Castrol Autumn Vintage Motorcycle Challenge starts from Vintage Car Club rooms. From left, Sam Wilson on his AJS, Willie James on BSA Lighting and (7) Willie Wood on a Matchless. PHOTO/BEVAN CONLEY
Vintage motorcycles from throughout the lower North Island gathered in Whanganui for the 35th annual Castrol Autumn Motorcycle Challenge.
Hosted by the Wanganui Vintage Car Club, 36 motorcycles set off from the Vintage Car Club headquarters in Whanganui East, on Saturday morning.
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•Something to please every car enthusiast
"We were very pleased with the entry numbers," organiser Bill James said.
"We had people here from Whanganui, Masterton, Wellington, Hutt Valley, Kapiti Coast and New Plymouth. There were a lot of other similar events on during the weekend, so 36 entries was a very good number."
From the Vintage Car Club, the riders rode out through Okoia, Fordell, Whangaehu and the Turakina Valley, and stopped for lunch at Halcombe. They returned to Whanganui via Bulls and Santoft.
"We were a bit nervous about the condition of the roads, especially the Turakina Valley Rd, after all the rain we had last week. But they were absolutely fine," Mr James said.
The ride took about two- to two-and-a-half hours.
The overall winner - the rider who took the least amount of time - was Warwick Laing on his 1961 Norton.
The oldest rider was 87-year-old Willis Sinclair, riding a BSA B31.
'We do our best but we are in extremely difficult times.'