THE BATTELES ON THE Brittens
Andrew Stroud – the battles
Andrew Stroud would have won on debut at Daytona in 1992, but for a battery failure just before the flag.
Stroud recalls: “My first ride was in February 1992. I did about 15 laps. I went to Ruapuna and the first time I saw the bike was when Chris Haldane rode it and the front-end had snapped off it. When the wishbone broke and Chris broke his collarbone, John asked me to ride it.”
Stroud notched up five Daytona visits on the Britten. “The first one, when the documentary was on it, the battery went flat and stopped with two laps to go! Pascale Picotte and I were out in front, the Britten was faster than the Ducati and I felt like I had him covered because the slipstream was such a big factor at Daytona. I thought I had him well sorted out so I could pass him before crossing the finish line.
“I didn’t go in 1993, but in 1994 it set the fastest top speed of any motorcycle that had ever been to Daytona. It went through the radar gun fastest at 189mph, faster than the factory Superbikes.
“I won both races there, the Battle of the Twins and BEARS. I won it again in 1995, 1996 and 1997. The first one I rode at Daytona was an 1100 – that was the fastest out of all of them.”
Stroud enjoyed an epic duel with the Ducatimounted Robert Holden at Ruapuna, Christchurch in early 1996, where both riders repeatedly passed each other.
“In the 1995/96 summer series Robert Holden brought the Ducati back from England and that was a very good bike. We had some great battles and I had to push the Britten a lot harder than I wanted to. I remember at Ruapuna
