Motorcycle Maketplace Magazine

Photos of the 2009 Dakar Rally from Buenos Aires in Argentina.
Photos by Rodolfo Fratini.

Gulf Bike Expo 2009 Debuts in Dubai.
The first Middle East international bike festival set to boost biking industry in the region.

Dubai, UAE, 15th Jan 2009, Middle East Communications & Forums (MECOM Forums) is gearing up for an electrifying launch of the region’s first ever dedicated bike exhibition, Gulf Bike Expo 2009. Set to take place at the Dubai Festival City from 19th to 21st March 2009, the event will thrill bikers and enthusiasts in the Middle East with a complete action packed biking experience. Gulf Bike Expo, the largest of its kind is set to showcase the latest in bikes, ATVs, apparel, accessories, custom designed bikes and motorcycle related products from all major international brands from Europe, the USA, Canada, Italy and Japan.

With confirmed exhibitors including Harley Davidson, BMW, Kawasaki, Yamaha/Al Yousuf, Buell, Aprilia, Confederate, Nomad, Custom Bikes, Pirelli/Al Hawai, Victory/Polaris, Scorpion Customs, KTM, Zeel Designs, Suzuki, Revolution, Al Badayer, Motor Barn, HZ Googles, Spider, Velocity, Two Brothers Racing USA, Red Art Inc, One Industries, Hinson Clutch Components, Acerbis, ITP Race Gear, Pro Armour Racing, Maier USA, Schampa Technical Wear, Draggin Jeans, R&G Racing Products, California School Bike School and many more.  Gulf Bike Expo 2009 will set the pace for the growing biking and motoring industry with over 20,000 visitors expected to attend this 3 day event.

Zeel Design, winners of the North American International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW 2007 for best engineering and bodywork, will exhibit six of their award winning designs and visitors will have an opportunity to purchase these custom design bikes at the exhibition. “The Gulf Bike Expo is an opportunity for us to expand outside Canada. Zeel Design will be exhibiting limited bikes including Alien Bike, Ghost Softail and T Rex and these will be available for purchase at the show” said Mr. Michael Long, Owner, Zeel Design Inc.

Gulf Bike Expo 2009 promises a celebration of motoring for the entire family. Visitors will not only be able to see a superb range of bikes and products, but will enjoy a complete festival atmosphere with professional stuntmen demonstrating extreme jaw dropping manoeuvres, putting on a spectacular show of skill and precision. Bikers from around the region will have the opportunity to participate in the freestyle bike demonstrations.

Purpose built marquee will display over 100′s of  bikes, clothing lines and accessories with daily fashion shows scheduled from participating fashion brands. An entertainment area includes outdoor bars, dining and barbecue areas and is built with two live music stages which will be managed by Live Nation and they will feature local and international bands and DJs who will be spinning the latest tunes revving up the crowd. Scorpion Customs front man, stunt man, and celebrated disc jockey; DJ GQ, will take stage to perform tunes from his remixes. Movie enthusiasts will enjoy an in show cinema showing the best of bike movies throughout the day and the event will also feature the highly successful Dubai Bike Week in cooperation with Harley Davidson.

“Gulf Bike Expo targets the region’s growing motoring industry. Our ambition is to deliver a unique expo that brings international manufacturers and products to cater to the need of the market. This event will become bikers’ haven with one stop shop solution as we continue to confirm more exhibitors.” said Christopher Hudson, Managing Director, MECOM.  “We also wanted to reach to the bike enthusiasts and those who thrive on the energy of motorbikes, which is why we have created a powerful festive ambience to capture the spirit of everything, motorbikes” continued Hudson.

Bike fanatics will have an opportunity to admire the works of master bike customizers on modified and transformed bikes. On site competitions will target visitors at the show with prizes that include bike clothing and accessories. Visitors can avail special show discounts on a range of products and merchandises including cruisers, street bikes, off road bikes, as well as custom bikes, ATV’s, tuning & customizing, parts & accessories, helmets, clothing.

About Mecom
Middle East Communications & Forums (MECOM Forums), a Dubai based company, is internationally recognized as a leading pioneer of B2B exhibitions. Always innovative, MECOM Forum’s vision, and belief in the importance of international trade has led to the development of an exhibition and events program located within the United Arab Emirates and reaching out across The Middle East, North Africa and Asia. From emerging markets to the economic powerhouses of the UAE, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and India, MECOM Forums organizes events specifically designed to bring buyer and seller together, face to face, to do business. MECOM Forums is highly focused on delivering events that matter, creating exhibitions, conferences and forums that enable businesses to grow and prosper. Our platforms are more than an interaction between exhibiting companies and buyers   they are annual gathering points for industry where opinions are formed, partnerships established and new opportunities can be found. Operating in conjunction with international associations, regional partners and government, MECOM Forums has concentrated on developing international shows and making markets within the United Arab Emirates and providing business and investment opportunity throughout the whole of the SAMENA region. (South Asia, Middle East & North Africa).

Once upon a long ago, just East of Mangatainoka where the “Gorgeous Tui Girls” live, there was a road called The Makiro Track. Sometime or other, the local Council abandoned the upkeep and it became Makiro Road West and Makiro Road East. The seven miles in-between is still easily passable if you disregard the overgrowth, the ruts and the slip.
Having listened to many reports of crossings, starting with Andrew Lawrence on his R60 in the early 70′s, then Bill and Jenny Biber on one of their BMW R100GS bikes in the 80′s through to today’s rash of “Adventure Riders” and considering that it’s only seven miles across and not too far from someone’s home I asked myself “how hard can it be ?”.

So, the day after Boxing Day eleven brave men, strong and true, assembled for the assault. Actually the only thing true about that is that there were eleven of us. We ranged in age from twelve to sixty nine years and considering our backs, knees, hips and other problems we probably only made about eight and a half semi-able humanoids.
Somewhere East of Mangatainoka the road ran out and the track began. We stopped to remove mirrors, helmets, jackets and make the saws, axes & shovels handy. We also came to agreement that if we caught any “Gorgeous Tui Girls” we could keep one each and the rest would be tagged and released.

As the track is really only passable on a solo motorcycle and borderline on a quad, we formed a line and headed off into the all encompassing bush. First up were our guides and trail blazers Bill and Iona, driving their 2008 Ural Gear-Up.
Oh, did I tell you that we were taking sidecars ?. Bill had ridden the route just before Christmas on his R1200 GS and assured me that it might possibly be passable with outfits if we could cut a path and drag them when needed.

Sheryl and I closely followed on our 03 Ural Ranger. Having the chairs on the right hand side meant that the drivers were constantly beaten by the overgrowth, as evidenced by the bruising around my left ribs. It was also hard to judge the placement of the third wheel, resulting in both of us dropping it over the edge several times (it must be said that I did this far more that Bill, who drove very skilfully). We had both fitted knobbly tyres and stayed locked in 2WD, which meant that we had good drive and traction but our steering was often unresponsive, requiring us to take several bites at tight sections.

Third in line were Norbert and his daughter Elyzah on their BMW R60 and Velorex combination. Norbert had fitted trail tyres all round and being far taller and stronger than us mere mortals had the option of carrying his lighter outfit over the difficult bits when he wasn’t busy lifting or pulling the others (thank you Norbert, thank you).
Last outfit and driven by “Man of the Match” Gav MacIntyre was an BMW R80 with Watsonian chair sometimes containing his son Cayden. Gav made his trip harder than most by running narrow handlebars and a bald rear road tyre, but lots of revs, aggression and clutch slippage ensured forward motion where possible.
The three solo riders that followed up were Gav’s Dad Lloyd on a Kawasaki 250 and Peer and Murray both riding BMW R1200GS’s.

The ride consisted of about twenty or thirty technical challenges linked by short overgrown transport sections. Collectively and singularly we got stuck, ran off the track, bottomed out, ran into banks, straddled ruts, cleared trees, fell off, struck stumps and that was just the uphill.
A lunch stop at the summit was well received and featured ham sandwiches, hard boiled eggs and lashings of Ginger Beer (Stones 5%), as every good adventure should. Suitably revived we were happy to head off downhill, until Bill declared that the next bit would be the hardest. Well at least it was downhill, which was easier on the passengers who had already walked about half the uphill section (no sense in both of us going over the edge).
Downhill was only harder because of the density of the overgrowth and the depth of the ruts. When we came to “Jim’s Drop”, the narrowest part of the track, it was time to reclaim a little of the old road back to the bank with loppers and saws and so create a detour.

Eventually after surmounting the aforementioned obstacles and the native stinging nettle, the burning effect of which was still present 48 hrs on, we exited the track near Coonoor, five hours after we started, quick trip eh !. Driving and riding back to the Gladstone Pub we all ached but ached good. I’m pretty sure that the outfits with dented mufflers, bent mudguards and smoking clutches ached good to.

Did we see any “Gorgeous Tui Girls” ?. Of course not, we were far too early. Everyone knows that they don’t stir before noon and then after preparation and wardrobe time it’s almost dark. Anyway, they would never have handled what our girls did on the track, so, “Gorgeous Tui Girls” , who needs them !

Mike Dobson

By Steve Green
www.motoringmarketplace.co.nz

Robertson Holden International Speedway on Saturday night echoed to the sound of V8 engines at full throttle and the rush of huge wings with the running of the fourth annual Harris Contracting Manawatu Sprintcar Championships.
Over the evening a number of action packed heats determined the grid positions for the 20 lap grand final with not all of the 18 cars that came out for the first couple of heats still capable of doing a fast lap. Some cars like that of American Ricky Logan and Shannon driver Ian Easton did not survive the night. Logan hit the wall below the main grandstand spinning around and bending the cars chassis along the way. Easton managed to do a full barrel roll down the South end landing back on his wheels. Both drivers were uninjured and Logan was able to race later in the evening in a borrowed car.
Even Brent Huijs was able to walk away unaided after his car smashed into the Pit wall just past the Pit gate bending and mangling his vehicle from the suspension to the big wing on top.
At the end of an interesting nights racing Aucklander Hans Boere is now the new Manawatu Sprintcar Champion, second was Greg Pickerill with Skinny Colson third.
In the Stockcar classes the racing was close, however without the mayhem going on in the Sprintcars. The Sidecars were as fast as ever, with some very close racing to the point of contact between riders, passengers and sidecars mid corner. The Sidecar races were split into two groups and the top competitors of the night were Steve King & Shaun Carter who won two races, Phil McNabb & Simon McNabb who won three races and Andrew Buchanan & Sam Ludlow who won one race.
For more information about upcoming Speedway events at the Robertson Holden International Speedway visit the Website: www.pnspeedway.co.nz For more photos of this and other motorsport action visit www.sportsimage.co.nz

Palmerston North Speedway, Solo’s and Sidecars.
Friday, January 2nd & Sunday January 4th, 2009.
By Steve Green

Regular spectators at the Robertson Holden International Speedway would be excused for wondering if they were at the right place on Friday night as there was not a single Stockcar in the Pits, nothing but Solo bikes and Speedway Sidecars. With two Solo Championships to be decided over two nights and the New Zealand Sidecar Championship as well, it was full leathers, helmets and full throttle action all evening.
The New Zealand under 21 Solo Championship was a battle of equipment as well as riding skill with top contender Jade Mudgway having ongoing mechanical problems which effectively robbed him of the title. Decided on Friday night, the title went to Invercargill’s Grant Tregoning and his win also guarantees him a starting spot in the line up for the World Under 21 qualifiers. Second place went to Kody Tocher of Christchurch with third to Invercargill rider Jamie Moohan.
In the qualifying races for the New Zealand Solo Championship, the action was equally intense prior to the finals on the second evening.
Qualifying for the New Zealand Sidecar Championship was beyond intense with no less than three sidecars spinning out and doing barrel rolls down the track in a tangle of arms, legs and wheels. Huge wheel stands off the start line, sidecars cornering three abreast in the turns and a few close contacts of the physical kind between fairings in the turns meant that the action was fast and furious all evening.
After a rain out on Saturday evening the action got under way again on Sunday afternoon with over 20 races for the Solo’s and over 24 Sidecar races. The track crew did an excellent job keeping the track smooth and fast for the competitors and the small crowd of spectators were treated to some very close and very fast racing, especially in the Sidecars. A number of incidents during the afternoon saw at least one competitor taken away for observation after he hit the concrete pit wall. A couple of Sidecars rolled and one minor incident saw two Sidecar’s collide and both passengers fall off, however generally everyone was able to get up and walk away. The protective leathers, body armour and helmets combined with the physically fit nature of these competitors meant that they were usually able to bounce back, both figuratively and literally. That is not to say that there won’t be a few bruises and sore muscles afterwards.
At the end of the meeting the New Zealand Solo Bike Champion was Englishman Jason Bunyan, with Jade Mudgway second and Larry Ross of Christchurch third.
In the Sidecars the New Zealand title went to Les Plummer & Kervin Demanser of the Hawke’s Bay, with Palmerston North’s Russell Stuart & Andrew Parker second.
For more information about upcoming Speedway events at the Robertson Holden International Speedway visit the Website: www.pnspeedway.co.nz For more photos of this and other motorsport action visit www.sportsimage.co.nz

The season has begun!! The Bernard Yamaha Team has started its season with a fine bunch of wins, backed up with a few 2nds and 3rds !! Manfeild December 20th was the opening round of the Tri-Series. From there, it was the infamous Cemetery Circuit followed by the Taupo round.

Manfeild.
This was to be Gareth’s first time on the Teams new Yamaha R1 and R6. Friday testing went well, ironing out some of the new bike bugs! Race day saw Gareth qualify on pole on the R6 and 4th on the R1. The R1 proving more difficult to find a good set up. Race 1 for the 600 was a “Gareth” show, as he went out and won the 6 lap race by almost 7 seconds!! A clear sign that he means business. The second 600 race was wet and Gareth decided to get used to the new bike and wet conditions at a safe pace. Having said that, he led until the last lap when a desperate move by 2nd place man relegated him to 2nd at the chequered.
The Superbike race saw Gareth dice for the lead in both races, finishing 3rd in one race and mistaking a waving white flag as the chequered in the other race, retiring 1 lap too early !.

Cemetery Circuit.
Boxing Day is a busy one for everyone. Practise and qualifying are short, but this didn’t stop Gareth from again getting pole position on the R6 and 2nd fastest on the R1 Superbike. In the 600 race, he again showed that he means business, with 2 convincing wins !! The first race on the Superbike and Gareth diced with the track favourite, Craig Shirriffs, with Gareth getting the victory. Race 2 and Gareth had a clear lead but pushed a little too hard in the esses and crashed heavily. It was back to the pits for an evaluation of the damage. It didn’t take long to discover that the bike wasn’t repairable on the day, so Gareth was left to ride the feature race, Robert Holden Memorial, on his fast R6 against the hordes of Superbikes. This didn’t seem to worry Gareth at all, as he diced again with Craig Shirriffs for the lead and leaving the rest of the field behind !!! The race ended with Gareth 2nd and a great performance for the day. We packed up that night and headed for the next round at Taupo.

Taupo.
The first day at Taupo saw Gareth riding his R6 for a couple of sessions while the crew worked all day on the crash repairs. The next day both bikes were ready to go. Gareth was again on pole position on the R6 and 2nd on the SBK. 2 more clear wins in the 600 class, a 3rd and two 2nds on the SBK. Incredible results yet again, especially as Gareth only got 4 laps of practise on the SBK before going out in the races and dicing with Andrew Stroud immediately!!

The Team would like to thank sponsors, friends and family, who all help to make it happen.
Cheers.
Brian Bernard.

By Steve Green
www.motoringmarketplace.co.nz

The second meeting of the Drag racing season at Hood Aerodrome in Masterton was held in hot summer weather over the weekend of December 27th & 28th. Competitors came from far and wide to race on the converted airstrip and apart from a few relatively minor mechanical problems the event went well.
For myself I did the best run to date on my Yamaha TT500 Dragbike only to have the gear change shaft break off on Sunday morning putting an end to my racing until I can repair it. Otaki driver Rex Duckett was back on the track after an incident last season which wrecked his old Vauxhall Viva Drag car. The 540 cubic inch V8 engine and drive train are now powering a 1988, Chevrolet Corvette which did a best run of 9.5 seconds at 150 mph.
Levin Farmer Alex Hogg took time off from milking the 130 cows down on his dairy farm to race his recently rebuilt Rail Dragster. The Dragster is powered by a very rare SOHC, 427ci, Ford V8 that was built in 1966, and has been fitted with fuel injection. The gearbox is a Powerglide filled with aftermarket gears and driving the rear wheels via a nine inch Ford Diff. The original chassis used by Alex back in Thunderpark days has been replaced by a new chassis and this was only the second outing of the fresh machine which did a best run of 8.758 at 151.41 mph.
Drag bikes ranged from the 108 cubic inch Harley Drag Bike of Craig Hale and Rob Findlay through to the “Afterburner”, a Suzuki GSXR1100 powered bike, bored out to 1380cc running on C16 racing fuel and Nitrous Oxide gas, a very potent combination indeed.
For more information on Drag Racing at Masterton visit the Club’s Website: www.mastertonmotorplex.co.nz  For more images from the Drags go to www.sportsimages.co.nz