8 Mar 2016

Canterbury crusader Cameron Hudson is moving up and it's probably just a matter of time before he finally cracks the No.1 spot.

After finishing fourth in the 600cc supersport class last season, the Christchurch 21-year-old finished runner-up this season and contemplated what might have been as he packed away his Yamaha R6 at the end of a fiery two days of race action at the fourth and final round of the 2016 New Zealand Superbike Championships at Hampton Downs on Sunday.

He has a lot to be proud of, although being forced to settle for the No.2 spot after leading the championship series from the first round at Ruapuna in January was a bitter pill to swallow.

"Oh well, so we missed out on the title. But, still, what a ripper of a season. We poured our hearts and soul into it and I'm still absolutely stoked with what we achieved," he said.

"The bike never missed one beat and my riding has gone from strength to strength, getting oh so close to lap records and being involved in some heart stopping battles," he said.

"Dominating at round one and winning the New Zealand Grand Prix at Ruapuna was one of the greatest weekends of my life and something I'll never forget.

"I achieved a further two wins, four podiums, and then finally getting my head around Hampton Downs solidifies the huge leaps forward we've made and we can't be disappointed with that."

"I smashed all my personal records and made improvements everywhere."

Magnanimous in defeat, Hudson paid tribute to the young rider who took the title from his grasp, Glen Eden's Daniel Mettam.

"Congratulations to Daniel. He gave me a good run down south and he was in another league this weekend (at Hampton Downs). It was a well-deserved title win for him. I did all I could to win and I didn't make any mistakes, but neither did Daniel.

"I'll be back to give it another shot, either the 600 supersport class again or maybe the superbike class."

National title winners at the weekend were Wellington's Sloan Frost (superbike); Glen Eden's Daniel Mettam (600 Supersport); Ashburton's Bailie Perriton (pro twins, result provisional pending protest); Upper Hutt's Rogan Chandler (125GP); Hamilton's Jacob Stroud (superlites); Christchurch's Dennis Charlett (lightweights); Ashburton's Lewis Dray (250cc production); Auckland's Colin Buckley and Tauranga's Robbie Shorter (sidecars).

Hudson is supported by Trevor Pierce Yamaha Race Supplies NZ, Nationwide Accessories, Pirelli Tyres, Vet2u, Warren Hudson Aerial and Telephone and Dynoworx.