Tenth birthday at Broadford
Shannon’s Insurance Broadford Bike Bonanza
30 March-1 April, 2018 – State Motorcycling Complex, Broadford, Victoria
The 10th running of the Shannon’s Insurance Broadford Bike Bonanza was hailed as the best yet, with record crowds cramming camping areas and huge fields of motorcycles across all disciplines. This year’s theme celebrated 90 years of the Vincent-HRD marque, and no fewer than 85 of Stevenage’s best turned out, including seven speedway outfits. Saturday’s Speedway Spectacular took place in front of a capacity crowd, with the father and son team of Phil and Jason Crump headlining the big line up of solo and sidecars. Featured in the speedway section was a tribute to the late Neil Street, and numerous examples of his 4-valve engines were present, including the very first one created, owned and ridden by Phil Crump. Unfortunately one solo and one sidecar accident delayed the program which had to be curtailed at 6pm.
Across at the road circuit, bikes circulated all weekend, but the pits were a hive of activity with colourful displays of rare and exotic machinery. The standout of these was Ron Angel’s 30-strong collection of former Grand Prix bikes, many of which were shown to the public for the first time.
These included works bikes from Jawa, Harley-Davidson/Aermacchi, Paton, Bimota, Rotax and other makes. In the Vincent camp there were models representing virtually the entire spectrum of Vincent production from 1928 to 1955, as well as numerous Vincent-engined specials and a big collection of the fabulous Irving Vincents built in Melbourne by the Horner brothers.
Saturday night’s traditional dinner saw a big turn out to socialise and thank all the volunteers that make this huge event possible. A highlight was the annual induction of four new members of the MA Museum & Heritage Committee Lifetime Achievement awards: the late Neil Street, his son-in-law Phil Crump, Isle of Man TT winner Barry Smith, and long time track announcer Bob Johnson.
In addition to the on-track action, there was a massive display of mini bikes through the ages, a BSA Bantam display, plus a swap meet and trade stalls. The unique format of “no racing, just fun” makes the Bonanza unlike any other event and gives visitors a chance to see road racing, dirt track, endure, speedway, motocross and trials within the complex, which is serviced by free shuttle buses. It’s on again next Easter!
10-11 March, 2018 – Bunbury, WA
The rally has long been one of WA’s premier historic motorcycle events and is always keenly anticipated within the old bike community. Once again, this year’s rally was very successful, attracting riders from as far afield as Albany, Geraldton and beyond, and took on greater significance for many after cancellation of last year’s Albany Hill Climb, which is also a big event on the WA calendar. The entry list, capped at 180 bikes, was once again full. There was great variety in the machines entered, with a number of rare models in the mix including Andrew Repton’s beautifully restored 1914 Yale and Kevin Badby’s 1925 4 cylinder Henderson. While the weather was fine and warm, strong easterly winds did keep riders on their mettle. Two different courses were run, a short course suited to older machines and a long course for later models. Saturday’s short course took riders south to Peppermint Grove beach and then into the hills and around to Donnybrook. The long course headed east to Collie and then through the Wellington and Ferguson Valleys. Both were scenic with lots of winding roads, making for enjoyable riding. And to make things interesting, a major bushfire broke out on the outskirts of Bunbury during Saturday afternoon, which disrupted traffic. Fortunately, it didn’t impact on the Saturday rides, but organisers did have a busy time re-routing courses for the next day. They did a great job as the changes went off without a hitch. Both courses converged in Brunswick Junction, where riders enjoyed a welcome break amongst shady trees on the town’s sports ground.
Club President, Richard Clark, said he was really pleased with this year’s event, which had a particular vibrancy to it. He’d also received many compliments on Saturday night’s event, which was particularly social and had an almost festive atmosphere. As visitors packed up their gear to head home on the Sunday afternoon, it was clear the Indian Harley Club had delivered a fantastic event that was enjoyed by all who took part.