The Burt Munro Challenge will return from 10 to 14 February 2027 with five days of racing and riding across Southland, and organisers are promising extra celebrations for a double milestone.

Next year's event is the 20th running of the Challenge and falls in the centenary year of the Southland Motorcycle Club, the club behind the event.

Competitor entries, Burt Munro Rally passes and spectator tickets opened on 1 October through the event's website.

Challenge chairman Bill Moffatt said reaching 20 years alongside a century of the club was "something we're incredibly proud of", and that anniversary celebrations and additional activities were being planned around the racing.

He said the 2027 programme "honours our past while celebrating the excitement, energy and passion this event brings to Southland".

The programme

The core disciplines return, headed by the beach racing on the same Oreti Beach sand where Burt Munro tested his Indian Scout.

  • Wednesday 10 February: Southland Honda Track Day, from 8.30am
  • Thursday 11 February: Star Insure NZ Hill Climb Champs at 10am and Indian Motorcycle Twilight Drag Racing at 6pm
  • Thursday 11 to Sunday 14 February: Burt Munro Rally
  • Friday 12 February: E Hayes & Sons Beach Racing at Oreti Beach, 10am
  • Saturday 13 February: Super Seller Shelley Speedway, 3pm
  • Friday 12 to Sunday 14 February: E Hayes & Sons Teretonga Sprint Races, from 9am daily, with Friday set aside for practice and qualifying

New for 2027, the Teretonga Sprint Races will incorporate the BEARS Trophy Series, linking the Challenge with the Sound of Thunder, another South Island motorcycle event. Riders can compete at both, with overall trophies decided on combined points.

Off the track, the programme includes a Show & Shine in the Invercargill CBD, a burnout competition and the traditional rally camping and facilities at the Burt.

A fixture for the region

The Challenge is billed as the largest motorcycle rally in the Southern Hemisphere, drawing thousands of competitors and spectators from around New Zealand and overseas each February and delivering a significant boost to Southland's visitor economy.

Its namesake remains a drawcard in his own right. The Munro Special and Burt's 1936 MSS Velocette are on display at E Hayes & Sons' hardware store in Invercargill as part of the E Hayes Motorworks Collection, a stop that has become a pilgrimage for visiting riders.

Entries, tickets and event updates are available at burtmunrochallenge.co.nz.