CLASSICS
WORDS AND PHOTOS:
Rhys Jones
40 YEARS OF
CLASSIC RACING
NZCMRR 1979-2019
The NZCMRR, or the New Zealand Classic
Motorcycle Racing Register, is forty years
old. It began at a time when the motorcycle
world was becoming aware of the growing
interest in classic bikes, and at a time when
European machines ruled the roost in
classic racing. This state of affairs would
continue until it became obvious that many
Japanese bikes had also become classics,
and eventually what became known as
post-classic machinery became acceptable.
Another consideration was that many of the
classic pre and immediate Second World
Sammy Miller and John Surtees
War, mainly British racing bikes, were either in
museums or were too valuable to risk on the
race track. There were, of course, exceptions
like the superb Manx Norton replicas built by
Ken McIntosh. Some in the Register believed
that the emphasis should not be on racing
at all, and that the object of the meetings
should be to allow people to see and hear
the classic bikes of the past, rather than
seeing them race. The differences reflect the
very essence and richness of an organisation
representing so many different likes, dislikes,
and aspirations.