To the Rose Bowl and Beyond

Feilding has been a mecca for petrol heads for quite sometime now and one of its eating establishments is adding to its fame as well; The Rosebowl Bakery and Cafe.  Maybe it's mutton sandwiches and cheese burger pies have seen its patronage increase markedly over the last couple of years or is its proximity to Manfeild Race Track a part of its success?  Last weekend saw the two come together at the conclusion of a ride around the Stanway loop. After gathering at Memorial Park we made out of town via Napier road and we soon had our bikes pointing northwest up Stoney Creek road heading towards Colyton and Feilding. Makino road had us heading towards our first stop at Stanway Hall. It was then down into Halcombe and onto our final destination, The Rosebowl. 

But as we were munching on our sausage rolls and slurping our coffees the sound of motorcycles at speed could be heard amongst the chatter and clinking of cups and plates. Our rusty memories very quickly remembered that the New Zealand Classic Motorcycle Racing Registry were having one of their big meetings over the weekend. For some us domestic and work related tasks planned for that afternoon were put on hold as we headed down to the track for a look. And there was plenty to see and hear as we parked up in front of hotdog and coffee caravans.

It was a feast for the eyes and ears as the coming and going of bikes onto and off the track brought back memories of motorcycling days gone by. But it hasn't. Here was a plethora of classic bikes being raced around a track today. Some of them were definitely more priceless than others with a highlight and first for me was seeing a Brough Superior being raced! Many other bikes of interest were there from Britain, Europe and Japan. It was nice to see a good number of two strokes making their presence heard around the track. It certainly was a great way to put off mowing lawn!