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Just got back from a month in Australia packed full of adventure. From rock climbing, hitch-hiking, dumpster diving, tent camping in the middle of nowhere desert outback, to a track day at Phillip Island.
Let me start off by saying that Phillip Island was absolutely and unbelievably amazing. With that said, I was also a little let down. Coming from Sepang and Kraeng Krachan, where customer service was everything, I felt like the track day organization was a little snooty in comparison because of their MotoGP status. They gave me a really hard time with my $800 Arai Corsair V because it didn't have an Aussie DOT approved sticker. In general, I didn't feel the warmth or welcome that is always associated with Aussies. The track environment isn't what you see on TV either. When up close and personal, the garages are very small and the facilities are quite old in comparison. The track I found it to be amazingly not technical. It was actually quite simple in design and took me a few sessions to memorize compared to Sepang which I was still a little confused by the 2nd day! The track was probably the most difficult track for me because of two reasons: the rental bike was really, really bad and it hit me where I was weakest most. First off, the rental bikes were 08 GSXR600, bone stock and you can feel the engine was on its last leg. They later told me they're replacing them end of 2013. But the bike suspension was so off! It was heavy to make any initial input, but once over, it felt really unstable and wanted to fall over, but then once on the gas, it didn't steer at all, only pushed out wide. Secondly, the track hit me in my weakest spot which I found out later is called courage. I've never been to a track where 1000cc was the bike of choice and there were only a few 600cc bikes. After talking with a bunch of locals, they confirmed with me that this track is a very high speed track (faster than NJMP) and its a game of how long can you hold open the throttle. Going into turn 1 means you're cresting over a blind hill at 160mph with only the ocean for your view, you wheelie over the slight crest, then down shift one gear and slam it over full throttle in through turn one, no braking. On top of it all, it was drizzling on and off all day and there were many crashes which shut down the track a few too many times and I missed out on a few sessions. Of the track days I did overseas, Phillip Island was the most expensive, had rental bikes which were in the worst condition in the worst kinda way (suspension), had the most expensive outcome if I were to crash, had the worst weather, and least amount of track time. In my head, Phillip Island had been built up watching it on TV that I expected it to be paved in gold. I'll admit I went with high expectations.
With all of the let downs, attending a track day at Phillip Island was nothing short of a dream come true. I found myself fogging my windshield a few times from laughing out loud that I am riding on Phillip Island MotoGP track! Doohan's Corner is crazy insanely fast, Honda corner is tight and remind's me of NHMS's turn 3 (a little), Stoner's corner is frightfully fast, Siberia is smooth like butter, Lukey Heights is dreadful as you approach it, but its all there. Of all the tracks, Phillip Island taught me the most and what I need to focus on is my strategy in how to approach a new track, how to really use brake markers and how to push them back, and that I need to harden up my balls a bit firmer.
No video at all whatsoever was their attitude at Phillip Island because of insurance purposes. I did manage to get some cool photos and had a great time exploring all of Phillip Island. The Penguin Parade was awesome as thousands of penguins come ashore every night just after sunset, or feeding pelicans, or eating kangaroo, or dodging koalas while driving on the wrong side of the road while on the wrong side of the car!
For more photos and details about Phillip Island, check out www.pavonphoto.com and click on blog.