Global Motorsports Team NewsletterEvent

Global Motorsports Team NewsletterNZSBK round four

Contents 01

After a nine week break, the New Zealand Superbike Championship is underway again at Hampton Downs in the Waikato. Catch up on all the latest right here.

P2

P7

P11

P3

P13

P5

Team manager report

Meet the team

Track info

Ken’s race report

Season calendar

Capture

02 Team manager report

As the team heads into the last two rounds of the Championship, the Global Motorsports team is pleased to see results continuing to improve.

After spending six weeks between rounds rebuilding the team’s GSX-R600 (it suffered heavy damage in a crash at Teretonga in late January), all we wanted from round four at Hampton Downs was to come away with a machine and rider in one piece, and some valuable points in the bag. Friday saw us making small changes during practice and seeing improvements in Ken’s laptimes each time. But the biggest thrill was to see how good the rear Bridgestone R10 looked in terms of wear and grip. Saturday again gave us great weather conditions, although slightly cooler than Friday.

After a number of small suspension changes and a set of new tyres for qualifying, Ken managed a best time of 1:09.4, giving him 16th on the grid going into Sunday’s races.

Although this time was about a second slower than Ken’s best 600 time at Hampton Downs, we had a number of further small changes to make and we were confident Ken would be quicker during the two races on Sunday.

Sunday dawned slightly overcast but the fine weather continued for race one.

Ken again had a poor start but worked his way through the field and finished a solid tenth position with a best lap of 1:08.1; a 1.3 second improvement over his qualifying time, and more importantly, Ken felt more confident of the greatly improving GSX-R.

Race two saw Ken fight his way through the pack in the 20 lap TT race, running a series of 1.08.4 laptimes and a very fine sixth position finish. This gave us all a huge boost after the two DNF’s from Teretonga and Timaru in January. We can’t wait until this weekend for the final round at Taupo. Thank you again to all our supporters and we hope to see you there for the final.

Cheers,

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

New Zealand’s premier track presents every rider with a weekend filled with the best type of ups and downs

Track info 05

With the loss of iconic circuits like Baypark and the Gisborne street circuit, options for New Zealand motorsport enthusiasts seemed to be shrinking during the ‘90s. So it was a relief when substantial extensions were made to the Taupo circuit in 2006 for the A1GP series, and when plans to build an entirely new circuit near the Meremere dragstrip were announced, our prayers seemed to have been answered.

The GFC and a particularly wet winter during construction did their best to delay the opening, but when the first laps on the were completed in late 2009, they marked the birth of an impressive new facility.

Set on a hillside just south of the Bombay Hills, the Hampton Downs circuit has inherited rise and fall like no other full-size road circuit in the country. A blind entry downhil turn one leads through to a Lukey Heights style turn three, and on to a tight lefthander at Barrel 51 (turn five) that Motard riders will say is best approached sideways. After the long and fast turn six, it’s back up the hill and over the re-profiled ‘hump’ before beginning to brake at the finish line.

Turn six (Metalman): 90km/hTurn six is best taken as a double apex, before you open the gas and get the rear tyre squirming for grip on the exit.

06 Hampton Downs

Lap record: 600 Supersport - 1:05.679 (Jaden Hassan, March 2012)

The Leap: 210km/hA good test of nerve as the front tries to lift while still banked over to the right.

Turn four (Austins): 50km/hOne of the slowest corners at Hampton Downs and a favourite place for overtaking. The best line through here gives a clean exit and short blast up to turn five (Barrel 51).

Turn three: 60km/hLots of crashes here as the bike goes light over the crest and the front washes out while leaning over. Roll on the gas and stand the bike up to avoid a crash.

Start/finish line: 240 km/hMany have been caught out going into turn one too hot, so we use the finish line as a marker to start braking.

Turn one: 90km/hRiders can’t see the apex of this corner on the approach, so we line up with our own unique marker points to make sure we’re on the right line through here.

Ken’s race report 07

Early Friday morning we made our way to Hampton Downs for round four of the Championship.

Just after lunch we were finally allowed out on to the track to start testing for the weekend. First up was the completely new setup of the bike; with the front of the bike now raised and the rear much lower I was keen to see how the bike was going to handle.

Over the process of both Friday and Saturday’s testing we made numerous small adjustments to improve the handling of the bike and before long it was time for Qualifying. I was starting to gain confidence with the suspension and managed to set a new personal best for the weekend of a 1:09.2 which was sadly only enough to qualify in 16th place amongst the very competitive field.

Race day was next on the agenda and I was now feeling more confident than ever with the new suspension. Race one was first up, and for this I was off to an alright start. I spent the race playing catch up with the group in front, and managed to finish tenth in my class. With a quick look at the time sheet I knew all I needed was a better start to improve my placing.

Race two was next on the list and I was filled with confidence. With the flag drop I was off to an awesome start for the 20 lap TT Race, and spent the race fighting with a couple of riders to finish in a respectable sixth place.

Over the weekend I feel we have made a huge leap forward in the setup of the bike and I have also walked away with restored confidence.

I would like to say a huge thanks to all of my sponsors and supporters for all of your contributions this season.

Roll on Taupo!!

N.Z. 600cc Supersport Championship round four

Qualifying 16th

Race one 10th

Race two 6th

Overall 7th

At 20 laps, the 600cc Supersport TT race is a true test of skill and endurance, and it’s given Ken one of his best results to date!

Ken leads a group over the hill during the opening laps of the TT race on Sunday.

08 NZSBK 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

11 Capture

Ken puts a brave inside pass on Johnny Small through the tight downhill turn 5 at Hampton Downs.

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: N.Z.Superbike Championship round five, Taupo Motorsport Park, Taupo, Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th March 2012

Thanks

©2012 Championship Digital. All rights reservedPublished by Championship Digital for Team Global Motorsports. Photography and design by Championship Digital, text by Team Global Motorsports.