Three riders will be fighting to take charge of the 2003 South African Superbike Championship in rounds 13 and 14 at Kyalami on Saturday, but Russell Wood is confident he will hold on to the lead.
Three riders will be fighting to take charge of the 2003 South African Superbike Championship in rounds 13 and 14 at Kyalami on Saturday, but Russell Wood is confident he will hold on to the lead.
Eight riders, representing three teams, could win races on the day, but the favourite is defending champion Wood on his Autopage Cellular Yamaha. Following six victories from 12 starts, Wood has 184 championship points. The lead could change with 40 points up for grabs on Saturday. Wood’s closest title challengers are First Technology Yamaha’s Shaun Whyte, with 158 points, and Hudson Kennaugh, riding a Cell C Suzuki, on 155 points.
Wood had a disappointing day in rounds 11 and 12 at Zwartskops at the beginning of the month, finishing fourth and fifth respectively. “That will change at Kyalami, we are going there to win,” said Wood this week.
The Autopage Cellular team has negotiated a working agreement with the rival First Technology Yamaha equipe. “They have more sophisticated engine tuning equipment than ours, while we
boast superior suspension and chassis set-up expertise.
“Since we both use the new Yamaha R6, it made sense to pool our knowledge – an offer that the First Technology people immediately accepted,” Wood said.
“We have found more horsepower for our machines and their Yamahas handle better than before – all of which should see us beating off the Cell C Suzuki onslaught, while intensifying the Yamaha rivalry at the sharp end of the field.”
