VOL. 52 ISSUE 37 SEPTEMBER 15, 2015 P93
I yank it out of the sand. I head back about 200 metres
more than I need to. First, second, third gear. At the base
of the dune I screw up and seat bounce it. Now, not being
Chad Reed means I have no skill in this area of motorcy-
cling, and the bike immediately flings itself 10 feet in the
air, kicks my feet out and pitches the nose down. The
result is fairly predicable (check the photo). And it happens
right in front of the entire group. Pissed off for about five
seconds, I can't help but burst out laughing. May as well;
everyone else is.
We arrive at the Lone Gum late in the afternoon, set
up camp and get stuck into some beers. Lone Gum is
interesting in that this mammoth Box Eucalypt tree really
shouldn't be here. These trees are normally found in clay-
laced soils near waterways, so how this thing has survived
here in the seared landscape of the Simpson Desert
remains a bit of a mystery. It was fenced off in 1966 to stop
cars and trucks from eroding its root system, and makes
for a great area to set up camp and take some photos.
Day four and we hit up the WAA line and Erabena Track.
WHO IS
DARYL BEATTIE?
Daryl Beattie (seen here at the 1995
Japanese Grand Prix) is the fourth most
successful Australian MotoGP rider in
history behind Mick Doohan, Casey
Stoner and Wayne Gardner. Winner of
three Grands Prix, his career in the top
flight was stunning but brief, injuries
forcing him off the GP bike permanently
in 1997 at just 27 years old.
Beattie rode for Rothmans Honda,
Marlboro Yamaha and Lucky Strike Su-
zuki between 1992 and 1997, but it's his
1995 year that remains his most memo-
rable. That year, fresh from a disastrous
single season with Kenny Roberts after
replacing Wayne Rainey in 1994, Beattie
and his Lucky Strike Suzuki took the
fight to 500cc champion Mick Doohan,
taking two MotoGP victories in Germany
and Japan, only for it to go wrong with
a highside crash in practice for the
Dutch TT at Assen. A broken collarbone
spelled the end of his title charge, and
unfortunately he would never stand on
a MotoGP rostrum after 1995 again,
thanks to mounting injuries.
Beattie is now a commentator for Mo-
toGP, Formula One and V8 Supercars.
If you'd like to know more about this
and the other adventures he runs, go to
darylbeattieadventures.com.au.
(Above) Rennie
makes his freestyle
motocross
debut and fails
spectacularly.
(Left) Dalhousie
Springs—the world's
biggest bath.
