'Red Carpet Deal' for new NZSBK Trophy series

A Free Entry deal is on offer to the new SST series, which is being run at all four rounds of the 2026 Star Insure New Zealand Superbike Championship Series.

Free entry into all four rounds of the Trophy Series will be offered to the top three non-NZSBK riders racing in the Formula 1 & 2 classes at the Suzuki Series, Auckland Motorcycle Club Series, and the Southern Race Series.

"That's potentially 18  more riders taking part in New Zealand's premier competition," Marsden says.

Those riders will have free passage into the 2026 NZSBK Series. Dates are: Ruapuna, January 30-February 1; Teretonga, February 6-8; Hampton Downs, March 6-8; Taupo, March 13-15

The Trophy class is based on production street motorcycles manufactured post 2000.

"There's plenty of them being used for track days or lying about in sheds and garages," NZSBK promoter Mike Marsden says. "Now there is a good excuse to get them out at national level.

"The intent of this class is to create a pathway for emerging riders to come and be part of our national championship with a class structure and rules relevant to their experience and speed."

Trophy riders will get three races per round, along with usual practice and qualifying. They will be limited to two sets of tyres per round, excluding wets.

Both classes will be gridded together based on qualifying times and subject to a single start.

If riders who qualify for the Red Carpet Deal, are within the 115% qualifying cut off for the NZ Superbike or Supersport 600 classes they will be invited to participate in the Championship classes, not the SST classes.

For those who do not qualify for the Red Carpet Deal, the entry fee has been set at $395 per round.

Trophy class co-ordinator Johnny Webster is also keen to foster the social aspect of this initiative.

"I want to offer a welcoming environment to newcomers and envisage we will set up a Trophy pit area."

Webster says it is not a class for yesterday's heroes.

"We have set lap time cut-offs which cannot be exceeded.

"Lap time breakouts will result in a post-race time penalty of 5 seconds for each infringement. 

"Continued breakouts will result in a promotion to the Superbike and Supersport classes – assuming your machine meets the technical requirements – or exclusion from the class."

Cut-off times are:
• Hampton Downs full circuit 1:43.00 (SS600 1:47.50)
• Taupo full circuit 1:34.00 (1:38.00)
• Ruapuna 1:38.00 (1:41.00)
• Levels 1:08.00 (1.11.00)
• Teretonga 1:04.00 (1:06.00

The road race commission will have final say on which riders qualify for the Red Carpet Deal at the conclusion of each of the series outlined above.

For full details go to https://www.nzsuperbikeseries.co.nz/sst Interested riders must register via the class registration form to be considered for the Free Entry Deal.

Captions:

Image One: John Webster, a first time Superbike racer this year, is the class co-ordinator for the new class, where he hopes to foster a friendly social environment.