Britten bike to make appearance at Burt Munro Challenge

BARRY HARCOURT/The Southland Times

RIGHT: Neville Hayes, of E Hayes and Sons Invercargill, with the original Burt Munro 1936 Velocette and showing the bike's ownership papers.

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The revolutionary New Zealand superbike that broke four world records will be in Invercargill this week for the Burt Munro Challenge.

One of the legendary Britten V1000s – built by the late motorcycle engineering genius John Britten – is scheduled to arrive in the city tomorrow.

Built in the early 1990s, the Britten motorcycle has become a world-class racing bike and is extremely rare with only ten ever built.

Burt Munro Challenge steering committee chairman Wayne Affleck said motorcycle enthusiasts would have a chance to get close to the Britten, as well as former top superbike riders, Andrew Stroud and Aaron Slight, at an evening at Ascot Park Hotel tomorrow night.

Stroud, a top competitor in the New Zealand racing scene, won the Battle of the Twins at Daytona in 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997 and would be bringing with him the pink and blue Britten that he raced to win the inaugural BEARS (British, European, American Racing Series) World Championship in 1995.

Having the bike in Invercargill was a unique opportunity, Mr Affleck said. "The Britten is a real icon in New Zealand's motorcycling history," he said

The bike would also be on display at E Hayes and Sons on Friday, followed by a demonstration by Stroud at the Teretonga Sprint Races at 1pm on Saturday and at the Wyndham Street Races at 1pm on Sunday.

Slight, now an instructor for the Honda Riders Club of New Zealand, is the only rider to win the Suzuka 8 Hours race three years in a row. As well as his speaking engagement Slight will be spending two days training riders on the tricks of the trade at Teretonga.

Tickets to the evening with the Britten, Stroud and Slight, at Ascot Park Hotel, are $40 from the Invercargill I-Site at Southland Museum and Art Gallery and Southland Honda on Clyde St. There will be door sales from 7pm.

BRITTEN V1000:

* Took almost 12 years to develop.

*Only 10 have been made

* Since 1990, the Britten V1000 has been placed at the Daytona (United States), Assen (Netherlands), Monza (Italy), and the Brands Hatch Races (Great Britain)

* Britten motorbikes hold several records for the VIM World Speed Records 1994 - Motorcycle 1000cc: -Flying Mile: 302.705kmh -Standing Start Quarter Mile: 134.617 kmh -Standing Start Mile: 213.512 kmh -Standing Start Kilometre: 186.245 kmh

* The motorbike has a two-cylinder engine

* The bike was made lighter and more streamlined by using carbon fibre and kevlar

* The radiator has been moved to under the seat and is fed from ducts, to reduce wind-resistance

* The front suspension is adjustable as is a wishbone shape to allow better handling at speed

* The engine castings have been made stronger so they act as some of the framework of the chassis to make the motorbike lighter and faster

* The engine is no wider than the width of the tyres, reducing wind resistance wThere is an on-board computer, which is used for monitoring six functions

Source: www.tepapa.govt.nz