Nestled in with the iconic‘ smokers’ were four-stroke Kiwi race bikes like Croz’ s Suzuki GS1000R on which he won the F1 World title in 1980, as well as a bunch of other races. McIntosh machinery was out in numbers never really seen, and on the track still stamping their mark. A stroll through the pits showed more exotica quietly getting ready to do what they were created for … racing.
LIGHTS OUT – RACING! The first of eight full grids got underway with the Classic Solos roaring off in front of a good crowd for a four lap battle. Following that was the F1 combined class, including yours truly. Revs up, lights out, steaming into T1 … Umm, the rest I have to do from chatting to fellow racers as the next thing I recall is puffing on the‘ green whistle’, a few blurs and Palmerston North Hospital’ s friendly staff. Oops. My bike isn’ t too bad, thanks for asking. My gear paid for itself, destroying the helmet, both gloves and my leathers. A busted collarbone and some Technicolor bruising down my left side wasn’ t the aim of the weekend but that’ s racing. To put it into perspective, it was still a great weekend – go figure. I checked out some photos and I did, apparently, have a Jorge Martin moment, you know, knee down, elbow down, shoulder rubbing the track etc … Unfortunately, I had the left side down and those familiar with the track
layout will realise that T1 is a right-hander. Useful knowledge for next time.
LESS PARADE, MORE RACING If you were under the illusion( or delusion) that the APS Classic Festival is more parade than racing, it is high time you turned up to watch what has become the biggest motorcycle road racing event in the New Zealand calendar. Yes, there is a display session, loaded with coolerthan-cool and irreplaceable racing purebreds strutting their stuff in a slightly controlled manner that is still impressive to watch, but the rest is proper racing. Loaded with talented riders, the fields are wicked to watch and there are battles throughout the race, some of those battles have been going on for years as in classic racing, the bikes keep getting cooler every year and the rider / bike combos see some wonderful dices. In the F1 races, it is impossible to not stare in wonder as the combination of the beautifully presented McIntosh Suzuki and uber-fast former multi-class( including NZSBK) champion Dennis Charlett stormed around the circuit in unbeatable form, showing just how quick those big air-cooled bikes of the era could hustle in capable hands. Charlett was lapping in the 1:10s on a bike that is from the early 1980s! After a slightly crash-plagued start, the rest of the racing went somewhat smoother, giving
30 KIWI RIDER