After months of planning, the inaugural North Island 1,600 is nearly here -- almost close enough to see in the extended weather forecast!
Here are the rider briefing notes.
Here are the rider briefing notes.
2014 North Island 1,600 Rider Briefing Notes
Welcome to the inaugural running of the New Zealand Distance Riders’ North Island 1,600. For those that have been doing it hard since the last Grand Challenge, we hope you enjoy this event.
We’re not the Rusty Nuts, so you’ll see some differences between this event and those that have gone before. We’re long distance riders and have tried to craft an event that appeals to other long distance riders. We’ll welcome your feedback, both the good & the bad, so that we can make our future rides even better.
Check-in
On arrival at Turangi, please make your way to the NI1600 event headquarters at the Turangi Cabins on Te Reiti Tamara Grove. If you are staying at the camp, you can check into your cabin at the office, settle in, then check into the event at the hall. There you will receive your starter pack, which will consist of your Rider Card and T-Shirt (for those that ordered one).
Your Rider Card is colour coded for your start group. On one side it will note your Entry Number, Start Group Number and Start Time. On the reverse it will note your Name & Bike, and has initial boxes for verifying: Licence/WoF/Rego checked; Disclosure Received; Bike has passed Scrutineering, then on return, a box to note your distance travelled and a scrutineer will mark off that you have all the Checkpoint pictures as required.
Scrutineering
The scrutineering is NOT aimed at telling you that your bike is safe to ride. Firstly, it is there to ensure that you have a full and current Motorcycle Licence and that the bike has a current Registration and Warrant of Fitness. Secondly, it is a backstop to check that there aren’t any obvious faults that make your bike unserviceable. The scrutineers will check things like: your lights are functioning (it is a night ride after all), your tyres have enough tread (and should still have enough tread after you have completed the 1,600km) and so on. We reserve the right to tell you that you can’t start and we highly recommend that you get your bike checked out before you leave home.
Riding Groups
Departures will start at 1pm on Saturday, 11 October. Riders will be split into groups of 12 & 11, starting 3 minutes apart. This is done to ensure bikes disperse and don’t travel in great clumps. These groups will be colour coded (as per your Rider Card) and you may start as your colour is raised by the starter. If you have friends you want to ride with, and you haven’t advised us before the event to ensure you can start together, you should start and go slow to allow them to catch up , or wait until their group starts.
Places to watch
We feel this route is a very ‘flowy’ ride, with most of the ride on main roads, or good quality secondary roads. But as is always the case when riding in New Zealand, watch for critters, loose bits, and other things that can add spice, particularly on country roads. (There will be specific notes and cautions in your Rider’s Guide, which will be available once the Route goes up at 7pm on Friday night (10/10/14)
Fuel Stops
There are ample opportunities for fuel along this route and the longest no-fuel sections are between 160 & 218km, but these can be reduced if you are prepared to divert from the route (10-15km), or carry fuel)
The Rider’s Guide will note available Gas Stations, particularly the 24-hour fuel stops that will be open during the times you should be in those areas (This includes a couple where the teeny-weeny-tankers might need to divert)
Marking your Route
You need to take digital photos as evidence you have done the required 1,618km and your photos will be checked when you finish. If you are riding in a group, it will be acceptable for one rider to take all the photos, but these will require all bikes to be visible in the photos. The photo requirements are clearly identified in the ‘Rider’s Guide’ and there shouldn’t be any problems clearly identifying the photos, even for the few night ones.
Manned Checkpoints
There will be four manned Checkpoints. At these stops you still need to take a photo, but you also need to check-in with a Checkpoint Marshal. This allows them to check you off the list so we can ensure all riders are progressing. It also allows them to ‘eyeball’ you. We reserve the right for our Marshals to pull riders from the event if they consider rider or machine are unfit to progress. This might be just advice to grab a nap, or it might be a full ‘Red Card’. Please accept that if this happens, they are doing you a favour so we request you don’t get abusive. These guys are giving their time up to help.
Finish at the Turangi Cabins
Rock in, check in with the Marshal who will check your photos, sign your card and send you in to the controllers who will issue your Finisher Pack. The Finisher Pack will include: Your metal badge & cloth patch; a Certificate; and a meal voucher.
General
Turangi Cabins Accommodation:
BYO bedding (sleeping bag), but you can hire bedding if you so wish.
This is not a race! We expect that an event like this will only attract participation from very experienced, hard-arsed endurance riders, on a variety of bikes (because for some strange reason that I can’t fathom, not everyone wants to ride an ST1300!). The route is generally on main roads to provide a free-flowing ride, so most should finish within 20-22hours. This will be easily achievable by minimising stops rather than increasing speed. Please ride at your own pace and respect your fellow riders, feel free to pass slower riders but please don’t carve-them-up. We’re here for a good time and I hope you all enjoy this foray into endurance riding.
The NZ Distance Riders hope to make this an annual event and we may introduce other rides, or work with other groups to help them with their event rides. Feel free to give us your feedback.
Make it a Great Day! …and night ...and next morning!
We’re not the Rusty Nuts, so you’ll see some differences between this event and those that have gone before. We’re long distance riders and have tried to craft an event that appeals to other long distance riders. We’ll welcome your feedback, both the good & the bad, so that we can make our future rides even better.
Check-in
On arrival at Turangi, please make your way to the NI1600 event headquarters at the Turangi Cabins on Te Reiti Tamara Grove. If you are staying at the camp, you can check into your cabin at the office, settle in, then check into the event at the hall. There you will receive your starter pack, which will consist of your Rider Card and T-Shirt (for those that ordered one).
Your Rider Card is colour coded for your start group. On one side it will note your Entry Number, Start Group Number and Start Time. On the reverse it will note your Name & Bike, and has initial boxes for verifying: Licence/WoF/Rego checked; Disclosure Received; Bike has passed Scrutineering, then on return, a box to note your distance travelled and a scrutineer will mark off that you have all the Checkpoint pictures as required.
Scrutineering
The scrutineering is NOT aimed at telling you that your bike is safe to ride. Firstly, it is there to ensure that you have a full and current Motorcycle Licence and that the bike has a current Registration and Warrant of Fitness. Secondly, it is a backstop to check that there aren’t any obvious faults that make your bike unserviceable. The scrutineers will check things like: your lights are functioning (it is a night ride after all), your tyres have enough tread (and should still have enough tread after you have completed the 1,600km) and so on. We reserve the right to tell you that you can’t start and we highly recommend that you get your bike checked out before you leave home.
Riding Groups
Departures will start at 1pm on Saturday, 11 October. Riders will be split into groups of 12 & 11, starting 3 minutes apart. This is done to ensure bikes disperse and don’t travel in great clumps. These groups will be colour coded (as per your Rider Card) and you may start as your colour is raised by the starter. If you have friends you want to ride with, and you haven’t advised us before the event to ensure you can start together, you should start and go slow to allow them to catch up , or wait until their group starts.
Places to watch
We feel this route is a very ‘flowy’ ride, with most of the ride on main roads, or good quality secondary roads. But as is always the case when riding in New Zealand, watch for critters, loose bits, and other things that can add spice, particularly on country roads. (There will be specific notes and cautions in your Rider’s Guide, which will be available once the Route goes up at 7pm on Friday night (10/10/14)
Fuel Stops
There are ample opportunities for fuel along this route and the longest no-fuel sections are between 160 & 218km, but these can be reduced if you are prepared to divert from the route (10-15km), or carry fuel)
The Rider’s Guide will note available Gas Stations, particularly the 24-hour fuel stops that will be open during the times you should be in those areas (This includes a couple where the teeny-weeny-tankers might need to divert)
Marking your Route
You need to take digital photos as evidence you have done the required 1,618km and your photos will be checked when you finish. If you are riding in a group, it will be acceptable for one rider to take all the photos, but these will require all bikes to be visible in the photos. The photo requirements are clearly identified in the ‘Rider’s Guide’ and there shouldn’t be any problems clearly identifying the photos, even for the few night ones.
Manned Checkpoints
There will be four manned Checkpoints. At these stops you still need to take a photo, but you also need to check-in with a Checkpoint Marshal. This allows them to check you off the list so we can ensure all riders are progressing. It also allows them to ‘eyeball’ you. We reserve the right for our Marshals to pull riders from the event if they consider rider or machine are unfit to progress. This might be just advice to grab a nap, or it might be a full ‘Red Card’. Please accept that if this happens, they are doing you a favour so we request you don’t get abusive. These guys are giving their time up to help.
Finish at the Turangi Cabins
Rock in, check in with the Marshal who will check your photos, sign your card and send you in to the controllers who will issue your Finisher Pack. The Finisher Pack will include: Your metal badge & cloth patch; a Certificate; and a meal voucher.
General
Turangi Cabins Accommodation:
BYO bedding (sleeping bag), but you can hire bedding if you so wish.
This is not a race! We expect that an event like this will only attract participation from very experienced, hard-arsed endurance riders, on a variety of bikes (because for some strange reason that I can’t fathom, not everyone wants to ride an ST1300!). The route is generally on main roads to provide a free-flowing ride, so most should finish within 20-22hours. This will be easily achievable by minimising stops rather than increasing speed. Please ride at your own pace and respect your fellow riders, feel free to pass slower riders but please don’t carve-them-up. We’re here for a good time and I hope you all enjoy this foray into endurance riding.
The NZ Distance Riders hope to make this an annual event and we may introduce other rides, or work with other groups to help them with their event rides. Feel free to give us your feedback.
Make it a Great Day! …and night ...and next morning!
RSS Feed
