There are some things about my blog that remain constant. One of them is that I always try to remember Kenny Blake and remind my readers of the anniversary of his death. Kenny died on the 9th of June, 37 years ago today, while competing at the Isle of Man. While all of the great names of Australian road racing are worthy of remembrance there seems to be a universal feeling amongst enthusiasts that Kenny’s anniversary in somehow more important than most.
Kenny, pictured above straight after his win in the 1977 Castrol Six Hour Race (with co-rider Joe Eastmure in the blue leathers) was beloved of all race fans both here and overseas and as I am writing this, his friends will be gathering at the Laurel Hotel in Melbourne for the annual dinner. Family responsibilities have obviously taken precedence over my attendance but I will try again in 2019. The annual lunch is, I have been told, the longest continuously running memorial in Australian road racing.
I don’t need to provide more biographical detail as I am sure that you already know the story. Today is a sad day but I am happy that we still have the great memories of him that we have. AMCN recently published an excellent article, penned by the doyen of Australian motorcycling journalists, Don Cox and complete with photos by one of our best ever lensmen, Rob Lewis who was a close personal friend of Kenny. I provide the link below as it is an excellent tribute.
In other news today, Andrea Iannone has been confirmed at Aprilia for 2019 as the incumbent, Scot Redding has been told that his services are no longer required. Also, former MotoGp privateer, Hector Barbera, has been sacked from his position in his Moto2 team after a drink driving incident recently. I am an assiduous reader of David Emmet’s MotoMatters column and I must say that I am feeling a bit smug this morning as his latest column on the comings and goings in MotoGp draws pretty much the same conclusions as I did in my article yesterday!
Enjoy your weekend.