Motor Racing
19 July, 2025
Harrow roars to life with milestone event
The throaty growling of pre-1988 trailbikes will be echoing around the farmland surrounding Harrow next weekend, with the 15th running of the Vinduro (Vintage Enduro) in and around the town.
The event attracts about 200 enthusiasts from far and wide, more than doubling the population of the tiny Wimmera town from late on Friday to spend most of the weekend navigating a nearly 40-kilometre course through paddocks and muddy gully crossings on old motorcycles built in an era before the widespread adoption of contemporary manufacturing techniques.
Vinduro secretary, Peter Drakeford, said the other notable aspect of this year’s event was the likelihood of it still being drier than it normally was – last year’s Harrow participants had remarked how different the region looked when rainfall was so low.
He saw a positive in the differing conditions, as it would likely mean “it opens up a little bit more riding opportunity for us.”
He said a few locals were keeping him informed about the state of the ground, with the recent rain only superficially beginning to change things.
“Lachie Turner – who’s our patron, and we run the event mostly on his property – said he has never seen it this dry before,” Mr Drakeford said.
“He’s near on 90, so that’s something.”
Mr Drakeford said the course was altered “a little bit” each year to keep it interesting for the riders.
“We go through quite a few farmers’ properties,” he said.
“God bless the Harrow community and all the farmers around there, because we haven't received many knockbacks at all in all the years that we've run it. Lambing season is a little tricky, but I think we're just about through that.
“Using Lachie’s property is great because it's a pretty wide-ranging place, and there aren't too many fences in it … so it's just ideal riding territory.
"Doesn't really affect any stock or whatever, but it makes for challenging riding zigzagging along the banks of the Glenelg (River).”
Asked whether the organisation would ever move the 1988 threshold as the years went by, Mr Drakeford paused for a moment, and firmly said “No!” with a laugh.
“We’re not budging,” he declared, as if the matter was never a serious question.
He explained the decision was attached to an almost industry-wide change in motorcycle design around the late 80s where they “became ergonomically similar to modern motorcycles” and “we’d just love to get some bikes from the 70s back in these events.”
“It was virtually like the template was set for motorcycle design in the early 80s, and then they just produced all different versions of it, because things like disc brakes came in – front and rear – upside-down forks and they just started looking way too modern,” Mr Drakeford said.
“So that's why we try to preserve the old bikes.
“I realise there's some classic vehicle groups (where) you have a rolling cutoff date of 25 years, which is what they're using for the red plate or club permit system in Victoria. But no, as long as I'm in the chair, I ain't going to change!”
He added this year would see riders once again able to create ‘team’ of three riders where “they can sort of make up all the fancy names and have a bit of a dig at everybody” and he was especially looking forward to all the riders gathering for a special 15-years photo op at the Hermitage Hotel on the Saturday morning.
“We’re going to have a bit of a parade down the main street at 10.30,” Mr Drakeford said.
“We're all going to line up outside the pub so I'm hoping that most of the guys will have entered by then. So we'll have about 200 bikes lined up there, which would make a really good photo opportunity.”
The Harrow Vinduro takes place on Saturday, July 26, and Sunday, July 27, with the main ride scheduled for Sunday morning; spectators are welcome on both days.
Early entries for the event close this Sunday at midnight, and more details can be found at www.verivinduro.com.au.
