With those who never raced or watched racing at ‘ Puke ’ tutttutting and muttering what a shame it is , you really had to have been there to fully appreciate the levity of the tragedy that has befallen the community that are the motorsport fans . If you don ’ t follow motorsport much , think boating losing access to the Waitemata Harbour . Sure , you can go somewhere else , but Auckland would be lesser with such a loss . Yes , the 43rd and final running of the Classic Festival was a magnificent farewell from the motorcycle racing family .
NEW ZEALAND ’ S BIGGEST As far as entries go , it was the single largest motorcycle race meeting in New Zealand ever . With over 450 bikes entered , it was simply huge . But it was so much more than just that . It was massive . It was well run . The racing was epic and the machines magnificent . But burbling beneath the catching up with friends and the nostalgia of the bikes , the vibe of people in mourning was palpable . Sometimes it was just a pause in the stride and a wistful glance at the circuit that , for 60 years , has been
the home of Auckland ’ s racing and a big chunk of New Zealand ’ s motor racing ( both two and four wheels ) history and heritage . For others , particularly the younger ones , you could see them look and the cogs spinning with the ‘ what now ?’ expression flashing across their faces before regrouping and tackling the task at hand – racing .
ELBOWS OUT With the grid sold out months before , it was full fields and in fact , some classes ran an A and B grid , based on qualifying times . When was the last time you saw that happen ? With the magical sight and sound of some wonderfully rare old machines banging around the circuit in hot pursuit of their peers , it almost sounded like a dogfight from an old war movie as the long-stroke singles and twins did battle at speeds that shocked the uninitiated . Many of the pilots also surprised the audience when the helmets came off . Classic racing has no age barriers . Riders ’ ages ranged from teens to nineties and were spread pretty evenly from one end to the other . That is the magic of the genre .
KIWI RIDER 57