Camp CB, Phillip Island to Inverloch and return
23 October 2016
Click on the image for a detailed map
In the welcome sunshine of the morning of The Race we rugged up against the wind and cold and set out through the slippery, greasy obstacle course the camp had become. People aren’t supposed to have cars inside the motorcycle camping area, but they can bring them in to unload their fridges and other 'necessities'. Many of them never get taken out and the rule is not strictly enforced. Of course these clowns nearly always park them on the few bits of gravel or seal in the camping area making the life of motorcyclists even more difficult. I marvel sometimes at the thoughtlessness and selfishness of humans.
We were off for a mind-clearing blast on the Cape Paterson Road. It was cold and windy, but the sun was shining and it was good to be on the road for a while.
Bacon and eggs and coffee in Inverloch helped fortify me against the rest of the day.
The foreshore road at Inverloch
The boys hatch a plan while I sneak in the photo I’d made such a mess of at Camp Confined Space
Even when covered in mud and road grime, they’re fine looking bikes
Back we went to PI to brave "… the mud 'n' the crud and the beer …". A few bikes had arrived while we were away.
If you’re going to do something stupid like falling off playing at Moto Cross, it’s almost certainly going to happen when there’s an audience, so I was pleased to get back to the relative safety of the tent without having lost the CB in the mud.
Shortly after we got back we began the process of trying to find AussieFlyer—he of the splendid modded café CB. It involved a certain confusion about where exactly he was and a bit more walking than any of us really wanted, but eventually we tracked him down on the bank bang in the middle of turns 11 and 12 with a pretty good view. We made the acquaintance of his cousin before settling down to a beer and a conversation when we could get in a word over the howl of motorcycle engines.
AussieFlyer is a decent bloke, although he’d wimped out on bringing the CB to the races. I thought it was so he could enjoy a beer, but he confessed that the extensive mods he’d made to his bike need a little bit of refinement. It’s not for me to say more about that, but I hope the work is done in time for the 2017 Australian CB1100 Rally!
Anyway, we stood on the hill, had a beer or two and watched the races. I took a couple of photos and Marc Marquez completed the double for me — falling off for the second time I’ve been at PI. Cal Crutchlow held Valentino Rossi at bay for a magnificent win.
And the winner is …
The circus packed its tents and machines and got ready to move on to Malaysia. We adjourned to our pavilion on the hill and enjoyed dinner and a glass of red or two before retiring to our tents.
