Burt Munro
New Zealand motorcycle racer
Why this is trending
Interest in “Burt Munro” spiked on Wikipedia on 2026-02-26.
Categorised under Entertainment, this article fits a familiar pattern. Articles in the entertainment category often trend when tied to award ceremonies, film releases, celebrity news, or viral social media moments.
By monitoring millions of daily Wikipedia page views, GlyphSignal helps you spot cultural moments as they happen and understand the stories behind the numbers.
Key Takeaways
- Herbert James "Burt" Munro ( Burt in his youth; 25 March 1899 – 6 January 1978) was a motorcycle racer from New Zealand, famous for setting a motorcycle speed record in the 1000cc Streamliner Modified Fuel category, at Bonneville, on 26 August 1967.
- Working from his home in Invercargill, he spent 20 years highly modifying the 1920 Indian Scout (motorcycle) that he had bought that year.
- He travelled to compete at the Bonneville Salt Flats, attempting to set world speed records.
- 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.
- His twin sister died at birth and Munro grew up on a farm in Edendale, east of Invercargill.
Herbert James "Burt" Munro (Burt in his youth; 25 March 1899 – 6 January 1978) was a motorcycle racer from New Zealand, famous for setting a motorcycle speed record in the 1000cc Streamliner Modified Fuel category, at Bonneville, on 26 August 1967. This record still stands as of January 2026; Munro was 68 and was riding a 47-year-old machine when he set his last record.
Working from his home in Invercargill, he spent 20 years highly modifying the 1920 Indian Scout (motorcycle) that he had bought that 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 in the American Motorcyclist Association's National Records, one of which still stands as of January 2026.
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.
Early life
Munro was born in 1899 to William Munro, a farmer and Lily Agnes Robinson in Invercargill. His twin sister died at birth and Munro grew up on a farm in Edendale, east of Invercargill. His grandfather James Robertson Munro was from northern Scotland and settled on a farm in Invercargill.
Content sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0
