SCOTT DONALDSON November 26 2015 http://www.stuff.co.nz/
Meeting the Challenge
Bert Munro 2015
Supercross in Winton
Thursday night’s Supercross in Winton that forms part of the Bert Munro Challenge Week was cut short by gale force winds.
Josh Coppins, Josiah Natzke and Campbell King carved out the fastest three times with Mitchell Rees, Geran Stapleton, Cody Cooper and Scott Columb equally competitive. An exciting, crowd-pleasing evening of racing seemed assured.
Unfortunately, however, the action ceased just after qualifying. The wind proved just too dangerous.
For detailed timings go to MyLaps
Click for the video clip
Tony Rees races to victory on maiden Bluff Hill climb
JOHN HAWKINS/FAIRFAX NZ
Click here for a video wrap up of the NZ Hill Climb Champs
Tony Rees, of Whakatane, races up Bluff Hill during the 10th Burt Munro Challenge.
The long family road trip from Whakatane to Bluff Hill paid off for Tony Rees.
Rees won the open category of the New Zealand Hill Climb Championship with the fastest time of 46.44 seconds.
This achievement was impressive given it was his first time competing at the four-day event.
"I have never been to the Burt Munro, but I have been meaning to come down for years," he said.
"I was heading down here about five years ago and I busted my leg just before I came which was the end of that."
The Whakatane rider believes his experience helped him get the fastest time.
"I have been road racing a good 20 years plus, overseas, here and World Superbike and World Endurance events," he said.
"I have done a lot of street racing which helps when it comes to here. Running up the hill is like a street race."
The track was challenging but exciting for the open category rider.
"It is definitely the roughest track I have ridden on but it was cool, it was exciting," he said.
His ability to learn the track in a short space of time was paramount for success, after making a mistake during one of the practice runs.
"I knew I had to learn it and I hadn't spent any time learning it before I came here, I wasn't watching onboard or anything like that," he said.
"I made a mistake in the first practice round and went wide on the second last corner, so I was never went wide on that corner again."
Rees couldn't speak highly enough of the Burt Munro Challenge.
"It is a really great event," he said.
The weather didn't affect the winning performance in the climb, but conditions could be a major factor when Rees lines up in future events over the weekend, including the NZ Beach Racing Champs, Teretonga Circuit Race and the Street Races.
"The wind wasn't a factor going up here," he said.
"We were at Teretonga yesterday having a run and it was more of a factor there."
Rees had the fastest time in the open category just edging Dan Ormsby on 46.58s and Ben McConochie 47.39s, with riders having only two meet times after their practice runs following an accident.
- Stuff
