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‘ROCKET' RON COMPETES FOR TENTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR IN SILVERSTONE RACE TO THE SKY
February 1 2007: ‘Rocket’ Ron Kirkman will not only be the oldest competitor in this year’s Silverstone Race to the Sky at Easter (April 7 and 8), he will be one of only a handful who has competed in all ten events.
Kirkman who is in his 71st year is a legendary quad bike competitor and is excited about marking the high profile Cardrona Valley event’s tenth anniversary this year.
“I love this race and if I stay as fit as my doctor says I am now I want to still be racing when I’m 80.”
Kirkman reckons that as well as competing in all the races since the event started in 1998, he is the only competitor to have made it up the challenging Waiorau Snow Farm road on every run.
“Even when I lost my steering once I managed to get there. There’s no-one else who can claim that.”
Kirkman was Race to the Sky’s Quad Bike champion in 2001 and his fastest time on the hill has been clocked at 9m 14secs which he hopes to better this year.
In July last year he competed in the Pike’s Peak hill climb in Colorado finishing third in his class.
“It was much tougher than when I was there in 2001 because they’ve sealed two-thirds of the course. I wasn’t so good on the seal but on the metal section I was clocked at 110mph which I was happy with.”
He damaged his bike at Pike’s Peak and has since virtually rebuilt it.
“I’ve made it longer and wider and it’s now very much like the one I raced on in the second year of the Race to the Sky.”
Kirkman’s goal is to finish in the top 20 in the field at the Race to the Sky and he thinks that’s quite realistic.
“I’m hoping to go faster this year and I am feeling very confident that I will. I‘ve done a lot of work on the bike and when I went out for a bit of a run recently it felt awesome.”
Entries for the 2007 Silverstone Race to the Sky are now open and entry forms are available on line at www.racetothesky.com
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The 2007 Silverstone Race to the Sky is scheduled for Easter Weekend April 7 and 8 at The Snow Farm in the Cardrona Valley close to Queenstown and Wanaka.
Gates open from 7.30am on both days. Gate admission $40 per adult, school children $10 and under 5’s free. Adult Gold Pass $125 per day, child Gold Pass $60 per day.
