Burt Munro Challenge

[GravelBen]

The Burt Munro challenge was on over the weekend down here, thought I'd go along and shoot some photos of 2-wheeled antics for a change. The whole challenge includes a bunch of events (hillclimb, moto-x, beach race, speedway, circuit and street races) but I only got to the street race. Good fun though, some photos for the secret power rangers among you:



This guy is a legend - one arm, one leg and still racing hard:





Apparently he prefers turning left for some reason...





















Apparently some bikes are more reliable than others:



The rest here if you haven't had enough yet:

http://s43.photobucket.com/user/GravelBen/library/...

[Fulvisti]

Thanks Ben, great pictures, and isn't it great that this still goes on. A friend of mine went but didn't take any shots, I love the older bikes, glad I can see some of them.

[Omerta]

Ben, as always - love your work. Fav is probably the first one, but the collection gives a great sense of the event and riders.

[GravelBen]

Cheers guys Glad I managed to convey a sense of the occasion.

Interesting mix of machinery from 1940s (or earlier, I don't know much about old bikes!) right up to modern superbikes.

[Atom Johnny]

GravelBen said:

Apparently some bikes are more reliable than others:

I can relate to that one having waited roadside while a friend repaired his Triumph. Apparently the secret is to assemble everything with Loctite to prevent it vibrating apart internally.

Nice pictures Ben.

[GravelBen]

I always thought the name seemed slightly ironic.

[marktahi]

Great photos Gravelben
My first time at the Burt Munro Challenge, this is one of the top motorcyclr events in the world and growing every year. Put it on your Must Do List!
That's me on the Kawasaki GPX250 my first street race(Fantastic Fun).
Wow the burt munro challenge is over,what an intense week
Sunday evening arrive Christchurch
1.monday buy van
2.tuesday buy and collect race bike in arrowtown
3.wednesday arrowtown to invercargill.sought out MA as paper work not completed no start authorisation
4.thursday Bluff hill climb, found out NZ championship and on a GPX250 in 0-600 class
5.friday test day Teretonga .fill up with petrol tank leaking, someone had screwed the fairing screw thru the tank, borrowed nead it fixed, bike wont start, push push knackered, lucky team Velocette let me use their roller starter now going.Finally on track for first time three bikes off ay hair pin no make that four as I lock the front brake so pick it up and run off in the grass. Fine till I brake and lowside. Note Teretonga grass is slippery espically just after train.
Manage to get another session with no issues.
Off to the beach racing as a spectator bit windy, must enter this some time in the future. Tired went home before fifty miler finished
6. Saturday Teretonga circuit race. Its raining ,five minutes after unloading bike its get hailed on. Rain wind hail,all new racing conditions. Go out in warm up only guy in my class out on street tires, cold.
First race after two laps pull in as hands are really cold and cant feel controls properly(wearing Aussie perforated summer racing gloves.
Race two change gloves first lap get it wrong at the elbow ,last corner onto the straight run off but avoid using brakes(lesson learnt) and rejoin track .Finish last lapped by fast guys.
Race 3 track dry but windy better start beat two guys to first corner ,get passed by one rider then lapped by the fast guys(running in formula 3 which includes pro twins up to 650)
Last lap starts to drizzle ,wind picks up and on turn 1 is pushing the front wide .Rain gets heavier finish second to last.Warm down lap heavy rain.
Pack up and go to speedway, discuss going halves in a speedway sidecar with Micheal.
Great racing, good to see Rhys out their on the old Rudge.
7.Sunday Wyndham street race. Nervous first street race. Go out on newcomers sighting laps ,bike down on turn 2,no run offs ,big gutters Note to self stay upright and finish every race.
Sighting laps 59.986 Practice 57.233 race 1 54.2 race 1 rerun 55.430
race 2 55.075 race 3 52.745
1 93 Zayne Agate 75 25 25 25
2 3 Glenn Agate 66 22 22 22
3 78 Gary Healey 58 20 18 20
4 67 Jeremy Pruckmuller 54 16 20 18
5 7 Dean James 49 18 16 15
6 1/2 Alan Kempster 45 15 14 16
7 138 Stephen Adams 43 14 15 14
8 M Mark 35 12 11 12
9 22 Norman Baird 26 13 13
10 319 Joshua Jones 25 12 13
Just starting to learn the track. Next year?
Rhys from team Rudge kindly gave me a ride on his 1937 Rudge 500 thru the pits. Oldest bike(NUMBER 36) I have ridden riding postion and handling old but had a bit of power will hit 100mph !!!
8 Monday sleep in, no paperwork no leathers no racing, wow I miss it already.
Next BURT MUNRO CHALLENGE 2014 be there one of the great motorcycling events, so laid back compared to the aussies.
LIVING THE DREAM RACING(LTDR) aka ccr credit card racing

Ride FREE
MARK TAHI