M 1 G P 2 4 H O U R
P96
FEATURE
Our fourth and fifth members
of the team are Sean Broe and
Natalie Feneroli. Sean's on a
working hiatus, at that stage
where he can take time to figure
out his lot in life (lucky him), and
Natalie is a teenage car racer of
the Mazda Miata ilk who only just
started riding motorcycles—and
this is her first bike race. Gulp.
Anyone who has raced endur-
ance before will know it takes a
lot in you not to just go flat out
for as long as you can. There are
other factors to consider. You
have to make at least an hour in
the saddle with a minimal drop
in lap times, you have to look
after your body, finding time to
relax where you can to give your
aching muscles a break, and
most important of all, you must
not crash. Crashing affects not
just you but the whole team. In
a sprint race you can wreck the
bike all you like, but an endur-
ance crash throws the team into
disarray, especially if the sum
of your spare parts equal a gas
can. And nothing else.
Just as dusk begins to settle,
the dreaded crash happens to
Natalie. Up until this point she's
been going fantastically, knock-
ing out lap times that are only
six seconds off Chris, incred-
ible going for someone that has
only just figured out how to ride.
The crash breaks the majority
of the shift lever off, and with no
spares, we're forced to modify
(Left) Dawn.
Everyone's
knackered, but
at least Sean has
remembered the
fuel. (Right) Broe
was one of the
standout team
players. The man
who towered
above the rest
was on the pace
all night. (Below)
Team signals at 2
a.m. turned into
phallic drawings
to keep the riders
entertained.
