Northam Motorcycle Festival bigger and better than ever
By Trevor Hedge
The Northam Motorcycle Festival is stepping up a gear for 2008 with a new range of initiatives set to bolster the event firmly into the consciousness of all WA motorcyclists.
There truly is something for everyone this year with the weekend of 29 and 30 November including virtually the full gamut of motorcycling activities.
It is hard to judge exactly which event is the headline act as the biggest drawcard will vary from person to person according to which way they like their festivities served.
Race fans will be able to enjoy the first ever Australian Supermoto Championship round to be held on WA soil. A unique attraction of the Northam event will be that instead of the regular converted go-kart track layouts, the third and final round of the national series will be staged on the roads of Northam. The last time WA enjoyed ‘round-the-houses’ style racing was at Collie in 1996. The sight of supermoto machines slithering their way around Northam will be a sight to behold.
Angus Reekie (KTM) won the opening two rounds of the 2008 Australian Supermoto Championship and has been confirmed as a starter in the event. He will go head to head with Aprilia star Josh McFarlane. Local riders Brett Stewart and David Gellatly will test the eastern states pilots but it will be Italian Champion Davide Gozzini setting the pace. The International TM rider won the most recent round of the World Supermoto Championship in Sardinia and has entered the Northam event in what is a major coup for the event.
Plenty of mock racing has been conducted at the NMF at previous events, with Historic demonstration laps a particular highlight, but 2008 marks the first time real competition has been a feature of the event.
The high flying Yamaha Showtime Stunt Team will provide the aerial freestyle acrobatics while at tarmac level Australia’s premier motorcycle stuntman Matt Mingay will be back to burn through plenty of rubber.
The annual Making a Difference (MAD) ride will run in conjunction with the Northam Motorcycle Festival this year. The ride to Northam will depart from Mundaring at 10am on Sunday morning, November 30th. The Mundaring departure point has been staged to allow riders staying in Northam over the weekend to easily head back to Mundaring on the Sunday morning to join the ride. All fund raising efforts from the ride will be put towards spinal injury research and rehabilitation.
A huge Show and Shine event is also being staged at the Festival with the best custom bikes in Western Australia all on show vying for prizes awarded across a myriad of categories.
Music fans will be treated to the Avon Concert which will be staged in conjunction with the Northam Motorcycle Festival. The Hoodoo Gurus and Jon Stevens from Noiseworks will blast out their tunes on the Saturday night at the Northam Race Course.
Tickets for the event went on sale this week at www.northammotorcyclefestival.com.au . Get in early to book your accommodation through the Northam Visitors Centre on 08 9622 2100.
Check out images from NMF 2007 – Gallery A – Gallery B – Gallery C – Gallery D – Gallery E – Gallery F – Gallery G – Gallery H – Gallery I
 Hoodoo Gurus will play at NMF 2008  Historic Race machines will again thunder around Northam |  Matt Mingay and Co will perform their cunning stunts at NMF 2 |
