Former Australian Supersport Champion Shannon Johnson will take a magical trip back in time at the Easter Penrite Oil Bonanza when he rides the actual Honda CB1100R taken to victory by his late father Andrew Johnson in the 1980 Castrol Six Hour Race.
Former Australian Supersport Champion Shannon Johnson will take a magical trip back in time at the Easter Penrite Oil Broadford Bike Bonanza when he rides the actual Honda CB1100R taken to victory by his late father Andrew Johnson in the 1980 Castrol Six Hour Race.
Andrew Johnson teamed with future World Champion Wayne Garner to win a rain-affected race after a monumental dice with the Suzuki GSX1100 of John Pace/Neil Chivas. The CB1100R was specifically created by Honda to win the Six Hour, which was Australia’s biggest and most prestigious event at the time. The winning Honda was entered by Sydney dealers Mentor Motorcycles and following the race was sold to Sydney collector Terry Pinson who has owned it ever since.
For the past ten years the Mentor Honda has been on display at the National Motor Racing Museum at Bathurst, and is in exactly the same condition as it finished the race, although owner Pinson says he has given it a ‘birthday’ with new tyres, brake pads and hoses.
Shannon says he is ‘over the moon’ with the chance to ride his father’s winner in the track parades that will celebrate the Six Hour history over the Easter weekend at Broadford.
Organiser Peter Drakeford says he expects ‘dozens’ of former competitors, officials and other people associated with the famous event which ran from 1970-1983 at Sydney’s Amaroo Park and from 1984-1987 at Oran Park, both now defunct. Many of these names will be interviewed during the Gala Dinner at the Masonic Centre in Broadford on Saturday evening April 19.
Easter 2014 will again see Broadford spring into life with action all weekend across the full range of circuits, including a new natural-terrain scrambles track. As well as the Castrol Six Hour, there will be a similar celebration of the BP Desert Races held from 1971.
For all the latest news and announcements ahead of the 2014 Penrite Oil Broadford Bike Bonanza be sure to check out the website at www.ma.org.au/hbbb and for more information contact Peter Drakeford peter@ma.org.au
