Twenty-seven teams faced the starter last Sunday in the second running of the Motul 6 Hour Race, held annually at Hampton Downs on the 2.7Km National Circuit.
First to the finish line – covering 301 laps in the process – was Team Rees Honda DNA. After a second place finish in 2015, Tony Rees along with son’s Damon
and Mitch, returned to go one better this year, on their trio of Honda’s; holding off last year’s winner Toby Summers by just 67 seconds.
Summers was this year teamed with Scott Moir and Aaron Hassan as Team Barnes-Jenkins Racing. It was a difficult weekend for the team however, with Summers crashing in qualifying on race-morning.
A lap back, to place third, was the other power-trio in the event. Team RCM – comprising Ray Clee, Daniel Mettam and Nathanael Diprose – were close all race, which was held in changeable conditions that saw several light periods of drizzle challenge riders throughout the day.
There were no major incidents however, and the smiles all along pit lane confirmed that there very much is a place in the calendar for an endurance motorcycle event in New Zealand.
The format is certainly different from the traditional Castrol 6 Hour production race that many will remember, however the “relay” nature of the Motul 6 Hour appears to be striking a winning formula. 27 Teams and 81 Riders can’t be wrong – surely …..
Comments