[citation needed] He would often work overnight on his bikes (he had a 1936 Velocette MSS as well), then he would go to work in the morning, having had no sleep. A son of William Munro (?-1949) and Lily Agnes Munro (?-1967), he had two brothers and a sister. In an obituary published in the Speed Weeks official programme Frank Oddo writes: Burt Munro was one of those people, who has been most everywhere, done most everything and enjoyed the entire game of life to the fullest.. Detiled biography of Burt Munro. He had brought his bike and wanted to have one last run. Back then nobody had engines except stationary ones, which is why Burt could not put in an engine and the plane never left the ground. BURT MUNRO22 mars 2006 en salle / 2h 00min / Comdie dramatique, Aventure, BiopicDe Roger DonaldsonPar Roger DonaldsonAvec Antony Starr, Anthony Hopkins, Dia. 1947) Children: 4: . The story goes that in the qualifying run for that 1967 record Munro clocked 305.89km/h. In 1925 Burt married Florence Beryl Martyn, the sister of one of his closest friends. He is from New Zealand. New Zealand motorcycle racer. In 1966, he set a 1000cc class record of 270.476km/h (168.07mph) with his engine at 920cc. When he purchased the Indian its top speed was around 50 miles per hour. His spouse is Florence Beryl Martyn (m. 1927; div. Burt Munro married Florence Beryl Martyn in 1927 but divorced twenty years later. Munro ended up losing his coordination. Burts business partnership disintegrated three years later as it seemed he was more interested in his bikes than the business with Mac. After raising the record for the New Zealand Road Speed 750cc class to 143.59 mph on April 13 1957, Burt decided that it was time to travel again and in the following years he followed his passions travel, racing and the United States. They did not hesitate to award Burt with the Sportsman of the Year Award, for which he received 350 USD. IMPORTANT PRIVACY NOTICE & DISCLAIMER: YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO USE CAUTION WHEN DISTRIBUTING PRIVATE INFORMATION. The motorcycling community regarded the movie as the best motorcycle movie since the release of the classic documentary 'On Any Sunday' made in the early 1970s. Herbert James The Burt Munro story. by | May 21, 2022 | conditional sign off At that time, Munro worked on the Otira Tunnel construction until recalled to work with his father on a newly purchased farm. An entry of the Invercargill City Council in 1924 shows Burt already was testing the speed limits when he was caught driving on the North Road at a greater speed than 15 miles per hour. He decided to finally do what he loved and only concentrate on modifying the two motorbikes he owned at that time: The Indian and a 1936 Velocette. In July 1975 Burt Munro travelled to America for the last time. Just like on his previous runs, he lostorientation. Again salt had been thrown up in front of him from his shaking tyres. In the subsequent ten years Burt was able to raise that record to 132.32mph and also won the standing mile sprint in Timaru, New Zealand with just 13.1 seconds. He found his coordination had diminished. Munro set numerous land speed records for motorcycles with engines less than 1,000 cc at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah in the late 1950s and into the 1960s. Herbert James "Burt" Munro ( Bert in his youth; 25 March 1899 - 6 January 1978) was a New Zealand motorcycle racer, famous for setting an under-1,000 cc world record, at Bonneville, 26 August 1967. memorial page for Burt Munro (25 Mar 1899-6 Jan 1978), Find a Grave Memorial ID 13731724, citing Eastern Cemetery, Invercargill, Invercargill City, Southland , New Zealand . In America, he was talked into trying new fuel for his Indian nitro based fuel, which was quite common at that time. From then on Burt took things a bit easier. To qualify he made a one-way run of 305.89km/h (190.07mph), the fastest-ever officially recorded speed on an Indian. WIKITREE PROTECTS MOST SENSITIVE INFORMATION BUT ONLY TO THE EXTENT STATED IN THE TERMS OF SERVICE AND PRIVACY POLICY. Then it got serious. In 1967, his engine was bored out to 950cc and he set an under 1000cc class record of 295.453km/h (183.59mph). Like its eponym, the Burt is unique, combining seven forms of racing: beach, circuit, street, long track, sprint, hill climb and speedway. When his father passed away in 1949 Burt bought half of his parents farm property and built a racecourse, where he would test his motorcycles. Burt Munro: Indian legend of speed, Begg & Allen, Christchurch. Burt made many friends on his countless trips to America one of them Marty Dickerson. With a big chuckle Burt replied Yeah, gives the tea a nice taste of titanium, doesnt it?. Munro set his first New Zealand speed record in 1938 and later set seven more. By that time, Munro was a professional speedway rider. Burt had very clear ideas as to how his new home should look. When my friends got down there I was laughing like hell and they wanted to know what I was laughing at. His grandfather was from northern Scotland and later settled in Invercargill. Munro set his first New Zealand speed record in 1938 and later set seven more. With 183.586 mph he broke the SA 1000 class record, which he still holds today. Determined to show the world how fast his Indian could go, he continued to work on the bike, whilst competing with his Velocette all around New Zealand. Burt Munro was born as Herbert James Munro on March 25, 1899 in Edendale, Southland near Invercargill. discoveries. Again he was lucky: No one seemed to have realized and Burt got the permission to start, qualifying as a high speed bike with 174.75mph. I said, Well, I should be dead long ago, but Im so pleased to be alive I cant help laughing!, One of the guys present, an air force officer made a remark, which according to Burt saved (himself) twice later.. Hanna, Tim (2005). Burt Munro was born on March 25, 1899 (age 79) in New Zealand. We buy houses. He died in 1978 at the age of 78 and is buried in Invercargill. [7] The bike had an original top speed of 55mph (89km/h),[2] but this did not satisfy Munro, so in 1926 he began to modify his beloved Indian. The Worlds Fastest Indian, Magnolia Studios, New Zealand. Angus Edward "Burt" Munro, born 1876 Angus Edward Munro was born in 1876, at birth place, to John Munro and Alice Elizabeth Munro (born Thring). His speed was incredible and he was the fastest racer. . Some even say that he was going 195mph at one point. We couldnt find Burt anywhere he was nowhere in sight. His wife is Florence Beryl Martyn (1927 - 6 January1978)( his death)( 4 children). Munro's Indian Scout was an early model, the 627th Scout to leave the American factory. Burt knew he did not have a lot of time to modify or change his tyres which is why he made sure that the tyres were positioned in a way that the inspectors could not see the cords showing. The film stars Anthony Hopkins . If its hard, work harder; if its impossible, work harder still. Get Full Access to Martyn's Info . His parents had adopted J.B when he was 9 and had then changed his name to John Baldwin Munro.. This time things went surprisingly smoothly and Burt broke the record for the highest speed ever recorded by any timing apparatus at Bonneville or anywhere else for the Indian Munro Special with 190.06 mph. Burt Munro and his 1920 Indian Scout motorcycle on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. One time the spring catch on the bonnet let go and flew up so that Burt could not see anything in front of him. 1945 was also the year that the Munros family home went up in flames when Burt was in hospital himself recovering from three degree burns from an accident. Hence, he sold both his bikes to his friend Norman Hayes. This record still stands; Munro was 68 and was riding a 47-year-old machine when he set his last record. The Munro Special at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. 2008 - 2022 INTERESTING.COM, INC. After the cannon, which Burt had to hand over to the police, during an amnesty in the early 1950s, he built the shell of an aeroplane a 10-foot long and 10-foot wide biplane. Famous Motorcycle Racer Burt Munro was born on March 25, 1899 in New Zealand. Little fella Herbert James Munro Permission Munro Family Collection. At the time the council had a stipulated minimum stud height of eight feet in a domestic dwelling, as described in Tim Hannas One Good Run: The Legend of Burt Munro. At 79 years old, Burt Munro height not available right now. The documentary Offerings to the God of Speed and the movie The Worlds Fastest Indian produced and directed by Roger Donaldson both are based on Burt Munros life. The Southland Times, the local Invercargill paper, recorded that Burt had to take his first driving test in his entire life at 70 years old in 1969. A son of William Munro (?1949) and Lily Agnes Munro (?1967), he had two brothers and a sister. Contact | Privacy | Terms of Service | Advertise | Google+ Copyright NZEDGE 1998-2023, Register for Weekly Updates about Kiwis Rocking the World, M3GAN a Deadly Doll with a Killer Wardrobe, EDGE #428 Aldous Hardings Latest a NY Times Critics Pick + 15 Global Stories, Roger Donaldson On Sleeping Dogs And Cocktail, New Fastest Indian for Burt Munros Great Nephew, Limited Fashion Collection Honouring Burt Munro, The Guinea Pig Club Film on Sir Archibald McIndoe in the Works. Just one grandparent can lead you to many The loss of job did not devastate Burt. In 1925, Burt married a woman named Florence Beryl Martyn. He was previously married to Florence Beryl Martyn. Toward the end of the 1940s, Munro quit working to devote more time to the modifications of his 'Indian' and 'Velocette' racing bikes. Random House, New Zealand. Burt Munro, known as the fastest man from New Zealand, became internationally known for the records he broke at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah in the 1960s. [4], Munro was born in 1899 to William Munro, a farmer and Lily Agnes Robinson in Invercargill. Unfortunately, his twin sister died at birth, and Burt himself was not expected to live beyond the age of two. Genealogy for Florence Beryl Watson (Martyn) (1908 - 2007) family tree on Geni, with over 230 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. From then on the travel bug had truly bitten Burt. Margaret told Roger Donaldson that she used to worry about him living in that shed (but) he didnt spend the winters there he would go away to the States about April or May each year and come back around November. Why didn't he just buy a faster bike? Burt on his Indian qualified with an incredible 190.06 mph. When the bike stopped as its wheels hit soft salt Burt had already gone past the nine-mile marker. In eleven record attempting trips to the National Speed Week, the Kiwi broke three world records on his Indian motorcycle one of which still stands today. From TePapa, Museum of New Zealand A Bike, a shed, and Burt Munro, http://www.tepapa.govt.nz/WhatsOn/PastEvents/WFI/Pages/Burt.aspx, From New Zealand Tourism, Burt Munro a Southland speed legend, http://www.newzealand.com/int/article/burt-munro-a-southland-speed-legend/, From New Zealand Tourism, The Worlds Fastest Indian, http://media.newzealand.com/en/story-ideas/the-worlds-fastest-indian/, From the EHayes Motorworks Collection, The Worlds Fastest Indian, http://www.ehayes.co.nz/Hayes-Motorworks-Collection/Burt-Munro-__I.517, From the Times, Who watered Burt Munros lemon tree?, http://www.times.co.nz/2006/who-watered-burt-munros-lemon-tree.html, From GearPatrol, The Story of Burt Munro, http://gearpatrol.com/2013/05/13/the-story-of-burt-munro/, From Indian Motorcycle, The Spirit of Munro Streamliner, http://www.indianmotorcycle.com/en-us/stories/munro-streamliner-photos, From Invercargill.co.nz, Burt Munro Challenge, http://www.invercargillnz.com/Events/Burt-Munro-Challenge, From AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, Burt Munro, http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.aspx?RacerID=381, From Motorcycle USA.com, Burt Munro breaks record 36 years after death, http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/321/18966/Motorcycle-Article/Burt-Munro-Breaks-Record-36-Years-After-Death.aspx. 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