Cemetery Circuit

12/06/2026

1991-2000: 10 meetings – total 50
by Graeme “Spyda” Staples
New Zealand Championship points races at Wanganui came to an end – but it was a good thing. Running a points meeting required certain protocols to be followed like minimum race distances and it could have led to compromising other classes and their rides should the day turn wet or something else crop up.

Several containers of sidecars from Australia came over for the Boxing day meeting, in the mid nineties, competitors from this sojourn kept coming back here for well over a decade. The ‘Battle of the Streets’ series started in this era too, with other circuits including Gisborne, Paeroa and Wellington’s Lambton Harbour being part of these series along the way.

The winningest rider on the Circuit, Robert Holden, died in a practice race at the Isle of Man T.T. He won forty-seven races here, placed second and third twenty-two times each. In 1996 the Robert Holden Memorial Trophy was first run, and to this day is the most coveted Road Racing trophy in New Zealand outside the NZ Championship Trophy.

The Kiwi built Britten wowed the crowds. Manawatu’s Jason McEwen scored victories riding them, and had many wins on other brands too.

10/06/2026

07/06/2026

🇳🇿 FROM WHAKATĀNE TO THE MOUNTAIN — MITCH REES SIGNS OFF TT 2026 🇳🇿

What a chapter — and what a follow-up.

Whakatāne's Mitch Rees has wrapped up a standout 2026 Isle of Man TT campaign with the Milenco by Padgetts Honda team — leaving the Island with his first silver replicas, a career-best 11th-place finish in the Monster Energy Supersport TT Race 2, and his maiden six-lap Superbike TT in the bag. 👏

A return that builds beautifully on the 2025 Vernon Cooper Trophy he picked up as top solo newcomer — and a serious marker laid down for what comes next.

📊 MITCH'S TT 2026
🔹 RST Superbike TT — 17th, with a career-best lap of 127.082mph on the final lap of his very first six-lapper around the Mountain Course
🔹 Monster Energy Supersport TT Race 1 — 13th
🔹 Monster Energy Supersport TT Race 2 — 11th (his best-ever TT result, "knocking on the door of the top ten")
🔹 New qualifying personal best lap of 126.668mph

In his own words on Facebook:
"TT26 ✅ it's another year completed for the Isle of Man TT. The Isle of Man TT 2026 brought it all — knocking on the door of top 10, sunshine, first 6-lap Superbike race, rain, my first silver replicas.

"Another step up from last year, thanks to the Padgetts Motorcycles team for their hard work, and to dad for helping out on the tools.

"To all my sponsors, this wouldn't be possible without your support. It's a big undertaking and it all helps.

"I'm glad that all the fellow Kiwis that made the trek over to support me managed to at least get to see one race each!

"The supporters from home — you can now get a full night's sleep. The messages and support don't go unnoticed."

🇳🇿 KIWI ROYALTY
A son of New Zealand road racing legend Tony Rees and a three-time NZ Superbike Champion in his own right, Mitch represents the very best of the next generation of antipodean talent making their mark on the Mountain Course.

This year he sacrificed his New Zealand Superbike Championship campaign to come over early, with nine days of pre-season testing in Spain on a 600 he'd not ridden since 2017. That preparation paid off handsomely.

🗓️ WHAT'S NEXT
No plans confirmed yet for TT 2027, but Mitch's next official outing is the famous Cemetery Circuit in Wanganui this December. In his own words: "If any international racers want to come and have a go — hit me up. ✌️"

Huge well done from everyone at Road Racing Ireland. Safe travels home, Mitch — and to the New Zealand road racing community, you've got every right to be proud. 🚀

Coverage supported by UGGLY & CO Clothing & Lifestyle. 🏁

📸 Pacemaker Press

02/06/2026

1981-90: 12 meetings – total 40
The golden years of the Marlboro Series were never going to last for ever, the reality was it was a lot of fun to come to New Zealand to race, and the money was good too, but it wasn’t guaranteed. Worldwide riders were demanding and getting start money. It would have been a bridge too far to find the resources to match this, even if Marlboro sponsorship had stuck around.

Meanwhile, in New Zealand, motorcycle sales were at an all time high and production racing became stronger and more popular than classes running pure racing machinery. The formidable Wellington Motorcycle Centre Race Team was hard to beat, but it was challenged by quite a few teams along the way. Cigarette money was gone but hard work by local man Don Cosford saw various major sponsors over time, including Pan Am, Countrywide, Brut 33, Wynns, Taubmans and Suzuki New Zealand.

Suzuki has been loyal and is still at the forefront of the Cemetery Circuit support four decades later in 2020. Thank you Suzuki.

Four two day meetings ran in this decade, with the 1986 and 1987 meetings having a staggering thirty-five races each, featuring live television coverage.

Wanganui built bikes were winners here too. The Steve Roberts built monocoque machines, including the ‘Plastic Fantastic’ cleaned up the big races, and later in the decade the Roberts built Sidecar took several wins driven by Wellington’s Andy Kippen. Robert Holden had his first win on the Wanganui Circuit in 1982. Classics and Bears also became regular classes during the meetings in this decade. Two meetings were run in June, 1988 and 1989.

by Graeme “Spyda” Staples

26/05/2026

1971-80: 11 meetings – total 28
Cigarette sponsorship was huge, and the demographic of the public following the motorcycle racing was pretty much who they were targeting. Backing at the Cemetery Circuit started with Rothmans then we had the Marlboro Series and international competitors flocked here to race. New Zealand’s Suzuki network was based in Wanganui and owned by Rod and Bob Coleman. The Colemans, along with Ron Grant, brought some world leading Suzuki’s to do battle here, and the rest of the world were watching. The northern hemisphere was in it’s winter so there was no racing, just Rolf Harris and his mates to watch on TV.

The new models often made their world wide debut here, if they won, they were the bikes to order for the years racing. The Japanese factories clicked onto this and we had world leading battles right on our home turf for a number of years. American Pat Hennen, a protege of Ron Grant, was the King of the Castle. Don’t think at all that the locals were pushed aside, they were strong and many were noticed by foreign teams and riders helping quite a few launch their international careers.

by Graeme “Spyda” Staples

20/05/2026

The Whakatāne 33-year-old has arrived safely on the Isle of Man after a frustrating British Superbike weekend — and a couple of nights staying with TT legend John McGuinness.