HAMPTON DOWNS RIDE DAY – JULY 10TH

By Ollie S


The California Superbike School couldn’t have asked for better weather conditions on Saturday 10th July for their long awaited re-opening of their Hamptons Downs Ride Days. Despite the mercury slowing rising from a very frosty 3deg in the morning to a slightly more manageable 14deg in the afternoon there was huge turnout of riders from learners to pro’s mixing and mingling with unabated smiles.


The option to ride with other track warriors of similar skill and speed is a hugely popular draw card to the Hampton Downs Ride Days. Not only does it bring out learners and first timers but also pools a magnificent number of reconditioned classic road bikes. Focusing on track only experience, Darren Sweetman and his Californian Superbike School team enforce the track sessions are for track time only and any hint of racing, lap timing or inconsiderate riding is strongly governed.

KR was there testing several Hyosung’s and a new Yamaha R6, with BikeMart man Todd S also nabbing a ride on Sloan “Choppa” Frosts sensationally trick BMW 1000RR. We had Geoff Osborne firing off some frames for an up and coming test/feature, so look out for some cheeky offside images making it to the Kiwi Rider blog and Facebook pages soon.

If you attended the July 10th Hampton Downs Ride Day and looking for your own riding images don’t forget to head over to Andrew Bright’s Championship Digital webpage to view his magnificent work. Andrew attempted to cover all riders so if your picture comes up on his page jump in and have that knee scrub hanging on your office wall, no doubt the images will be tack sharp. The day was absolutely magnificent and the best money can buy on a world-class track.

The next Hampton Downs Ride Day is scheduled for Friday, August 13th. For more information and to guarantee a spot on the tarmac head over to www.hamptondownsridedays.co.nz and book a spot now. Hampton Downs Ride Days are operated by the California Superbike School and are independent of their training courses, although Darren and his friendly team are more than happy to offer advice. If your keen to learn the art of cornering or simply improve your tecniue and riding experience any one of the up and coming California Superbike Schools come highly recommended by Kiwi Rider Magazine. For more information or the California Superbike School course head over to www.californiasuperbikeschool.co.nz