Whanganui braces for yearly ‘street fight’
Whanganui’s Cemetery Circuit motorcycle race meeting has been running every Boxing Day for the past 70 years, so it’s clearly a winner.
The organisers know what they’re doing and the many thousands of spectators who flock to the central North Island city for the famous Cemetery Circuit each year can confirm that.
The popular three-round Suzuki International Series is in its 13th season, with the Cemetery Circuit race meeting today the traditional final showdown.
The series began at Taupo¯’s Bruce Mclaren Motorsport Park on the first weekend in December, followed by Manfeild in Feilding on December 13.
Now, the racers head to Whanganui for the final throw of the dice.
Every season the safety barriers are put up alongside Whanganui’s world-renowned motorcycle ‘‘street fight’’, with straw bales positioned and spectator fencing laid out along the gutters of the city’s public streets.
Starting in 1951, the Cemetery Circuit event is likely to be another scorcher this Boxing Day, for the sun beating down and of bike riders trying to beat each other to the chequered flag.
Leading riders expected to challenge for the top honours include Taupo¯’s two-time former series champion and current national superbike No 2 Scott Moir, Glen Eden’s former national 600cc and superbike champion Daniel Mettam, Wellington’s two-time former national superbike champion Sloan Frost, Whanganui firebrand
Jayden Carrick, Auckland’s Dave Sharp, powerhouse Whakatane brothers Mitch and Damon Rees, Whanganui’s multi-talented Richie Dibben and Te Awamutu’s Dave Hall.
In addition to the glamour formula one class, there are races for formula two (600cc bikes), formula three, bears (non-japanese bikes), 150cc Gixxer Cup class racers, pre-89 post classics, F1 sidecars, F2 sidecars, supersport 300 and super motard (dirt bike) riders.
The bike racers will hare down Ridgeway St, along Wilson St, into Taupo¯ Quay and Heads Rd, before looping around Guyton St and back into Ridgeway again, all at eyewatering speeds, often in excess of 200kmh.
The 1.6-kilometre course comprises eight corners, a railway crossing, an over-bridge and blind S-bends, flanked on either side by graveyard headstones.
Thousands of spectators will cram every nook and cranny as bikes race past almost within touching distance. Riders can’t believe it and spectators love it.
Series promoter and organiser Allan Willacy said it was almost unbelievable, but entry numbers were up on last year and he expected the final round on the Cemetery Circuit would be an ‘‘absolute cracker’’.