Specialists to the fore at HK Motorist Clubs’ festival

The Motoring Clubs’ Festival brought many of Hong Kong’s car and bike clubs together in Central on January 15. Organised by Classic Auto-cycle Museum, the inaugural event also illustrated how many specialist clubs help enthusiasts learn more about their wheels, improve troubleshooting, and make like-minded friends. Motoring “anoraks” were spoilt for choice. “I counted 163 cars, about 150 motorcycles ... and one bus,” one show organiser said.

The Edinburgh Place attracted the big bike clubs, such as the Harley Owners’ Group, Scooter Power Club and the BikerZ Club.

The new Hong Kong Classic Motorcycle Lovers rumbled in too, having started up last year on social media. This group reportedly now draws more than 700 members to its largely impromptu rides announced on Facebook and WhatsApp. Anyone can join Hong Kong Classic Motorcycle Lovers for free, says its consultant, Franki Yang. This year, the group hopes to organise a safe-riding course, run workshops on classic bike restoration and get involved in charity events.

Several specialist car groups were represented at the festival, from the Hong Kong Mini Fan Club to Smart Hongkong. The Toyota bB also has a cult following here, and the bB Club HK celebrated its 14th anniversary on January 8, with more than 800 formal members, 200 of whom are active, says its spokesman, Edward Tsang.

StepforStance lined up some of its members’ customisations, and aims to “bring new energy” to the Hong Kong car world with beautiful cars and events, according to club founder Cyclone Lai. “In February 2016, a record 1,000 cars attended our third annual big party, which means we are getting popular and are gaining car enthusiasts’ support,” he says.