and teammate Johnny Lewis crossed lines on their V4 Ducatis and went down , but , hey , that ’ s racing . Heading home to Nelson afterwards , travel plans were altered for Johnny ’ s plastered leg , so Heath , whose passing attempt ended badly , driving the length of the Mainland with Johnny ’ s mum-in-law sitting alongside . Karma can be cruel …
Support The Street Racing A mammoth undertaking in its own right , this event costs more to run than any other . It requires man hours to erect and dismantle as well as permits and permission from the rapidly expanding business hub that it has become . To keep this event viable , it needs our full support to avoid it heading down Paeroa ’ s path . It had good crowds , but it needs every spectator it can attract to fund the event where you can see , smell and feel the speed of the motorcycles whizzing past at pace . If you can only get time away from your normal world for a day , make it this one . Tour the pits , chat to the racers , eat from the local vendors , pay the admission , and enjoy a great day out while supporting the increasingly rare and magnificent beast that is street racing . Commentating legend and all-round good bastard , Neil Ritchie , not only keeps everyone up to date with the action , Neil knows everyone out there and has enough dirt on most of us to add something amusing to the mix as he tells you who is racing . This he does seamlessly and at
speeds almost surpassing the pace of the bikes . How he thinks , takes the piss and makes it flow as fast as he does is one of the world ’ s great unsolved mysteries and earned him the title of Turbo Tonsils years ago . He hasn ’ t slowed down a bit . As far as travelling the distance to attend or race , think of evergreen racer , Bill Swallow , who travelled from his Yorkshire home in the north of England to race a Velocette at this year ’ s Burt Munro Challenge , as he has done before . Deadset legend right there . To get posh digs in Invercargill , you ’ d have to be in now or know someone on the inside and be fully committed to trying to bribe your way in . If that doesn ’ t work out , which it won ’ t , the largest rally site in New Zealand has you covered . Tent sites , Motorhome sites , kitchens , bands in a marquee , a fleet of port-a-loos and transfer buses are all on tap , as is beer . And then there is the ride down to Invercargill . In an ideal world , you grovel to get extra time to enjoy the West Coast on one leg and the Inland Route on the other . The order matters not , but it ought to be done . Again , accommodation will be at a premium , so a good tent will be worth its weight in coal down the West Coast . So , time to mark the calendar , make the plans and gather the crew for The Burt Munro Challenge 2024 – no excuses . For those who raced this year , photos are available from official photographer Vanessa Adcock via her Facebook page .
88 KIWI RIDER