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THE RED SEA
Like a scene from one of
the juicer books of the
Bible, Phillip Island was
covered by a sea of red.
Story by Rennie Scaysbook
Photography: ????????????
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THE incredible atmosphere generated
by the 50,000-plus crowd on race
day was something not seen since the
heady days of Doohan and Gardner. In a year full of
huge sporting events, the 2007 MotoGP at Phillip
Island was definitely one of the highlights.
As the weekend progressed, the 'Island
eventually became a sea of red as Stoner fever
swept all before it. I even got in on the act and
grabbed a Stoner World Champion shirt at the
bargain price of $50.
The holiday town of Cowes was crammed full
of people from the moment I arrived on Friday
morning. The population of this place explodes
on the weekend of the GP, yet in a very controlled
way. Hardly any trouble was reported over the
course of the event.
Every possible marque of motorcycle from
ancient Indians to brand new Ducatis and all kinds
of homegrown specials were on show in the main
street, with most owners keen to have a chat about
their triumphs and tribulations in the shed, or with
their credit card.
One of my favourite machines on Saturday
night was the Ducati Multistrada with the Ducati
999 back end, split-in-half bikini fairing and the
awesome "Homigroni" exhaust system.
If you were in the right place at the right time,
you might have ran into a few famous faces.
Alex Criville was a noted personality that just
happened to be standing beside me when I was
nibbling on my pizza.
The camping ground was, as always, the domain
of the true diehards. The tents and mobile housing
equipment seem to be getting bigger every year.
There seemed to be a distinct anti-Pedrosa feel
to the Island in '07. Either we all sympathise with
Nicky Hayden's shafting by Pedrosa in Portugal
last year, or Dani is the new Max Biaggi. After all,
it seems Casey is our new Mick Doohan. One
of the groups in the site had a kiddie's punching
bag, complete with a picture of Pedrosa's face.
Every time I walked past, all I needed to do was
give him a nod and he would happily give the bag
a quick right jab.
The dedication of the campers never ceases
to amaze me. My 1500-kiolometre ride from
Sydney seemed like a picnic when I ran into a
group of guys who rode all the way from Alice
Springs; on dirt bikes!
As expected, the Baby Faced Assassin, Stoner,
did not disappoint. A dominant display from the
Kurri-Kurri rider gave the record crowd their coin's
worth, and in the process, put on a demonstration
not unlike Doohan or Gardner.
Once the racing had finished and the crowd
thinned out, the track looked like it had just hosted
a New Years Eve party. However, Aussie music
legends `#[The Black Sorrows]# made sure there
were a few extra cans of VB to clean out.
Next year looks set to be even bigger, and with
the number one plate on the World Champion's
Ducati, it's sure to be another classic. Only 360-
odd more sleeps . but who's counting? |
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