Phillip Island MotoGP

Well, we left quite late on October 25th for our long-haul flight to Melbourne. We hoped we had everything we needed for our 5 weeks away. It had been a frantic rush towards the end with work and various bits and pieces, so it was quite a relief to be on the plane. I can't remember what movies were playing, but I think I watched several on the way to Singapore. Arriving at Changi Airport 13 hours later, we tracked down a much-needed/appreciated shower before the next (much shorter) leg to Melbourne. I will do this every time, if schedule permits. I felt so much better afterwards.

However, I was still pretty tired after arriving in Melbourne. We got in early (around 5:45am), and we were met by Shane and Vince. I was impressed that Vince was awake, and coherent, at such an early hour. He looked better than I did! We arrived in Middle Street and said our hellos to Shona and Michelle. Then it was time for the kids to go to school, and Shona to go to her class.

Shane picked up Mike's parents from the Youth Hostel, then dropped us off at Highpoint Shopping Centre for some shopping for the weekend. We all needed sleeping mats for the tent at Phillip Island. The Pancake Parlour was the spot for lunch, then Shona picked me up while Mike & his parents walked to Moonee Ponds.

The kids came home from school, and we all packed the car like mad for the trip down to Phillip Island. The drive itself was quite good, even though we left at around 6:30pm, smack dab in the middle of rush-hour. We ate eventually at a Lions tent and caravan, and were the only guests. I had a yummy bacon butty, and others had sausages. We arrived at the campsite, after driving around a bit, parking a bit and asking a bit. It cost us A$90 each for the adults, and A$45 each for Michelle & Vince, just to camp! Phew! I won't complain about the DM70 total for Mike & me to camp at the German GP next year. We all got wrist tags to show we had tickets, and we then entered the campground to find a campsite.

Pitching the tent

Now for the tent. We had heard nightmare stories from Shane and Shona about this tent, and it was all true. We now have a tent pitching nightmare of our own to relate. And here it is... This tent is huge - 8 people. And it has external and internal frames. And a set of instructions that bears no resemblance to the poles supplied. It was dark, threatening rain, and a little breezy. We quickly had the external frame up - maybe thirty minutes. But we still had a pile of poles left over, and nothing like the poles on the instructions. After another forty minutes, we finally discovered that the poles had extensions inside. Oh! But, we were so tired, we all flung our stuff into the tent and slept regardless - reasonably confident the tent wouldn't fall down by the morning.

With the light of day, we finished the tent pitching in about 10 minutes. However, I now realised I didn't have Taco's number with me (a friend from NSW who was supposed to be around the circuit somewhere). We tried various methods to get in contact, but nothing worked out. I was quite disappointed as I hadn't seen Taco for about three and a half years, and had just tracked him down in the last month. Maybe next year! Taco - come and visit London! We already have tickets for the German 500cc if you're interested.

Stunt Rider

Now, for important things like breakfast. We went into the circuit, and found a fast-food caravan open. I had dim Sims for breakfast washed down by iced coffee, and others had similar meals. How decadent. As there were no crowds on this Saturday morning (probably kept away by the threatening weather), we wandered around trying out all the grandstands. A stunt bike came on and impressed us all with his skills. Vince was very interested, and was always keen to see him come out and perform donuts, wheelies and other stunts during the rest of the weekend.

Under the fly

As the qualifying laps started, we moved out of the grandstands intent on circumnavigating the circuit to find the best spot for watching Sunday's races. A grassy spot near turn 6 (Siberia end) was great, so we plonked ourselves down for a while. It started raining, so we pulled out the tent fly from Robert's old tent, and covered ourselves (all five of us!) while sitting on one end.   So bottoms were dry, and heads too. I'm pleased Shona said we should take it along with us despite opposition (she lent us her lovely new Toyota to take down to PI, but with five people and gear, space was at a premium. Anything unnecessary stayed behind.). There we were, like peas in a pod. Ron, Mike, Vince, me and Michelle. Ron and Michelle had the worst of it as they had to provide support at the sides. Various methods of propping up the overhead fly were implemented. Mike had his shoelace tied to it at one point. And at the height of its sophistication, we faced a fence and had water bottles, coke cans and number 8 wire keeping the fly up. It was especially great when the wind came in - it ballooned up nicely behind us and no one had to hold anything, the fly didn't touch us (a possible source of damp if the rain was heavy) and it was like being cocooned.

Ant West's Autograph!

Saturday afternoon, I queued with Michelle & Vince for Marco Melandri and Anthony West's autographs. At the same time, Mike sold his Mum's GP ticket. He got quite a good price. We were quite far back in the autograph queue and it was touch and go whether we would get in within the time limits. At one stage, I was the third last person to get in, then they decided to process the twenty behind us too. Vince had the Ant West poster from the middle of the GP program, and Michelle & I got the 'Fuel the Passion' Phillip Island poster signed by Ant West. We all got a Macro Melandri poster signed. So we were happy little vegemites. When we returned to Melbourne, we had them all laminated. My Melandri poster was wrecked a little by the laminating but the others turned out well. The posters are all in Michelle & Vince's room. Hopefully Melandri and West go on to be world champions, and our posters increase in value.

And while we queued, Mike sold his Mum's GP ticket, as Mrs Gilbert had decided to stay and enjoy the sights of Melbourne. We weren't too sure if he would be successful or not, but it didn't take him long at all to recoup the face value. And it didn't take us too long to spend it on T-shirts and souvenirs. Vince got the same T-shirt as me, and Michelle got a nice black one. We're all jealous of Mike because he came without a jacket (how foolish was that???!!), so he bought himself a cool Phillip Island GP fibre pile jacket. Reversible. We all wanted one, but at $100 a throw, we couldn't really justify even asking for one. So, now I just steal Mike's if I ever get the chance.

Michelle snoozing

Michelle and Vince

There was a motorcross event behind the chicane that we watched from time to time. It was mostly stunt jumping, and the riders were very good. Vince even saw some 6 year olds giving it a go, and he was impressed with their skills even at that age.

We had a vote on the way back to the tent about where to sit for tomorrow's racing, as we had to grab a possie early. We decided on the chicane by a slight majority. As we wandered back, a pie seller in a caravan called us over and gave us all his pies, sausage rolls and pasties. Dinner was solved, and for free too.

Mike snoozing

Sleeping this night was interrupted by hoons nearby driving their old car around like madmen. I suspect they were not completely sober. I wish there were more family camp areas (we had this once at Donnington). I'm not interested in listening to loud music and revving vehicles into the wee hours.
The next morning was also dodgy on the weather front. Phillip Island has a very exposed position looking out over Bass Strait southwards. Any weather from that direction is likely to be cold. And, so it was. The kids and I had an even more decadent breakfast today - pancakes. They were piled high with ice cream and cream. We gobbled them down before hurrying to the chicane possie Mike and his dad had staked out already. This turned out to be a good place, as it was an obvious overtaking position, and presented a few spills. Biaggi had come off there in the last lap of qualifying on Saturday, and at the start of the 500cc, Criville came off there too. Vince was happy, as he equates good racing entertainment with the number of offs he gets to see. A common enjoyment with spectators, judging from the crowd reaction.

Under the fly... again!

This was the scene of our greatest engineering feat as described earlier. We propped the fly up on a fence, and we all sat watching the race under the fly. It worked brilliantly, and didn't even obscure the view of people behind us. It must have been comical, because an Age photographer came and took several photos and said we may be in the paper the next day. Unfortunately, we weren't. But it made for a good story.

The 125 race was awesome, with the championship being decided by a hair's breadth at the finish line. Unfortunately, Katoh (one of my favourite riders), who might have been in with a chance to win the championship, didn't make much of a dent on the race leaders. But the race was very exciting. Oliver Jacque won, and we watched some mad Frenchmen next to us try and give him the tri color on his way past. The officials were trying to clear them off the track, but sensed the crowds potential for fury should the French be stopped. So, the flag was grabbed and the French guys were rapt! The crowd roared its approval.

The 500cc race was also good, with Italians winning 1,2 and 3. Vince and Michelle were very happy with that. Maybe they should bring an Italian flag to the races?

Vince

We returned to the campground to pack up. I was wondering what the drive out would be like (memories of Brands Hatch in my mind - that took hours!!). However, we had no problems at all. We joined a slow but steady queue through Phillip Island, and the road authorities had painted temporary lines in to make two lanes leaving the island (using the shoulder). It was all too easy and quick.
Now, you might think that's the end of it. We faced a long (2 hour) boring drive back to Melbourne. But, no! For some bizarre reason, the residents of Cranbourne and surrounds (it's a suburb south east of Melbourne) all gather on the road kerbs to wave at the riders leaving the GP. Ok, you're thinking, 'A family here, a family there...'. No! Thousands of people. Some of them straying perilously close to traffic. Some holding their hand out to tap riders outstretched hands. Complete madness. And riders doing burnouts for them at intersections! One guy yelled out to us in Shona's corolla 'Show us your twin cams!', and wanted us to drop the clutch. Fortunately I have no idea how to do that in an automatic. But he was disappointed!. It was so funny. Some people had big signs saying 'See you next year'. Complete madness. But, good as well. It's always good to see a community supporting local events, when so many are Nimbies these days.

So, we returned to Melbourne with everyone pleased at the trip. Michelle and Vince are completely hooked, so we will make it a regular event once we return to live over that side of the planet.

Mike's parents left Melbourne after their Australian trip about a day later. They had visited Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide (via the train - Ghan) and Melbourne. I think they enjoyed it from what they said. Now, it was time for Mike & me to tackle the garage and bungalow at Shona's to sort out all the stuff Mum had to abandon in the midst of a quick getaway from living in Melbourne. First up, we tackled the garage. This had the stuff from the shed in it, so was the oldest stuff.

Actually, it didn't go too badly. By the end of the day we had basically cleared it out. A lot of the stuff was thrown out (ruined by years of neglect, and successive families of mice/redback spiders), some of it was too good for the rubbish, but we didn't want it (a potential garage sale pile), and the rest we repacked and stored.

The following day was the turn of the bungalow. This was full of bedroom stuff (mine and Mum & Robert's). This took a bit longer because most things needed to be repacked once checked. All valuable stuff, of course. It was a time full of reminiscing. Each box would bring back memories, and these memories would have to be explained fully to Mike so he could appreciate the significance and reason behind the storage process. There were some glorious finds. I found my womble minus his eyes, but still with his specs (Wellington, of course, the geeky womble). I found wonderful books that I wish I had here. Along with the glorious, we found the equally inglorious. My 21st birthday cake had NOT survived well in a tin in a shed that would get to temperatures in the 50s on hot summer days. Although the tin protected it from the hordes of mice that loved the amount of paper we had stored, it was most definitely not kept in a cool place for the past 15 years (gulp! has it been that long since my 21st?? Nearly!).

While staying with Shona, we took the opportunity to spend a lot of time with Michelle and Vince. Michelle is just completing her first year at high school. She goes to a girls high school, where all the girls look the same in their green uniform (as I discovered when I went with Shona to pick up Michelle up after school. 'There she is'. 'No'. 'There she is'. 'No'.). Her grades are good and the only thing I helped her with was punctuation. So, Michelle, keep those fullstops and commas happening.

Vince was reading an awesome book called Animorphs about some kids that can turn into cats and dogs. They were trying to stop an alien invasion. I listened to Vince reading, and he did very well. Now I just need to find out what happened in the end of the story.

We also went to visit Sharon on Wednesday. This was the best visit by far because it was the first time Stephanie and Cameron weren't shy at all with Mike and me. They chatted to us straight away. I really enjoyed their company; they are lovely young people. I can't wait to spend more time with them, hopefully before they get much older. Fortunately they are a few years younger than Michelle & Vince, so they will still want to come and see their Aunty and Uncle by the time Michelle and Vince want something better to do.

Mike and I drove down to Geelong in Shona & Shane's Ford station wagon. It was an interesting experience for Mike, as the car is unique to drive! Anyhow, after the first few corners, he got used to it, and now he wants one just like it! We took this car because Sharon wanted the swing set from Shona's brought down. Our first port of call with Sharon was to Red Rooster, as I like this takeaway chain, but you can't get it outside of Australia. Likewise with coffee milks. Although I've since noticed I can get them most of the time in New Zealand now too. But England still insists on chocolate, banana and strawberry flavours only. We also bought a few things for Sharon and the kids at Target near her place.

We picked the kids up from school. It was a bit damp, so I think they were pleased. It was so nice talking to them. Stephanie and Cameron both read to us, and they have excellent reading skills. We got to know some of their interests too. Stephanie loves animals, and I talked with her about them for a while. I found out we both love wolves. I love watching documentaries on wolves. I saw a holiday once, a long time ago, where you go on cross country skis around Minnesota (a US state near the Canadian border) following wolf tracks. I've always thought that would be cool! Maybe one day I can check it out further. Cameron is lovely too, and reads very well for his age. Sharon must encourage them to read quite a bit. I hope they keep that interest up through their school years especially.

Dinner was in a restaurant near the harbour. It was called Smorgies, and had an underwater theme. The food was quite good for a huge buffet style place, and we finally got to meet wee Jamie (he had been in day care for the day - once a week I think). He had changed quite a bit, and apart from his snuffly cold, was so cute. Stephanie and Cameron looked after him too. At one stage, he knocked his glass of milk off the table and it went flying! Other patrons were not amused.

Jamie

By now it was quite late, and Mike drove Sharon and the kids home while I waited at Smorgies (not enough room in the car). I was very sad to see them leave, as I had enjoyed the day with them a great deal. Rumour also has it that Sharon and the kids might move to Melbourne. That would be very good, as we could spend more time with them while visiting. And Mike still has a hankering to live in Melbourne, so hopefully there will be a time in the not-too-distant future to get to know them more.

It took us ages to drive back to Melbourne, as the weather was complete rubbish. So, it made for quite a late night.

Shona has two new puppies to keep Spencer entertained. They are both boys, and one is called Vinny, and the other is called Snoopy. I loved playing with them. They are so cute. Spencer is treating them roughly while he can (I think Vinny may stand up to him when he's older) and it is quite funny to see them running around together. We took Spencer in for a clipping while we were there because his thick winter fur had matted quite a bit. He looked like a new dog after his haircut. And, he had put weight on that Shona hadn't noticed. Not that he's fat or anything. Just a filled-out adult dog rather than a bouncing pup! Shona walked Spencer using a new lead around his muzzle and it worked very well. I filed this information away for the Spencer on the other side of the continent later.

The only socialising Mike & I had time for was to catch up with Carolin and Craig. We surprised them our last night in Melbourne by ringing and asking if they wanted to have dinner. They said yes (fortunately) and we all went out for dinner at a steak restaurant in Moonee Ponds. Craig is now pursuing a singing career, and Carolin has her own company book-keeping for small businesses (and she has her hands full by the sound of it). We went back to their house for a coffee, and Shona finally got to see their cute house. Vince and Michelle were impressed by Holly's skills (or is that Craig's training skills?). Holly did tricks for doggie biscuits...

To thank Shona and her family for putting us up (and putting up with all the stored rubbish), we bought them a set of pool balls. They had a pool table, but only a white ball and a number 8 ball. So, they were right into it. It nearly made us late for the dinner with Carolin and Craig as there was a huge pool match on! And Vince was the winner!

The next day we were on a flight to New Zealand (Wellington via Christchurch).  Our Australian visit was over!

Brands Hatch Superbikes

We thought we'd let you know what our trip down to Brands was like, so you could compare it to last time.

We had a good trip out to Brands Hatch this Sunday. Originally we wanted to stay Saturday night there to ensure an early start, but Mike had lots of work to get through, and the weather was rubbish. So, we decided on an early Sunday morning departure.

The alarm went off at 7am, after a late night for both of us. Mike worked until 10:30pm, and I went out for dinner and a movie with our friend Simon Hayley. So, it was a slow start. But we were packed, showered and ready by 7:45am. We loaded der Bus with our provisions, and left.

Last time we had negotiated the South Circular with Theresa and Richard, but we decided on the M25 route for a change. So, we hurtled down the M3 and had a very easy drive out to Brands. We got the junction 3 of the M25 by 9am. So, although it was 100 km compared to 50km down the south circular, it was about the same length of time. An interesting comparison. The M20/A20 junction wasn't even blocked, and we drove to within a km of the track immediately.

Still, the Brands Hatch car parking fiasco was in full force already. There was a policeman asking every car whether they wanted the public car park or not (90% did , so a sign would have sped things up). As it had been a bit wet, we were concerned about getting bogged. And there was good reason. As we entered the paddock, cars were driving across the slightly oozing paddocks with abandon, but der Bus immediately made wheel slipping noises. I waved frantically at oblivious pedestrians to get out of the way as they held up our rapidly dissipating momentum. Till, we were stuck. Ooops. Bogged on the way in! Did not bode well. A helpful, but completely mad man started giving instructions to Mike on how to extricate ourselves, while the guy wanting to tow us out looked on with a bemused look. As the towie hooked der Bus up, the mad man realised he wasn't needed, told us Aaron Slight was out of a ride for ]next year (devastating news), and wrapped his Foggy (Carl Fogarty) flag around his shoulders and wandered off. The towie took us to the side of the paddock and we locked up and left.

We had £68 in our pockets, and the tickets cost us £66 so I was glad we had packed lunch. We found a possie on the South Bank and ate instant noodles for breakfast. The day was quite nice, with partly cloudy weather and about 16C. The track was damp however, and Slight and Edwards gambled on intermediate tyres which did not pay off. I think Slight was 13th in race 1, and Edwards got up to 4th before he came off in front of us. But the really bad part was, he got back on, and still finished well in front of Slight. Not much call for flag waving. A local, John Reynolds, won the race.

We ate lunch (leftover vege lasagne) on Anja's snow foam she left us on her last trip. The SuperSport race started. Then, we wandered around the track at this stage, as there was a smaller crowd than usual. We could see some racing from different spots and chose our spot for the next Superbike race.

We watched the Jaguar fighter display, and the Harrier jump jet (so cool!). We were in the trees for the Tornado display, but it sounded amazing. The next race Slight did a bit better as the track had dried out completely. Edwards won in fine style. I'm sure Slight saw our flag as he came past slowly in his cool down lap. I hope he gets a decent ride for next year, and makes a good fist of it.

We watched a little of the side cars from pit lane straight. The Castrol team was posing for photos as Colin Edwards had been crowned Champion on Thursday due to Haga's ban. Slight had accolades from the Brands Hatch circuit to endure (the ODT said he was peeved at being dropped).

At 4:45pm we got back to the car. We read the newspaper for a while, hoping the crowd would ease. An hour later, it was as thick as ever. We joined the queue at the front of our bonnet. 7pm we got out onto the street (A20). We were not impressed, as usual. We were going to retrace our steps back round the M25, but a huge tailback at junction 4 meant we hurtled off into Orpington and negotiated our way back through the streets of south London. We got home at 8:30 or so, after travelling 50kms in 3 hours. Just like last time.

Although we like Brands Hatch circuit, the entry and especially the exit from the track is difficult to tolerate. We might have to investigate alternatives next year.