By PETER JESSUP
Kawerau rider Tony Rees probably has the best equipment for the third and last round of the national street race series in Paeroa at the weekend, but the three-time winner is taking nothing for granted.
Rees rates the Yamaha R1-1000cc superbike he will ride around the Hauraki Plains' main street as close to the performance of the Formula Extreme-prepared bike he has had set up for the Australian circuit.
"They've got a guy working on it fulltime," he said of the bike he rode to third overall after four races at Eastern Creek, Sydney, in the first round of their national titles. "Here I work on mine after work, that's the Kiwi way."
The 33-year-old won at Paeroa's first street meet in 1992, won again in 1998, and last year picked up a bonus when winner Jason McEwen was disqualified.
Rees sits behind New Plymouth's Shaun Harris (85 points), Dean Fulton, of Mt Maunganui, (77) and Craig Shiriffs, of Palmerston North, (55) in the race for the three-street series title after skipping Gisborne, where he won't ride again after coming off close to a power pole without padding.
"They don't take it seriously and I won't go back," he said.
Rees won five from nine races at the opening street meet at Wanganui on Boxing Day, and expects to again be duelling with Harris and Fulton on Sunday.
Fulton is "95 per cent" recovered from a shoulder injury, but is worried the Kawasaki ZX7RR750 he has for the Open, and the production 900cc he will ride, will be off the pace out of the corners.
Motorsport: Purring Yamaha ready for Rees
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