Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

has anyone out there met any of the so called "big Names" in the Australian motorcycle community? what was your opinon of them?
i will start:
i have met Jeff leisk, Craig Dack, Wayne Gardner Mick Doohan and Lyndon Heffernan oops almost forgot Mr beatie.
i found all these guys to be very down to earth and i remembered most of them mainly through riding offroad as a kid.
the ones that really stood out were Craig Dack and Wayne Gardner, both of these guys were full of advice and their tips proved to be very useful
on the track, i have however heard bad things about these guys from friends, so lets hear it good or bad hey!!!

I spent a bit of tim with Kevin Magee at a CB race school a while back. Nice guy and quite helpful, unfortunately I'm beyond help and it didn't make me any faster..

We also know Jamie Staufer pretty well.. Always comes and chats to us at race meetings and he's had a few beers with us at P.I. ..

I have met Casey Stoner on a couple of occassions. Once as a young lad a few years back, and again last year. He was fantastic both times. I was so impressed by him the first time I met him, I named my first born after him. His parents are extremely accomodating and I'm sure have helped him to keep his head screwed on right.

Jeremy Burgess is a great man to have a chat to, very humble and down to earth and has a million great stories.

Capirossi, I know he's not Australian, was a classic when I ran into him at the GP last year. He came straight over to us, asked if he could hold my baby boy and started telling us stories about his family.

Nick Harris (again, not Australian) is the british MotoGP commentator you hear on Fox. I chatted with him for about 40 minutes and if it wasn't for the fact he had to go an call a race, I'm sure he would have stayed longer.

Have spent time with Kevin Magee in a social environ. Found him to be completely laconic and genuine. No topic of Bikes or racing broached, just social.

excellent keep em coming

I met Neka at HG!

Nowhere near as scary as he is online......

was fortunate to sit next to Barry Sheene on a Mel-Brisvegas flight a few years ago
(was about 18 mths before he died)...amazingly down to earth and very funny
but
at the same time, just a pretty normal bloke.. a family man handling fame
and fortune but still knew where his roots were

one of the best 2 hours of my life



cheers

Smitty

For 2 years before he died Barry sheene raced in what is now the "Memorial" Barry sheene meeting run by PCRA / HRR & he was very approachable throughout the 2 day meetings, I spent considerable time talking with him & some of the story's he told would blow your sox off ......... met Wayne Gardner a couple of times at EC & was not really approachable same as Kev Curtain.
For older guys ... I used to get work done by Alan Hales, when I worked on the northern beaches & he was a great guy to talk to about the old 6 hour races & what is now forgotten era bikes... he encouraged to get into racing FE bikes 12 years ago. RIP Alan

When i was a kid i did the steven Gall motorcross school, spend the best part of the weekend with Kim ashkinaze (spelling) absolute awesome bloke, he was only pretty young then.

go on the piss with Mcgee at PI a few years back the night before their "celebrity race" luck the race was cancelled due to rain great dude.

at the Eastern creek GP back on 1991 i think, got a heap of signitures from the riders,
Kosinkski (spelling) very friendly,had a broken finger... (probably because no one wanted to talk to him hehe)
Capirossi, he wasnt much bigger than me and i was about 8years old.
Peter Goddard he signed my poster thing upside down


used to have beers with Sean Giles' Dad at the bowling club near home. and watch him belt around the nepean short circuit track when we were having lunch at motorbike events at nepean.

oh yeah i also had a few beers with this guy, Dave Lowe, he's pretty famous.

When I used to do Circuit breakers Ride days I met Garry McCoy (went around me on an R1 on the right hander after the bridge at oran park with the back so far out of line it was unbeliveable). A really nice bloke. Anthony West on a Ducati did likewise through turn 1 at the Creek when he was a young tacker, and Kevin Curtain used to come out for Track time and did similar things through any corner you'd like to mention. Lesson for me? These blokes are on another planet and no mere mortal is deserving of sharing the same track with them. All of them though were really good to have a chat to and very down to earth.

Stephen Gall and Lyndon Heffernan are gods of dirt and will talk for hours if they' can. Taught my young bloke heaps, unfortunately I learnt nothing.

Chad Reed (after he became God) did a club meet at Lakes when he was back in Aus when my son was racing. Firstly he went around the track like noone had ever seen. Secondly he spent the whole day talking to kids, signing stuff, helping out etc. Not one part of superstar about him just really down to earth and very humble about what he'd achieved.

Lesson for all. Most motorcycling "stars" are pretty cool but not too cool, really down to earth and will generally help when they can. It's whats good about the sport.

Ran into, not literally Hopper at the GP a few years back and got heaps of happy snaps with him and the daughter, the PR flunky was trying to get him away from these weird aussies in green, he was on the Suzi then, and he told them to cool it and told us to take as many pics as we wanted signed heaps of stuff for us and others and had a chat while the PR fumed in the background, another down to earth bike nut. Have found Gardner Dooohan Magee Beattie et al all very friendly and normal . Rob Phillis is a great guy have fantastic memories of him from OP when he ran out of brakes after the bridger on the GSXR 400/1100, Ken Wooton is an extremely friendly and helpful and funny guy, have shared pits with him when helping my mate out during Forgotten era races over the last few years.

Met Gregg Hansford when I was a little tacker. He's the reason I have a love of Kwaka's (even though I ride a Suzi).

A few years ago, had the pleasure of a meeting and being pillion to Rob Phyllis for few hot laps around OP ! Now that was way COOL! Actually it was HOT ! !

I forgot to mention my time at the supers with the commentator to the stars PHIL