My wife and I have been around most of the North
Island and I have mountain biked in the South Island
around Nelson and ridden the Heaphy Track with some
mates. I always love coming over.
he spectacular celebration of
motorcycling at Hampton Downs on
March 2-3 known as the Mike Pero
MotoFest welcomes a special guest this
year – World Champion Chris Vermeulen.
A neighbour of returning Kiwi star Simon
Crafar when they were both living in
Andorra, Vermeulen enjoyed a decade-long
world championship racing career. There
are not too many international circuits
the Australian has not turned a wheel on.
In his ten years in world championship
racing he qualified on pole 11 times, took
15 race wins and 40 podiums in his 155
world championship appearances. Along
the way he clinched the World Supersport
Championship in 2003 and became the first
rider to win a MotoGP race for Suzuki.
But the Queenslander with a Dutch family
name has never raced in New Zealand, let
alone made it to a local race circuit. That will
change when he appears at the Mike Pero
MotoFest at Hampton Downs on March 2-3
alongside fellow Aussies Kevin Magee and
Rob Phillis as well as Kiwi stars Crafar and
Aaron Slight.
Although he has not raced here, he is no
stranger to these shores and is keen to
catch up with the many friends he has on
this side of the Tasman at Hampton Downs
on March 2-3.
“My wife and I have been around most of
the North Island and I have mountain biked
in the South Island around Nelson and
ridden the Heaphy Track with some mates.
I always love coming over.
“My connection with the Mike Pero
MotoFest is with (former New Zealand
international) Stu Avant. I met Stu a few
years ago through Kevin Magee and got on
straight away. I have a lot of respect for him
as a rider in his day as well.”
Vermuelen says he has had NZ mechanics
in the many teams he has raced with during
his career but “the Kiwi I spent the most
time with when I was living in Europe racing
was Simon Crafar. We lived in Andorra only
a few kilometres from each other and used
to go training and trials riding together.”
“I have also spent a bit of time with Mike
Webb (technical director for MotoGP) and
travelled a bit, from Australia and around
Europe in short breaks between races,
with Brent Stephens, who is a mechanic for
Valentino Rossi.”
Nowadays Vermeulen lives at Maleny in the
hinterland of Queensland’s Sunshine Coast,
sharing a 50-acre property with his wife Toni
and two daughters some cows, a few horses
– and a few off-road bikes.
Over the past four years he has developed a
television career as a MotoGP commentator
for Fox Motorsport and, just like Kiwi Simon
Crafar, he found the switch from world
championship racer to commentator rather
difficult.
“When I started it was awkward and I
remember thinking ‘this isn’t for me.’
However, the more I appear on camera, the
more comfortable I become with it,” he says.
Vermeulen is naturally very much looking
forward to spending time with Crafar at the
Mike Pero MotoFest and comparing notes.
He will ride a British Superbike
Championship Suzuki GSX-R1000 at
Hampton Downs.
Go to http://www.hamptondowns.com
for more information on the Mike Pero
MotoFest weekend.