The first thing I noticed when we rolled up was that Craig was riding Paul Tallent’s YZF600 to facilitate pillioning Liz. Craig’s bike is a single seater. Julie and I were aboard the ZXR. We dallied around getting fuel and cleaning visors. When it was clear we were the only people on the ride, despite some earlier assurances, we set off towards Flowerdale and Broadford.

It was a perfect day weatherwise, not a cloud in the sky. Soon enough we were at the entrance to the Broadford Complex forking out our hard earned dollars at $20 a head for a day’s viewing. Lockers consisted of green garbage bags for an additional $5. They were worth every cent, allowing the freedom and security to move about unhindered by bulky clothing. Their system was well organised and efficient to boot.

We spent all day walking around the circuit looking from various vantage points. The riding was impressive, but with only two races, not overly exciting. The 500s had two practise sessions of 1 hour duration. There seemed to be about 40 minutes between events, during which time the track was watered to keep the dust down, and provide extra grip. It didn’t take long for a snooze in the grass under the trees to become the preferred option. Thus we spent much of the day watching puntuated with rest periods where a well set up PA system kept us informed of the day’s proceedings.

Water was a rare and expensive commodity at $4.50/litre. It was pretty hot and dusty and combined with walking around up hill and down dale, we ended up drinking about 4 bottles between the two of us. (We lost Craig and Liz soon after lunch.) And there may have been 5 or 6 thousand people to contend with.

Well, it was an interesting day. Very noisy, depending on where you were on the track. Without the spectacular racing and consequent likelihood of a crash, it wasn’t that interesting. Sunday would have been a better option, but it rained all day. Whereas on the Club ride it was fine!

Ben Warden (ZXR750)