Binders bring extra excitement to 2022 DJ Rally

The entry of South Africa’s two MotoGP riders, brothers Brad and Darryn Binder, attracted a great deal of public interest at this year’s 2022 DJ regularity rally for pre-war and vintage classic motorcycles from March 11 to 12.

This was the second successive year they have competed in the DJ Rally and completed the course on each occasion. This year Darryn finished 21st on a 1936 500cc Ariel, with Brad taking 45th spot on a 1935 500cc Sunbeam.

Their dad, Trevor, a DJ Rally regular, had to retire during the first day due to a problem with the rear brake of his 1925 600cc Indian. Repairs were carried out in Newcastle and he rode the second day with his sons, putting up an impressive performance, collecting only 357 penalty points on Day 2.

The 2022 DJ Rally was the 51st regularity trial for motorcycles that would have been eligible for the road race between Durban and Johannesburg, which was staged between 1913 and 1936. Riders are required to stick as closely as possible to average speeds set by the organisers and are penalised for early or late arrival at the control points, with the data being collected by the electronic loggers carried by each rider.

The 2022 edition of the DJ had attracted an entry of more than 100 riders. The 700km course from the start in Hillcrest outside Durban on the Friday to the finish at the Benoni Northern Club the next day followed the general route of the original road race. The 2022 rally took its usual toll on the old machinery with only 58 of the 84 starters being classified as official finishers of the two-day event.

Gavin Walton scored his fifth overall win on the DJ Rally for pre-1937 motorcycles. This year’s win follows victories in 2009, 2017, 2018, and 2019.

Gavin, who said this year’s win was the toughest of his five, rode to victory on his trusty 1936 500cc AJS once again. He has only ridden one other motorcycle on the DJ and that was a 1929 500cc OHV Ariel loaned to him by Hew Hollard for this first DJ in 2005. Walton not only won overall, with 228 penalty points, but also had the lowest score on Day 1, from Durban to Newcastle, and the third lowest score on the second day, from the overnight stop to the finish in Benoni.

Gavin, who retired from the synthetic diamond manufacturing industry in 2015, now concentrates on restoring classic motorcycles and running his business in Springs retailing replacement parts for British motorcycles.

His brother Kevin also kept the family flag flying high with a fine fourth overall on a 1931 500cc BSA. Kevin was fourth on Day 1 and fifth on Day 2, and won his class in his BSA’s age category.

Second overall was Mike Ward on a 1935 500cc Velocette, who had won the DJ in 2004 and is usually at the sharp end of an extremely competitive field. Martin Kaiser took third place on a 1935 500cc Sunbeam. Competition was tight with only 238 seconds separating Gavin in first place from Neville Nicolau and Samantha Anderson who share ninth position.