FROST AND SUZUKI WIN NEW ZEALAND SBK TITLE

Sloan Frost – 1st SBK Class

Suzuki’s reigning New Zealand Superbike Champion Sloan Frost fought-back from a huge points deficit to lift the 2017 title at Sunday’s Hampton Downs final round aboard his GSX-R1000.

Frost, from Wellington, trailed series leader Tony Rees by 32.5 points coming into the series finale, but put in an incredible display of determination to come out on top by the narrowest of margins; just half-a-point decided the championship between him and Rees.

Frost set about his weekend’s work by finishing runner-up to Christchurch’s Alastair Hoogenboezem in the event’s first Superbike race on Saturday, while Rees struggled with disintegrating tyres and settled for fourth. He then won the first of two Superbike races on Sunday, while Rees again managed fourth, and this tightened the title chase to just 13.5 points with only the final race of the series still to come.

Fourth or better in that race would still have been enough for Rees to prevail, but when the last race was staged in two parts – after other riders crashed and forced stoppages – Frost was able to produce two wins and Rees crossed the line in fifth both times.

Said Frost: “I had no option but to just keep on fighting until the end. I had a bad start in the first race on Saturday and then took too long to make passes and so I had to accept second position.

“I only had an outside chance of winning the title and all I could do was go and try to win races and then see how it all stacked-up after that. I’m naturally thrilled to make it two Superbike titles in a row now and I’ll be back to defend it again next year,” he added.

The New Zealand TT titles were also decided at Hampton Downs at the weekend, with the final race for each class determining this, Frost therefore also earning the TT trophy, adding that to the GP trophy he won at Ruapuna, near Christchurch, earlier in the campaign.

Meanwhile, fellow Suzuki star Dennis Charlett had an easier time of it in winning the pro twins title this season. The Christchurch rider took his Suzuki SV650 to wrap-up that title with a round to spare, clinching it at Taupo just over a week ago.