One hundred and two vintage motorcycle riders came to Cavendish, Vermont, September 22-23rd to compete in the fall edition of the United States Classic Racing Association’s MotoGiro. The MotoGiro is a two day skills event that combines slow speed parking lot tests with timed road rides.
The event models itself after the MotoGiro d’Italia, a road race held in Italy between 1914 and 1957.
The USCRA’s version began in 2005. The event is open to all brands of motorcycles manufactured prior to 1968. To compete, the motorcycles must be smaller than 305cc. This year, Honda, Jawa, Ducati, Moto Guzzi, Suzuki, Triumph, NSU, Zundapp, Benali, Harley-Davidson and BMW competed.
Riders compete in 65cc, 125cc, 200cc, 250cc, 305cc and sidecar classes. There is also a team competition.
The 250cc class has the most number of competitors, but the 305cc class is growing fast.
The slow speed skills tests require riders to ride through a series of cones in a specified time. Hitting a cone, stopping the bike, missing a cone or putting a foot down are errors that are assessed penalty points. Riders also accumulate penalty points for each second they are over or under the target time for the test. Tests are run four times each day, before and after each road riding segment.
The road ride portion of the competition tests riders ability to navigate and ride. Riders must follow the course exactly. Checkpoints are setup along the ride. At each checkpoint, the riders must clock-in within 60 seconds of their assigned time. Road segments are designed so riders can average 25-30 mph and complete the segment within the limit. Still, riders in the 65cc class sometimes have difficulty completing the road course in the allotted time.
This fall’s Giro had 360 miles of road riding.
To win, riders must complete the challenges with the fewest points. This fall’s winner was Bruce Lemieux with only 3.157 points. For complete results, see this page.
Race Director, Shane Rivet, says the event is getting more popular and they have capped registrations at 150 riders. A special edition of the event is being run at Barber Motorsports in Alabama on October 11th during the Barber Vintage Festival.
For more information on how you can compete, see the MotoGiro web site.
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