KEY POINTS:
The fourth round of the New Zealand Superbike Road Race Championships gets under way this weekend at Manfeild Park in Feilding. Kiwi Andrew Stroud knows he needs a good result if he wants to close the 52-point gap to Aussie Robbie Bugden who sits at the top of the table on 150 points.
To add insult to injury, another Aussie, Gareth Jones, snuck a two-point advantage over Stroud after the last round in Invercargill. But, far from ready to throw in the towel, the multi-New Zealand championship winner is looking forward to continuing the battle on one of his favourite circuits.
"The pace is just so hot this year," said Stroud. "Robbie has obviously taken a liking to the new Suzuki but I feel there are probably four or five of us still capable of taking races from him."
There has been very little to separate the top riders this summer with barely a second between them in qualifying and racing. All have gone under the lap record at various times this season.
Meanwhile, in the 600cc sports production class, Dennis Charlett has been flawless in his riding.
He delivered another double whammy in winning both races at the last round and has extended his series lead over fellow Suzuki rider James Smith.
Glen Williams and Terry Fitzgerald will continue their fight in the Formula Three class and, as both claim Manfeild to be their home track, the racing will be close.
Sidecars return to the series this round with Andy Scrivener leading the series but, with Steven Bron and Leighton Minnell coming to grips with their respective LCRs, a good duel should be worth watching.
The teenagers on the 125cc Grand Prix machines continue to vie for top position. Cameron Jones leads but is being chased hard by Tim McArthur and 14-year-old Nick Cain who took two wins and a second in Invercargill.
The five-round national championships series wraps up at Pukekohe on March 8-9.
