NZ Velocette Register Rally 2024 – Motueka February 9-11

Entry Form Final Draft Velocette Rally

Dates : 9 to 11 February 2024

Venue: Top 10 Holiday Park Motueka

Contact Steve Carrington vintage_moderncycles@yahoo.com

NZ Velocette Register Rally 2023 – Taranaki : February 17-19

Entry Form (to be added at later date)

Preliminary Programme

DATES: 17th to 19th February 2023.

VENUE; Top 10 Holiday Park 29 Princess Street Fitzroy New Plymouth.

Friday 17th BBQ at Venue

Saturday 18th Rally Day. Evening – BBQ or more formal depending on numbers

Sunday 19th Evening Meal

Monday 20th Breakfast

RALLY SECRETARY: LINDA HUTTON 021387 012 or email plhutton@slingshot.co.nz.

NZ Velocette Register Rally

Unfortunately there will not be a formal rally in 2021.  Expressions of interest for a proposed rally in the Catlins were insufficient to justify the organisational effort.  I guess this was another Covid19 casualty.  However an informal ride/weekend is proposed based in the Waikato/King Country area.  Details are given in the latest newsletter.

NZ Velocette Register Rally 2020 – Taranaki : February 7-10

Entry Form

DATES: 7th to 10th February 2020.

VENUE; Top 10 Holiday Park 29 Princess Street Fitzroy New Plymouth.

BBQ (Friday 7th) To be determined.

LUNCH (Saturday 8th) Tawhiti Museum Café. (set menu)

DINNER (Saturday evening) Beach Street Hall, Fitzroy New Plymouth, all trimmings and Bar facilities provided.

LUNCH (Sunday 9th) Whangamomona Hotel (Hotel menu)

RALLY SECRETARY: LINDA HUTTON.

NZ Velo Rally 2019 – Raglan February 4-8

Cheryl and Neville Mickleson are our hosts for this years rally.  It is timed to allow people involved in the Classic Motorcycle event at Pukekohe to participate.  The venue is the Raglan Holiday Park and further details are contained in this document, and an entry form can be downloaded from this link.

NZ Velo Rally 2018 – Cromwell February 16-18

Expressions of interest required by August 31 2017!

Well the plans have been made. David Tofield from Dunedin, has offered to run next year’s rally but he would love some help please so any South Islanders willing to lend a hand please let me know. I will be doing the entries etc (unless someone down there put their hands up).
The Burt Munro Week (based in Invercargill) has now been moved (away from its annual windy and wet November date) to February 8-11, 2018 so it was thought why not tie our rally onto the end of the Burt Munro Festival and that way people who have to travel long distances will have the opportunity to indulge in lots of motorcycles and history. If you go to Invercargill I can recommend that you visit Neville Hayes’ Hammer Hardware shop (free), the Richardson Truck and Bike (ex Nelson) Museums, the main Invercargill Museum (also free – if only to see the tuatara’s up close) and walk around the attached park and gardens; even if you are not technically minded (me), or particularly bike minded you will enjoy yourself. That said accommodation in Invercargill around this time will be at a premium so if you are considering being there it would pay to think seriously about booking your accommodation very soon.
With the NZCMRR Pukekohe Classic Festival on February 2-4 February 2018 will be a busy month in NZ.
The Velo rally will be based at the Cromwell Top 10 Holiday Park, within walking distance of the pictured Historic Precinct and the Victoria Arms Hotel, venue for our Saturday Prizegiving dinner. The intention is to have a welcome BBQ on the Friday night, and on the Saturday hold the rally itself which will use back roads where available and head south to Arrowtown for morning tea, then up the Crown range north around Wanaka to the Aerodrome where we will have lunch and then back to Cromwell.
Future information regarding the rally will only be sent out to those who lodge and expression of interest.
So think about it now, we need to know numbers by the end of August for costs.
Contact Cheryl on 07 8493568 or micklesonn@gmail.com

2017 New Zealand Velocette Rally.

The 2017 New Zealand Velocette Rally was organised by Warwick Darrow, Paul Muir and Keith Ballagh, it was held over the weekend from Friday 25 th. February at The Miranda Hot Springs Holiday Camp on the Firth of Thames.  The Rally was well attended with some 60 plus riders, once again we had the Australian President, Keith Canning plus a number of members and their partners, which, over the years has become a regular trip for many of them. The weather was kind to us and Saturday saw us have a casual ride to the Thames township and a look around this early gold mining area. Optional rides were offered to the more adventurous riders.Sunday saw the formal rally, with us riding from the camp site, (on the East Coast), to Karioitahi Beach, on the West Coast, with some spectacular scenery on the way, however, just prior to arriving at Clevedon there was a Police check and a number of our members (and some independent riders) were pulled over for what we thought was a W O F / Licence check, however we were pleasantly surprised to be given some safety gear and a fluoro vest to promote road safety.

We stopped for a more than adequate lunch at Brookby1 where we  looked over Chris North’s collection of bikes, including many, (mainly  unrestored) Velocettes and Brough Superiors. Back on the bikes we followed the country roads to arrive at Waiuku a small town (with the oldest operating public house in New Zealand), where, unfortunately Tim and Lyn O’ Brien, part of the group of Australian visitors, were knocked of their bike whilst travelling down the main street into the township. Lyn having scratches and bruising whilst Tim was taken to hospital requiring an operation on his shoulder prior to returning home to Hamilton in Victoria a few days later. I should point out that the car driver was completely at fault and appeared to be impatient to join the main road into town when he pulled out hitting the side of their bike sending both riders to the ground. This is the third incident I know of where riders being hit by cars coming from a side road without due care over the last few weeks. ‘We are so venerable to impatient car drivers’. Carrying on, we rode to the top of a hill to see the panoramic view of the Tasman Sea  with surf pounding the black sandy beach, it was an awesome sight, and made the ride really special. Returning to Miranda we visited a monument overlooking the Waikato river built to remember soldiers killed during the Maori wars

The return ride was to see a the backup crews doing a sterling job.
That night (after a dip in the hot pools) we attended an excellent meal at the Kaiawa Pub for the presentation with Warwick Darrow as the M/C.
The Velocette cup was awarded to Roy Harvey who brought his beautifully restored 1912 and 1920 Velo’s to the Rally.
In all, (apart from Tim and Lynn’s accident) it was an excellent rally.

Awards were received by the following riders.

Velocette Cup.( John Jones Memorial Trophy).   Donated by the Velocette Factory. 1932.
Recipient.     ROY HARVEY.  For the  of the final restoration of the ex Pete Butterworth 1920 D.2 and 1913 Veloce.
Oldest Rider. JACK MICKLESON. MK 11  KSS.
Hard Luck Prize. JOHN GRINTER. 1955. MSS.
Best non Velo.  Alice Leney.  1952 Vincent Rapide.
Mechanical Excellence.   TED RIPPEY. Velocette Viceroy.
Small Two Strokes.          JOHN MEHARRY. VELOCETTE VICEROY.
TED RIPPEY. VELOCETTE VICEROY.
Show and Shine.            ROY HARVEY.  1913 VELOCE and 1920 D.2. VELOCETTE.
Futherest to the Rally. GERALD PHILBRICK Devon. U.K.
Longest Ride to the Rally. JACK HORTON. Venom. Nick Mansell. 1947 Mac.  Pete Johnson.  Velo Thruxton.

I wish you all safe riding.
John Bryant

Velocette Rally 2017  –  23,24& 25 February at Miranda (Thames)

Our organising team thought it would be a good idea to run our rally right behind the VCC National MC Rally, at Waitomo, as we know that some of our members travel long distances and this way they could get to take part in two rallies if they wished. Note also to North Islanders our local VCC rally