The first road race meeting I attended was the Australian TT at Laverton Air Force base in Melbourne. That was February 1976. What an introduction to the sport, seeing the creme de la creme of world road racing including the great Giacomo Agostini. There was certainly no new and upcoming talent to spot that weekend, though some “unknowns” like New Zealand’s Stu Avant certainly made themselves apparent.
My next meeting was a month later at a little track just outside of Albury, called Hume Weir. The contrast could hardly have been more stark though the excitement of getting to the track again was just as high. It wasn’t even a national open meeting, just a “C” Grade day, for novice and beginning riders. There were no huge crowds, no glossy programme to buy and no “names” to catch the interest. Nevertheless, that meeting, that weekend started a trend in following road racing that has lasted till today, the idea of talent spotting.
Out of the hundred plus riders competing that weekend two riders immediately made themselves obvious and prompted me to watch out for them in the future. One was a local boy, ragged and wild and one was a polished performer from Sydney, the two could scarcely have been more different.
The local boy was called Robbie Phillis. It wasn’t his first meeting as he’d done a few club days at the Weir on his dirt bikes, a Kawasaki 250 and a Honda Elsinore 125. But this was his first meeting on a “proper” race bike, his brand new TZ350C. Robbie had tested the bike during the week, courtesy of his inside running with the Albury Car Cub who owned the circuit and of which his dad was a member. On the Wednesday he had taken the TZ out for its first run and had crashed it. Repaired and back at the track on Thursday, Robbie crashed the bike again, but it was repaired again and he fronted for his first “proper” race meeting on a bike that still looked like new. With daring and more than just a little skill, he won a heap of races on the weekend including the feature race where he again was involved in a ding-dong battle with the other “discovery” that weekend, the Sydney boy, a youngster (VERY young as we later discovered) called Ron Boulden.
Boulden, as noted, was a whole different fettle of quiche, as the saying goes. Already sponsored at the very outset of his career, and by the world famous Aussie international, Jack Ahearn, no less, Boulden’s setup was neat and sharp as was his riding. He never looked out of control and he gave the appearance of having been on the bike all his life. Like Robbie, he won a heap of races that weekend also only having to cede the feature to Robbie at the end of the day on Sunday.
From that moment on my brother and I attended every Club Day and “C” Grade day we were able, following Ron and Robbie, documenting their rise through the ranks and keeping our eyes out for more upcoming talent, and there was plenty of it.
Here, for example, from November 1976, is future World 500cc champion, Wayne Gardner, at his first ever road race meeting, riding his YZ125 Yamaha motocross bike fitted with a set of road tyres.
Over the years we spotted most of the new stars at the very beginning of their careers. Because the “big” photographers only ever photographed the Open meetings, we got to see the future stars first because we haunted the Club Days and the “C” Grade days. And that pattern continued right throughout my involvement with road racing.
Fast forward to the mid 90’s now. Tony Hatton decided that he needed to do something to foster junior road racing in Australia. In spite of determined opposition and intransigence from MA, he got the series off the ground and I was commentating the meeting at Wakefield Park when the juniors first raced on a full-sized track (they had done some practice days on go-kart tracks before this). On the grid that day, riding the little Moriwaki 80cc race bikes were the following riders (and others whose names I can’t remember now). Damien Cudlin, Anthony West, Broc Parkes, Joshua Forster, Josh Brookes and Chris Vermeulen. Talk about talent spotting! Of course, Tony was the talent spotter extraordinaire and all of the riders in his series got a ride because he had vetted them thoroughly and was confident of their potential. I think you could say that he picked them pretty well, don’t you?
Earlier this year I became aware of the new MotoStars series for junior riders. When they first visited my local go-kart track for a training night I wandered down, re-acquainted myself with Damien Cudlin (yes, the same Damien) and offered to help. That night I spotted two new talents who I am convinced will, barring unforseen circumstances, go the whole way. Thomas Brown, from Toowoomba in Queensland and Benny Baker from the Central Coast of NSW are the next big thing and I have spoken of their skill and their potential before so I won’t repeat myself here.
Last week both boys, 12 years old and wise beyond their years, travelled to Sepang circuit in Malaysia for the selection trials on the Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup. 500 applicants from across the world were culled to 127 who were selected to try out, Benny and Thomas acquitted themselves brilliantly riding bigger and totally unfamiliar bikes to the ones that they normally ride. At the end of the two days, Benny was one of only 14 boys selected to compete in the Asia Talent Cup in 2018. Thomas plans to try out again next October and I am sure that he will also be selected.
So I’m still talent spotting, and I have my eye on a few even younger boys coming up through the MotoStars ranks who will be where Benny and Thomas are in a few years. It’s such a rewarding pastime.
This weekend could decide the two remaining grand prix championships. It’s going to be huge (and probably wet!)