When Invercargill’s Burt Munro Motorcycle Classic weekend was cancelled because of Covid-19 restrictions, the city reeled at the thought of millions of dollars not flowing into the economy.
But to the surprise of the city, many of the riders came anyway.
Northland rider Mike Burrows and three of his friends were disappointed when they heard the event had been canned.
All their tickets and accommodation had been booked since June 2021.
So they decided to come anyway and enjoy their 15-day tour of the South Island.
There were significantly more motorcycles around the city, a sight typically associated with the Burt Munro Challenge being run.
While the usual planned events were no longer part of the week’s activities, riders did spend more time looking around the city, frequenting cafes and the surrounding area.
Burt Munro Challenge enthusiasts who decided to come to Invercargill despite the event being cancelled for 2022 are (from left) Neil Clark, of Christchurch, Mike Burrows, of Waipu, and ‘‘Bruiser’’, Alston Gielen and Gary Turton, of Whangarei. PHOTO: TONI MCDONALD
Bill Richardson Transport World and Motorcycle Mecca’s Alana Dixon said she was thrilled the riders still chose to come for the weekend as planned.
Motorcycle Mecca had decided to provide a limited-time only speedway exhibition with the hope it would attract riders to the museum.
The visitor numbers were not as high as the usual Burt Munro weekend, but were more than expected.
"It’s not what it was prior to Covid, but we were really pleased to see a number of people still coming through."
Traditionally Burt Munro visitors purchased a special "Turbo" pass which allowed holders entrance to both Transport World and Motorcycle Mecca.
"We were really rapt people still did want to come in and visit," she said.
"It was wonderful to still see people coming through and hopefully next year the Burt Munro Challenge is able to return and we can get back to what we were doing previously," Ms Dixon said.
Ibis Hotel manager Margaret Mason said guest numbers were down on previous years, however they still had guests who had booked in for the weekend and decided to come anyway.
"A lot of these riders plan a year ahead.
"It’s really nice that some of them came anyway."
Some of the Ibis guests had planned a month-long tour of the South Island which also included the Burt Munro weekend, she said.
Motorcycle enthusiasts also took advantage of the Where’s Burt, Round the Mountain Poker Charity ride held on Sunday morning — circumnavigating the Longwood Mountains via Riverton, Tutatapere and Winton.
Organiser Reuben Boniface hosted riders from around the Southland province, including riders from Red Knights (NZ Fire Service) and Blue Knights (law enforcement) clubs.
It was the fourth time the charity event had been hosted in the city and fundraising for Prostate Cancer.
North Island rider Alston Gielen was singing the praises of KB Motorcycles after the bike he rode from the North Island decided to break down — giving him the perfect excuse to leave the city with a brand new Harley-Davidson.
It was his first time he had been in the city and was enjoying his 15-day jaunt with his friends.
- Toni McDonald
