Phillip Island

May 7th

The home of the Australian round of the MotoGP and the World Superbikes that is also hosted here too.The Grand Prix has been back at the Island since 1998 when it came "home" after being held at Eastern Creek near Sydney, which I visited last week. I've been here twice before to watch the races, Valentino Rossi winning both times, I actually got to hold and have my photo taken with Rossi's winning trophy in 2003, as I was waiting in Melbourne airport to return home to New Zealand, I spotted Vale's ontourage with the trophy and asked to see it!

Today Phillip Island was empty, no sound of the thundering 800cc MotoGP bikes hammering down the Gardner Straight at over 320kph, or the wizzing 2 stroke 125's and 250's. The visitors centre and museum was open,I had just missed the 11am tour, so after grabbing some lunch and gettin some washing done back at Amaroo Park, I went back the 8kms to the track to catch the 2pm tour. There was only me and one other guy, who was more interested in the V8 Supercars that race here in the Aussie championships. We were led by a very nice young lass, who obviously had done her homework on the history and the general goings on around the place, she even said she had met Rossi on more than one occasion!

We were led from the vistors centre out to the main media centres above the pits where it all happens on race day. One room was where there were heaps of monitors that scan every part of the track, the cameras pointed around the track can be operated here by a game type joystick and can zoom in, scan up, down, left & right to check on any incidents that may happen, its also where all the race officials are gathered. I saw the media and corporate rooms where the TV companies do the commentary, basically all the places that you cant get to see normally and real good view over the pits and up and down the start/finish straight.

The best place was where all my hero's get to stand, the podium! It was still decked out in the sponsor logos from the World Superbike weekend that was held in March, obviously I had my photo taken on the top step! :)Hopefully I will be back here in October to watch the MotoGP, when all this will be buzzing with 95,000 race fans, its just a great weekend, but this was something a little different and still very enjoyable.Back to Amaroo Park, out for a burger and chips and a walk around the town, which again, comes to live during race weekends, its streets are deserted tonight!The Great Ocean Road beckons tomorrow, though the weather doesn't look too flash, but like Billy Connelly says, "there's no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes, buy a raincoat and live a bit!"