The Aussies have landed
How far would you go to race on the famed high banks of Daytona International Speedway?
How about 10,000 miles?
That's how far a team of 28 Australians flew themselves and 18 historic tank-shift motorcycles to compete in American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association competition Monday and Tuesday.
"I had been over here before, and when I mentioned to the boys that I was thinking of coming again, a lot of 'em just wanted to come along," says Sydney resident Tony Blain, who more or less spearheaded the group. "We just went from there."
All it took was 18 months of planning, an advance trip to make sure the group's vintage Indians and Harley-Davidsons were legal for the class, and the foresight to send the 1930s-era bikes off by plane in December so they'd be sure to clear customs by March. After all that, the fistful of airline tickets probably seemed easy.
The highest placed finisher of the bunch was Robert Hermes, who took third in the hand-shift class, while Art Farley of Chelsea, Michigan, won the race.
"The best thing about coming here is that, it was bikes like these that helped start racing in Daytona, and there are a lot more of them in the U.S. than in Australia," Hermes says.
That was most apparent at the start of the 30-plus-machine race, when more tank shifters funneled into turn 1 than this town has likely seen in more than 60 years.
For winner Farley, just racing with the Australians was an honor.
"Motorcycle people think alike when it comes to motorcycles, and racers think alike when it comes to racing," Farley says. "They may be from a long way away, but hanging out with them was just great."
For full AHRMA results from Monday and Tuesday's racing, see www.ahrma.org.
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