Route finalisation
In a previous newsletter we advised riders to prepare for a 240km fuel gap. The good news, particularly for those tiny-tanked folk, is that that gap has now been closed to 165km. A country service station has got a card payment facility that works between 6:00pm and 7:00am. That will be this year’s longest distance between operating fuel stations.
Expect to ride some great new roads this year! Apart from occasional patches of road works, the route is fully sealed. Details of these and other things to watch out for, like the location of the country service station with the card payment facility, tricky road intersections and the like will be outlined in the pre-start rider briefing.
Start time
The first group of riders should be ready to leave the Turangi Kiwi Holiday Park start line at 1:00pm on Saturday 11 October. There will be a pre-start briefing at 12:30pm. Scrutineering will start from midday on Friday 10 October, and will close at midday on the Saturday.
Riders planning to cut things fine by arriving immediately before the start on Saturday are advised not to leave that timing too fine and to have their bikes turned out to better-than-WOF expectations so the scrutineers aren’t given cause for concern. The closest motorcycle shop and tyre retailer is in Taupo, so a round trip will be needed if the scrutineers spot something that needs to be sorted before the start.
Bring a camera
This year’s event will comprise both manned and photo checkpoints, so riders will need to either bring a camera or have a phone or similar device with a camera built in. The photo checkpoints will either be under street lights or able to be easily illuminated by a motorcycle headlight so that a flash isn’t needed.
Event HQ staff will check each returning rider to see that they have the required photos in order to validate that the route has set has been completed. This validation will also allow riders to get their participation endorsed by the US Iron Butt Association.
Badges and patches
Riders completing the North Island 1,600 will get a commemorative badge and patch. These are included in your entry fee. We’ve had enquiries wanting to know if extra badges or patches may be available for those who have shrines as well as wanting to wear them. The answer is yes, but only for riders completing the event, and for an extra cost. If you’re interested, please let us know and we’ll let you know what the costs are.
Volunteers
Events like the North Island 1,600 require a group of people able to pitch in and deliver all of the skills and services needed to smoothly run a round-the-clock event.
The Organising Group has identified the roles we need to fill, about how many people we think will be needed for each, what roles need to be rostered and what delivering those roles will entail. Apart from regional checkpoint duties, all other roles will be based at Turangi.
People already on our volunteers list will have recently received a document that details the roles and numbers of people needed for each role.
People interested in running checkpoints have been asked to let us know their preferred region or regions where they could be available. We will match those duties to those people who live the closest, who may have a fondness for a particular location, or who may be keen to travel to a part of the North Island they may not have been before!
If you’d like a copy of our volunteers schedule, please send us an email or use the website’s Contact Us feedback form. And you’re more than welcome to share that schedule with people you know who may have done this sort of thing before and who may be interested in doing it again.
Entry forms
Entries received so far are into the mid 20s. The first departure groups have been filled. If you have other riders you usually complete endurance rides with, could you please let us know and we’ll make sure that you are started at Turangi together.
In a previous newsletter we advised riders to prepare for a 240km fuel gap. The good news, particularly for those tiny-tanked folk, is that that gap has now been closed to 165km. A country service station has got a card payment facility that works between 6:00pm and 7:00am. That will be this year’s longest distance between operating fuel stations.
Expect to ride some great new roads this year! Apart from occasional patches of road works, the route is fully sealed. Details of these and other things to watch out for, like the location of the country service station with the card payment facility, tricky road intersections and the like will be outlined in the pre-start rider briefing.
Start time
The first group of riders should be ready to leave the Turangi Kiwi Holiday Park start line at 1:00pm on Saturday 11 October. There will be a pre-start briefing at 12:30pm. Scrutineering will start from midday on Friday 10 October, and will close at midday on the Saturday.
Riders planning to cut things fine by arriving immediately before the start on Saturday are advised not to leave that timing too fine and to have their bikes turned out to better-than-WOF expectations so the scrutineers aren’t given cause for concern. The closest motorcycle shop and tyre retailer is in Taupo, so a round trip will be needed if the scrutineers spot something that needs to be sorted before the start.
Bring a camera
This year’s event will comprise both manned and photo checkpoints, so riders will need to either bring a camera or have a phone or similar device with a camera built in. The photo checkpoints will either be under street lights or able to be easily illuminated by a motorcycle headlight so that a flash isn’t needed.
Event HQ staff will check each returning rider to see that they have the required photos in order to validate that the route has set has been completed. This validation will also allow riders to get their participation endorsed by the US Iron Butt Association.
Badges and patches
Riders completing the North Island 1,600 will get a commemorative badge and patch. These are included in your entry fee. We’ve had enquiries wanting to know if extra badges or patches may be available for those who have shrines as well as wanting to wear them. The answer is yes, but only for riders completing the event, and for an extra cost. If you’re interested, please let us know and we’ll let you know what the costs are.
Volunteers
Events like the North Island 1,600 require a group of people able to pitch in and deliver all of the skills and services needed to smoothly run a round-the-clock event.
The Organising Group has identified the roles we need to fill, about how many people we think will be needed for each, what roles need to be rostered and what delivering those roles will entail. Apart from regional checkpoint duties, all other roles will be based at Turangi.
People already on our volunteers list will have recently received a document that details the roles and numbers of people needed for each role.
People interested in running checkpoints have been asked to let us know their preferred region or regions where they could be available. We will match those duties to those people who live the closest, who may have a fondness for a particular location, or who may be keen to travel to a part of the North Island they may not have been before!
If you’d like a copy of our volunteers schedule, please send us an email or use the website’s Contact Us feedback form. And you’re more than welcome to share that schedule with people you know who may have done this sort of thing before and who may be interested in doing it again.
Entry forms
Entries received so far are into the mid 20s. The first departure groups have been filled. If you have other riders you usually complete endurance rides with, could you please let us know and we’ll make sure that you are started at Turangi together.