World Superbikes - Phillip Island 1st March 09

Well it was a wet & windy day when Murray, Mick, Jane & me boarded the 7am ferry bound for the World Superbikes on Phillip Island. We all convinced ourselves that the weather would get better - after all, it would be a miracle if it rained after so many days without a dribble!
It's always a lovely way to go relaxing on the morning ferry. Good thing Murray warned us about the ferry docking being rough - a few bikes have been dropped as the ferry bumps sideways into the docking bay - it did it this time too but we were ready!
It was a smooth ride to the Gippsland Hwy - got passed by a bloke on a BMW doing about 180km/hr - turned out he was a cop on an unmarked bike - separate rules for them!
Once we got to the island first stop was Doohan corner where we set up camp & soon were sheltering form the rain - it was pissing down - and cold...
Once the first WSBK race came on the weather had cleared & we weren't disappointed by the racing. It was great to be able to cheer on a fellow Ulsterman as Johnny Rea led the pack off the grid on the Honda 1000 RR. The lead was soon taken byNori Haga on the Ducati 1098R. Those Ducati 1098's can go & there was always a couple of them in the top 5 leaders. The new firing order on the R1 sounded awesome - like a big twin.
Troy Corser put on a bit of a show on the BMW, sliding through the corner before the straight and smoking up the tyre! Unfortunate that they didn't get placed i their first race outing. The Aprilia with Max Biaggi on board had a good race but missed out on a place as well.
Then there was Gary McCoy on the 675 - our hopes were dashed!
There were lots of Triumphs there & 1098 Ducatis everywhere you looked! That was even a 'Pete' replica!!
We made it back through the made rush avoiding the nutcases and just missed the 6pm ferry - good excuse to stop & have a quiet beer & wait for the next one.
Once underway we were treated to an exhibition of dolphins swimming & jumping throught the ferry wake.
It was a long day but we all thoroughly enjoyed it - even the weather turned out good.

Go Johnny Rae for the rest of the season!