Bikers rally for charity again

The 1313 Mac’s Familia motorcycle club will host the 22nd edition of the Fish Eagle Rally at the Jan Wilken Stadium in Walvis Bay.

The three-day event, with an expected turnout of more than 300 bikers, will take place from 29 September to 1 October. The rally will accommodate live music, a Miss Fish Eagle pageant, food and craft stalls, drag races, and biker games. A mass ride through the harbour town will commence at 09:30 on 30 September and mark the beginning of the event with the Bikers' Church to be hosted at the rally site on 1 October.

According to Jo Nichol, the president of 1313 Mac’s Familia Walvis Bay Chapter, the Fish Eagle Rally has grown to become the largest motorcycle rally in Namibia over the years. "It has been in existence since 1998 - with the first Fish Eagle Rally hosted by Hare Kruger in Karibib. Thereafter, the rally was hosted by Live to Ride and moved to Walvis Bay. In 2016, it was taken over by the Playboys MCC. The president of Playboys MCC, Rassie Erasmus, disbanded the club and started 1313 Mac’s Familia, a family-orientated motorcycle club, in Namibia. This is now the second year the Fish Eagle will be hosted by 1313 Mac’s Familia."

Nichol explained that 1313 Mac’s Familia has three chapters. "We have chapters in Walvis Bay, Swakopmund, and Windhoek. We host the rally to raise funds for charity. In addition to the live music and all the action, we also have a cash giveaway of N$20 000 via a lucky draw. To qualify for the lucky draw, you need to purchase a weekend entry pass for N$300."

He added that the organisers aim to improve the rally experience every year. "We cover a wide spectrum of activities at the event and also offer entrepreneurs an opportunity to put up stalls at a cost of N$600 for the weekend. Many bikers will be visiting our town. They need accommodation and meals. The motorcycles need fuel, so some businesses will benefit from the event."

Last year, the bikers donated N$15 000 to Justin Koch, who uses a wheelchair due to cerebral palsy and needed N$250 000 for his next stem cell surgery.

Reigning champions

Herbert and Doris Buchegger received the accolade of Bravest Bikers. The duo from Austria travelled across Africa for five months. The couple entered the rally by chance and were awarded this prize after travelling 18 500 kilometers.

The best-represented club was the host. Ricci Nichle was crowned Burnout King, while Pierre Grobler was named Doughnut King. The longest distance travelled by a man earned an award for South African legend Oros, who travelled 2 613 km - while his female counterpart, Anne-Marie Le Roux (1 982 km), was accoladed as the woman who travelled the longest distance to the rally.

Johan Oosthuizen was named Wheelie King. Allan Jenne clocked the fastest time at 12:46 in the cruisers class. In the 350 – 950cc class, Marius Hendricks clocked the fastest time at 11:45 seconds; while in the 950cc class, Pierre Grobler clocked a speedy 10:10 over a quarter mile and was also awarded for clocking the best time of the day. In the open class, Edson Almeida clocked a time of 10:13 seconds. In the female category, for the cruisers class, Amanda Kotze clocked 17:25 - while in the 950cc class, Geraldine Botha finished in 11:16 seconds.