Activities CMA are involved in
Over the past few years Christian Motorcyclists Association New Zealand members have been involving themselves in some interesting activities. Journey with us through this article on what we have been up to. We would love to see you at any of these activities.
1) CHARITY RIDES
CMANZ actively supports charity rides in New Zealand by taking part in organised rides for various local and national causes. For example, the Westpac Helicopter charity ride, the Pink Ribbon charity ride and any Toy Run charity rides.
CMANZ has held its own charity ride, “Run for the Son”, in February 2008, 2009 and 2010. We issue an open invitation for anyone (you don’t have to be on a bike!) to join us on a group riding experience. The length of the ride and the route varies from year to year. Extensive preparation goes into planning a ride that is both fun and challenging, catering for riders at all levels and bikes of all kinds. Available on the day are: RFS badges, food & refreshments, Run for the Son t-shirt, support vehicle, bike games etc. CMA members participating on the ride are encouraged to gather sponsors for their own ride. Money raised is allocated to chosen charities with a portion going to CMANZ to support its work in local communities and the biking fraternity in New Zealand.
Pre-registration is recommended if you are ordering a t-shirt, badges etc. At the appropriate time, a registration form will be available on our website.
Run for the Son is an opportunity to experience the diversity of New Zealand roads and scenery, form new friendships, while raising support for those not blessed, as we are, to live in a country of affluence and freedom.
2) DRAG RACING
Night Speed Drag Wars is held at the Meremere Fram Autolite Dragway on every second Friday night in summer and in spring. The Winter Drag Wars is held every second Sunday.
CMA has been actively involved in the past, with good results. This is also a great opportunity to mix and mingle with other “speed junkies”.
Motorcycles have their own class to race in and as it is DYO, “dial your own”, you do not need to be the fastest to win the race. Prizes and trophies for the winner and runner up are handed out after every third event.
Competition and National events are also available for more serious racers. These events are NZDRA sanctioned and several different motorcycle classes are available to race in.
NSDW and WDW are becoming more and more popular with bikers and it is not uncommon to see around 30 bikes at these events. The events are alcohol-free and 100 percent legal. A great outing for the family.
See the following links for more information:
Fram Autolight Dragway
Drag Wars
3) MOTORCYCLE RALLIES
CMA has attended both the Cold Duck (Hawkes Bay) and Cold Kiwi (Waiouru/Horopito) rallies, which are held in May and September respectively. These rallies are ideal events for CMA to serve or give back to the bikers. Beginning at the 2008 Cold Kiwi rally, CMA set up a Gazebo and offered to lube motorcycle chains for free. This was very well received. In 2009 we were approached by the organisers of the rally to do alcohol breath testing. This gave rally-goers the opportunity to get within the legal limit prior to getting on their motorcycles at the end of the rally to prevent being a hazard not only for themselves but also other innocent parties out there. This was equally well received and we have been invited back every year since! We hope this will continue at future Cold Kiwi’s and perhaps be introduced at other rallies also.
Other than that CMA also actively participates in rally biking games. These rallies also create the opportunity to develop friendships. By doing this we hope to earn the right to speak – that is about the Hope we have in Christ. If you are a Christian biker and intend on attending one of these rallies, please look out for us at the rally or contact us via this website.
4) CMA MONTHLY RIDE
The CMA monthly ride is now something of an institution. What started as a chance for a few CMA members to simply go for a ride together has now developed into a regular ride leaving from multiple locations around the country. This means good roads and good food (we know all the good cafe’s) and riding with a mixed group of bikes and riders/pillions. We know that people want different things out of a ride so we choose routes with a bit of everything and organise the groups so that all abilities and bikes are catered for.
But beyond the roads, the bikes and a well-chosen lunch stop exists a deeper objective: to change the world ‘one heart at a time’. As Christians, we might like to be at Church on Sunday morning, but we often ride on a Sunday because that’s when we can impact the most bikers who aren’t at church. It’s when we can best build a connection with not just those who ride with us but also those we meet on the way at the petrol station, café or side of the road with the long term objective of sharing God’s amazing grace and the salvation of Christ.
To check out when the next rides are going to our “CMA Monthly Ride Info” menu.
5) MARSHALLING (Act of service)
Marshalling is rewarding and often an excellent day’s entertainment. You do not need to be from the motorcycle racing community to get involved or enjoy it, you don’t even need to be a motorcyclist, you just need to love watching motorcycle riders test their skill on the track, and have a real concern for their safety.
Marshalling, from CMA NZ’s perspective, enables us to be involved in the motorcycling world, fulfilling a need, by serving others. Seeing the appreciation of the riders/organisers for what we do is just the icing on the cake. The enjoyment of seeing people honing their riding skill, or having vantage points on top-class race days are all good things about marshalling. The satisfaction of knowing that we contribute to the track day being a success (or even taking place at all), whether it is a rider training day, a post-classics club race day or the finals of the super-bike champs is tops.
Marshalling involves learning about and putting into practice the use of the flags that signal riders to what is going on, being prepared to attend a crash, assist fallen but uninjured riders to get their bikes either back on track or out of harm’s way. Clearing debris off of the track, and communicating the progress of the race to the headquarters to ensure the safe and timely running of the event are all important facets of the work. Part of the job at some raceways is setting up the safety bales before and after the riders track time which gives us time to get to know others who were not on point duty with you.
The only time that it is not so much fun marshalling is when we watch an injury accident happen and are first on the scene to assess the rider’s state. You do not need any medical knowledge, as there is always an ambulance team on hand, you just need to stay calm and relay information that will assist the safe and swift response of the medical team to your injured rider.
Why not contact your local motorcycle race club and ask if you can help them, they are always short of volunteers. No experience is needed, any good club will train you and put you out with the experienced point chiefs. Normally your lunch is provided along with plenty of drinking water which is essential on hot summer days. Often you get a bit of compensation for your attendance… i.e.. a few dollars worth of fuel vouchers. Be aware you’ll need to lather on sunscreen in summer, wear a hat and strong sunglasses, maybe even consider a small umbrella for shade, but this may need to be tossed aside quickly to attend a track situation. Marshal overalls are provided, just make sure you have suitable strong enclosed footwear and suitable clothing to wear under the overalls. Easy aye! So why don’t you consider becoming a marshal, just remember, they need you, and if you like to feel needed, give it a go!
6) OFF-ROAD (but on track)
We have a couple of CMA Members who are recent South African immigrants and were involved in the OFF ROAD arena for many years in S.A. They are keen to set up a ministry of service to the New Zealand Off-Road scene as they get back into riding. If you are already involved in this area, we would love to hear from you as we explore how we can best serve. If you are a Christian Off-Road motorcycle rider with a heart to share your faith, whether your ride for simple weekend pleasure or are a full-on competitive rider, we would love to be in contact with you, to support you in any way that we can.