Mopedathon Mania
You’d be hard pressed to accuse Air Force personnel of lacking imagination when it comes to having a collective good time. But an idea ‘introduced’ by one of our ex-pat British recruits must take the cake as the most bizarre out-of-hours fun craze at Base Ohakea. SQNLDR Shaun Clark explains.
SUBLT Marais and FLTLT Nicholson race through the track. OH-07-0865-50-tn.jpg.
Preparations are well under way for the next 6-hour Mopedathon at Ohakea to be run on 10 May 2008. Run by the Ohakea Motor Sport Club, the Mopedathons are the brain child of FLTLT Lee Bradford, an ex-RAF engineer who recently joined the RNZAF.
FLTLT Bradford had been involved in a number of Mopedathons in the U.K, and was convinced RNZAF personnel would embrace the idea here as well. The concept is simple; teams of up to three riders, riding anything with two wheels, up to a maximum of 50 ccs, around a track for six hours…yes, SIX hours!
The inaugural Ohakea Mopedathon was organised and run by FLTLT Bradford in August last year and attracted thirteen teams. Everyone involved and most of the spectators realised the potential of the event and FLTLT Bradford was pressured into running another Mopedathon before the year was out. And so, on 16 December ‘Mopedathon 2’ was held at Ohakea.
By now word was out and 19 teams turned up to face the starter. The ‘race bikes’ included a pair of Suzuki RG50 bucket racers from the old bucket racing days, a number of traditional ‘step thru’ scooters including several from the 70’s, a mini dirt bike, two mini moto superbikes, and a couple of ‘choppers’. The bikes were as diverse as the dress of their riders. The serious riders wore full race leathers, while the even more serious turned up in tuxedos, complete with top hats and waitresses. Needless to say these guys won the award for the classiest team. In between were riders dressed in jeans, safari suits and even as Santa Claus!
PLTOFF Chappell races on the track. OH-07-0863-34-tn.jpg.
The event was held on the tarmac between the MT yard and the No. 3 Squadron hangar. The track, which was put together by a large group of volunteers using a massive number of tyres and cones, took just under two minutes for the fastest riders to complete a lap.
The start was a sight to rival that seen at the Isle of Man TT. Using a Le Mans style start, riders had to run across the track to their bikes, start them and then negotiate the first corner crush – for all but one team that is, who cunningly avoided the first corner carnage by consuming a leisurely drink before getting underway. After several laps the race settled down and the riders all concentrated on mistake-free laps…or at least in theory anyway.
There was some fantastic racing out on the track, with many ‘battles’ lasting for lap after lap. Many of the riders competing had no motor sport experience prior to the event, and it was fantastic to see the reaction of riders pulling their helmets off after an action packed stint on track. It was also great to see the improvement in riding technique of many riders as the race wore on, and the corresponding reduction in lap times. Of course, some pushed too hard, with most teams suffering at least one ‘off’ during the race. The only significant casualty of the day was FGOFF Trish O’Neil, who fell and broke her wrist….before the race even started! We all hope you at least make the start line next time Trish!
W/O Mosley races on the track. OH-07-0865-29-tn.jpg.
Pit stop strategy was left up to the teams. Some teams went for the ‘stay fresh’ approach and opted for 20 minute stints, while others went for longer stints to cut down on time spent in the pits. Many teams were serious about their pit stops, with some bikes only stationary for two or three seconds during rider changes. Others preferred to stop for a drink and a yarn! Safety was a key consideration on the day, and with a pit lane that was busier than the Indy 500 a strict walking pace was required for any bike traversing pit lane. Bikes were also required to be switched off during refuelling. And talking of being busier than the Indy 500 pit lane, it looked better too. The pits were teeming with people, and were surrounded by caravans, campervans, couches and tents. The 3 Squadron social club provided a BBQ, and a large clock displayed the elapsed race time to competitors and spectators.
Of course the pit lane was also home to frenzied mechanical activity, as bike after bike suffered some sort of breakdown during the race. However, in true kiwi style most broken machines were quickly patched up and returned to the track to continue the great race.
After four hours of racing the FICWITS racing team enjoyed an eight minute lead on their Honda Dio scooter, helped in part by the second place Knight Riders team losing three minutes after an on-track incident broke the clutch lever on their RG50. However, a broken ignition wire on the Dio cost the FICWITS 13 minutes, and the Knight Riders swooped into a five minute lead, only to lose several more laps to a faulty gear change lever. With tension mounting by the lap, time ran out for the fast closing FICWITS, and the Knight Riders won by 30 seconds! Yes, after six hours of racing the top two teams were separated by just 30 seconds! They were followed over the line by another twelve teams who were still running after six hours – a remarkable feat on bikes mostly designed for old ladies to go shopping!
FLTLT Robert Cato from team 'Growlers' races. OH-07-0865-05-tn.jpg.
The winning team was made up of a brace of three Ohakea-based Commanding Officers, WGCDRs Russell Mardon, Darryn Webb and Ian MacPherson, who proved that rank is no barrier to fun at Ohakea! WGCDR Mardon said the Mopedathon was ‘an awesome event that drew a large number of people, be they riders, support staff, spectators or sausage chefs!’ He went on to say that ‘above all else the event was just a whole lot of fun.’ A prize giving followed the event, and then in the true spirit of the Mopedathon the track was dismantled by all participants in less than half an hour.
Such was the success of both Mopedathons the Ohakea Motor Sport Club was presented with a Base Sports Officers Certificate of Merit at the 2007 Ohakea Sports Person of the Year awards. The Ohakea Base Sports Officer, SQNLDR Kelvin Read, said: ‘The Ohakea Mopedathons not only captured the imagination of all Base personnel, irrespective of age, rank, mechanical background or riding skill it also ended up being the largest single sporting activity run at Ohakea in 2007. Participants and supporters of the Mopedathon enjoyed an outstanding day’s entertainment where team work and the camaraderie of the sporting activity further displayed the high levels of morale and sporting spirit of Base Ohakea. The Base is once again eagerly looking forward to the next instalment of the Base Ohakea Mopedathon.’
Classiest Team. OH-07-0865-15-tn.jpg.
Everyone involved in Mopedathon 2 left the event buzzing, and the most commonly asked question heard that afternoon was ‘when is the next one’? And the answer to that is Saturday May 10 2008. Entries are being taken now via e-mail to SQNLDR Shaun Clark.
The rules are simple…no more than two wheels, no more than 50cc’s, and no more than three riders. Participants must also be NZDF employees.
While there is not long now before this event kicks off, there is still plenty of time to find yourself a race bike. Trade Me has plenty on offer, and who knows, you might even find something hiding at the back of your grandmother’s garage!