HMRAV hosts 36th Southern Classic at Broadford
By Marty Thompson
The Historic Motorcycle Racing Association of Victoria (HMRAV) will host the 36th running of the annual Southern Classic this weekend at Broadford (November 4-5). These meetings are always brilliantly run events for riders, teams and spectators alike and this year is set to be one of the best ever with over 200 bikes already entered for the meeting.
Unlike most other national motorcycle racing events, the Southern Classic is spectator and family friendly, with all spectators having free and full access to the pits so they can not only enjoy the racing, but also get up close to the plethora of rare and unique classic racing bikes, sidecars and cyclecars from years past.
For those looking to make a weekend of it, the camp grounds at the track are open for all and there will be a rocking blues band belting out tunes on Saturday night. Sweet Felicia and the Honeytones are a well known blues outfit in Melbourne and they will be playing a massive couple of sets to keep crowds entertained well into the night.
Saturday has a massive amount of activity to keep all eyes glued to happenings, with 22 practice and qualifying sessions, followed by 22 races across 20 different classes. Sunday will be just as jam packed with racing with the addition of the 2nd round of the classic sidecar challenge. With over 20 Period 3 sidecars already entered and over 40 sidecars across all periods racing, there will be plenty of sidecar action to keep spectators entertained.
It will also be the 3rd and final round of the HMRAV Hand Shift Battle for 2017. Watching riders control these racing bikes all the while shifting gears using a handshifter with one hand on the handlebars is a sight to see and the handshift riders leave nothing on the table in their quest to make their classic Indian or Harley-Davidson the battle winners for this year.
In addition to all the other action, Sunday will also see the running of the Ray Kelly Classic Sidecar Handicap races, The Lyndsay Urquhart Post Classic Sidecar Handicap and the highlight of the day, The Southern Classic Fastest 40 solos race.
In addition to the racing there will be trade displays showcasing all things both classic and modern for motorcycles and their enthusiasts, as well as the Broadford Cafe serving great coffee, snacks and hearty food.
The gates will be open for campers to enter all Friday afternoon and day trippers can front up from 8.00am to enter each day. Don’t forget that entry to the pit areas is completely free so all attendees can get up close and personal with the classic machinery and their riders all weekend to take photos, ask questions and interact with the riders and teams.
For any enquiries of questions, visit the HMRAV Facebook page (link).
