Racer badly hurt in crash
A 20-year-old motorcyclist suffered pelvic injuries in a crash that ultimately shortened the race programme at the second round of the New Zealand Superbike Championships in Timaru at the weekend.
Jacob Pierce came off in the two-day event’s third Supersport 600 race and was airlifted to Christchurch Hospital on Sunday.
Garden City Helicopters general manager Simon Duncan said a rescue helicopter landed on the racing track to retrieve the rider at about 4.30pm.
’’His injuries were quite serious.’’
Motorcycling New Zealand road-race commissioner Grant Ramage said Pierce clipped a set of inside ripple strips on a corner.
‘‘The delay on the track pushed the race programme beyond our allowable time limits,’’ he said.
The third Supersport 300 Cup race of the day was run following the crash as the helicopter made its way to the raceway.
However, the Supersport 150 Cup, Sidecars and Allan Ramage Memorial Race were cancelled.
‘‘The rest of the weekend went really well, we were lucky with the weather,’’ Ramage said.
It was a weekend of highs and lows for Timaru’s Harry Parker in the SuperSport 300s.
The 20-year-old won in the second race, crashed in the third race which all came after he blew a motor in the first race on Saturday.
Parker outclassed rising star, 14-year-old Invercargill rider Cormac Buchanan, who has so far won all but one of his 11 races in the two separate classes he is campaigning this season – the Supersport 300 and Supersport 150.
‘‘It was a long hot race, but we got in the lead on lap eight,’’ Parker said of his win.
‘‘I’m pretty stoked.’’
In the third race Parker said he went into a corner a bit fast and locked the front wheel up.
‘‘It’s not too bad, it just needs a couple of repairs.’’
Parker was in second place in the first race on Saturday when the motor blew up in the eighth lap of the race.
‘‘A valve spring broke, so we spent much of Saturday night rebuilding it for Sunday’s scrub session.’’
Parker goes into round three of the series in third place. The four-round series reached the halfway stage at the weekend with the final two rounds in the North Island in March.
Class leaders after the Timaru rounds are: Damon Rees (superbikes); Christchurch’s Aaron Scott (superbike B, support class); Finch (supersport 600); Whangamata’s Jarad Horn (650 pro twins); Buchanan (supersport 300 and supersport 150); Hamilton’s Billee Fuller (Gixxer Cup 150); Smith and Dawe (sidecars).