Hard to believe we’re at the halfway point of the 2018 NZSBK Championship already. After two fantastic weekends’ racing in the South Island, we’re into the mid-season break until Round 3 takes centre-stage in the Mike Pero Motofest at Hampton Downs 3-4 March. Motofest will be a weekend not to be missed but more on that shortly…
To those who make it happen, we thank you
First up, we want to acknowledge the work, effort and time our host clubs, Motorcycling Canterbury Inc and South Canterbury Motorcycling Club, put into delivering well-organised and enjoyable race meetings at rounds 1 and 2. Special thanks to Wendy Ashmore-Guy at MCI and Grant Ramage and Adele May at SCMCC for coordinating the events, and to all the volunteers who gave up their weekends to make them happen.
We’d also like to update you on some of the positive changes we’ve been working to introduce throughout the 2018 championship.
A fresh approach from MNZ Officials
To bring a level of consistency, experience and respect across the series, we’ve brought together a team of MNZ Officials who will be at every round: MNZ Steward Larry Mouat, Assistant Clerk of the Course Graham Bastow and Technical Officer Steve Maynard-Smith. Rounding out the MNZ presence are Road Racing Commissioner Greg Percival, Officials Commissioner Andrew Presant and GM Virginia Henderson. If you haven’t met them yet, track them down and say hi – they’re there for you.
Focus on fairness through increased scrutineering
We were pleased with the positive response to fuel testing at Round 1 and even more pleased that all competitors tested were compliant with MNZ regulations. MNZ’s rules are in place to ensure fairness and safety at all levels of our sport, none more so than championship events. Fuel testing and policing of other rules may happen at any time during race weekends; we intend to increase our vigilance in this area to benefit the reputation of our sport.
Creating a following
While we have to be mindful of budgets, growing an audience and attracting more spectators is critical to the future of NZSBK. Live streaming all rounds benefits riders, teams and sponsors and helps to grow the championship’s profile. Across the two rounds over 17,400 people tuned in to the video feed and over 25,700 tracked the action using live timing. If you want to relive any of the action from the first two rounds, every race is available on YouTube – visit the On Demand page on CTASLive.nz.
Loving your work
We’ve been wildly impressed with the social media content being produced by teams and riders across race weekends and in between. Your post-race reports, photography and positivity are a great reflection on your sponsors and our sport. We’re working to improve our digital and social media activity so that we can better support yours too.
Just a gentle reminder too that social media is a global platform and our Facebook pages are not closed communities. We’re working to advance the sport of motorcycling and while there’s always going to be room for improvement, we believe we’re moving in the right direction. If there are issues you want to discuss, have a think about whether social media is the most effective channel to encourage change. You can find us in the paddock on race weekends, give us a call in the office or send us an email – this is your sport and we’re here to listen to your ideas about making it more fun, safe and fair.
Hope to see you at Hampton Downs and Taupo in March for more exciting racing, and don’t forget you can watch it live on CTASLive.nz if you can’t make it to the track.
The 2018 New Zealand Superbike Championship is supported by Honda Cars, providing safety/medical vehicles, Pirelli tyres, Corprint, CTAS and MX Timing and the inaugural GIXXER Cup is supported by Suzuki New Zealand.