Up-and-comers at Old Thumpers
Competing in both Saturday’s Classic Trials and Sunday’s Classic Motorcross was Old Thumpers’ regular Kevin Ryan from Barrytown, here seen riding a rigid Matchless. Photo: Gerard Hindmarsh.
Local riders again had the chance to compete alongside some of the best scramble, speedway and trials riders from around the country at the 18th annual Old Thumpers, held over Waitangi weekend on Aaron and Joy Griffiths’ farm at Onekaka.
Screeching Japanese bikes again took a back seat in deference to throaty pre-1975 machines in the two-day nostalgic petrolhead event, which throttled up on Saturday with an afternoon of Classic Observed Trials. That attracted 22 entries, including Number Three New Zealand Champion Karl Clark (Motueka), Shirley McDonald (Christchurch) and Stef Downes (Canterbury).
Trials riders, graded into classes of Pre 65, Twinshock and Air Cooled Mono, were required to complete four laps around each of eight, short off-road marked routes that included steep semi-forested banks and rock-strewn gullies. All required the most skilful of manoeuvring. Points were taken off for a “dab” (putting one foot on the ground), stalling, or falling off.
True petrolhead heaven followed on the heavily overcast Sunday with a full day of Classic Scrambles. Around 100 riders entered classes that included Veterans, Juniors, British, Small Bore, Mid Bore and Large Bore, along with Pre-1965, 1971 and 1975, and Two and Four Stroke Opens.
At the after-match, held at the Mussel Inn, organisers awarded the Castrol Old Thumpers Grand Champion Trophy, along with a Tribull Drum, to long-time local supporter Carl Krijt, ironically for having the most bad luck on the day. He just couldn’t get his trusty KLX 250 (which he’d modified with a 450 Suzuki engine some years ago) to run properly, and spent much of the day in and out of the pits trying to sort it out. Shane McGowen of Motueka picked up an award for some stunning racing against more experienced riders, especially in the final 10 laps, when he was “fair pulling” his machine around some of the corners. The prize for furthest-travelled went to Kelvin Harvey of Perth, on his second trip across the ditch to compete in Old Thumpers.
This was the second year for Old Thumpers at Onekaka. For 16 years the event was held on Bruce Richmond’s airstrip high above Pohara. Old Thumper stalwart Malcolm Smith says the new track is great, with the contours of the land allowing far more scope.
“Essentially, this is a big upgrade for competitors. When we lost Pohara, some of us wondered if we’d ever find another venue as good. Now we’ve got one even better.”
Back in 1994, motorcycle clubbers around the country laughed when local riders started this competition. Now they’re eating the dust as Old Thumpers regularly attracts more of a following than many standard motorcycle events countrywide.
Dr Vic Eastman again this year freely gave his time as the race’s medical volunteer, and the list of race sponsors read out at lunchtime on Sunday could have been taken for a list of every business in Golden Bay.
Says Richard (Wattie) Watson, one of the many organisers: “We gave away thousands of dollars’ worth of prizes again this year. Community support for this event is just unbelievably generous.”
Gerard Hindmarsh
