A day at the races

For Mike's 40th birthday, friends Xen and Shelaine thought he might fancy a bit of an adrenaline rush. So, on Saturday it was off to Hampton Downs race track on his Yamaha XJR 1200. Technically this wasn't a race day, but a chance for newbies and experienced speedsters alike to test their machines and their skills.

The day dawned a wee bit wet but soon cleared for perfect conditions. The Yamaha lines up, ready to go...

And is quite a contrast to some of the other race machines on the course.

Adventure bike Bella Dos just hides out front, trying to blend in but very out of place at a race track.

Suited up and ready to go. Pre-ride jitters? Not here...honest...

Mike takes his first early-morning lap...shadow rider.

And returns a little bemused by the slick wet track but ready for another go.

By the time Xen gets out for his first lap, the track is drying nicely and the corners are fine.

Mike gets some tips on cornering from the track's resident master coach.

And then Mike and Xen show off their skills on the corners together.

On the straight sections, they hit speeds of close to 200 km/hour...not that you can tell from the photos!

Both boys captured the experience on body-mounted video cameras so they could re-live the day over and over. Here's a quick snippet to give you a taste of the experience (just click in the centre to start the video playing).



With the sun just starting to set on New Zealand's iconic toi toi (a.k.a. pampas grass) and rolling green hills, the guys take their final laps together.

What a blast. Thanks Xen and Shelaine for a great day out!