The Burt Munro Challenge attracts mad-keen motorcycling enthusiasts the length and breadth of the country and the popular week-long festival also attracts the cream of New Zealand’s bike racing fraternity.
Southland’s Johnny Racz and Bay of Plenty’s Tony Rees were perhaps the most prominent competitors among those hogging the spotlight during this year’s 16th anniversary of the iconic celebration of all things motorcycling, the two Honda stars from opposite ends of the country scooping up several of the main prizes and doing it in style.
Otautau’s Racz won the Beach Racing phase of the five-event extravaganza on Friday, taking his Southland Honda CRF450R to out-run fellow Honda man Conrad White, of Invercargill, in the glamour 50-mile (80-kilometre) feature race.
For an elated Racz, it was his third consecutive win on the beach and, although his experience meant he probably could have won it with his eyes closed, that almost became an unwelcome condition of his race on Friday.
He lost his goggles just two laps into the gritty race and, being sand-blasted down the straights, meant he had to duck his head, trust his skills and count on a little bit of luck.
The “luck” element for Racz came when his rival from Canterbury, Jason Feaver (Aprilia V2 1200) – who held the lead during the early running of the gruelling marathon – suffered a snapped chain, which ended the Christchurch man’s title bid.
“It’s a long race and you’ve just got to be there at the end,” Racz explained.
“I was getting filled in with sand by Jason Feaver and his big 1200cc bike and my goggles filled up. It was a challenge, that’s for sure,” said Racz, a 28-year-old fencing contractor.
“I knew Conrad White was close behind me at the end. He was on fire all day.”
The air was a little cleaner for Whakatane’s Rees, but the racing was no less intense.
With just minor changes to his bike’s gearing and suspension, the multi-time national superbike champion took his Honda CBR1000RR to celebrate five wins from five starts at various events during the week.
He won the single-race Bluff Hill Climb overall on Thursday, then followed that up with back-to-back wins in the premier Formula One class at the Teretonga Sprint Races and he also scored back-to-back wins in the F1 class at the Invercargill Street Races on Sunday.
“Winning at three different events is pretty special,” said the 55-year-old Rees afterwards. “It was a busy week, but I enjoyed it very much.”
The Burt Munro Challenge – with racing events taking place across Bluff, Invercargill and Otatara from Wednesday, February 8, through until Sunday, February 12 – attracted huge numbers this time around and the racing on show was second-to-none.
The biking extravaganza skipped a beat last year – cancelled due to restrictions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic – and that was the first time the Burt Munro Challenge has been cancelled since it began in 2006.
But it certainly bounced back, with the action proving to be another truly momentous festival of motorcycling.
New Zealanders are highly regarded for their “can do” attitude and that characteristic, along with widespread general sporting prowess and a mighty mix of bravery and bravado, are at the root of what the world-famous Burt Munro Challenge is all about.
It is that indefatigable fighting spirit, coupled with the Kiwi number eight wire ingenuity that has made the man that the event is named after – legendary Southland bike racer Burt Munro – and of course the event itself, so appealing to domestic and international motorcycle enthusiasts alike.
© Words and photos by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ
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Whakatane’s Tony Rees (Honda CBR1000RR), on his way to winning the New Zealand Hill Climb Championships at Bluff on Thursday. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com