The Altherm Yamaha Kiwi Motorsports Development (KMD) Racing Team Manager Grant Shivas “couldn’t be prouder” following his riders’ performances at the New Zealand Superbike Championship’s second round at Levels Raceway in Timaru on Saturday.
Out of the 12 races contested between Superbike racers Alastair Hoogenboezem, Supersport 600 contender Jake Lewis, his wife Avalon Lewis (Pro Twins) and her fellow supported team rider Dale Finch, 11 ended on the podium.
“And seven of them were on the first step,”Shivas says.
Christchurch’s Finch had his debut Superbike win with Yamaha in the first race on Saturday morning, when his tyre choice in damp conditions suited his YZF-R1 perfectly.
The Australia-based Lewis husband and wife duo backed up their trifecta of race wins from the first round at Teretonga last weekend in the Supersport 600 class in Jake’s case and the Pro Twins for Avalon.
Former Cantabrian, Hoogenboozem now lives in Auckland, and has moved up a place to the runner-up position in the overall Superbike standings after a solid 3-2-2 results set at Levels.
“In race three, I made more of a race of it and was a little bit closer to Mitch [Rees] but he had another flawless weekend and pulled away and held a gap.”
Hoogenbooezem says he will be looking to improve at the third NZSBK round at Hampton Downs on March 8 and 9.
“We are only halfway through the season and anything can happen. We will keep on working.”
Lewis says that going into Saturday’s races, he was looking to continue his winning form from round 1 and “that’s exactly what we did.”
“Taking a clean sweep for the weekend, with qualifying on pole position and taking three wins!”
Race 2 doubled as the 600 Supersport NZ Grand Prix and Lewis says it was “great to win that title and make it my fifth NZ Grand Prix win across five different classes.”
“A special thanks to the Altherm Yamaha KMD Team for their efforts, the bike has been incredible to ride. We also have a great team environment which makes for a great atmosphere. I look forward to heading north next month for the final two rounds.”
Shivas was pleased to see the team “gelling so well and they couldn’t be going any better at his stage,” he concludes.
After the penultimate round at Hampton Downs, the season finale will be held at Taupo Motorsport Park on March 15 to 16.
NZSBK Round Two Results:
Superbikes
1st Mitch Rees – 71
2nd Alastair Hoogenboezem (YZF-R1) – 56
3rd Tony Rees – 42
4th Dale Finch (YZF-R1) – 41
SuperSport 600
1st Jake Lewis (YZF-R6) – 76
2nd Luca Durning – 60
3rd Seth Devereux – 48
Pro Twins
1st Avalon Lewis (YZF-R7) – 76
2nd Scott Findlay – 62
3rd Billie Fuller – 60
NZSBK Championship Results (Round One & Two):
Superbikes
1st Mitch Rees – 147
2nd Alastair Hoogenboezem (YZF-R1) – 108
3rd Tony Rees – 98
4th Dale Finch (YZF-R1) – 80
SuperSport 600
1st Jake Lewis (YZF-R6) – 152
2nd Luca Durning – 117
3rd Seth Devereux – 100
Pro Twins
1st Avalon Lewis (YZF-R7) – 152
2nd Billie Fuller – 116
3rd Scott Findlay – 114
*Words by Catherine Pattison