2010 Honda Broadford Bike Bonanza
Brian Martin saddles up for the 2010 HBBB
Motorcycling Australia (MA) is pleased to announce that Brian Martin, the New Zealand ex-pat who took the first Australian Motocross title for Honda in 1974, will saddle up once again for the 2010 Honda Broadford Bike Bonanza (HBBB) at Broadford over the Easter weekend. At the 2010 HBBB Martin will climb on board a Honda CR125 for a series of demonstration laps on the Motocross circuit.
Martin won the 1974 Australian 125cc Championship at Manjimup, Western Australia, on 2 June 1974, riding a Honda CR125 - the first of many local Motocross titles for Honda.
Martin came to Australia from Lower Hutt, New Zealand in 1968 along with two other keen motorcyclists; Ross King and Craig Brown. King quickly established himself as a top production bike rider in Road Racing onboard a Kawasaki H1, while Brown made national headlines when he almost won the inaugural Castrol Six Hour Race in 1970 at Amaroo Park, riding his own Honda CB750.
But while King and Brown's racing careers were comparatively brief, Martin went on to combine Road Racing and Motocross for several years and competed regularly in the Castrol Six Hour race and at Bathurst.
Martin began his Motocross career on a Montesa, but experienced his first successes after switching to a 400 Maico, winning the NSW 500cc and Unlimited titles in 1972. In 1974, Martin was selected to ride the new Honda CR250 and CR125 for NSW distributor, Bennett Honda, rewarding them with the National Motocross Championship.
After retiring from competitive riding, Martin worked in the motorcycle trade for many years, notably for Eurotread, and has lived in Adelaide since the late 1970s.
The HBBB will also feature demonstrations by US Motocross Champion Gary Jones, Enduro and Motocross star Pelle Granquist, and Road Racer Warren Willing.
More information about the event is available on the MA website: www.ma.org.au/hbbb.
Warren Willing to ride at the 2010 HBBB
Motorcycling Australia (MA) is pleased to announce that 1976 Australian Unlimited Road Racing Champion, Warren Willing, will return to the track this Easter at the 2010 Honda Broadford Bike Bonanza (HBBB). Willing, whose battles with friend and arch-rival, Gregg Hansford in the 1970s are still talked about, will cut demonstration laps on the special 3-cylinder Suzuki 350, built for him to contest the 1973 New Zealand International Season. The machine features a Steve Roberts chassis and is now owned by Darwin enthusiast Peter Shires.
Apart from a handful of demonstration laps at the inaugural Phillip Island Grand Prix in 1989, Willing has not been aboard a racing motorcycle since a serious accident at the North West 200 in Ireland in May 1979. Willing sustained multiple leg injuries which required many operations and years of rehabilitation and recovery. Although his stellar career as a rider was over, Willing never lost his appetite for competition, carving a new career as a Team Manager and Technician.
In his role as head of the Australian Marlboro Yamaha Team, Willing gave young Queenslander Mick Doohan his big break on the highly successful Yamaha Superbikes. Doohan's remarkable year in 1988 led to him signing for Honda and 1989 and going on to win five World 500cc Titles. Willing then moved on to the international scene, acting as technician with the Kenny Roberts Yamaha squad and looking after Kevin Magee for the 1989 season. He subsequently worked with Wayne Rainey, Luca Cadalora and Jean-Michel Bayle and became renowned as one of the best chassis and suspension workers in the business.
In a career which saw him work with the Suzuki and KTM Works Teams, and the private Roberts Squad, a highlight was winning the World 500cc Championship with Kenny Roberts Junior in 2000.
The HBBB will also feature demonstrations by US Motocross Champion Gary Jones, Enduro and Motocross star Pelle Granquist, and Honda's first Australian Motocross Champion Brian Martin amongst others.
More information about the event is available on the MA website: www.ma.org.au/hbbb.
