IN
THE
WIND
P44
FAMILY AFFAIR FOR THE REES' AT WHANGANUI
T
ony Rees (Honda Rider
Insurance CBR1000RR)
made a clean sweep in front of
a massive Boxing Day crowd at
the famous Cemetery Circuit
in Whanganui, New Zealand,
December 26. Rees took the
pole and won all three premier
races around the Cemetery
circuit streets, including the
Robert Holden Memorial race,
thus wrapping up his first Suzuki
Series title.
The Rees had to work for his
prize money in each F1 Su-
perbike race after fast-starting
Taupo rider Scott Moir (Penny
Homes Suzuki GSX-R1000) led
the pack of superbike racers
during the opening laps of all
three races.
But the last time Rees was
beaten around the famous Cem-
etery Circuit was in 2014 when
Moir won race two, and there
was no way 49-year-old Rees
was going to let anyone stand in
his way in 2016.
Going into Whanganui, Sloan
Frost (Fujitsu TSS Red Baron
Suzuki) was leading the Suzuki
Series by nine points, how-
ever, a jump start in the open-
ing Whanganui race brought
a 20-second penalty which
dropped him to ninth.
Daniel Mettam (Team RCM
Suzuki GSX-R1000) was hav-
ing the ride of his life when he
passed Moir for second on lap
three, however, Horst Saiger
slotted his Kawasaki into sec-
ond three laps later to make an
exciting finishing order of Rees,
Saiger and a close-finishing
Mettam, Moir and Toby Sum-
mers (Barnes Jenkins Insurance
GSX-R1000).
Rees' single point for pole
position and 25 points for the
race win edged him closer to
the title, although the result lifted
Saiger into the Suzuki Series
lead ahead of Rees heading into
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
CRAIG
DAWSON
Rees on
his way to
yet another
Whanganui
victory and his
first Suzuki
Series title.
