About Us
The New Zealand Superbike Championship is the pinnacle of motorcycle racing in New Zealand.
It has been the stepping stone to the international stage for NZ road racing talent since its inception. The championship has been developed not only to showcase the premier Superbike class, but also to boost a number of tiered development classes that offer the perfect feeder programme for young talent.
Contested annually at premier sealed race circuits around the country, the action at each round is spread over two days. Saturday mornings kick off with practice and qualifiers, followed by the first round of races in the afternoon. Sunday sees a further two races for each class.
New Zealand has a proud history of motorcycle racing both at home and internationally, reaching back over a century.
The New Zealand Tourist Trophy (TT) was first run in 1931, on the unsealed roads of Waiheke Island, and was won by Sid Moses, the man who later introduced decimal currency here. Kiwi racers have enjoyed great successes at the iconic Isle of Man TT over the years too. In 1948 Sid Jensen finished fifth in the Senior TT and twelfth in the Junior class; more recently Bruce Anstey claimed the prestigious Superbike TT title in 2015, following top three finishes for the previous 13 seasons.
In 1936, the first New Zealand Grand Prix was held at Cust, a famous gravel road racing circuit in the Waimakariri district outside of Christchurch. It became a traditional Easter event and volunteers had to sweep the course and lay used engine oil on the track to keep the dust down. Photos of the racers of the time show their faces covered in oil mist and oil splotches kicked up from the circuit by fellow competitors racing ahead of them. The 1948 event attracted an audience estimated at 10-20,000 people! The NZ GP is still held in the South Island every year, with the racing moving in 1964 to the sealed circuit at Ruapuna, now Mike Pero Motorsport Park.
According to a research study by Ken Duncan into the history of motorcycling in this country, New Zealand actually initiated the World Superbike Championship in a proposal to the FIM Congress in 1986-87.
In the year of its inception, New Zealand hosted the final round of the World Superbike Championship at Manfeild on 2 October 1988, and went on to host rounds in 1989, 1990 and 1992. With interest in the sport on the rise, Motorcycling New Zealand (MNZ) is working hard to make the NZSBK Championship become a major event on the nation's sporting calendar once again.
A full history of kiwi motorcycling success is detailed in the MNZ Roll of Honour.
