BIG YEAR FOR SUZUKI
2
018 is the 40th Anniversary
of Suzuki and Yoshimura
starting a very sucessful racing
relationship. In 1978 Suzuki and
Yoshimura formed a formal
partnership to make the
Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing team
the official entry into the AMA Pro Road
Racing series. Over the last 40 years,
the team has won 14 AMA Superbike
championships and got a tally of 168
wins, the most by any manufacturer.
Continuing the success, Sloan Frost won
Above – Our own Graeme Crosby with Pops
Yoshimura at the 1981 Isle of Man TT where he won
the Formula One and Classic TTs.
Left – The 2018 Yoshimura Suzuki team gets a
new paint job to celebrate Toni Elias’ AMA win.
the NZ SBK championship aboard his GSX-R1000
– read more on page 18 – and Bradley Ray took
the two opening wins of the 2018 British Superbike
Championship, with Aussie Billy McConnell winning
the Superstock race. Oh, and in 2017 the Gixxer
also won the ASBK championship, AMA Superbike
Championship and the Isle of Man Senior TT.
CALLING ALL HINCKLEY
TRIUMPH OWNERS
T
riumph NZ’s RAT club (Riders Association of Triumph)
is holding the 30th running of its RAID rally over
the weekend of April 27-29. The format is to ride
to Taupo, meet up with like-minded Triumph owners,
eat, drink and be merry. The cost for the event is $160
which includes dinner on Friday night, and breakfast,
lunch and dinner on Saturday, a t-shirt, organised ride
on Saturday. Accommodation is at the Suncourt Taupo,
which you can book on by visiting www.suncourt.
co.nz or calling 07 378 8265. Head to http://www.
bayride.co.nz/events-community/rat_weekender_14_
july/ for more info on the ride and entry forms.
16 KIWI RIDER