Restoring the mana of a Championship and its trophies

The championship’s revival has been evident this season, with both the NZ Grand Prix and the newly introduced Aaron Slight Trophy contested in front of record crowds at Ruapuna in January and Hampton Downs last weekend

The increased promotion of the series and the introduction of a control Bridgestone tyre have also played a major role in tightening the racing and raising the overall standard.

That competitiveness will be on full display this weekend as the Star Insure New Zealand Superbike Championship reaches its finale at Taupō International Motorsport Park, where six national titles — plus the coveted NZ TT honours — will be decided.

But for Marsden, restoring the status of New Zealand’s national titles sits at the heart of rebuilding the championship.

“In my view, the prestige of winning a national title has to come before everything else,” he says.

“Riders must see winning a title as a major achievement and aspire to winning one, a title that is respected globally and can be a stepping stone onto the international scene.

Today the series has unveiled the most prestigious trophy ever awarded – the Aaron Slight Championship Trophy in honour of New Zealand’s greatest international motorcycle racer.

Created with Slight’s support, the striking 3D handcrafted trophy is modelled in the likeness of the World Superbike legend and will be awarded to the winner of the premier Superbike Class at Sunday’s end-of-season prizegiving.

It is another unprecedented move to enhance the series and inspire young riders.

“That’s part of what NZSBK is about — building a future for young riders while paying respect to those who came before,” Marsden says. “Contesting meaningful prestigious titles and trophies is critical to restoring the health of the series.

“New Zealand is almost unique in still being able to award titles like the NZ GP and NZ TT outside of world championship events.

“We need to protect that privilege and make sure the riders who win those titles are truly worthy of them.”

Caption: World Superbikes legend Aaron Slight in his heyday and with the new NZSBK Championship Trophy.

A race with a long and colourful history

The New Zealand Tourist Trophy dates back to 1931 and, in a nod to the British Empire, was originally scheduled in the same month as the famous Isle of Man TT.

Unfortunately, that meant June — the middle of winter in New Zealand.

The original 5¼-mile gravel road course on Waiheke Island could be muddy, bleak and brutally challenging. Nevertheless, 25 riders lined up in Ostend for the inaugural TT, run over 20 laps — a total of 105 miles.

Riders started at 15-second intervals, and Sid Moses claimed victory on his Rudge in 2 hours 45 minutes.

A year later the challenge grew even tougher, with the distance extended to 25 laps. Alf Matson won that race on a Norton in 3 hours 11 minutes.

The event soon moved to a more sensible summer date, although heat and dust brought their own difficulties.

By 1947 the TT had expanded to include two classes — Senior (500cc) and Junior (350cc) — though its island future was already uncertain.

The final Waiheke Island TT was run across two days, December 31, 1949 and January 2, 1950. Len Perry — father of later TT winner Geoff Perry — won the Junior race, adding to a remarkable tally of eight island TT victories.

Since then the New Zealand TT has been staged at several Auckland circuits and occasionally at Whanganui.

This year marks its event debut at Taupō.

The 2026 NZ TT titles will be contested across all NZSBK classes — 150 Supersport, 300 Supersport, ProTwin, Streetbike, 600 Supersport, Superbike and Sidecars.

Footnote:
The winners of the 1989-90 season NZ TTs were Simon Crafar (Senior) and Mike Webb (Junior). Today, both play major roles in MotoGP and remain strong supporters of New Zealand motorcycling.

With thanks to barnstormers.co.nz and Graeme Staples for historical TT details.

Caption: World Superbikes legend Aaron Slight in his heyday and with the new NZSBK Championship Trophy.

A Slightly impressive trophy

Former World Superbike Championship star Aaron Slight is honoured to have his name attached to the latest major award in New Zealand motorcycling.

The impressive Aaron Slight Championship Trophy will be presented to the winner of the premier class of the 2026 Star Insure New Zealand Superbike Championship following the final round at Taupō Motorsport Park this weekend.

“I felt honoured when it was suggested there should be a major trophy in my name, and now that it’s become a reality, which is pretty cool,” Slight says.

The trophy features a scale model figure of Slight in his factory Honda team race suit, holding his distinctive crash helmet.

“That was modelled on me during my ‘Mohican period’,” Slight jokes, a reference to the radical and colourful hairstyles he sported during his racing career.

NZSBK promoter Mike Marsden says the trophy recognises not only Slight’s performances on the world stage — where between 1988 and 2000 he finished runner-up twice and third three times in the World Superbike Championship — but also his ongoing support, mentoring and backing of motorcycle racing in New Zealand.

“Aaron is always willing to give his time and support for the betterment of Kiwi bike racing,” Marsden says.

Slight will be at Taupō this weekend to present the trophy to the winner of the Superbike class.

Three riders head into the final three races of the championship still in contention for the title.

BMW riders Luca Durning and Rogan Chandler are tied on 184 points, while Al Hoogenboezem is 57 points behind. Each race win is worth 25 points.