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| Ulysses
member to compete at the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix
meeting at Phillip Island If you are travelling down to Phillip Island in October, keep an eye out for one of our Sydney members who will be racing at the meeting. Geoff Kidd is a relatively new member of the Sydney Branch where he and his wife Janine ride their R1100RT to the Club's activities. Geoff races a 250 International Superkart throughout Australia, and those machines will be a support race to the 3 Grand Prix races, as they were at Eastern Creek last year. The 250, twin cylinder Superkarts are capable of 240kph, pull 3 Gs in cornering and braking, and produce about 90bhp for a total weight, machine and driver, of 210kg. As an indication of just how quick they are, at Eastern Creek last year the leading Superkarts were lapping 2 seconds faster than Mick Doohan's time on the same day, on the 500. The same is expected at Phillip Island this year. Geoff has been racing Superkarts for the past 3 years after a fair bit of time off the track. He raced road bikes in the late 60s and early 70s, and just felt like a little fun before giving it all away - next century. Look out for number 13 at the race meeting and, as Geoff has rented a 5 bedroom house on the island with 2 other competitors, you might be able to find a bed or a place to leave your bike if you have a problem.
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| Bike Law Talk a screen, | |
We all know the consequences of driving after a few drinks. Fatigue, false bravado, Dutch courage, unwarranted optimism, aggression, and if the true facts were known, driving skills inferior to normal. These elements also mean that you're more likely to come to the attention of the boys in blue, not only because the RBT stations are strategically placed to catch you, but when you are in abnormal circumstances you are likely to speed, forget the blinker, or not quite stop at the stop sign. Also, you may just have a minor lapse and become involved in a minor collision, and if you are intoxicated - the game is over! The automatic penalties for drink driving are heavy. First time around; Low range, (Guide Only, more than 2 standard drinks in the first hour) - $500 and 6 months disqualification; Mid Range (more than 3.5 standard drinks in the first hour) - $1000 and 12 months disqualification; High Range (more than 6 standard drinks in the first hour) - $1500 and 3 years disqualification. The other minus is that once disqualified, on reapplying for your licence not only do you have to pay all the RTA fees, you also have to pass the knowledge test - happy swatting! The worst part is that you end up with a probationary licence and that means 4 points only for 12 months. Most people think that the worst scenario is an accident and because your insurance is void due to alcohol, you might be up for damage to your car/other car/other property and that's a concern if you decide to write off that new Merc. Try to get insurance after that! But there is worse to come. If you have excessive alcohol in your blood and the collision injures someone seriously or causes their death, you are likely to be charged with 'Culpable Driving Causing Grievous Bodily Harm'. Maximum penalty - 14 years goal! If you are driving dangerously (for example very high speed or in a dangerous manner) and the collision injure someone seriously, you are likely to be charged with 'Drive Manner Dangerous Causing Grievous Injury'. Maximum penalty - 14 years goal! If the collision causes someone's death, you are likely to be charged with 'Drive Manner Dangerous Causing Death'. Maximum penalty - 14 years goal! If the police have a problem in proving the danger element, they can charge you with 'Manslaughter' - 0 to life imprisonment for a 'traffic' matter. So, before you start drinking, start thinking. If you are involved in an accident where someone is seriously injured or killed, nothing or no one can 'sweep it under the carpet', and ahead lies anxiety, insomnia, and big legal bills Hey, it's even worse if you do it on a bike because your body is much more fragile than a motor vehicle and all penalties are academic if you kill or injure yourself. Ride Smart - see you on the winding road! Mark Stenber |
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