First Rally

WAIRARAPA MOTORCYCLE TRIAL

WORDS AND PHOTOS CLIVE SOMERVILLE

Where is Carterton?

At the riders’ briefing of the 2021 Wairarapa Motorcycle Reliability Trial, Branch Chairman, Willie James, said, “…and I would like to thank Clive for coming down from the Waikato for…” I interrupted. “To be clear, I wasn’t sure where Carterton was, and it was much to my chagrin that I spent six hours in the car last night.”

My interjection received a warm chuckle. This, and the welcome, set the precedent for hospitality and support during the weekend’s endeavours.

Growing up I loved hear tales about my Grandad riding the Wall of Death; going over the Wall in Whangarei and spending his 21st in hospital, how a smaller 2-stroke bike was easier to ride, only needing to go about 30mph to put on a show. My favourite story was of his having saved £225 from the Wall and stuffing the money in his breast pocket he caught the train from Huntly to Auckland, taxied to White’s of Newmarket, and purchased a new Triumph Speed Twin off the floor. The shop owner admonished him for carrying £225 in his pocket on the train. The Triumph (5T) was a fine bike with a maroon tank – he proudly rode it home.

Not feeling quite up to pre-unit bikes, and not having a breast pocket as large as Grandad’s, but still wanting to honour his memory I bought my 1959 Triumph (5TA) 18 months ago.

It is blue, or black, with a frame number from 1959, a later engine and a smattering of parts from the 1960s. I’ve enjoyed learning about it, and after a number of mechanical and electrical misadventures, the bike has recently been running well.

Disappointed to have recently missed my local Mooloo Meander because of a wiring short, and frustrated at having to ride in a support wagon I decided to finally crack my rally duck and entered the Wairarapa Motorcycle Reliability Trial after choosing it based on three criteria: 1. Next up in the calendar 2. For motorbikes 3. In the middle of the North Island*. *Erudite readers will see the folly in this assumption.

With the event drawing near I decided to try and learn what it was I had entered. I read older event reports in branch newsletters online that threatened 500 kilometres of Wairarapa and Hawke’s Bay back roads and gravel. I hadn’t ridden gravel since spending holidays and weekends on North Waikato stations as a kid, learning to ride on friends’ bikes. So on a crisp Waikato morning I picked out Piakonui Road and rode in both directions twice, remembering to get up on the tank for front wheel traction, and back in the seat for rear wheel grip. Having gotten lost on the Paratu Roads on the way home I was nervous about my navigation skills and was wondering what might have rattled loose on the corrugations. Finally home, a quick whip around the bike found only a few fasteners that needed attention. I was feeling better about the upcoming reliability trial.

On the Friday before the weekend a workmate overheard me trying to hire a motorbike trailer and offered their motocross one, looking a little shocked when I said I was going to Carterton they said. “I hope it gets there and back ok.”

Perhaps this should have been a warning about my geographic assumptions. I picked up the trailer, loaded the Triumph and headed down SH1. Six hours later I checked into my AirBnB owned by a tall and broad ex RAF and RNZAF Yorkshireman. He learnt of my itinerary and said he’d hold the room for me on Sunday. A strong vote of confidence.

The morning of the event I headed up to Clareville and unloaded the bike, which had survived the trailer and the night out and started easily. I taped route instructions in my newly fitted rally route holder and confessed my error in estimating where Carterton was. Just after 9am 12 bikes, including route planner Glyn Clements on a Honda CX500 with sidecar and wife Kathy, headed out to pick up our lucky 13th rider – Howard Sims who’d needed to replace a fuel cap on his Harley trike and met us at Te Ore Ore. It was a good collection of bikes from the ‘50s to ‘80s, with Simon Byrne’s BSA Victor special attracting my attention.

Everyone ran well, with the odd nut or bolt needing a tweak. We drove through beautiful sheep and beef country still looking dry from the summer with rivers low and pastures brown and short, arriving at Pongaroa for elevenses. I was sent to read the plaque by the double helix inspired sculpture and was thrilled to learn that I was in the hometown of Maurice Wilkins of Watson, Crick and Wilkins DNA and Nobel Prize fame.

I enjoyed riding the winding, hilly, changing, often not very cambered roads, and enjoyed seeing sheep flocks in the hills, a change from Waikato dairy pastures. We arrived in Dannevirke for lunch at the Black Stump before heading to the base of the Ruahine Range and the old dairy factory to meet local farmer Russell Phillips. We were given a tour of his herd homes, 40 million litres of new ponds, we tasted sugar beet and were given a tour of his extensive collection of American muscle cars and his Americana themed shed. He had until a couple of years ago received tour parties, and well themed sections of the shed resembled workshops, diners, tech colleges and bars.

With dusk approaching I took the opportunity on the last 24 miles of the day to give the Triumph a spirited run, with the justification of burning off the plugs. The run went along the Manawatu River past the Tui Brewery and into Pahiatua where we were hosted at the Post Office Hotel. That evening over dinner I was overjoyed to learn I had won the BSA Challenge Cup. A trophy that started existence in 1927 in the Wellington Motorcycle Sports Club for a Two Day Winter Reliability Trial and after hiatuses had been adopted for the Wairarapa Motorcycle Reliability Trial

… when I said I was going to Carterton they said “I hope it gets there and back ok.”…

event. I shared my news with a family group chat text channel, my wife asked how on earth I had won a reliability trial? I suggested driving a really long way to an event was maybe a contributing factor. The Triumph had been faultless though. Regardless, I was honoured, proud and grateful and thought fondly of what Grandad may have said. I promised the other riders that I would return with a cohort of Waikato riders to defend the title next year. I was advised that the winner of the trophy had to submit an article to Beaded Wheels.

After demurring early from the evening festivities I took off my boots and prepared for bed. I had packed ear plugs after reading a trip report that noted snoring and shared rooms, however my roommate, Kevin Sullivan riding a BSA Spitfire was a gentleman and not a snorer. Refreshed in the morning we were met by the threat of a northerly system with heavy rain and gales. After morning briefing agreed we’d

s Picking up a bit of mud on the Piakonui/Paatu Roads - prep run. s Bike prep.

s Rugged up for the rough weather. s Visit to Russell Phillips’ collection.

Outside Tui Brewery. s Pitstop around Pongaroa. s To the victor go the spoils - Clive (left) and Willie

James.

proceed on the planned route but take it very easy. The ride back stayed mainly dry with a great switchback climb out of Makuri and past the expansive new pine plantings, into Pongaroa, and then Eketahuna. Sensing a gust coming across a paddock and through the trees, I was able to practise flattening myself against the tank and leaning into the wind.

Knowing I had another six hours to get back home I bid farewell to our party who planned to lunch in Eketahuna. They asked, “Clive, where is Carterton?” I sheepishly pointed south and asked if I was right. With warnings of wind at the bird sanctuary and advice to take the Masterton Bypass I was sent off.

Our weekend was well timed as the rain and wind really set in as I neared Carterton and I was glad to have the bike back on the trailer. It was a memorable first ever rally, and I look forward to returning next year.

Our club archive is located at the VCCNZ National Office in Christchurch and is open to visitors on Friday mornings. It contains a wealth of historic material, a lot of which has been digitised. It is well worth a visit or if you have any queries do get in contact with our archivist Don Muller phone 03 385 6850 or archivist@vcc.org.nz.

– THE UNSUNG HEROES– UTILITY VEHICLES FROM THE 1965 HAAST RALLY

I have just completed a 30 minute slide show, featuring photos and memorabilia from past VCC International Rallies, for the August AGM to be held in Christchurch, where we will celebrate 75 years of the VCC of New Zealand. While searching the thousands of photos from the various events, I was looking for something that stood out from the rest that I could use as an article. I came across some interesting photos, some of which may not have been previously published in Beaded Wheels.

I know the 1965 Haast Rally has been well documented in the past, but the photos I have chosen are the unsung heroes of the Haast Rally, the utility vehicles; Shell provided all entrants with free petrol for the whole rally using coupons, there was a large petrol tanker as well as a mobile tanker, Firestone with its tyre service van as well as providing one of the two baggage trucks, IGA and General Foods with the food truck and food. Both I McLachlan and Murray Mahan each provided the field kitchen with five ton trucks, and Maugers Garage with their repair/ breakdown crane, to name some. There was a total of 14 trucks in the daily convoy.

The person in charge of the logistics of the field kitchen was Sam Slyfield, the South Island Manager of the Pennzoil Oil Company, which sponsored many early Pennzoil Rallies in the South Island with oil and petrol. The first such rally was the 1957 Rangiora Veteran and Vintage Rally. He also supplied Pennzoil products to all of the Haast entrants. Sam was the deputy organizer for the 6th International Rally (Haast) in 1965, as well as being in charge of the field kitchen. His job was to ensure that the field kitchen processed the 33 tons of food that was made into 26,000 meals at 13 locations over 14 days all ran smoothly. Sam didn’t own a vintage car, but enjoyed being involved with the VCC.

Included is a great photo of the first night’s stopover at Mt Cook village, with Mt Sefton and the field kitchen/cookhouse tent in the background where the rally stopped for two nights.

These photos emphasise the mammoth task that was undertaken to feed all of the entrants during their 13 nights away.

Recently I had an enjoyable evening when 40 members from the VCC Canterbury Branch motorcycle section visited the Archive. It was standing room only. If you would like to visit the Archive please call me.

MICHAEL WORTHINGTONWILLIAMS MBE 1938-2021

At the VCC Archive we receive many monthly publications, both commercial magazines as well as various club publications, mainly International. One excellent publication is, The Veteran Car Club of Great Britain, The Gazette, which is always full of interesting articles. In the latest issue, it was sad to read the death of Michael Worthington-Williams MBE on 8 February 2021.

Members will have read many of his enjoyable articles, in both car and motorcycle magazines. Those of you who read The Automobile, (which he contributed to for 35 years) will be familiar with his columns, Finds and Discoveries and Automobilia. At one time he was contributing to 24 publications. He attended the Beaulieu Auto Jumble (swap meet) 48 times. From 1982 to 2007 he travelled 250,000 trouble free miles in his 1927 Austin 20 sedan (Arthur). He has had many awards and has been on numerous veteran/vintage vehicle committees.

He was awarded the MBE for Services to Automobile History in 2018. If you would like to know more about Michael, there is plenty of information on the Internet.

Don Muller Archivist

archivist@vcc.org.nz