MotoGP 2014  wrap up

MotoGP 2014 wrap up

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Brought to you by Nuffnang and Spokes

There is Spring Racing of another kind in Melbourne each year. It does have horsepower, but not in the four legged sense.

Last Sunday the Mr. and I headed to Phillip Island for the MotoGP, something we’d never done before. We both love bikes but for different reasons. He’s actually the long-term rider; I prefer the aesthetics and how brilliant they look in photo shoots, not to mention the leather outfits. It was a day we both really enjoyed.

 

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Being there as guests of Spokes, we were even more aware than usual of the message of rider safety. As you may have read in my previous post, the Mr. has been involved in seven accidents in his time, fortunately protected by the correct gear.

On our drive out to the Island we were discussing this matter of correct protective gear and watching all the riders as they passed us. I was horrified to note that so many riders and pillions weren’t anywhere near well enough prepared. I saw shorts, t-shirts, chino pants, sneakers and even high-heeled sandals. The thought crossed my mind that should this particular lady come off, she wouldn’t be spending money on pedicures anymore.

 MotoGP 2014 spokes

 

It was a great relief to arrive and see plenty of riders in proper protective gear, checking their helmets in at the minding booth. Spokes had a fantastic arrangement where anyone who arrived in proper protective gear received a lunch voucher they were able to cash in at the Spokes Protective Clothing Lounge. Smokey pulled pork rolls, beef brisket… yum!

The first thing we did was head across to the Expo area and check out the various offerings including sunglasses you can smash with a hammer and they don’t break!

The team at Spokes put us both into the virtual reality headsets to test our reaction time. I get quite competitive at these sorts of things, so I was concentrating hard and made my best score of .43 of a second! Yeah!

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I took my own protective gear (my ear plugs and sunnies), and we headed off for a special tour of Pit Lane. What a hive of activity! I was relying on the knowledge of the Mr. to translate all the colours and numbers into something I could understand, otherwise it was a blur of chrome and fake tan to me. I did have a little giggle at how alien I looked amongst all the grid girls, but mostly admired their ability to withstand the cold and pain of high shoes all day!

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We headed back to the Spokes Protective Clothing Lounge for some of that amazing smokehouse lunch.

It turns out that the issue of wearing the right protective gear was more complex than I first realised. Did you know that there are online sellers marketing items to Australia that don’t meet our standards or are even counterfeit items? I had no idea! I suppose if they’re doing it with something as small as makeup, it stands to reason that bigger ticket items like protective gear would have this problem too. It just hadn’t crossed my mind. It pays to check out www.spokes.com.au for a full list of protective clothing retailers.

With our bellies full and feeling just that much more secure in the knowledge that the Mr. had gear that measured up to standard, we headed off to the grandstand for the big race.

MotoGP 2014

MotoGP 2014

I’m not even going to pretend I know about how this all works. I know the names, I know they go incredibly fast, and I know there is a palpable adrenaline in the crowd. I was informed that no, the tyre covers weren’t “wheel cardigans”, but rather electrically heated tyre warmers. I stuck to looking after my camera.

Trying to capture an image of riders going at around 300KPM isn’t as easy as I had imagined. Even with all my sophisticated gear, this is the best shot I managed to capture of Rossi about to cross the finish line.

 

Rossi MotoGP 2014

It didn’t matter though; the size of the grin on the Mr’s face said it all. I know he was having ideas of returning to the racetrack himself, (yeah…. nah.) while we ladies could only think of the hot chocolate and warm car that awaited us.

 

The trip home left the Ride Smart message embedded in my mind. After seeing a few spectacular crashes trackside where, sparks flying, the boys still got up and walked away. It meant that every rider that dodged and weaved to find the “better” place in the traffic made me wince. Too many exposed ankles, girls in high-heeled boots and rear wheels nearly clipped.

As we came into the first major town, a woman stood shaking beside her car, the motorcycle in various pieces in the gutter. A crowd sat watching as the police managed the scene. It was only a matter of time before we saw this happen, and again our conversation turned to how prepared the rider may have been for the worst.

I loved watching the race, I was even more enamoured by the bikes on show. Glittering gold, chrome and cheeky slogans. But no matter what, with the Mr. right beside me, I was and am, incredibly grateful that Spokes is out there helping riders learn and prepare to make it back home.

 

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MotoGP 14 – Rider Saftey

MotoGP 14 – Rider Saftey

Motorcycle safety gear

My husband used to race motorcycles. He now commutes into the city and home again almost daily. My best friend and her husband both ride regularly, on new and classic vintage bikes. I love them all the way they are, with everything intact; so you can understand why I have a strong vested interest in motorcycle safety.

 

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My Bff Helen on the track at Phillip Island

 

There have been a number of times that the Mr. comes home, shaken, having been in a close call with a distracted driver or even debris on the roads. Every time you get a roadside phone call, your heart stops. I know so many of you are in the same boat as me, with partners, friends and family all riding motorcycles. This puts us in a position of responsibility to highlight riding safety at every available opportunity.

 

I asked my husband for insights on his lifetime of riding.

 

“I’ve been riding for about twenty eight plus years and been involved in seven accidents, only one of which I was at fault. These are things I know for a fact.

  • Invest in good quality gear. Unless your name is Clarke Kent it’s going to hurt when you come off. The choices today are amazing, and the technology involved – lifesaving.

 

  • It’s never too hot to wear the right gear. Shirts, shorts, jeans, sneakers are not going to help you, even a fall at 20km/hr will be painful.

 

  • Pay attention ALWAYS. Your daily ride is not the time to contemplate the world’s problems. That lapse in attention could be the difference between a near miss or a painful crash.

 

  • Be SEEN. We have all seen those stickers on trucks.. “If you can’t see my mirrors then I can’t see YOU”. It’s a simple statement of truth. Constantly scan those around you, can they see you? If the answer is no or you don’t know then adjust your position accordingly and be prepared to react.

 

  • If you think you’re fast on your weekend blast through the hills, take it to the track instead. Not only will you not end up being a statistic, you’ll also get a dose of reality of what fast really is.

 

With the MotoGP in Phillip Island coming up next weekend, I’m honoured to be working with Spokes. If you’ve ever attended this event, you’ll know how the road to the Island simply teems with bikes.

As a driver, it requires all your care, attention and skill to safely make this trip, ensuring everyone arrives without incident. I can’t even imagine how much more difficult it would be for riders in these conditions. Congested roads, impatient drivers, and often inclement weather.

This isn’t the kind of trip that you just wake up and decide to take. Planning and preparation make the journey a safe and enjoyable one.

 

“Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to clock up some significant kilometers on the bike, ranging from weekends between Adelaide and Melbourne, to a +5,000 km loop from Adelaide to Gold Coast (via Melbourne and Sydney).

I’ve done trips with tents, clothes, food, & more packed in my bags, to trips with nothing other than my credit-card.  I’ve even done a trip when I moved from Melbourne to Adelaide, with everything I owned strapped to my bike, and wrapped in a tarp to protect it all from the weather.  I’ve not done a trip with a trailer on the bike yet, but given my Dad has a sweet set-up with BMW and trailer, I can see that one happening at sometime in my future.

 What I have learnt in all these trips, is to pack smart, take only what you really need, invest in the  ‘right’ protective gear for the expected weather conditions, and don’t fall into the trap of ‘pushing on for just another 20k’s before I stop’.

 Stop for a break often, stretch, and ensure you’re alert for any surprise that might come your way. Nobody wants to be caught out and be lying on the side of the road waiting to be found because of a momentary lapse of concentration.

 And what’s the best route to take? The one that gets you there safely.“

 

 

While we begin planning for our big trip next weekend, I want to ask for your help. Please, share this post, share this message and help me to highlight the message of rider safety in this week especially.

Your favourite rider might ride a vintage Bonneville, a Harley, a customised Ducati or even just enjoy the thrill of being a pillion. Whatever they ride and whoever you know, this is a message we all need to get out there, keeping our friends from harm. Thank you.

 

 

You can follow the Spokes campaign on Instagram to see all the amazing goings on of the big MotoGP day at @spokesrides #Spokes