DJ Run to take riders on rollercoaster ride to Northerns

The 2022 edition of the The DJ Run – Classic Motorcycle Rally has attracted more than 100 riders.

The event, which was started in 1936, will start at 06:00 on March 11 from the Hillcrest Corner Shopping Mall in Durban.

After an overnight stop in Newcastle, the rally will finish at the Benoni Northerns Sports Club the following afternoon.

The rally will follow the same 700km Durban to Johannesburg route taken by the pioneers of this rally between 1913 and 1916.

The big drawcards for this year are MotorGP stars Brad and Darryn Binder. The brothers will be joined by their father, Trevor, who will ride the 1925 600cc Indian. Brad will be mounted on the 1935 500cc Sunbeam and Darryn on the 1936 500cc Ariel.

Anthony Webber from Zambia and the UK’s Les Youngman (in his third rally) are the only international entries. Webber will ride the 1930 250cc sunbeam, while Youngman will be on the 1934 250cc New Imperial.

Stephanie Meyer, Bev Jacobs and Annel Hertog are the only female entries. Meyer will be mounted on the 1932 250cc Royal Enfield and Jacobs will ride the 1935 250cc Triumph. Hertog will ride the 1934 500c Norton.

Neville Smith (87) will again be the oldest rider. His competition number is 35 (he was born in 1935) and his motorcycle, a 250cc Rudge, is also a 1935 model, making it the same age as its rider.

Another special number allocation is 39, which will be on the 1933 500cc AJS of Trevor Jones to signify the fact this year’s DJ Rally will be his 39th.

Tony Lyons-Lewis is another rider with considerable experience in the DJ, as the 2022 event will be his 38th. He started riding the DJ on an uncompetitive 350cc OK Supreme. He then switched to Nortons, first a Model 18 and later a 500cc overhead CS1.

Three of the riders will be on sidecar combinations, with one of them – Nicholas Chapman on a 1936 550cc Triumph – electing to run without a passenger, while Brian Lange (1928 1000cc AJS) and Adrian Hollis (1936 600cc Sunbeam) will have passengers in their sidecars.

Several previous winners, including four-time winner Gavin Walton and three-time winner Martin Davies, will be in the field this year. 2020 winner Mark Broady has emigrated from South Africa.

Also Read: Binder family plans to compete in the 2022 DJ Rally

Walton, who is one of the favourites, made a good start to his preparations for the 2022 DJ Rally by winning the Pre-DJ Rally on February 20. Stewart MacGregor was second and Ralph Pitchford third.

“We are delighted with the response we have received from competitors, making this one of the biggest fields in recent years. This enthusiastic support is a fitting tribute to the 50-year history of the DJ Rally, which commemorates the annual road races between Durban and Johannesburg between 1913 and 1936,” said Hylton Allison, who is the clerk of the course.

(Information: Roger Houghton).

Also Read: Changes on the DJ Rally calendar