Culchie Festival bids to set Honda 50 record

An All-Ireland world record bid to gather the most Honda 50 motorbikes in one place has attracted 100 vehicles from across the island.

Bikes have been pledged from 22 of the 32 counties, including one from a female motorcyclist in Co Waterford.

The Guinness Book of Records attempt will take place at the 16th annual Culchie Festival in Summerhill, Co Meath at the end of October.

The organisers hope to beat the previous record of 118 Honda bikes set at the Varadero Adventure Tour of Morocco in June 1999.

The Irish bikes will take part in a 3.5km charity race to raise funds jointly for the Barretstown Gang Camp for seriously ill children in Co Kildare and the local Summerhill branch of the Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland.

Organiser Paddy Rock said: “We’re over the 100 mark and seem to be on our way towards the record.

“But we need to scramble a dozen more bikes in the coming weeks.

“So far we’ve even have a female motorcycle enthusiast from Kilmacthomas taking part and she’s very welcome.

“I’m calling on the other counties like Cork who have so far failed to answer our appeals.”

Motorbikes have been pledged from every county in the Republic except Cork, Longford, Monaghan, Donegal and Westmeath.

Only Co Armagh in Northern Ireland has answered the call to provide bikes.

The record bid is designed to celebrate Honda 50s – a vehicle used by farmers in rural Ireland and often ridden now by pizza delivery staff.

The event was officially launched outside Leinster House at the end of June.

The Culchie Festival is the first major event in Summerhill since its Town Carnival back in 1969 and will test 20 contestants on traditional rural tasks like wellie-throwing and hay-tossing before selecting a winner.

Honda 50 owners willing to participate can fill out application forms on the www.culchiefestival.com website.