that didn’t slow down these two classes. First up was Superbikes, this saw Nick battling it out with Johnny Burkhart with Johnny taking first place followed by Nick, Sloan Frost, then Sam all on 600’s Carey Briar was next on a 1000. Further back in the field saw Jamie Galway in 12th position and Adam Chambers in 13th.

Race two was Supersport and once again Johnny and Nick were at it again but it ended up with Sloan, Sam and Jamie Galway fighting it out behind Nick and Johnny dropping back to 23rd position and Adam coming in 7th.Back in the pits I spotted Adam and Nick discussing cornering and braking which must have worked because in the next superbike race Adam moved from 13th to 8th.

Race three Superbikes again saw a battle between the front runners with Nick and Sam pulling away from the rest of the field. Unfortunately for Sam he was 1.186 seconds behind Nick and trying really hard to catch Nick when he came off and broke his wrist. Surgery for Sam now, so we wished him all the best. He texted us saying he will be back as he can’t let Nick take all the advantage as he is already a demon on brakes etc… The race was Red Flagged and they received half points. Nick won both sections with Carey Briar coming second and Sloan Frost third. Adam came 10th this time and 8th in the first half.

Race four was finally held at 4.30p.m which again saw Johnny and Nick battling it out. Johnny was seen to come out of his seat at least three times and his motorcross experience showed as he put the bike into a few slides in the centre field. Nick and Johnny both rode the white lines which went back around the corner to mark out the grid positions for the cars as if they weren’t there. It was thrilling to watch. Sloan was third and Jamie was back out after fixing his bike and came 4th with Adam in 12th position.

1.14.060sec was the time for them in the rain so that shows how exciting it was. Nick ended up with top points overall for both classes which has his points as 134 in first place for superbikes with the next being Sloan on 108 and Sam on 104. In the Supersport class First Nick on 134, 2nd Sloan on 120, 3rd Sam on 111.

Last but not least we had young Matt Hayward out there on his Kawasaki in the 150 class. Matt had spent all day Friday going round and round in the rain as this was a new experience for him. His first race we were cheering him on as he was going faster than he had at the last round and was passing both 125 and 150 riders.
Unfortunately Matt has a habit of lifting completely off the seat to move and he pulled the brake on at the same time. He now has experienced the thrill of going along the track skinning elbows and knees.
The first thing he did on returning to the pits was to hunt Nick out for a bit of advice. They checked out his bike and then Matt was ready for his next race.
Now being new to all this we did expect young Matt to be his usual cautious self but he was off with a flying start and overtaking and sliding his backside across the seat and came over the finish line with a great big grin in 7th position.

Being so tired we had to go to the Irish Pub for one drink before we left for the long trek home. Fortunately Jimmy saw sense and booked us all in at the motel for an extra night so it was a very merry bunch over dinner and several more Guinness or in Rays case Waikatos. Matt shared our room and because he was so tired he snored all night long – something his parents swear he doesn’t normally do!!!.

For the lastest information go to our website www.reddevilracing.co.nz