Fitzgerald Takes Third in Superbike Grand Prix Team Honda Racing’s road race squad were more than happy with their results at round three of the Castrol Power 1 New Zealand Superbike championships at Ruapuna Raceway, just outside Christchurch at the weekend. New Plymouth’s Hayden Fitzgerald having overcome his electrical gremlin from previous weekends, qualified his Team Honda Racing-Castrol CBR1000RR8 well, while teammate Feilding’s Craig Shirriffs was forced to ride his No2 stock Team Honda Racing-Red Black Beauty, after the team found more damage inside the motor of his No1 machine, following his mishap at Levels last weekend . The event was run in brilliant sunshine with temperatures in the mid to high 30s. In the first Superbike race Fitzgerald picked up a well deserved fifth, with Shirriffs 4.233 seconds adrift in sixth on his stock machine. In race two, the Superbike Grand Prix, the racing was hard and fast with the top group never being more than metres apart. The leading three broke away from the bunch, leaving Fitzgerald to chase, but two laps from home series leader Australian Robbie Bugden (Suzuki) over cooked his approach to the hairpin and went down in a cloud of dust, leaving the way clear for Fitzgerald to bring his “Castrol” CBR1000RR8 home third, behind Queensland’s Gareth Jones (Yamaha) and Hamilton’s Andrew Stroud (Suzuki). “It was great to pick up the third,” said Fitzgerald at the presentation, “My mechanic has worked extremely hard over resent weeks and I am happy to have been able to finished on the podium” he added. Shirriffs was very happy to bring the stock “Red Black Beauty” CBR1000RR8 home in fourth and the points that gave him. Bugden who had remounted his Suzuki finished fifth. “We will now go home to Feilding, regroup and move on to round four at Manfeild in three weeks,” said Shirriffs after racing. Provisional Results Round Three Castrol Power1 Superbike Championships Ruapuna Raceway, Christchurch. 24/25 January 2009. NZ Superbikes: Race One: 1, Robbie Bugden (Australia) Suzuki; 2, Andrew Stroud (Hamilton) Suzuki; 3, Gareth Jones (Australia) Yamaha; 4, Ray Clee (Auckland)Suzuki; 5, Hayden Fitzgerald (New Plymouth) Honda; 6, Craig Shirriffs (Feilding) Honda. Race Two: NZ Superbike Grand Prix; 1, Jones; 2, Stroud; 3, Fitzgerald; 4, Shirriffs; 5, Bugden.