RETURNING
KIWI ICON
IS MIKE PERO
MOTOFEST
DRAW-CARD
Former Taihape man
Simon Crafar, on the
top of the podium at
Donington Park in 1998,
will make a rare visit
home for the Mike Pero
MotoFest weekend.
by Andy McGechan
t’s the homecoming of a Kiwi hero
that is sure to excite the motorbike
community when the Mike Pero
MotoFest repeats its spectacular
celebration of motorcycling at Hampton
Downs in March.
Taihape-born Kiwi international Simon
Crafar will make a rare return to New
Zealand on March 2-3 next year, arriving as
a special guest for the second annual Mike
Pero MotoFest extravaganza at the North
Waikato racing circuit, near Meremere.
MotoFest promises excellence on all
fronts, with former champions (and
perhaps future ones too), from across the
entire motorcycling spectrum, all coming
together for a spectacular two days of
action at Hampton Downs.
MotoFest will also feature the third
round of five in the 2019 New Zealand
Superbike Championships.
The jam-packed weekend will be a unique
Kiwi festival of motorcycling, with speed,
power, poise, balance, daring and high-
octane expression by the bucket-load.
18 KIWI RIDER
Crafar will certainly be one of the main
draw-cards for the event, a small-town
Kiwi boy who spread his wings, tasted
motorcycle road-racing glory at the
ultimate level and went on to craft a career
as coach to the stars.
Respected internationally, he is now
sought-after as advisor and commentator
on the MotoGP scene, mixing and mingling
with the likes of Marc Marquez, Valentino
Rossi and Andrea Dovizioso.
“I’ll be aged 50 by the time I get to New
Zealand for the Hampton Downs MotoFest
event,” said Crafar.
“I last came home for a week in May 2017,
just to see my parents and sister. I’m
embarrassed to say my previous visit had
been eight years before that.
“Commitments, to both family and to
business, have kept me from looking up
for that period. It worked though. Anyone
who invests in starting a new company will
tell you it’s a full-on commitment to make
it work and you can’t take your eye of the
goal for some years.