From the classroom to the track
Young motorcycle enthusiasts will get a chance to open the throttle on the race track at Manfeild.
For some keen teens at Freyberg High School and St Peter’s College, the first three days of term, October 16 - 18, will be spent at Manfeild racing bikes they have made in the annual Minimoto Grand Prix.
Freyberg engineering teacher Paul Emmerson, son of Roger Emmerson, the Feilding High School teacher who introduced Minimoto to Manawatu¯ , said his school had 28 bikes entered – 20 50cc bikes, six 70ccs and two sidecars.
‘‘It’s our third year. We started at Freyberg in 2015 with seven 50cc machines. There was no engineering curriculum and the bikes were built during after-school tech club.’’
Emmerson said although there was still plenty of friendly fatherson Minimoto rivalry, his father had been ‘‘a fantastic mentor’’ to him and to the Freyberg programme.
The two Palmerston North schools will be joining engineering teams from Feilding High School, Taihape Area School and Pahiatua’s Tararua College, as well as bikes from Whanganui High School, Spotswood College in New Plymouth and two Poverty Bay Schools, Lytton High and Gisborne Boys’.
Robert Heath from the New Zealand National Secondary Schools Minibike Racing Club said it will be the 11th time the small motorcycles get to let rip around the circuit.
‘‘They have built their mini bike frames, forks and rear suspension in their school engineering workshops during the year.’’
In past years, Heath said the three-day event had attracted schools from Bay of Plenty and Whanga¯rei, while Timaru Boys’ High was a late withdrawal this year. ‘‘We still have 176 competitors from nine schools coming for the event.’’
The racing takes place across several classes and weight divisions, including 50cc 2-stroke powered bikes; two styles of 70cc 4-stroke single cylinder bikes; two classes of 110cc, 4-stroke powered sidecars; and a new Suzuki Gixxer Cup 150cc racing bike class.
‘‘This year also sees the introduction of live commentated video, so students back in school and their parents and grandparents around the country can watch the direct live broadcast from home,’’ Heath said.
Bike engineering and construction goes towards secondary achievement standards, while racing is controlled by volunteer officials from Manawatu¯ Orion Motorcycle Club under Motorcycle New Zealand rules and regulations.