What I want now is a bit of paper to write some shit down... (hurricane by Bob is playing in the back ground). Then work talk.
The bike is part of Monty’s Motorcycle Museum and was bought to be part of the museum and was meant to be in the museum on the grounds people would be able to borrow it and go drag racing on it.
So while browsing thought the trade and exchange, we saw a gs1000, being a gs1000 naturally we had to have it, so the pursuit began. So the phone calls began. It took a barrage of phone calls and numerous visits to finally get the bike for the right price(less than a dollar per cc).
We had the option for an extra 1000 bucks to get a super charger from a sessner, but we declined, the only thing the bike didn’t have was a rear wheel, the bike was black and candy apple red, beautiful bike really.
After acquiring it for the nice right price, it was back to the museum where it not the having it’s the getting that’s all part of the fun, so the bike was filed with other bikes until the appropriate time.
Must have been 1998-99, the Action and Adventure team. Was a group of guys who enjoyed each other’s company. Meeting every Wednesday night 10-15 guys, but there was always 30 odd, including the visiting friends.
From this one of the visitors, was a pom, and he wanted to buy the bike, but I don’t sell bikes, so we agreed to go racing together. So the Pom and myself and couple of others got the bike together, the Pom got it ready to race and we took it to Masterton for the first time. Now being the first time in drag racing, we didn’t know what would get us in trouble or not, we learnt fast but not fast enough, so whilst drinking in the pits was a “no, no” some team hangers on’ners didn’t learn fast enough. So what happened was the Hangers on’ners hang around and got drunk in the pits and got us put off and I and the Pom didn’t enjoy it. So I let Ian take the bike and race it as he saw fit, we had a difference of opinion on what needed to happened to the bike to make it perform better away.
So the best way to support Ian was to let him have it and let him do what he wanted to do to the bike and watch and learn from it. Ian took it, cut the exhaust pipes off and drilled the carbies right up, messed around with a lot of things which I don’t know why he bothered. And then he bought another bike and bought the gs1000 back. Where it’s at, back in the ranks, minus the back wheel that Ian kept... thanks. The pink panther sat on it for a few years, until on another day similar to the first one but this time dean and Aaron talking suggesting what a good idea it would be to pull the old girl out and stretch her legs again. So with the introduction of Clinton (Angry Lepracon) we embarked on our next journey with the old girl. With the bike taken down to Clintons place in Stokes Valley, he set about repairing, replacing and setting up the bike, ready for its next round of racing. Our maiden voyage as this team was Port Road with much thanks for the support and encouragement from Cousin Timmy who helped us get to the start line. From that we were away! We had about four or five runs and a complete ball! With the success of Port Rd we decided that we would do the Masterton drag racing and we were professional amateurs. We had fun; we did it successfully for two years in a row. We met a lot of people, some of whom couldn’t control their partners, but we can move on.
So with two rounds at Port Rd and two seasons racing at Masterton (8 Days, 4 Weekends) we were getting our stuff together. With luck we had our accommodation in Masterton we were able to be hospitable to racers from elsewhere and we also had a retreat after a day’s racing, thanks to Monty and Pam. By the end of the second year it was clear that the current learner rider wasn’t afraid of the motorbike and would therefore be thrashing it. So the decision was made that it was time as new learner rider was NEEDED. With the decision of a new direction for the team being needed an opportunity arose from Cousin Timmy to visit Willowbank Raceway, drag racing mecca, and biggest event outside the US. So with my Quarry Inn drag racing shirt, it was off to Willowbank for reconisense. With added bonus of flying on the same flight as some of Ethel Williams team mates. Once over there, seeing the professional setups such as Morgan and Whacker and Brent Stevens, huge marquees with merchandising and food tent, very impressive and educational, seeing how to setup your tools with your ramps and workstations, letting the public see but keeping the public out, and realising the importance of the public. From 7:05 Friday morning for two hours of nothing but jaw dropping drag racing at 8am in the morning, unbelievable. The whole days racing to be enjoyed from our corporate box, food and drink provided, was the best way to enjoy drag racing and of course to learn.
Day 2 with a quick stop at the markets and three 10 dollar bunches of roses; it was time to educate MBK in the finesse of flower giving at drag races. Also to the surprise and delight of many Australian women. The finally Sunday, seeing the kiwis take out the Australasian champions chip was magic. Learning that most of the top drag racers were big men, use their legs for steering. We learnt a lot from the willowbank trip and with that we were able to setup a Professional Amateur Team.
This meant that others would have to step up to the plate, themselves with a vehicle to race with. From there the quarry inn drag racing team went to quarry inn racing and we’re off. 12 team members, 4 bikes. With that, Clint started stripping and building his GSX1100R Suzuki into now what is a lean street drag-bike. After a few Tuesday nights of meetings and working on the bikes and marquees etc the team swelled to 12 people, trying to cover a lot of areas. Dean then bought a TLR1000 which was rapidly stripped, ready for painting and modifications made ready for racing. With what I had learned in Oz no turbo charged gs1000, no nitrus Kawasaki z900’s, so what was the next step, Hyabusa. It seems everyone had traded in their trusty old bikes for off the shelf 160 horse power Hyabusa. So with that it was off to find a Hyabusa. My price limit! 0K have to keep it real. And I believe the 1990 models were better so the push was on. Having checked out most trader magazines, internet and most bike shops I was told of a Hyabusa hiding out back at Wellington Motorcycles. So it was off to see Pete and cut a deal. It had to come in at tem grand s for me to buy it. So with some creative accounting, 5 g’s of the floor price, 160 horses of power. So the team was racing, GS1000 with the new lad Graham Skid Kidd. Clint on the GSXR1100, Dean on the TLR1000 and Aaron on the Hyabusa.
The colour, Black and gold being obvious pirate colours also wellington colours, so with that the bikes were painted Suzuki Yellow. Juniors Kustom Rides and Classics offered to paint our skull and cross bones on the outside of the flaring and exceed our expectations of their work, a team is born.
