Global Motorsports Team NewsletterEvent

Global Motorsports Team NewsletterTri-Series round three

Contents 01

It’s fitting that the year and the series end on a high, and the iconic Cemetery Circuit on the streets of Wanganui always delivers exciting racing for teams and fans alike.

P2

P7

P9

P3

P11

P5

Team manager report

Meet the team

Track info

Ken’s race report

Season calendar

Capture

02 Team manager report

2011 ends with the final round of the Suzuki International Tri-Series at Wanganui’s ‘Cemetery Circuit’, and we’re looking good as we head into 2012.

Justin from Comac Industrial Services (one of our major sponsors) and I left Napier at 10.30am on Christmas Day heading for Wanganui and the annual Boxing Day races. This time we were onboard the 400hp Renault semi rig which the Global Motorsports team will be using to haul our bikes and gear around New Zealand over the summer. Race morning dawned fine and warm, and the good weather hinted at some great racing ahead. After setting up our pit area (with the help of our new mechanic Paul McNeil, who will be with us during the National Championship), we were ready for the first qualifying session of the day. Unfortunately, Ken only managed to qualify in 14th position with a fastest lap of just under 55 seconds.

There were long delays due to many of the Classic Sidecars dumping oil on the racing line all around the winding Wanganui circuit (which didn’t go down too well with the other competitors!), and we were 90 minutes behind schedule by the time racing eventually kicked off.

Race one saw Ken work his way through the field and posting a fastest lap of 54.3 seconds. He finished in tenth position, earning further valuable points towards his overall placing in the Series. Later races were cut back from eight to six laps to finish on time, and Ken again worked his way through the field to finish in another solid tenth place.

Ken ended the Tri-Series sixth overall in Formula Two, which was pleasing for the team considering he had to start from near the back of the grid. And while the bumps and lack of run-off at Wanganui are very different from what we’ll face during the National Championship, this meeting will have given him valuable racing experience to draw from later on.

I’ll be racing my ZX-10R at the Nelson street circuit early in in the New Year, then travelling down to Christchurch for round one of the New Zealand Championship beginning the sixth of January.

Thank you again to all our many sponsors and supporters and happy New Year to everyone.

Andrew Forward.

Suzuki’s new GSX-R600 has long been regarded as the weapon of choice in the 600cc classes, making it the perfect choice for our debut season.

TitleMeet the team 03

Fresh from the showroom at Bay Motorcycles, the GSX-R600 is awesomely fast. But we’ve made the bike even better, with help from some of the best names in the business.

Brian Bernard of Bernard Racing has fitted our engine with race cams to give us more punch out of corners and a higher top speed. And with the increased power, we’ll need the stickiest and longest-lasting tyres available; Bridgestone’s highly regarded BTR-10 racing slicks.

To complement the increased grunt and grip, Kerry Dukic from Dukic Performance has upgraded our suspension with a K-Tech rear shock absorber and front fork kit that will see our already potent Suzuki handling beautifully and lapping at record pace this summer!

After a season in SuperLight, Ken Jones is back to tackle 600 Supersport with support from Andrew Forward of Global Motorsport.

Having raced in various classes over the last six years, Ken Jones is a familiar face in the paddock. He began in buckets at the age of fourteen, before making the move to 125GP in 2007 under the guidance of Maarty van Booma.

After missing the 2009/10 season, Ken moved up to the SuperLight class for 2011. Riding the No Hair Racing YZF-R450. Ken placed fifth overall, scoring a best race result of third at Hampton Downs.

Having seen Ken’s potential, Global Motorsport’s Andrew Forward has come onboard as title sponsor for the 2011/12 season. With a solid programme of pre-season testing behind them, the team are race fit and gunning for a top five finish in the 2012 New Zealand 600 Supersport Championship.

Title

Boasting perhaps the richest history of any track in New Zealand, Wanganui’s ‘Cemetery Circuit’ has rightfully earned a place amongst the icons of New Zealand motorcycle racing.

Track info 05

For a circuit that exists for only one day a year (the circuit is run on closed off public roads that weave thorugh the local Cemetery and industrial section of the town centre), the Cemetery Circuit has generated an incredible history for itself over the last 60 years.

First run in 1951 (and almost every year since), the annual Boxing Day meeting has hosted some great riders over time. Perhaps most notably of those is the late Robert Holden, whose untimely death at the Isle of Man in 1996 is honoured each year with the Robert Holden Memorial feature race and a memorial plaque and sculpture at turn seven.

As bikes have got faster and faster, the Cemetery Circuit has evolved into something of an equaliser. Modern riders have to deal with a tight, twisty circuit only 1600 meters long, and full of the bumps and exaggerated camber you’d expect from public roads. This means that a nimble 600cc bike can often be almost as fast around the track as a Superbike which struggles to put its power down.

Beaurecratic red-tape continually threatens street circuit meetings around the world, so be sure to catch a Cemetery Circuit meeting while you can!

Turn seven (Robert Holden): 65km/hFront end feel is important here as your rail through this right-hander (watch out for the traffic island on your left).

Turn eight (MTA Assured): 65km/hA good place to overtake or set a fast lap by braking later than the guy in front.

Top speed: 180 km/h

06 Cemetery Circuit

Lap record: Formula 2 - 0:49.522 (Chris Seaton, December 2006)

Pirelli overbridge: 75 km/hA nice flat entry but the track drops downhill on the exit, the camber pushing you out towards the haybales on the outside of the track.

Turn two (Mars Petcare): 90 km/hAnother 90˚ right; hook into the camber at the apex and use it to fire you out of the corner and down the straight. Haybales on the exit can catch the unwary.

Emmetts overbridge: 110 km/hA short blast out of the esses, and then flick right to enter the Cemetery section.

Suzuki crossing: 90km/hThe only corner in New Zealand where you cross railway lines! A tricky one to get right due to the fast entry and high kerbs.

Turn one (Stihl Shop): 90 km/hA fairly simple 90˚ right hander, but a dangerous place to crash if you hit the kerbs. Locals will always give you a cheer if you mess up.

Ken’s race report 07

On Boxing Day we found ourselves at the third and final round of the 2011 Suzuki International Tri-Series in the streets of Wanganui.

As this was my first time at this circuit on a 600, I went out with the intention of feeling my way round rather than trying for the lap record. I managed to get down to a 56 second lap where the leaders were doing 52 second laps, but after a quick talk to Kerry Dukic of Dukic Performance, we made a couple of changes to the front forks to stop them from bottoming under hard braking.

Heading into Qualifying, I was ready to see how the suspension now felt and how much more I could improve my times. Things felt much better under brakes and I managed to get down to a 55 second lap, putting me 14th on the grid.

Race one was next on the list, and I was ready. I got an average start and maintained my position through turn one. But with some late braking and good drive out of corners I managed to improve to 10th place and also improve my personal best down to a 54 second lap.

I was feeling confident for race two and beginning to really like the circuit! I managed to get a better start this time round and made up four places by the end of the race, finishing tenth and also riding consistently in the 0:54’s.

Overall the weekend was a success, I managed to move to sixth overall in the series and also learn a couple of useful tactics along the way.

Thankyou all for all of your help and support during the seasons so far. I wish you all safe travels and a happy New Year.

Ken.

Tri-Series round three results

Qualifying 14th

Race one 10th

Race two 10th

Tri-Series overall 6th

Despite a tricky qualifying position, Ken shows good pace on the bumpy Cemetery Circuit, finishing the Tri-Series in a respectable sixth place overall.

Danger at every turn: with little run-off, and spectators crowding behind the catchfences, racing on the streets of Wanganui demands full concentration and inch-perfect lines.

08 Tri-Series round three

Calendar 09

We’ll be competing at 10 meetings over the summer, and would love to have you at the track to cheer us on!

Burt Munro Festival Wyndham township and Teretonga, Invercargill

26th and 27th November 2011

Suzuki International Tri Series round one

Hampton Downs, Waikato 10th December 2011

Suzuki International Tri Series round two

Manfeild Park, Fielding 17th December 2011

Suzuki International Tri Series round three

Cemetery Circuit, Wanganui 26th December 2011

New Zealand Superbike Championship round one

Ruapuna Park, Christchurch 7th and 8th January 2012

New Zealand Superbike Championship round two

Levels Raceway, Timaru 14th and 15th January 2012

New Zealand Superbike Championship round three

Teretonga Park, Invercargill 21st and 22nd January 2012

Battle of the Streets Hacksaw circuit, Paeroa 19th February 2012

New Zealand Superbike Championship round four

Hampton Downs, Waikato 17th and 18th March 2012

New Zealand Superbike Championship round five

Taupo Motorsport Park, Taupo 24th and 25th March 2012

10 Track locations

Teretonga Park, Invercargill Wyndham street circuit, Invercargill

Levels Raceway, Timaru

Cemetery Circuit, Wanganui

Hampton Downs, Waikato Hacksaw circuit, Paeroa

Manfeild Park, Fielding

Ruapuna Park, Christchurch

Taupo Motorsport Park

Capture 11

Ken passes Marcus Beagley as he exits the Cemetery section of the track and turns into ‘Robert Holden’ corner.Street circuits around the world always have a unique character, but how many can boast heritage like this?

Thankyou again to our support partners, whose generous contributions are very much appreciated. Please click their logo to visit their website and learn more.

Next meeting: New Zealand Superbike Championship round one, Ruapuna Park, Christchurch, Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th January 2012

Thanks

©2011 Championship Digital. All rights reservedPublished by Championship Digital for Team Global Motorsports. Photography and design by Championship Digital, text by Team Global Motorsports.