NORMALLY MY SIGHTSare set on what challenges and goals
lie ahead, not the past. However, now that I’ve announced
my retirement after 16 years of top-level Australian and
international Superbike racing, I guess it’s time to look back
on my achievements and how it all started. I’ve spent time
ref lecting on the friendships formed, countries travelled and
the experience I gained along the way.
There have been some great moments, and some tough
times. I’ve been on the start line in the British Superbike
Championship, the IDM German Superbike series, the Suzuka
8 Hours, the Asian Road Racing Championship, the China
Pan Delta Championship and the GSX-R Cup in
France. I also raced seven seasons of New Zealand
Superbikes and 15 seasons of Superbike
championships here in Australia.
If I had to pick one of the most pivotal
and memorable moments in my career,
I’d go back to 2006, my first season with a
factory team, Team Suzuki in ASBK. I had
to make the transition from a family-run
operation, and it wasn’t easy. We had
mixed results early on, but finished the
season strongly to take third.
My 2007 ASBK contract negotiations
were still w ide open w ith plenty of
uncertainty about where I was going, or if I’d
have a ride at all. Then I received a call from
Kiwi legend Andrew Stroud. After a few short
phone conversations we came to an agreement to
compete in the 2007 NZSBK Championship. It started
on 3 January, so that put an end to any Christmas/New Year
downtime. It was a time to train and focus on doing what no
Australian had done before–beatAndrewStroudinhisown
backyard. The challenge was accepted!
We spent the first three weeks on the South Island doing
back-to-back race meetings,ashortbreak,thenbackatitfor
two rounds on the North island. The racing was incredibly
tough, and the weather always seemed to come into play.
After the three South Island rounds I’d built up a nine-point
advantage, but that quickly turned into a six-point deficit after
a tough Round 4.
One thing I underestimated when signing up to race in New
Zealand was just how tough it is to travel to a different country
and compete at your best, week in, week out. When things
were going well, it was great. But when things got hard, it got
real hard. I was in a strange land with few allies, no friends to
see, and Dad was my only real support. It was clear early on
that I was not the crowd favourite, competing for a title with
one of the most popular racers in the country.
Just six points separated us going into the final round, and
just to make things harder Pukekohe Park Raceway
was one the most dangerous racetracks I’d seen. In
the first race I managed to get a break mid-race
andgoontowin,with Andrew taking third.
The series lead was back to me by three
points. Numerous calls from Australia
underlined the importance of the result.
Race 2 was winner takes all – not just the
round, not just the championship even...
it was my career.
Andrew and I had a few minutes
together before the start. We wished
each other all the best, shook hands and
focused. This was, still to this day, the
most intense, aggressive and ruthless race
I’ve been in. The lead changed most laps, the
passes were tough and it was clear what the
battle meant. It came down to the last two turns. I
made a pass, got bumped, took to the grass and somehow
made it back to the track to cross the line 0.06sec ahead! It
trulywasthegreatestraceofmylife.
Andrew, being the true gentlemen that he is, was very
gracious in defeat, but he didn’t have to wait too long to get
one back over me. This was the start of a rivalry that went on
for many years. My contract to continue racing with Suzuki in
ASBK was renewed and, as they say, the rest is history.
The race is available to watch on YouTube – search ‘2007
New Zealand Superbikes Pukekohe’.NAME: SCOTT MOIR
AGE: 33
CLASS: F1
SUPERBIKE
EVENT: 2017 SUZUKI
SERIES – NEW
ZEALAND
Scott Moir (CD van der
Meer Builders Suzuki
GSX-R1000) triumphed
in the opening round of
the 2017 Suzuki Seriesheld at Bruce McLaren
Motorsport Park in Taupo
on 10 December.
Moir took the opening
race win from defending
champion Tony Rees on a
Honda CBR1000RR. Rees’
son Mitch, a rising star in
ASBK Supersport, took
third ahead of Sloan Frost.
Race 2 had to be
restarted following a
big crash at Turn 1 that
involved Moir. Sloan Frostloaned him his spare bike,
which he rode to victory.
“Big thanks to Sloan
Frost!” Moir said after
Race 2.
“I’m over the moon
really; that last race was
one of the best wins of
my career, on a bike I had
never ridden. And I did
good times – I went faster
in the second race [on the
borrowed bike] than I did
in the first race!”Revolving Racer
ROBBIE BUGDEN
The chequered flag
Performance of the issue
Shout out!
This was
the most intense,
aggressive and
ruthless race I’ve
been in. It was
the greatest race
of my life