The coastal New South Wales city of Coffs Harbour plays host to the fourth round of the 2003 Australian Supermoto Championship this weekend.

The Yamaha sponsored event will see Australia’s fastest supermoto competitors fight it out on a mixed surface of tar and dirt at Raleigh Raceway.

Supermoto is widely acclaimed as Australia’s most exciting new sport. Spectators can get in close to the action and are treated to some amazing sideways, or ‘slideways’, action from the hybrid supermoto machines.

The motorcycles used normally started life as motocross or enduro based machines before receiving modifications for specialist supermoto competition. These changes normally include a switch to 17” road style wheels with sticky road based rubber. Another addition is normally a large front brake to take advantage of the sticky rubber and good grip offered by tarmac. The more serious competitors also reduce the travel of the suspension and stiffen the suspension to cope with the heavy braking demands of supermoto competition.

Single cylinder powerplants provide the motivation and range up to a little over 700cc in size.

Supermoto is a huge sport in Europe and is building momentum in the USA and Australia. The best riders from Europe, the USA and Australia also compete in the World Supermoto Championship.

Mark Avard (NSW) has been man to beat in the premier ‘S1’ class for most of this series but came under heavy attack from KTM enduro specialist Stuart Bennett (NSW) in Queensland recently. Avard has been racing in America over the previous two weekends and returns to Australia this week to compete at Coffs Harbour.

Avard rode a DR-Z Suzuki to a third place at Long Beach in America last weekend but he will be back in action aboard his Husaberg FS650 this weekend at Coffs. Bennett will be all out to try and reduce Avard’s 24 point lead in the series. Other riders who are likely to figure at the front include Graham Cheney (NSW), Anton Lafforgue (QLD) and Greg Moss (VIC).

While the ‘S1’ class sees the boys with the really big toys play hard, the action is even more thick and frenetic in the ‘S2’ category. Here machines of up to 450cc in capacity rub handlebars, and elbows, in both the dirt and tar sections.

Ex 500cc Grand Prix competitor Mark Willis (QLD) has been on fire since the season opener but had some dramas at the previous round which saw the Honda rider slip to third overall on the championship table. Subway Yamaha’s Adam Altham (VIC) now leads the race for the S2 title and like Avard, also returns from racing in America to compete at Coffs this weekend. Altham suffered an injury in America and will be a little sore this weekend and his competitors will be keen to exploit any weakness that the Victorian lets show through his armour.

Kent Nielsen (QLD) was the S2 round winner in Queensland and is holding down 2nd place overall as the show heads to Coffs. Willis will be on a mission this weekend to try and regain his position at the top of the points table.

Suzuki is hoping to make an impact at this round with leading motocross rider Danny Ham (NSW) joining the fray once again. The dirt specialist is coming to terms with supermoto competition and is sure to get some good results this weekend.

All the drama will unfold this Sunday, July 27, in an action packed programme of racing which kicks off with practice at 9am, and competitive racing from 10am. The venue is Raleigh Raceway, 15 minutes south of Coffs Harbour on the Pacific Highway.

Be there to witness Australia’s most spectator friendly motorcycle racing action, but be wary, once you witness the awesome action of supermoto racing, you will be hooked for life.

Admission is $20 for adults, $10 for children or a family pass (2+2) sells for $50.