After dubious weather leading up to the Burt Munro Challenge event, including torrential rain the night before, the wind at Invercargill's Oreti Beach dropped to a strong breeze for the competitors and hundreds of spectators.
As low tide was expected at 1pm, official racing began at noon, giving racers a three- to four-hour window for the nine-race programme.
Event organiser Steve Winteringham, of the Southland Motorcycle Club, which hosts the annual challenge, said he had been concerned about the weather throughout the night and woke up four or five times, so was relieved when it cleared.
There were 115 entries, some from as far away as Auckland, he said.
A couple of minor spills had spectators oohing but otherwise, the event was straightforward racing around the mile oval - or as straightforward as it could be with sand flying everywhere, crosswinds and the potential for competitors to end up in the sea if they sped too close to the waves.
The challenge celebrates Southland motorcycling legend Burt Munro, who set several New Zealand land speed records in the 1940s and 1950s before setting three world speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, United States, in the 1960s.
Oreti Beach was his favourite place to train.
The challenge began on Thursday with the New Zealand Hill Climb Championships on Bluff Hill and the Honda New Zealand Super-X Champs at Winton.
Today, road racing and the Speedway Spectacular will take place at Invercargill's Teretonga Park Raceway, and tomorrow, Wyndham will host the street races.
- Janette Gellatly
