Well done Gazza,
No matter the distance travelled, you had the balls to commit to getting to the start line and in my books it puts you on a level of very few. Many armchair generals will talk it up, but you got to pull your mighty Berg to the start line...what a feeling as you headed out of the gate...we could only wish to know how it must have felt to twist the gas and pull away.
I've always lived in awe of real racers, Joey Dunlop, Isle of Man....Barry Sheene, Mick Doohan and Rossi just to name a few and among the all time greats in my eyes is Andy Caldecott, a battler, the tough Australian who took it to the world with style...
Not just for the great things they've done, but more so because it must be incredible to rip off the start line knowing what awaits you and twist the gas and head into the great unknown regardless, albeit track , bush, desert...And Gazza you've had a taste and gave it a go...champion effort mate all power to you
Well done
Lets not forget another Australian rider and a good mate of mine Andy Haydon from Gawler SA, he left his heavily pregnant wife and went to Dakar in 1997 as a rookie on a fairly stock KTM 620 and got third outright, everybody in Australia seems to have forgotten about this great rider and this effort that year, i did have footage of him talking to the TV crew in the chopper whilst doing about 140, and i have photos of the reception when he returned to Australia and holding the bronze trophy, man it was heavy. He did a 400km trailride with the Broken Hill Motorcyle club in November a month before with us as practice for the event on a ****** old Yamaha TT600 Belgarda and went over and smoked all but 2 legends of dakar Peterhansel and Meoni i think it was. Now thats a legend. He also won Two Australian Safaris on the trot around 95-96 as well but once again it rarely gets mentioned.
Bloody good bloke to
ORANGEBERG
Pilot