RealClassic BURT MUNRO CHALLENGE
There's no direct equivalent of the VMCC in New Zealand, instead the Vintage Car Club looks after all forms of veteran, vintage and classic vehicles. The catalyst for this biking bonanza came from the Southland VCC, who had the idea to host their National Motorcycle Rally on the holiday weekend before the famous Burt Munro Challenge.
Imagine living in Cornwall and riding to the Shetland Isles for a motorcycle rally: participants in the NZ rally travelling from the North Island have to accomplish a three-day, thousand-mile journey and an expensive ferry crossing before the event even begins. So as an extra inducement, a third event – the Southland Rally – was also incorporated into the holiday weekend. This led to nine days of classic motorcycling fun and adventure in and around Invercargill in the South Island.
IF IT'S SATURDAY, IT'S SOUTHLAND
The VCC's Southland Rally is open to all categories of vehicles. The link with the National Motorcycle Rally allowed 88 motorcyclists to compete in both. As the Southland clubrooms'car park filled up with 126 motorcycles and cars, it became clear that this was going to be a very busy and hot day. Two routes were mapped out to the lunch destination; one short route for veteran, vintage and low-powered vehicles,and a longer ride for the rest.
