The Grand Tour

Motogiro Australia 2015

12-16 August, 2015 – Boonah and Woodford, Qld

At 1,200kms, the 7th Giro was planned around a less punishing itinerary than previous years with more emphasis on enjoyment along the way, attracting riders from as far afield as Perth and Adelaide. Despite this it still demanded roadside repairs and late night pit work to keep things rolling, and that’s the beauty of this event. Five days riding every worthwhile mountain road through some truly spectacular countryside around Boonah and Woodford was the perfect way to enjoy the Queensland winter sunshine and produced the best riding yet. Many of the 35 entrants brought multiple bikes, from Aermacchi, Benelli, Ducati (including 7 yellow Desmos and 350 & 500 Parallel Twins) to Laverda, Moto Guzzi and Moto Morini.

In a first for this event, scooters were an invited class and were represented by a 1951 Lambretta Model C 125cc long distance competition (Bill Guthrie), a 1965 Lambretta LI 150 Series 3 (Siobhan Ellis) and a Vespa Rally 180 (Ian Brill). The Scooters...well, they’re crazy but loveable. One of their redeeming attributes is they carry a full kit of tools plus spares and consumables, including oil, fuel and a spare wheel! What they lacked in speed they made up for in enthusiasm – I guess you’ve got to be passionate to ride those little wheels over tough roads. They even challenged Gavin Dall ‘Osto in the spares department despite him producing, in no particular order, a 6V Condenser, Chain Master Link, and Clutch Cable from his 18kg back pack to applause and gratitude from the thankful recipients. An unseasonal storm front on the first day descended as we departed Queen Mary falls for a fuel stop at Killarney. Luckily we dodged most of the light hail by sheltering at the servo, then rode on over bumpy wet roads to Woodenbong for a hearty lunch. It left the bikes with an authentic patina that developed its own baked on character over the remaining sunny days. The Boonah legs were inspiring with revised routes around the Scenic Rim better suiting the singles, providing plenty of tight mountain curves.