14 Jul 2016

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A roar, a wheelie and a celebratory burnout marked the arrival of the Britten V1000 back home to Christchurch.

Stroud pulled off a wheelstand on Worcester Boulevard before burning rubber into the shape of a B on the forecourt of the Christchurch Art Gallery in front of a crowd of several hundred people. 

Stroud’s appearance on the bike launched the new GREAT BRITTEN! exhibition which opens at the Christchurch Art Gallery on Saturday. By acclaimed conceptual artist Billy Apple, it honours Stroud’s 1995 win in the World BEARS Series (British European American Racing Series) on the very Britten bike that will star in the free exhibition.

The BEARS win came just three weeks before the death of Stroud’s friend, John Britten, the Christchurch engineer who designed the revolutionary bike that has broken four world speed records and gained legendary status.

Riding the superbike – one of only 10 in the world - was New Zealand champion motorcycle racer, Andrew Stroud, who debuted the Britten V1000 twin at Daytona in 1992.

Billy Apple, a motorcycle enthusiast and collector, said the exhibition was a tribute to an impressive man. He met John in early 1995 and wished he could have got to know him better.

“He was a real renaissance person. My practice is something like his, he gathered around him incredible people to help him. When you’ve got a team like that, you work with them to raise the bar of expectation. I felt an incredible rapport with him.”

John was a local hero and icon for Christchurch so it was appropriate for the exhibition to open here, he said. It took his achievements from the biking world and put them into a cultural context, showing people the aesthetic value of what he had done.

Stroud said the carbon fibre V1000 had a unique character to match its distinctive hot pink and blue livery. “It doesn’t have a frame, everything is bolted directly on to the engine. It does take a while to get used to riding it. It’s very light and aerodynamic.”

He is looking forward to visiting the exhibition. “The whole story behind the Britten is a great one that Kiwis can be proud of. It’s an inspiring story that tens of thousands of people around the world have been encouraged by.”

He thought John Britten would have been honoured. “He was a Leonardo da Vinci kind of character, he had the artistic side as well as the engineering side.”

* GREAT BRITTEN! runs from July 16 to November 6. A programme of free events includes a talk by Andrew Stroud on Saturday July 16 and a film screening on July 20. For more information, see the Gallery's website.