VICTORIAN Charles ‘Chas’ Hern loves to live life in the past lane so is eager for a dose of high-quality historic road racing when Broadford’s State Motorcycle Sports Complex hosts the 2016 Shannons Victorian Historic Road Racing Championships this weekend, April 2-3.
Motorcycle enthusiasts from across Australia are expected to flock to Broadford with a wide range of classic bikes from days gone by. The Shannons Victorian Historic Road Racing Championships will also host the F2 Sidecar Cup.
Chas, 33, from Epping, also an avid road racer and dirt track rider, loves the thrill of riding rare machines from yesteryear. He recently competed in the 2016 QBE Barry Sheene Festival of Speed where he finished first in the Period Six class at Eastern Creek in New South Wales on March 19-20.
Harley Club of Victoria honours world champion Kevin Schwantz
In a remarkable feat for the Harley Club of Victoria, three club members topped the podium in the Period Six class, including Chas, Cameron Donald, and Dean Oughtred in first, second and third-places respectively.
Finishing fourth was none other than 1993 500cc GP World Champion Kevin Schwantz from the United States. “We actually presented Kevin Schwantz with a Harley Club of Victoria membership on Saturday afternoon, actually getting him to fill out the form and signing it for us just for a bit of fun,” he said.
HCV president Richard Loft said that the winning performance of club members at the Barry Sheene just two weeks ago showed-off the benefits of dirt track skills, which is very applicable to many other motorcycling disciplines including road racing and historic road racing. “It’s great to have Kevin as an honourary member of the HCV meaning we had the top four finishing positions which is fantastic,” Richard added.
On the Barry Sheene, Chas added: “I was aboard the T-Rex Racing-built YV5, which is one of only 250 in the world and is currently the only one to actually be raced at the moment. On the day, we were also awarded the fastest lap-time in the Period 6 class. It was pretty special as was honouring a world champion to become a member of a club that I joined when I was four-years-old,” Chas added.
Competing in the Unlimited Period 5 class this weekend, riding the T-Rex Harris Honda, Chas hopes to go out there and try and win it. “I haven’t won a Victorian Historic Road Racing title so it would be nice to win one,” Chas said.
Chas is also a fan of the Broadford circuit: “Broadford is one of the most technical tracks going around, really because of the undulation of the circuit. It’s also a physically demanding circuit and you don’t get much of a rest even on the back-straight, especially on the bigger bikes,” he said. “The surface is really smooth which is great and Broadford always seems to deliver some close racing. Hopefully we can go out there and put on a show for the crowd,” Chas added.
Chas would like to thank T-Rex Racing, Pirelli, Cykel and Monza Imports for supporting him throughout his racing career. You can follow Chas Hern via his official Facebook Page here: https://www.facebook.com/ChasHernRacing/.
Broadford is hosting a Road Race Historic Practice Day ahead of the Victorian Historic Road Racing Championships this Friday, April 1. Please note: This Race Practice Day is for historic bikes only.
To book please contact Ann-marie Upton at Broadford via email: broadfordadmin@motorcyclingvic.com.au or (03) 5784 4163 or 0416 275 422.