Burt Munro

Burt Munro
Born	Herbert James Munro [1] (1899-03-25)25 March 1899 Invercargill, New Zealand
Died	6 January 1978(1978-01-06) (aged 78) Invercargill, New Zealand
Resting place	Eastern Cemetery, Invercargill, New Zealand
Occupation(s)	Carpenter New Zealand Home Guard Speedway rider Motorcycle salesman Mechanic
Known for	Land Speed record holder
Spouse(s)	Florence Beryl Martyn (m. 1927; div. 1947)
Children	4

Herbert James "Burt" Munro (Bert in his youth; 25 March 1899 – 6 January 1978) was a motorcycle racer from New Zealand, famous for setting an under-1,000 cc world record, at Bonneville, on the 26th of August 1967.^[2] This record still stands; Munro was 68 and was riding a 47-year-old machine when he set his last record.^[3]

Working from his home in Invercargill, he spent 20 years highly modifying his 1920 Indian motorcycle that he had bought that same year. Munro set his first New Zealand speed record in 1938 and later set seven more. He travelled to compete at the Bonneville Salt Flats, attempting to set world speed records. During his ten visits to the salt flats, he set three speed records, one of which still stands.

His efforts, and success, are the basis of the film The World's Fastest Indian (2005), starring Anthony Hopkins, and an earlier 1971 short documentary film Burt Munro: Offerings to the God of Speed, both directed by Roger Donaldson.^[4]