Crashes mar racing

Press, 16 December 1985, Page 44

Crashes mar racing

PA Auckland Crashes marred the New Zealand senior and junior Tourist Trophy motorcycle races, won by Aucklanders Rodger Freeth and Bill Cooney on the Pukekohe grand prix circuit yesterday. In the senior event, Freeth was putting a handy gap between his Mclntosh Suzuki 1135 cc and the Suzuki RGB 500 Fl of the Australian champion, Steve Trinder, when Tony McMurdo (Suzuki GSX-R 750) and Rex Mincher (Suzuki Katana) fell on the run-up to Railway corner. The race was stopped and

when it was resumed with 10 of the 15 laps remaining, Freeth grabbed the lead and held it.

He recorded a best lap time of 64.2 seconds, finishing five seconds ahead of Trinder. Peter Benson was third on the Haldane Yamaha FTZ 750 with Hawera rider John Meads fourth on a Yamaha TZ 750. Neither of the riders who fell was badly hurt. Cooney led from the start in the junior race with Bruce Woodley (Yamaha TZ “N”) Rod Price (Yamaha TZ 350 J) and David Ogden (Yamaha TZ “F”) dicing for the minor places.

They continued to swap positions lap by lap until Price fell on the approach to the Dunlop hill. Again the race was stopped and Price, who suffered a broken ankle, was taken away by ambulance. Because 10 of the 15 laps had been run, the result was declared on positions held at the end of lap 10. Cooney was placed first with Woodley second and Ogden third. Fourth place went to Palmerston North rider Steve Tuttiett (Yamaha TZ 350).

Glenn Williams (Auckland) provided the personal success story with four wins in four production races.