Rare Kawasakis highlight 2022 Shannons Insurance Broadford Bike Bonanza
As well as the big display to mark the fifty years since the release of the iconic 903cc Z1 Kawasaki, the 2022 Shannons Insurance Broadford Bike Bonanza will also feature two very significant racing motorcycles from the same company.
In 1969, British rider Dave Simmonds won the 125cc World Championship riding the works Kawasaki disc-valve twin. He claimed his and Kawasaki’s firstever Grand Prix win at the second round in Germany, and went onto take a further seven wins, including the Isle of Man TT, to easily take the championship. The tiny Kawasaki, with its 8-speed gearbox, is now owned by Ron Angel as part of his fabulous collection of iconic racing motorcycles, and will be on display over the Easter weekend.
In addition, Ron Angel will bring along his KR350 Kawasaki, the tandem-twin two stroke that took the 350cc World Championship in 1978 and 1979. Riders such as Kork Ballington and Australia’s Gregg
Hansford starred on the KR350, as well as the smaller 250 version. The KR350 took a total of four World Championships and were made available to Kawasaki distributors around the world for selected riders.
The two extremely rare Kawasaki racers will join around 50 examples of the Z900/1000 series in displays on the weekend. Committee chairman David White is urging everyone to enter early for the muchanticipated event. “Entries are now open and we encourage everyone to enter early as this makes the workload on the volunteers much less and we can all relax a bit on the weekend itself. Because of Covid-19 and the possible need for contact tracing we are encouraging all spectators to pre-purchase tickets. Pre entry is essential for on-track activities as no on-track entries can be accepted after the close-off date.”
For entry details and all information see www.trybooking.com/833992 or call Event Secretary Rachelle Pettifer on 0408 652 877. ■