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.
Credits:
Words and photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com