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Nov 6 2011
The Manawatu Motorcycle Club was formed in 1911 followed sometime later by the Orion Motorcycle Club. Down the track a bit the two clubs merged to become the Manawatu Orion Motorcycle Club and here we are 100 years on and celebrating our 100th birthday.
It’s also 65 years since the Wellington based Ixion Motorcycle Club and Manawatu Orion Club first competed for the BSA Reliability Shield, at an annual inter club competition. I assume that in the early days the events were road based reliability trials and in later years (1950”s) the events started moving off road, although still probably with road stages included. And finally (1960’s) the events became true “observed trials” and moved totally off road. And that is where we are still at today with the only changes being multiple grades (or classes) and the name Observed Trials (for the modern bikes anyway) making way for Moto Trial.
For this year’s BSA Shield event we thought it would be a good idea to include it into our Centennial celebrations and also invite the Robert Cochrane lead twin shock and classic riders. They included this event as part of their Belray Twinshock Trials Series. So it was good to have them along to boost our numbers.
Merv, Phil and myself spent a big chunk of Saturday setting up ten sections at the Infracon quarry on Kendalls Line, Linton, in dry but very windy conditions. It certainly slows up the section setting up process when trying to cater for an extra easy line for the lower of the twin shock grades without making it too boring. It would be easy to put in obstacles that are too hard. However I think we got it right this time as the scores proved on the day – for all grades.
Sunday turned out as almost worst case scenario as it rained on Saturday night and on and off during the day although when “on” it was only light drizzle. There was a bit of wind too but not too bad and most sections held up fine with only section ten on a grass/clay bank that became quite slippery although not impossible. A few others developed a few “sloppy” soft spots and I’m sure most bikes went home in need of a good clean up.
Forty three riders entered with 23 of these riding twin shock bikes from the 60’s through 80’s. The oldest bike being John Sendalls 1967 BSA Bantam trials bike. Another bike of note was the Bultaco 325 of Brent Vautiers’, bought new by Errol Conaghan from Tim Gibbes back in 1973. Errol only parted with this bike earlier this year. Most other trials bikes of the era were being ridden including Montesa, Ossa, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Yamaha and Honda.
Also turning up to ride was the NZ and Australian Moto trials champ (5 x NZ 2 x Aust), Jake Whitaker from Wainuiomata. Jake made everything he rode look like a walk in the park. Jake competed in the 2011 world trials champs (Junior class – for under 23 year olds) and had top 10 finishes in a number of rounds. A class rider indeed, way ahead of his nearest rival in NZ at present.
After completing four laps of the ten sections the day ended with a barby and few drinks and unfortunately we had to let the Ixion boys take the BSA Shield back south. We weren’t far of the pace though. We lost to them in the A and Inter grades, Tied in the Clubman grade and beat them in the Twinshock Expert grade. Bit of a bugger that as it hasn’t been won by Manawatu Orion this century. We last won it in 1999 and up until then it had been won almost equally by both clubs.
--Kevin Pinfold
