Three Days, Two Wheels, One Ride of A Lifetime
THREE DAYS, TWO WHEELS, ONE RIDE OF A LIFETIME
ROUNDUP
EVERYONE LOVES TRACK days—schools package courses, tracks sell downtime, ex-racers market their talents and stay current, students train in a safe environment. Australia's International Motorcycle Riding and Racing Academy, however, offers something more: a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
IMRRA delivers three days of riding on track-prepped, Michelin-shod Honda CBR600RRs and loads of one-on-one instruction from ex-Grand Prix stars Daryl Beattie and Kevin Magee. At last November’s inaugural event, 1987 500cc World Champion Wayne Gardner and current World Superbike competitor Andrew Pitt also showed up to lend a hand. Five-time 500cc World Champion Mick Doohan, former World Superbike title-winner Troy Bayliss and French GP star Olivier Jacque are scheduled to appear at future schools. Talk about superstar overload!
Upon arrival in Melbourne, attendees are picked up at the airport and shuttled via limo
to the five-star Crown Towers Hotel. The next morning, it’s off to a beachfront Phillip Island hotel located just minutes from the track. At the first school, the clientele was diverse, with riders from America, Australia, England, France, Japan and Singapore. Everyone was quickly atease, though, soon coaching each other and even trading contact information. “We really became a team,” said San Francisco’s Joel Bloom. “It was like the best summer camp ever.” As for the riding, Aussie car designer Peter Hughes said, “It was the best I’ve ever experienced.”
In an effort to further improve the track-day experience, future schools will incorporate Bluetooth technology for real-time on-bike data acquisition. This will be used to provide immediate trackside feedback, giving instructors more tools to help students perform better. And in the Kenny Roberts tradition, IMRRA also plans to add a dirt-track program.
As you might imagine, all this doesn’t come cheap. The $4500 fee covers everything except airfare and gear. As for the latter, you can bring your own or buy it from the school. IMRRA (www.grandprixacademy.com) plans to hold six schools per year at Phillip Island, with other events to be added at Qatar and Malaysia. Laguna Seca is a possibility, as well.
If you have the means, it’s an experience not to be missed. -John Joss
