For the last couple of months we have been enticing you with glimpses of the beautiful scenery that could be enjoyed at the 5th annual Suzuki weekend away taking place at the end of May. This month we share some of this experience with you – from the scenery, to the fun which was had by all who attended.
It all began on Friday evening where the 72 participants arrived for the event at the beautiful Numbi Hotel and Garden Suites situated in Hazyview, less than ten minutes’ drive from the Kruger National Park. The accommodation was ideal, not only has it been providing wonderful experiences to customers for over 50 years, it is also perfectly situated to enjoy the breath-taking scenery of the magical Mpumalanga.
After everyone was checked in the teams all met up for a briefing so that they had an idea of what to expect the following day. The business was quickly dealt with, and the remainder of the evening was spent enjoying each other’s company, meeting new people, catching up with familiar faces and making new friends – all around the braai of course.
Saturday arrived and each team was given their route. Along the way they were expected to complete three different tasks at predetermined points on their specific route. The routes varied to avoid congestion not only at the tasks, but also on the road. Less congestion meant safer riding so this was an important part of the planning by Suzuki.
The teams set off and the fun and games began. The first task, the Smartie Suck, took a number of the riders back to their youth – to the days of jumping castles at parties, and their parents warning them not to jump with their shoes on or with food in their mouths. For this task each team had to remove their boots (of course) and their helmet, and – using a straw and some serious sucking power – transfer Smarties from one container on the jumping castle to another container on the other side. It goes without saying that they were not allowed to touch the Smarties with their hands. Once completed they would be free to continue on the route – after replacing their boots and helmet.
The second task took a different type of coordination and focus. For this task teams had to work together to remove as many blocks as possible from the Jenga tower before it fell over. The catch was that for this task boot and gloves had to remain on!
The third task once again took many riders back – this time to their first bike, that sturdy, black, plastic bike. For this task two members of the team were required to participate – one to sit on the bike, the other to push the bike – and they were required to complete a full lap of the parking lot.
After a wonderful day on the road the teams all returned tired, but energised, to attend the much awaited prize giving. With fourteen prizes in total it promised to be an entertaining event. There were both individual and group prizes. Prizes were awarded for individual task winner, first and second overall, the rider whose mileage was closest to that of their route, the bike with the highest mileage, the team that got lost the most as well as some luck draws. The prize for overall winners went to Vic Seabra and Gary Machin, customers of Factory Racing. Well done to them both and thank you to the dealer for supporting the event. We hope that we have converted them both to become Suzuki riders in the future.
Factory Racing were not the only dealers who brought some of their customers, we had some riders from as far Richards Bay Suzuki and KCR Motorcycles. Once again a thank you to the dealers for their support of this annual event.
Sunday morning the participants all got together for the group photo before saying their goodbyes and heading home. Thanks to all who attended this memorable weekend living the Suzuki Way of Life in the scenic Mpumalanga and we look forward to catching up with you all again in 2016 at the 6th annual Suzuki weekend away!
Safe riding until then.