Aaron Slight
Aaron Slight | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 19, 1966 Masterton, New Zealand |
| Occupation(s) | Motorcycle racer, auto racing driver, television host |
| Years active | 1988–2001 (motorcycle racing) |
| Known for | Superbike World Championship competitor, three-time Suzuka 8 Hours winner, Australian Superbike Champion (1991) |
Aaron Tony Slight (born 19 January 1966) is a retired professional motorcycle road racer from New Zealand. He participated in the Superbike World Championship during the 1990s, achieving runner-up status twice and securing third place on four occasions.[1]Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name Following his motorcycle racing career, he moved into auto racing and became a television host for New Zealand's motoring program, AA Torque.
Motorcycle racing career
Originating from Masterton, New Zealand, Slight claimed the Australian Superbike Championship title in 1991 before dedicating most of the decade to competing in the Superbike World Championship. Over his career, he amassed 87 podium finishes, 13 victories, and earned 8 pole positions.[1] Among his notable achievements is winning the esteemed Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race three years running (1993–1995), a feat only recently equaled by Japanese racer Katsuyuki Nakasuga between 2015 and 2018.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
Slight's inaugural victory in a WSB race came in 1992 aboard a Kawasaki machine with Team Moving Kawasaki.[1] Riding with factory backing from Castrol Honda, he secured third place overall in both 1994 and 1995 seasons, marking his first Honda win at Albacete.[1] Despite setbacks such as a challenging event at Laguna Seca in 1995, he finished second to Troy Corser in 1996 and again took third in 1997 while teammate John Kocinski clinched the championship.[1]
In the 1998 championship, Slight narrowly lost the title by just 5.5 points to Carl Fogarty, influenced by difficulties including an engine failure at Monza, a last-lap crash at Philip Island, and missing a race due to a startline accident at Laguna Seca. That year also saw him achieve his first double race win at Misano.[1]
During the 1999 season, he did not record any victories; although he initially finished first at Hockenheimring, the result was nullified following a red flag. Slight missed the start of the 2000 season and concluded his professional riding career with an appearance in the opening round of the 2001 American Superbike Championship at Daytona Speedway.
Car racing career
Slight also competed in several car racing series including the British Touring Car Championship, ASCAR Racing Series, and the British GT Championship.
Personal life
In recognition of his contributions to motor sport, Slight was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit during the 2000 Queen's Birthday Honours.
Races by year
(key) (Races highlighted in bold denote pole positions) (Races shown in italics indicate fastest laps)
| Year | Manufacturer | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Round 5 | Round 6 | Round 7 | Round 8 | Round 9 | Round 10 | Round 11 | Round 12 | Round 13 | Final Position | Points | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Bimota | GBR | HUN | HUN | GER | GER | AUT | AUT |style="background:#DFFFDF;"| JPN 7 |style="background:#DFFFDF;"| JPN 14 | FRA | FRA | POR | POR | AUS | AUS | NZL | NZL | |
42nd |
5.5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1989 | Kawasaki | GBR | HUN | HUN | CAN | CAN | USA | USA | AUT | AUT | FRA | FRA |style="background:#DFFFDF;"| JPN 9 |style="background:#DFFFDF;"| JPN 7 | GER | GER | ITA | ITA |style="background:#DFFFDF;"| AUS 5 |style="background:#DFFFDF;"| AUS 6 |style="background:#DFDFDF;"| NZL 2 |style="background:#EFCFFF;"| NZL Ret | |
14th |
54 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990 | Kawasaki | SPA | GBR | GBR | HUN | HUN | GER | GER | CAN | CAN | USA | USA | AUT | AUT | JPN | JPN | FRA | FRA | ITA | ITA | MAL | MAL |
style="background:#DFFFDF;"| AUS |
AUS 7 |
NZL Ret |
NZL 3 |
19th |
32 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1991 | Kawasaki | GBR | SPA | SPA | CAN | CAN | USA | USA | AUT | AUT | SMR | SMR | SWE | SWE |
style="background:#FFDF9F;"| JPN |
JPN 4 |
MAL 7 |
MAL 4 |
GER | GER | FRA | FRA | ITA | ITA |
style="background:#EFCFFF;"| AUS |
style="background:#FFDF9F;"| AUS |
13th |
65 | ||||||||||||||
(Note: Race-by-race specifics are excluded here for brevity; overall season results demonstrate Slight's consistent high-level performance and frequent podium finishes throughout his Superbike World Championship tenure.)
Suzuka 8 Hours outcomes
| Year | Team | Co-Rider | Motorcycle | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Template:Country data JPNTemplate:Namespace detect showall Itoham Racing Kawasaki | Template:Country data NZLTemplate:Namespace detect showall Aaron Slight United States Scott Russell |
Kawasaki Ninja ZX-7R | 1st |
| 1994 | Template:Country data JPNTemplate:Namespace detect showall Team HRC | Template:Country data NZLTemplate:Namespace detect showall Aaron Slight United States Doug Polen |
Honda RVF750 RC45 | 1st |
| 1995 | Template:Country data JPNTemplate:Namespace detect showall Team HRC | Template:Country data NZLTemplate:Namespace detect showall Aaron Slight Template:Country data JPNTemplate:Namespace detect showall Tadayuki Okada |
Honda RVF750 RC45 | 1st |
Full British Touring Car Championship results
(key) Entries in bold represent pole positions (1 point awarded per race); entries in italics denote fastest laps (1 point awarded); * indicates the driver led the feature race for at least one lap (1 point awarded)
| Year | Team | Vehicle | Category | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | Final Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Peugeot Sport UK | Peugeot 406 Coupé | T | BRH 1 |
BRH 2 |
THR 1 |
THR 2 |
OUL 1 |
OUL 2 |
SIL 1 |
SIL 2 |
MON 1 |
MON 2 |
DON 1 overall:7 class:7 |
DON 2 Ret* |
KNO 1 |
KNO 2 |
SNE 1 |
SNE 2 |
CRO 1 |
CRO 2 |
OUL 1 |
OUL 2 |
SIL 1 |
SIL 2 |
DON 1 |
DON 2 |
BRH 1 |
BRH 2 |
NC† | 0† |
| 2002 | Barwell Motorsport | BTC-T Vauxhall Astra Coupe | T |
style="background:#DFFFDF;" | BRH 1 |
style="background:#DFFFDF;" | BRH 2 |
style="background:#DFFFDF;" | OUL 1 |
style="background:#DFFFDF;" | OUL 2 |
style="background:#DFFFDF;" | THR 1 |
style="background:#FFFFFF;" | THR 2 |
style="background:#DFFFDF;" | SIL 1 |
style="background:#EFCFFF;" | SIL 2 |
style="background:#FFFFFF;" | MON 1 |
style="background:#DFFFDF;" | MON 2 |
style="background:#DFFFDF;" | CRO 1 |
style="background:#DFFFDF;" | CRO 2 |
style="background:#CFCFFF;" | SNE 1 |
style="background:#DFFFDF;" | SNE 2 |
style="background:#EFCFFF;" | KNO 1 |
style="background:#CFCFFF;" | KNO 2 |
style="background:#EFCFFF;" | BRH 1 |
style="background:#DFFFDF;" | BRH 2 |
style="background:#EFCFFF;" | DON 1 |
style="background:#EFCFFF;" | DON 2 |
13th |
32 |
† Ineligible for points
Full Porsche Supercup Results
(legend) (Entries shown in bold signify pole position) (Entries in italics denote fastest lap)
| Season | Team | Vehicle | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Final Position | Points Scored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Porsche AG | Porsche 996 GT3 | ITA1 | ESP | AUT | MON | GER1 | FRA | GBR 18 |
GER2 | HUN | ITA2 | USA1 | USA2 | NC‡ | 0‡ |
‡ – Guest competitor – Ineligible for championship points.