Road Racer Gary’s Need-For-Speed
His absolute need-for-speed got him into trouble with the cops on more than one occasion — and still does! Which is precisely why he takes his need-for-speed to the track.
GARY grew up with motorbikes. From around nine-years-of-age, he was riding, building, crashing, swapping parts, showing off, and disappearing for days on road trips and camping-gear-laden adventures with mates. His endless obsession with engines led him to become a qualified mechanic by the time he was 19.
Gary is a member of the Hells Angels MC and grew up alongside the legendary Broadford Rock Concerts where thousands of bikes would roar in from all over Australia. His first Harley-Davidson was a Genny Shovel, followed by a series of custom choppers — machines he still builds and rides with a fierce passion.
Road racing is difficult to describe. It’s a rush, a buzz, a giant adrenaline fix. Getting up to speeds of around 260 km/h down the straight of Phillip Island, hitting high-speed corners with your knee grinding on the tarmac at 200 km/h, hard braking, and arriving at the apex before you even realise it. You carry the constant knowledge that in a split second, it could all change — that you could be high-sided, thrown from the bike, and face serious consequences. Injury? That’s just par for the course.
A member of the Hartwell Motorcycle Club, Gary competes regularly in the Hartwell and Pirelli RR Series. When he’s just out on the public roads, you might catch him on his 2010 Buell, but at the track, it’s a different story. His race number is no surprise: 81. It’s proudly applied to his ’09 Yamaha R6 race bike, a machine adorned with the infamous Hells Angels MC death-head.
He brings decades of experience riding in all conditions — rain, hail, or shine — giving him a sharp edge against the younger, faster bucks. But when the flag drops, racing usually comes down to a simple truth: who has the biggest balls.
For any true enthusiast, the ultimate motorcycle race is the Australian MotoGP at Phillip Island, bumping elbows with riders from all over the world. Gary raced in the Super Sport class and he’ll be back on the grid this year. Guided by coaching from the California Superbike School, and fuelled by the camaraderie of the blokes lining up beside him on the dummy grid when the two-minute call rings out, it’s racing in its purest form. It’s the competitive spirit that drives Gary to crack a personal best, figuring out ways to shave a mere 10th-of-a-second off his lap times.
He encourages everyone to get behind the sport — as a spectator, a marshal or a racer. Check out the Motorcycling Australia webpage, or contact the Hartwell Motorcycle Club. Dust off your gear, jump on your bike at Broadford or Phillip Island, and do a track day. You won’t regret it. Most road riders have completely forgotten what their bikes were actually made for. Add it to your bucket list. Life is simply too short not to.
Words & pics by Knackers
More amazing Ozbike features to check out: