~ Auto Buzz ~: IENATSCH TUESDAY: Phillip Island Classic – Through the Lens Australia’s answer to AHRMA.

There isn’t enough room on the internet to accurately describe the Phillip Island Classic experience, but Nick will give it a try. Here are a few of his photos as he went down under to race in the Mitchelton Wines International Challenge at the AMCN Classic. Also check out the Classic Team Reports posted on CycleWorld.com.

The Spondon TZ750 exits Siberia, wheelying through second and into third gear with the purity that only a four-cylinder two-stroke can provide. Mechanical gremlins and weather issues limited practice but when the TZ was right, life was exciting. Sponsors jumped on board, and enthusiasts like John Burke and Bill Leavens helped fund the team’s Island dreams.

Scott Rehl points to the Quantas Airbus A380-800 that flew for 15 hours from LAX to Melbourne; the trip to Australia was sold out, the trip back was mercifully empty and Rehl wrangled us an upgrade to Premium Economy. Rehl runs VIP luxestar and helped arrange the trip, and raced his 1979 TZ750 in the support races. The team received terrific support, most notably from N2 Trackdays, StoneCastle Financial and Yamaha Generators and Power Equipment, all three groups have vintage-racing fever!

This blurry crazy image is as close as I could get to the Australian highway patrol who pulled us over for speeding at 4:30 am on the way to the airport. No ticket, but Rehl had to blow into the breathalyzer. Aussi speed limits are frustratingly low, yet we saw a two-car double-rollover on a straight four-lane highway on a perfectly sunny day with a speed limit of 100 kph (62 mph), so “speed kills” or “inattention kills?” Even our NHTSA finally admitted that falling asleep is killing lots of motorists in America, hard to fall asleep at 130 mph: “Just trying to stay awake, officer!”

We rented a house on Phillip Island and loaded it up with racers and photographers (Brad from Etech), everyone cooked, almost everyone cleaned and it was the center of fun when not at the track. Here Team Captain Dave Crussell holds the team meeting: “Go fast, don’t fall down.” Our 13-rider team had only two tip-overs, nobody hurt and both riders raced all weekend.

Aussie Holdens are badass, we don’t get them now that Pontiac and the GTO are no longer around.

Do the United Kingdom and Australian teams take the Challenge seriously? This stack of tires, pallet of engines and the level of bike prep says “Yes.” Riding skills of both teams match the top-shelf equipment.

Two weeks before the Classic a freezing-cold mountain bike ride tweaked my back so badly I could barely walk. Two days before the flight my stretching and rehab hadn’t worked. My friend Jeff Parnham ordered, “Get to a chiropractor!” Dr. Pool of Mesa Chiropractic in Pueblo, CO, worked me over the day before and the morning of my flight; Pool saved my week and I am a chiropractic believer now. He told me, “54 years of life caught up with you but we’ll get you back to normal.”

The view from the stage as the American team accepted fourth place. The top five points scorers for the U.S. were Pat Mooney, Eirik Nielson, Roger Baker, Joe Weir and me. My team and I felt incredibly proud to represent the USA and a big thanks to The Challenge sponsor Michelton Wines; we sampled much of their product.

The hardest working girl at the Island: Leanne Duthie. This girl is the multi-tasking world champion and somehow took care of the notoriously-needy roadracers at The Classic. The entire Phillip Island team did an amazing job during a weather-challenged weekend.

The American team had a gas, here Captain Dave Crussell has just fired his TZ750 with Brian Filo checking front tire pressure, Dave Moss (the team’s suspension guru) in leathers looking on and “Mr. Fun” Deano Swims checking his phone for important messages from Margaret (story to follow in a few weeks).

The American Classic garages had famous people stopping in throughout the weekend. Here Alan Cathcart talks with Pat Mooney and his gal Lori; Jeremy Burgess hung out too and loved seeing the five TZ750s we brought to the Island. Cathcart interviewed Paul Smart and the Harris brothers at the Friday night team party. Great stories and classy gentlemen all.

This picture epitomizes the American effort: Everyone pitched in. Here, Mike Studzinski (TZMike of MFactoryWest) puts the finishing touches on Scott Rehl’s 1979 TZ750. “The Legend” Kurt Lentz brought his expertise to all five big strokers in the American camp, too, seen here replacing the cylinders on Studzinski’s 750 after a light seizure.

Scott Rehl and Mike Studzinski joined the elite group of riders who have circulated Phillip Island in the rain on TZ750s. Can you say “Smooth Throttle?”

If you can’t find a TZ750 to buy, why not build one? Consortium Racing just introduced their all-new engine cases and they make cylinder heads and gear-shift drums too. CMR makes chassis and Ken Horner told us he can still crank out gearboxes from KH Engineering in Melbourne. Jon Cornwell (of Ohlins) was at the Island helping Marty Cragill so cutting-edge suspension is coming on line too. Hmmm, yours truly and Rusty Bigley should be trying the new CMR chassis in a few months.

The Phillip Island kart track mimics the main track and is a must-do when you visit. Karting on Monday, after the bikes are crated, is a tradition for the American team, AHRMA champion Brian Filo took fast time of the day this year.

Everywhere you looked there were astonishingly awesome bikes, like John Pace’s ultra-clean Katana with a George Bryce engine, and Kevin McGee’s YZR500 owned by Tom Dermoty, Steward Avant and Team Roberts’s Paul Tracy are involved too, so expect more Classic fun from this gang.

The Classic isn’t just the team challenge, it’s a full slate of support races for just about every type of vintage bike. Here is the Stein Dinse Guzzi racer piloted by Phillip Honeycombe and built by Bernie Ringel; just another trick piece of kit at The Island. Each class runs twice a day; see you there in ’17?

The youngsters were represented by 25-year old Jed Metcher and his dry-clutch equipped T-Rex Honda CB1100 in a Harris frame. The “veterans” were led by 51-year old J on his Harris FJ1200 with six-speed close-ratio tranny and slipper clutch. Both young and old rode these machines to the limit to tie for the Ken Wooten high-points trophy, impressive.

Carry Andrew’s story is awesome: the 63-year-old Californian repurchased his original 1977 KZ Superbike and returned to racing last year. Here he’s joined by crew-chief Patrick Cunliff and Mr. Bito of JB Power. Bito and Andrew appeared to be making plans for Phillip Island 2017.

Rusty Bigley contemplates the next move in repacking the TZ for the return trip, while Lorraine Crussell helps Pat Mooney wrap his FJ-powered CMR. The planning and effort required to get the American riders to Phillip Island can’t be understated: bikes, tools, crash spares, tires, and maintenance materials. We had an issue with our tire warmers and a big thanks to Craig of White’s Racing Products for the loan of the tire warmers and the fitment of the Bridgestone rubber.

I love this guy: Ralph Hudson, 64-years young and piloting a CMR-framed FJ Yamaha. Hudson owns a few top-speed records and brings that machine-prep focus to the American team.

The Irving Vincent story could fill this entire website and we had a fascinating KH Engineering tour by Ken Horner himself that included the dyno and Vincent build facility. Irving Vincent rider Beau Beaton set pole and won the first two races before mechanical issues brought the all-custom Vincent to a standstill. Oh, and if you wonder about KH Engineering’s outlook, read the sign Horner has posted throughout his company.

Dave and Lorraine Crussell headed the American team, helping arrange every facet of our adventure, and Lorraine raced her Honda 200 into the top three in her support races! She was only one of two female racers I saw at the Classic, much fewer than you will find at an AHRMA race here in the States.

A portion of the American team landed two days before practice started, and immediately drove to Antique Motorcycles in Chettenham, everything from Bimotas to stretched KZ1300s, Katanas, and TZs hanging from the rafters. Over-the-top cool and we were hard-pressed to pick a favorite. The owner and motorcycle addict Johnny Gee (center) gave us an insider's tour that included the stuffed-full shop area. From left to right: Mike Studzinski, Kurt Lentz, Scott Rehl, Gee, Ienatsch, Rusty Bigley, Brian Filo, Dave Crussell.