New Zealand, May 24 2022 -
Scooters and mopeds of all shapes and sizes took on a challenging coast-to-coast crossing of the mighty Southern Alps on Saturday, travelling almost 250 kilometres in an endurance Trans-Alpine Scooter Safari to raise funds for the Cancer Society.
Wellington-based e-motorcycle maker FTN Motion brought a new dimension to the event, being the first in its history to complete the challenge using all-electric travel, with a specially adapted version of their Streetdog moped-class e-motorbike.
Scooter Safari is one of the hardest, coldest and most gruelling tests of endurance for mopeds and scooters more usually suited to city riding, and covers some of the country’s most stunning and mountainous scenery between Christchurch and Hokitika, so it’s not for the faint-hearted, although it’s “nothing compared to the challenges people face in their cancer journey,” organisers say. The event began in 2009 and has raised almost $1,430,000 to date, successfully hitting a goal of $350,000 for 2022. Participants individually raise funds, with all proceeds going directly to the Cancer Society.
Heather Locke, fundraising manager for the Cancer Society’s Canterbury-West Coast Division, says the response to this year’s event was phenomenal, with places selling out within an hour of registration opening.
“The Tranz Alpine Scooter Safari has become an iconic event. It is an important opportunity for us to raise awareness about cancer and its impacts and raise funds so that we can continue to provide our free services to people with cancer and their whānau,” she says.
“The Cancer Society team is very excited to have had an e-motorcycle taking on the challenge for the first time this year. We want to say a huge thank you to all of our Scooter Safari participants, everyone who has donated to their fundraising pages and the businesses and individuals who have supported this event in a variety of ways, large and small”.
FTN Motion Head of Operations Michel Roncara says the event was one of the most challenging things they’ve ever done with their bike, but that it was a fantastic test of the Streetdog’s capabilities.
“It was amazing seeing so many people willing to support the Cancer Society and it was a great testing ground for the bike - climbing hill after hill through freezing temperatures, ice, sun and pouring rain,” he says.
“The major challenges were the logistics and making sure we had enough battery to make it through each step of the journey. We’re stoked with the performance of the bike - we managed to travel some very long and steep sections at full speed using mostly just one battery per section, which was a great result. We are also pleased to be able to support such a worthwhile charity and we are very looking forward to bringing more Streetdogs next year'.
FTN Motion took part in the event on the bike they had specially customised for Meridian Energy, who are one of the company’s beta testers - getting behind the start-up by purchasing their own bike in the company’s first release.
FTN Motion’s Trans-Alpine Scooter Safari donation page is still open for last-minute contributions to support the Cancer Society. The link is www.scootersafari.org.nz/t/ftn-motion-streetdog.
About FTN Motion.
Luke Sinclair and Kendall Bristow completed the first prototype of their electric moped during the COVID-19 lockdown, proving that something good can come out of difficult times. Together with their Amsterdam-based co-founder Saskia Thornton, they formed FTN Motion. Together they’re seeking to change the way New Zealand, and the world, commutes by creating sleek, timeless electric vehicles rooted in the carefree Kiwi lifestyle. Different by design, their moped-class e-bike has a unique, classic motorbike feel paired with purposefully minimalist technology and layout, for a stress-free, uncomplicated riding experience. The Streetdog is powered by an electric 3KW hub motor with up to 80km of real-life range, and a top speed of 50km per hour.
ENDS
For further information:
Jacinda Thorn, Public Relations | 027 397 0616 | jacinda@thornpr.co.nz
Sadie Beckman, Public Relations | 021 073 1313 |sadie@thornpr.co.nz