2014 Broadford Bike Bonanza
The countdown is on for the annual Easter event, which this year pays homage to the famed Castrol 6-Hour production race and the BP Sunraysia Desert RallyThe 2014 instalment of the Broadford Bike Bonanza will again be held at Easter (April 19-20), complete with a new naming rights sponsor -- Australian company Penrite Oil – and a focus on the Castrol 6-hour production bike race which was such a prestigious event on the local road racing calendar in the 1970s and 1980s.
At the BBB, former Australian supersport champion Shannon Johnson will ride the actual Honda CB1100R taken to victory by his late father Andrew Johnson in the 1980 Castrol 6 hour race.
Johnson teamed with future Wayne Gardner to win a rain-affected race – Australia’s biggest and most prestigious event at the time -- after a monumental dice with the Suzuki GSX1100 of John Pace and Neil Chivas. The winning Honda was entered by Sydney dealer Mentor Motorcycles, and following the race was sold to Sydney collector Terry Pinson who has owned it ever since.
For the past 10 years the Mentor Honda has been on display at the National Motor Racing Museum in Bathurst, and is in exactly the same condition as it finished the race, although owner Pinson says he has given it a ‘birthday’ with new tyres, brake pads and hoses.
Meanwhile, a replica of the 1970 Castrol 6 hour-winning 650cc Triumph Bonneville T120 ridden by Len Atlee and the late Bryan Hindle is also on the Broadford bill – ridden by Atlee himself!
The original Bonneville, which disappeared many years ago, was entered by famous Parramatta dealer Barry Ryan. In winning Atlee and Hindle clocked up 312 laps (607.15km) of the Amaroo Park circuit on the outskirts of Sydney.
Some big names set to attend the BBB include Graeme Crosby and Kevin Magee, the latter a Castrol 6-hour winner in 1986 and 1987 alongside Michael Dowson.
The Castrol 6-hour ran from 1970-1983 at Amaroo Park and from 1984-1987 at Oran Park, both now defunct.
Other BBB highlights include:
- A Sunraysia BP Desert Rally reunion;
- Roger Harvey’s book launch ‘Desert Downunder’ – a history of the Sunraysia BP Desert Rally from 1971-1978;
- A swap meet;
- Club and trade stands;
- Eight-time Australian motocross champion Glen Bell cut laps aboard 1989 model CR125, CR250 and CR500 machines;
- All tracks will be open again including a special ‘Red Plate Trail Ride’ on the Sunday into the Tallarook forest;
- The Saturday Speedway Spectacular from 4:00-6:00pm; and
- The gala dinner. Food by Bernard Hayes, wines by Tahbilk, and interviews with Graeme Crosby and Desert Rally founder Don Gibb interviewed ‘on the couch’.
The HBBB – now into its sixth year -- is a non-competitive event using all the circuits within the complex. Track time is allocated to riders and machines according to factors such as speeds, abilities, and the period the bike falls into.
Camping is available at the venue, or accommodation can be found in nearby Broadford. For more information on the event, visit www.ma.org.au/index.php?id=1808.
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