The vibes were at an all time high as 450 riders and over 800 spectators gathered at Green Park for the 2022 Ballards Offroad Conondale Classic Weekend presented by Rat Racing on the weekend of 14-16 of October.
“What a great three days to catch up with mates and some epic riding. It was a true festival weekend of fun!” said Geoff Ballard, champion rider and founder of Ballards Offroad.
Green Park, Conondale was transformed into a 70’s and 80’s flashback for Classic Weekend. The moustaches were waxed, sun bleached Rat Racing jerseys were donned and the smell of two strokes floated through the air, all mixing together in one almighty boiling pot of fun as entrants rode endless laps and spectators enjoyed the action under perfect Sunshine Coast weather.
There were camp site swap meets with bargains galore. Mick Kirkness snapped up an XL500 that he’s been searching for months, if not years on Marketplace, found lined up alongside 15 others that made the trip down from Townsville, for just $700 cash Friday arvo, it even started second kick! Sure the rear end needed to be ratchet strapped rigid, and a trials tyre needed to be sourced, but once those issues were out of the way, he rode the legs off it.
Tent garages for last minute fixes, wait, constant fixes were filled with spares and skills beyond a search engine. With an unofficial Show n Shine taking place on Friday outside every campsite, it’s safe to say the spirits were high, the yarns tall and the bikes (essentially) ready to rip.
Walking through the campsites was like strolling through a museum. Proud curators, printed and laminated descriptions, the collectors, the restoration experts, happy to tell you the history of each model, part, infamous riders who once rode the wild steel steeds and how they’ve made their bikes, their own, or yours for the right price.
The Conondale Classic Weekend isn’t about the latest and greatest bikes or mods, it’s about celebrating heritage, it’s about nostalgia. It’s about the old, the crusty and rusty, the steel dirt squirters your dad grew up riding, bold colours, round edges, smooth corners and a whole lot of fun.
It’s a weekend where you can walk past Geoff Ballard and share a story from across the globe, or get knee braces fitted by legend Stephen Gall. “The Sunshine Coast MCC never fails to deliver an awesome weekend. The Conondale Classic Weekend was so good with a perfect range of track conditions! Huge numbers of riders entered which saw big interest in our Gall Bracing Specialist display in trade alley village” said Stephen Gall.
Mr Motocross Anthony Gunter was there all weekend and judged over 80 immaculate bikes during Saturday’s Shannons Show N Shine with Lex Taylor and Stephen Gall.
The old and the new joined forces as the relaxed “recreational” ride format allowed riders to ride as they pleased with young crew banging bars on Yamaha DT175s with the season veterans of the sport on old rare thumpers like Honda CR500s.
The simple rule of thumb was to ride, and everyone went wild from the natural terrain MXstore Pre-95 track, to the fun and friendly evo Pre-78 Shannons track featuring the old boys and even sidecars getting plenty of laps.
Over the creek on the Maico at Chippys Grass Track the DT’s were jostling with the big bores on a who-slid-better battle that lasted all day till the bar opened, and even then, the chat carried on well into the night. The Tough Homies MC in their matching stripes were easy to pick and spent most of the weekend riding in circles on the grass track, with young gun Joel Elliot holding down the fort (and all the talent) tearing the wheels off any bike at his disposal.
The Trials crew had a technical course over boulders, creeks, through trees and obstacles with spare bikes for anyone keen for a low speed challenge. The vinduro trails made the bushies happy, climbing exotic hills and testing their suspension to the limits. With plenty of punters taking to social media to give some praise “Tracks were perfect, the enduro loops were the best ever and everything else was excellent.” said rider Richard.
“If you’ve got an old dirt squirter it’s the best riding weekend of the year! No pressure, great people and laid back laps at possibly the best vintage venue in Australia. Classic Weekend is such a good time even Suzuki owners looked like they were having fun!” said Hughan Seary of Ellaspede Motorcycles and Dust Hustle.
One of the main draw card’s for the event was the raffle of the beautifully restored Suzuki RM250 and Ballards Offroad products including a bike racks, tools and travel luggage, Printcraft donated Classic Weekend posters signed by legends Anthony Gunter, Geoff Ballard, James Deakin, Stephen Gall at the event, plus Pirelli tyres, TCX Boots, Motul care kits and an original signed XRs Only jersey from Geoff Ballard’s personal collection.
Among the hundreds in the crowd next to the Young Henry’s bar there were dozens of winners, it was the bike everyone was there for and it went to Paul Neale from Peachester, who had “never won anything before” and had volunteered with the club doing track preparation during the weeks prior, the crowd couldn’t contain their excitement and rocked out to the Sunshine Coast local legends Eighties Recall well into the night.
The community lead Sunshine Coast Motorcycle Club (SCMCC) was lucky to run their largest fundraiser of the year this time in October, as the usual June (long weekend in NSW) was drowned out by rain this year. Along with the club volunteers the Conondale P&C ran catering and raised much needed funds for the local school. The Conondale Classic Weekend is a epicentre of positive energy, with no ego, just great spirits and care for the venue and people who enjoy it, taking home epic memories and leaving nothing but trail marks in the dirt.
A huge thanks supporters Ballards Offroad, Rat Racing, MXstore, Scrambler, Maico at Chippys, Link International, Chilli Bins, Printcraft, Shannons Insurance, Carmart, Old Man Speed, Salt Creek Moto, Lewis Brothers Racing, JB Tyre and Mechanical, Gall Brothers Medical and Young Henrys.
Save the date for next year, 9-11 June 2023 and follow @classicweekend on instagram or SCMCC on Facebook for all the updates. Ride safe and see you next ride!
