The 35-year-old driver David McArthur hails from Te Awamutu. Dave has been riding dirt bikes from a very young age before deciding to give road racing a go. He raced solo bikes for a number of years including Superbikes before turning his attention to sidecars. The 46-year-old passenger/swinger Tony New also comes from a two-wheeled solo back ground, racing motocross for 12 years, then Super Motard (dirt bikes converted to road bikes), before switching to sidecars. Sidecar racing is a two-man effort as the passenger is needed to stabilise the bike and provide ballast whilst cornering. This is their fourth season of sidecar racing and they hope to achieve some good results but most importantly have as much fun as they can.
Tony New - 1990's Formula 1 Sidecar (Long Chair)
The 35-year-old driver David McArthur hails from Te Awamutu. Dave has been riding dirt bikes from a very young age before deciding to give road racing a go. He raced solo bikes for a number of years including Superbikes before turning his attention to sidecars. The 46-year-old passenger/swinger Tony New also comes from a two-wheeled solo back ground, racing motocross for 12 years, then Super Motard (dirt bikes converted to road bikes), before switching to sidecars. Sidecar racing is a two-man effort as the passenger is needed to stabilise the bike and provide ballast whilst cornering. This is their fourth season of sidecar racing and they hope to achieve some good results but most importantly have as much fun as they can.
1990's Formula 1 Sidecar (Long Chair):
The Mad Racing Sidecar was originally built in the early 1990s in NZ by Gary West. Gary raced it for a number of years with great success until he retired and the sidecar got parked in storage. In 2012 the sidecar was reborn with a full back-to-chassis rebuild by Isle of Man racer Robbie Shorter and British sidecar great Barry Smith, It was restored with a 2004 Suzuki GSXR1000 Superbike engine and was immediately competitive in its first outings. Dave McArthur purchased the sidecar for the start of the 2013 season and has had an absolute ball as he and Tony New have learned to race these unique machines. They are constantly improving every time they hit the track.