Motard champion Richie Dibben steps up to F2

The Barracks crew, Richie Dibben left, Brian Bernard, Paul Blinkhorne, Chris Dibben, Mick Paul and Logan Kenny are ready for battle.

For one Whanganui race team it's all about fostering new young talent.

While double Suzuki Series super motard champion Richie Dibben is no new comer to the world of motorcycle racing, he is the rising star of the Barracks Bar/Totalspan Steel Buildings race team. Alongside Dibben is 17-year-old protege Logan Kenny who is in his first season swinging for sidecar ace Mick Paul. He is the youngest swinger racing F1 in New Zealand.

Paul is the driving force behind the Barracks Bar/Totalspan team with former New Zealand Superbike champion Brian Bernard and numerous other Whanganui businesses backing the venture.

It is an expensive exercise with a substantial six figure sum involved just to get Dibben make the step up to Formula 2. He has two of the latest model GSXR600cc Suzuki machines available to him.

Paul races his 1000cc Suzuki-powered sidecar outside that Formula 2 budget, although Kenny's progress still falls under the promotion of young new talent philosophy.

"I don't like to see local Whanganui talent wasted, so we started up a race team with former New Zealand Superbike champion Brian Bernard as mentor and bike builder of Richie's 600cc race machines," Paul said.

"The aim is to get Richie into superbikes (F1) next year and bring a New Zealand championship title back to Whanganui. The last one was Brian's some 20 years ago. We will also be sending Richie over to Australia to race in 2019 where the experience will be invaluable."

Paul said to make that happen, he assembled a stable of like-minded businessmen to help fund the exercise.

"We are having to raise a six figure sum to help make this happen for Richie who has already won all there is to win in super motard racing and wanted to step up, which we have made possible although he will continue to race the motard class as well."

The race team has not had an auspicious start to the season with Dibben injuring his hand in practice for Round One of the Suzuki Series at Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park in Taupo earlier in the month.

Dibben also missed Round Two at Manfield a fortnight ago, but is keen to race F2 on his home track on the streets of Whanganui today (Boxing Day). The infamous Cemetery Circuit is Dibben's favourite track. However, he will test his hand injury during practice this morning before making a final decision to take his place on the starting grid.

Paul also had a disastrous start to the Suzuki Series blowing his motor during F1 sidecar practice in Taupo. He and his crew managed to install a standard 1000cc replacement motor in time for Manfield, but minor wiring issues cost him and Kenny a podium finish.

They will be competitive today.

Dibben has obviously missed any chance of featuring prominently is the Suzuki Series, but intends to be fully fit and itching to perform in the National Series beginning with Ruapuna Raceway in Christchurch in January.

"The support to get me into F2 is huge and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity," Dibben said.

"I have been thinking about stepping up for a year or so now and in fact had 600cc of my own, but unfortunately for various reasons never actually made the grid. It's quite a bit different riding a 600cc compared to me 450cc motard, but I'm feeling quite comfortable on the F2 bike. I will take it out in practice on Boxing Day morning and see how it feels and then maybe take the motard out afterwards before making a decision whether my hand is ready to race," Dibben said.

Win, lose or draw, Dibben has a large crew to thank for the experience.

The crew includes his father Chris, Mick Paul's former swinger Paul Blinkhorne, Steve Sangster, Phil Prentice, Paul himself and Bernard. Businesses supporting the F2 bid include Barracks Bar, Totalspan Steel Buildings, Garmac Engineering, Steel It, Roger Crowley Barristers and Solicitors, MPI Inspections, Suzuki, Phillips Electrical, Steelform, John and Kushla Hayes, Access Engineering, Skelsey Plasterers and Rivercity Insurance.

By Iain Hyndman
Whanganui Chronicle 26/12/18