KEY POINTS:
After two weeks' rest from the national superbike motorcycling championship, New Zealand's top road racers take on a bevy of Australians and Americans at this Sunday's Battle of the Streets in Paeroa.
Feilding's Craig Shirriffs (Suzuki) will be out to continue the dominance he showed at Wanganui on Boxing Day, but the Australian pair of Gareth Jones and Damien Cudlin will be pushing their Yamahas hard to beat him.
Past champion Andrew Stroud (Hamilton) could be the dark horse for this event. He rode a Suzuki GSXR750 at Wanganui and struggled to keep up, but he is back on his GSXR1000 for Sunday's event.
Bernard Racing's trio of internationals, Dave and Matt Sadowski from the United States and Gareth Jones from Australia on their Yamaha R6s, should command the Formula 2 class.
Championship leader Dennis Charlett (Christchurch) and team-mate James Smith have chosen not to race on the streets, and championship front runners Jay Lawrence (Wellington) and Nick Cole (Hamilton) will also be missing as their entries arrived after the closing date.
Formula Three looks set again to be a Suzuki benefit, with Taranaki's Terry Fitzgerald and Jason Nairn taking on Palmerston North's Glen Williams.
- NZPA
