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Event Report: Kawasaki Meet The Teams at Kawasaki HQ

By Bike Review • 7 years ago

May
2018

Kawasaki Motors Australia held a great event at their Sydney HQ, giving punters the opportunity to meet Kawasaki supported racers, highlighting their new models, and some special achievements on track.

The Kawasaki supported rider meet was held at their Sydney HQ

This included Bryan Staring and Giuseppe Scarcella of Kawasaki BCperformance in ASBK, with Staring currently sixth in the Superbike standings following Round 3, where he set PB lap-time of 1m53.175s aboard his Ninja ZX-10R. He took second in Race 2 and fourth in Race 3 at The Bend, with a DNF in Race 1 putting an initial damper on things, while Race 3 was eventually awarded only half points.

Bryan Staring and Giuseppe Scarcella with Staring’s ASBK ZX-10R

Giuseppe Scarcella competes in the Kawasaki Supersport class and is currently seventh in the standings, after a successful Round 3, where he took 40 championship points across the three Supersport races, with the highlights being a fifth and sixth place finish.

Complete Parts Kawasaki Racing, competing in the 2018 Pirelli MX Nationals and Australian Supercross Championship, were also present with the team transporter and riders Rhys Carter with his KX450F and Aaron Tanti with his KX250F racing machine.

Rhys Carter and Aaron Tanti

Rhys Carter is currently ranked eighth in the Thor MX1 class, while Aaron Tanti is second in the Motul MX2, both holding the Kawasaki flag high. Also present was Meghan ‘Mad Meg’ Rutledge, and Liam Jackson, with Rutledge most recently having success at the Port Macquarie East Coast MX.

Meghan ‘Mad Meg’ Rutledge and Liam Jackson

Australian Freestyle Motocross (FMX) legend, Lance Russell was also present, and continues to be backed by Kawasaki Motors Australia in 2018 alongside the support of Sydney based Kawasaki dealership, MotoHUB Motorcycles and Accessories.

Lance Russell

Peter Daniel (PD) Allan and Lachlan Allan, both competing in the Australian Off-Road Championship, were also present, with PD currently ranked ninth in the E1 category, while Lachlan Allan is currently ranked fifth in the EJ class.

Peter Daniel (PD) Allan and Lachlan Allan

Also present was record breaking team Blind Speed rider Ben Felten and Kevin Magee, from their exploits on the salt flats. The 2018 World Speed Trials Australia event is where Ben and his team set his best result of 266.685 km/h average speed for a two way run, beating the Guinness World Record. The official records broken were the Guinness World Record for fastest speed for a motorcycle ridden blindfolded & the FIM 1000cc Class Naturally Aspirated / Gasoline / Partial Streamline (fairings) Designated Blindfolded (both pending ratification).

Ben Felten and his ZX-10R

Diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa at 15 years of age, Ben’s left eye gave way at 32 and he experienced permanent loss of vision when his right eye blacked out at 37 years of age. As a result Felten rides his ZX-10R lead bike (at over 260km/h!), with Magee providing directions from his chase bike.

Kevin Magee taking a look at Bryan Staring’s ZX-10R

There was also various Kawasaki watercraft on display, alongside some stunning machinery, such as the H2 SX SE – the sports touring supercharged addition for 2018 – as well as an original Ninja H2. Kawasaki’s latest LAMS machine the Ninja 400 also took pride of place in the display alongside the H2 SX SE, with the Z900RS and Z900RS Cafe and most of the road model line lined up for gawking.

There was the opportunity to take a look at the Ninja H2 and H2 SX SE in the flesh

There was also a BBQ and drinks available for all those present, ensuring a great Friday afternoon for those who took part, with the opportunity to have a one on one chat with some great characters. The event was held on Friday afternoon April 27, with usual Friday arvo Sydney traffic most likely restricting numbers but it was a great event nonetheless and is sure to grow into a popular one particularly if it could be moved to a weekend. Check out the full gallery below: