SPIRIT OF SPEED
by Ian Buckley
Photos by Closersooner
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Indians... |
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...Velos... |
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...men on two wheels... |
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...and Honda RCs. |
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Priceless. |
I had the fortune this week to attend the launch of film maker Darren Jones' latest documentary on Australian motorcycle racing called 'Spirit of Speed'. As motorcycling documentaries go, Spirit of Speed soon had my attention because of its totally Australian focus.
Traditionally documentaries on motorcycling roll out the same old footage in different order focusing on racers we never saw in action unless we made the trek to Europe. Spirit of Speed is unique because not only does it focus totally on Australian racers in the era 1901-1965, but also it is full of never before seen footage filmed here in Australia sourced mostly from private collections.
This fabulous footage is interspersed with interviews with the men who raced in this footage reliving the trials and tribulations of living on the other side of the world where bikes originated but having a passion for motorcycles. Of particular interest to me was how they would often build their bikes up from bits, with one racer describing how he carried his first motor home in a chaff bag only to start rebuilding it while saving up for a frame.
That this same man learnt to ride on that bike, win plenty of races and eventually spend three months on a boat to England chasing a dream makes for fabulous viewing. Ultimately he raced professionally for the next four years in the UK and made a living. It was astounding watching footage of these guys getting air on rigid frame bikes and running flat out on grass track ovals for a few bob. You will laugh in amazement as they race over the roughest roads in sidecars you and I wouldn't even take on the asphalt.
The likes of Bert Flood talk about tuning bikes and much to my pleasure, Phil Irving's book Tuning for Speed is heralded as the bible of tuning. I still use that book today because of its common sense approach to building race engines so I felt vindicated and just.
Watching this DVD reminded me how some things never change. There are guys out there who are naturally gifted riders and some who are naturally gifted tuners. When the two get together, they are unbeatable. In each case the sum of their talents brings more than the factories but the factories ultimately win and make money from their skills. This is the way of life.
Also the riches are far greater in the more populated countries of Europe and North America so if you want to make a dollar then you must simply pack your bags.
Of particular note was the beginning of the dominance of Japanese bikes where the DVD ultimately signs off. Traditionally, the European factories would let their riders keep or buy the factory bikes and they would filter into the domestic racing communities. This stopped with the Japanese who even now crush 990 GP bikes so no one else gets them. This hurts me so.
At the reception afterwards I met a racer named Col who at seventy years of age with two replacement hips was still racing his speedway bike. His memory was shot and the conversation bounced around like a pinball with every question requiring a detailed response being answered with "I don't remember". I laughed and shook his hand only to note a missing little finger.
This was surely the sign of a great racer! "Get a photo of his hand," I whispered to Closersooner, who was my snapper for the night. The look on his face was priceless as he cowered with embarrassment at the indignity of highlighting someone's disfigurement.
"Have you got the shot yet?" I asked. He shook his head and then tried to be inconspicuous with the shot still obviously uncomfortable. He will learn soon enough that we are only media scum feeding off human misery if wants to survive.
I went back over to Col to shake his hand again and said, "well at least the tradition of great racers loosing a finger hasn't changed". He looked at me seriously and said "Nah... fuckin lawnmower did that, I never got injured racing".
"Keep that to yourself, Col", I said "Chicks will think its cool and racers will think you're a God".
You can but the DVD for $34.95 through www.spiritofspeed.com.au or I would recommend you buy it if you follow the bikes because it will give you a great insight into the history of bikes and put a smile on your dial at the same time.
