Motor-cycling

Press, 21 December 1978, Page 13

Motor-cycling

Rich Ruapuna races

More than $4OOO in prize money will be at stake in the Canterbury Auto Cycle Club's Radio Avon Summertime road racing meeting at Ruapuna Park on January 14. This is expected to attract many of New Zealand's leading racers and several Australian riders.

Some will use the meeting for a final tuneup before the New Zealand championship rounds at Dunedin on January 20.

Among those expected to compete in the racing classes are the New Zealand open champion. Rodger Freeth (Auckland), Gary Boote (Christchurch), John Woodley (Blenheim), Paul McLachlan (Christchurch), and Stewart Avant, who recently returned to New Zealand after a successful period racing in Australia. Avant arrived without a machine but he has since obtained the use of a new RGSOO Suzuki. He is the present Australian 500 champion. Freeth will race his much modified TZ7SO Yamaha in the open events. His strongest competition will probably come from McLachlan, w ! ho beat him convincingly in the New' Zealand open grand prix on the same circuit earlier this year. McLachlan will race the TZ7SO Yamaha on which he set the New Zealand outright speed record earlier this year. Woodley, back in New Zealand after a somewhat unsuccessful season racing in Europe, appears to have regained his old form and he could be the man to watch on his RGSOO Suzuki.

Three open races are planned, two of 10 laps and a feature event of 15 laps.

There will be considerable emphasis on production racing. Dave Hiscock, who won the recent

AVANT six-hour race at Manfeild will race his GSIOOO Suzuki. His brother, Neville who was second, will start on a similar machine

Both brothers live in Wellington. Two heats of 10 laps followed by a final of 20 lap> are planned for production machines of more than 410 cu cm All capacity classes are being catered for. including 125 racers and sidecars. One interesting aspect is that the track will be slightly altered Club members are taking advantage of the new drag strip to form an artificial corner with straw bales at the exit to the sweeping Rothmans bend. The Rothmans bend might even become a short straight with a left-hand bend at either end.