Motorsport: Coy racers' need to speed

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The contrasts don't come much more extreme than this.

Although quite shy by nature, Honda teammates Ryan Hampton and Hayden Fitzgerald are certainly expressive when they don their racing leathers and climb aboard their 1000cc superbikes.

Christchurch's Hampton and Hawera's Fitzgerald have taken a little time to warm to one another, but not because there's any friction in the Castrol Honda race team pits; quite the contrary.

"It's just taken us a bit of time to open up to one another because we're both very quiet," Fitzgerald explained. "But now we get on great and share bike settings and things like that.

"I guess we're both completely different characters on the bikes as we are when we're off them. When we put on out lids [helmets], it's an entirely different story.

"We're in the same class and both of us want to win, but there's never any dirty riding between us."

The test of that friendly rivalry happens in the coming weeks as the pair tackle the five-round New Zealand Superbike Championships, the two men again lining up alongside one another this weekend at Invercargill's Teretonga Raceway, the third round of five in the series.

"I finished fourth in the superbike class last year . .. and the No3 spot is the tasty number I'm looking for. A top-three finish would be fantastic," said 26-year-old Fitzgerald.

Despite his achievement last year, Fitzgerald opts for his lucky No61 on his bike's number boards.

Hampton finished ninth in the superbike class last season, hence the No9 on his bike.

"Ryan and I have as good a chance as anyone of finishing among the top three. It's just a matter of being consistent throughout what really is quite a short series [there are just 10 superbike races to make up the championship, two at each of the five rounds]."

Hampton and Fitzgerald will also have to fend off such illustrious opponent.

Competing are Hamilton's defending nine-time champion Andrew Stroud (David Reid Homes Mobil 1 Suzuki), Australian three-time former New Zealand superbike champion Robbie Bugden (Triple R Suzuki), from Brisbane, former national 600cc class champion Nick Cole (Red Devil Kawasaki), of Hamilton, Christchurch pair John Ross (BMW) and James Smith (Triple R Suzuki), Feilding's Craig Shirriffs (Suzuki) and Tauranga's Sloan Frost (BMW), to name just a few.

Invercargill's Jeremy Holmes is the third member of the Castrol Honda team and he races in the 600cc class.