HUSTLE IN THE DUST
BATHURST, Daytona, Indianapolis and Silverstone are premium.
F1, the WEC, NASCAR, IndyCar and Supercars are the pinnacles.
The Dust Hustle is fun.
Sometimes motorsport can take itself far too seriously.
From the politics at the top levels of the sport, to the life and death sheep station racing in Hyundai Excels, you can often walk away from the weekend at a race track with a decided ‘meh’ feeling.
The Dust Hustle billed itself as an ‘inappropriate dirt day’, run what you’ve brung, comply to the non-existent rules, and have a rad time doing skids.
Although not strictly racing, riders were sent on to the track in loosely formed groups, namely Enduro & MX, Small Bike Burners, Old Mates and Risky Road Bikes.
The suitability of the bikes varies, from motocross bikes that look relatively at ease on the gravel surface, to Harley Davidsons, BMWs, Triumphs and more, that were engaged in a constant battle against gravity.
At the other end of the scale were Vespas, postie bikes, pit bikes, Monkey Bikes, even a Domino’s Pizza delivery scooter.
Attire ranged from those who seemed somewhat interested in personal safety, to open face helmets, to all manner of fancy dress.
A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, Frankenstein’s Monster, the crazy cat lady, Darth Vader and a variety of Storm Troopers, some rather natty pyjamas, smart business suits, to flat out mulleted bogans.
The venue was Mick Doohan Raceway, the home of the North Brisbane Junior Motorcycle, located at the end of Raubers Road in Banyo, a solid four-iron from Triple 8 Race Engineering’s home base.
Punters were charged the grand total of five bucks for admission, with plenty turning out on the dusty 28°c day.
Taking the edge off the localised global warming, the beer and rum tent did a roaring trade, as did the wide range of food trucks on site.
While the spectator facilities were fairly bare bones, the shaded areas on the banking surrounding the track were well utilised.
The takeaway for mine was that the crowd were engaged, they laughed and were entertained.
This was the Will Ferrell movie of motorsport, and I reckon they’ve got the formula just right.
WORDS & IMAGES: Mark Walker
PHOTO GALLERY
Mark Walker (administrator)
A vastly experienced Motorsport Public Relations operator, journalist, commentator and photographer, Mark brings his unique angle to The Race Torque in both words and imagery. As well as serving as our key photographer on the ground at major events around Australia (and overseas), Walker will often chime in with his unique and pin-point sharp viewpoint of the racing world via the keyboard too.
