STAR INSURE MOTOFEST – ICONIC BIKES AND LEGENDARY RIDERS

MotoFest 2023 is back in March and the Kiwi motorcycling community simply can ’ t wait for that date to roll around . The fourth instalment of the Star Insure MotoFest , at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park on the weekend of March 4-5 , 2023 , will not only be hosting the crucial fifth round of six in the 2022-23 New Zealand Superbike Nationals , but the jam-packed two-day programme will also offer up a glut of other high-powered motorcycling entertainment , including the second-ever Motul NZ Classic Grand Prix . And a star attraction in the classic segment at MotoFest will surely be the fabulous and rare Proton KR3 bike that will be on show during the “ Legends Parade ” phase of the busy weekend . It will be a time to “ Smoke ‘ em Out ” at the 2023 event as Star Insure MotoFest embarks on “ A Celebration of Two-Strokes in New Zealand ” and the bike is a classic example of the best in twostroke motorcycle racing technology . Owned by British collector Chris Wilson , a friend and regular supporter of MotoFest , the Proton KR3 is the bike that really signalled the end of the two-stroke era of GP racing . This is the rare 500cc V3 configuration bike that Northern Ireland ’ s Jeremy McWilliams set pole on at the 2002 Australian GP – the last time a two-stroke achieved this feat . The 2002 GP season marked the phasing out of 500cc two-strokes and the introduction of the 990cc four-stroke machinery . American GP world champion Kenny Roberts and his main team engineers , including Kiwi Mike Sinclair , came up with the V3 design . The bike weighed only 115kg , but made 160 horsepower and was only about the size of a 250cc class bike . It is one of the last two-strokes that Kenny Roberts had made and boasts an amazing power-to-weight ratio . The COVID-19 pandemic forced last year ’ s MotoFest to be cancelled , but the Proton wasn ’ t