Wayne Gardner’s victory in the inaugural World Championship Australian 500 Grand Prix in April 1989 was a watershed moment, especially for me as a budding motorcycle journalist. The best riders in the world attracted some 92,000 spectators to Phillip Island to witness our Wayne ride out of his skin to win against the odds. It was huge news on TV and in the newspapers and Gardner became a national hero overnight.
I was one of the 92,000, and I arrived back at Sydney office the following Wednesday, still abuzz from the weekend. The editor-in-chief called me to his office unexpectedly at lunchtime: he wanted a largeformat, 32-page special magazine on Wayne Gardner’s win and he wanted it by the end of the editor John Rooth. The magazine was printed overnight with my name at the top of the brag box and went on sale around Australia.
