Libby Bateman, from Kingaroy, with her Harley-Davidson Sportster Forty-EightSB-MRT trainers Col and Simon Rogerson
August 13, 2013
Hundreds of motorbikes “headed out on the highway” – the Bunya Highway, that is – on Sunday morning for a special Motorbike Festival.
The rally and swap meet was organised by Col Rogerson and his wife Yvonka at the family’s SB-MRT motorcycle rider training complex just outside Kingaroy.
Col is a former international speedway racer and his love of bikes runs right through his family.
His son Simon raced off-roads and enduros for a number of years, and now grandson Cordell, 10, is racing in junior speedway events.
The festival included industry displays, a show’n’shine competition and swap sites.
There was everything from veteran one cylinders to the latest trikes, from Hondas to Harleys.
Local trophy winners included Col McBride, Libby Bateman, Joe Thorpe, John Miller and Brad Sellick.
There were also demonstrations of speedway riding by Cordell Rogerson and Tyson Snow on a mini training track on site.
Des Hoyle and Col McBride, from Kingaroy, with Col’s rare 1903 belt-drive one-cylinder Humber; Col located the frame of the English bike at Kilkivan and set about completely rebuilding it from scratch; he located “half a motor” at a Ballarat swap meet and then hand-fabricated the mudguards, oil tanks, seat and everything else he needed
Danny “Sumo” Burton, from Wondai, on his Harley-Davidson Street Glide
Leith Carruthers, from Kingaroy, with his Harley-Davidson Night Train
Cordell Rogerson, 10, grandson of SB-MRT owner Col Rogerson, put on a demonstration run on the training track at the rear of the complexCordell is making a name for himself on the motorcycle circuit, racing in Brisbane and interstate
Steve Jones, from Delaneys Creek (Yamaha XT1200), and Joe Eastmure, from Maleny (Honda CX500)
Tyson Snow, 18, from Ipswich, joined Cordell on the training track to put his racing bike through its paces in a demonstration run
Nikita, Yvonka and Paloma Rogerson … working hard behind the scenes in the canteenLooking over part of the Motorcycle Festival from the top deck of the Shannons Insurance Super Rig
