Classic racers

At the Phillip Island Classic Event

Classic Racers on  Manx Norton

One of the racers walked with a cane

but on his Manx Norton he thundered around the Grand Prix Track

unrestricted by age

by injury

by fear

the old bike roaring thunder down the main straight

Old Friends

Old leathers

Old bikes

each with their own yarn to tell

Sitting talking across the pits shed

Stripping off the leathers at the end of a hot day of the track.

The Philip Island Classic is an annual race event for historic motorcycles were teams from Australia, the US, the UK, New Zealand and Ireland compete for the overall trophy.

The event attracts fantastic historic bikes both on the race track and in the car park.

Of course there were the amazing Vincents

The bikes that inspired Richard Thompsons Vincent Black Lightning a song about a bike and the tragic (not quite Shakespearian) death of lovers.  In original street guise (above) and in full racing guise (below).

But for me it was the beautiful brace of race Moto Guzzi that caught my eye.

Then there was the racing with the UK Team taking the trophy till next years historic battle.