It was only a month prior to the event that Cyclone Debbie rolled down the Queensland coast and into New South Wales leaving a trail of dampness and destruction. The tracks for DH4 took an extreme hit, with both ‘The Middle Child’ grass track and ‘Hollywood Hillbilly’ hillside track both being completely un-rideable after the weather! Some sections even showed-off meter deep washed out ruts from the rain.
It wasn’t the news we wanted only weeks out from the first event at the venue, but nothing could prepare the venue for that kind of weather. Without a second word though the Queensland Vintage Motocross Club (QVMX) members sprung into action, working every weekend without pay (even over Easter) to repair the track for our event. Their dedication to fix the track damage and prepare such an incredible venue was a huge effort and something we, and everyone who rode or came to the event should be super thankful for. All considering, our thoughts are still with those who haven’t been able to rebuild so quickly after Debbie.
Fast forward to the calm before the storm on Friday 21 April. After a busy setup that week we swung open the gates at 4:00pm for riders and spectators to roll in and setup camp for a night before the day that was. We’re stoked with the far and wide support for these events, with riders rolling in from as far up as North Queensland and down to Victoria.
A gorgeous sunset settled over the venue as the South East Queensland Rural Fire Brigade fired up the burners for a gourmet BBQ fundraiser for the local station. Some riders took the opportunity to sign on early as tents went up and bikes rolled out of transport rigs all over the venue.
As the lights lit up the last minute prep was going down, while the lucky punters who prepped early took the opportunity to stand around, soak up the venue and shoot-the-breeze. We couldn’t have arranged it better as a light drizzle settled in overnight and ended up keeping a lid on the dust for most of the following morning.
Sunny skies with a scattered cloud welcomed the Saturday morning, what a relief! Campers woke to the slow and steady pace of hot air balloons blowing by in the distance, what a contrast their pace and grace would end up being to the rest of the day.
After that it was go time for the rest of the event. Sign on was open, breakfast was on and the final bikes were being unloaded as the remaining riders rolled in early for a full day of dust. On schedule (can you believe it?) the riders briefing was done and the entrants readied themselves to hit the tracks as the first of the day’s spectators began to arrive.
With 3 tracks on offer and 4 rider classes it was the ‘Risky Road Bikes’ who drew the short straw and had to cool their heels for the first session of the mornings rotation. Meanwhile, the ‘Clutchless Scooters & Posties’ class, ‘Old
Mates’ class of pre 90’s bikes and the ‘Enduro & MX’ class didn’t take long to warm up to the action on all 3 tracks. Each class would work their way through a session on each track in the morning, until the lunchtime break let engines cool before doing it all again in the afternoon!
“The Middle Child” natural terrain grass track was the unassuming course that surprised many at the event. It’s reasonably flat layout with some on and off camber corners was a ripe mix of tight turns, small berms and short straights. With inside and outside lines on most corners it was a hive of passing action and suited the more nimble bikes who had a field day cleaning up some of the bigger bikes all day.
“Dad’s a Drag Queen” was the affectionate name for the uphill grass track drags. A special track developed only for Dust Hustle 4, this was the firstever Motorcycling Australia approved drag track in Australia! After so much work to get this track across the line for the event it was epic to finally see it in action. We can assure you that when the flag dropped, the big talking stopped as riders blasted their way up the grassy incline to the finish.
Overlooking the venue with the ‘selfie popular’ Hollywood sign was the “Hollywood Hillbilly” groomed dirt long track. Covering the sweeping hills it featured some big corners, long straights and a few tight sections to test the brakes. QVMX even left in a few ‘humps’ just to get the riders excited and keep them on their toes.
Even if you missed the rider briefing at the beginning of the day you couldn’t mistake that even though this is an amateur event, there were a few notable riders putting down some incredible pace. A few special guests were kind enough to come along and join in on the event, proving that even pro racers like to have some laid back fun on their bikes!
Dakar, Finke and general rally racing legend Toby Price rolled up and was ready to race on his KTM’s after coming back from a broken leg. Although you wouldn’t know he still wasn’t 100% given the pace at which he blew past everyone else on the track. An extra treat for the rally fans, Toby took a break from his KTM 500EXC, donned his infamous Panda suit and rolled out his KTM rally bike as well! There aren’t many other local events where any local legend can enter to ride with the Dakar legend on his rally bike, how good!
Now a Dust Hustle veteran, American AMA flat track pro and multiple Australian state and national dirt track champion Mick Kirkness wasn’t missing out on the action even if it wasn’t on a surface as smooth as he’s used too. Riding a handful of bikes for legendary sponsors the Young Henrys during the day, he showed it wasn’t only the smooth stuff he was a gun at and slide his way around all day long.
New to the action, Enduro X National Champion and Junior & Youth Moto- Trials National Champion Ruben Chadwick came along to get involved. Known to feature in the Cross Training Enduro Skills videos teaching us average Joe’s how to ride, he left the modern bikes at home and opted for a more inappropriate vintage Bultaco flat track bike without front brakes that he rolled out of his dad’s shed! Sliding through corners with one hand off to give a thumbs up, yeah he can definitely ride a bike!
We’re not even at the lunchtime demos yet, let alone an afternoon of action, accidents and amusing outfits to cover! PLUS the unveiling of the Ellaspede SR400 custom kits!
With the crowd peaking in the middle of the day at just over 1000 spectators, attention turned to the ‘Hollywood Hillbilly’ track where the Queensland Vintage Motocross Club (QVMX) riders were readying their machines. The jump detours were removed and the smell of vintage 2 stokes filled the air as the QVMX club showed how their home track is meant to be ridden and how fast these ‘vintage’ race bikes still are!
A morning of riding amped everyone up and the lunchtime vintage motocross demos took it to the next level because the riders hit the tracks after lunch like a bat out of hell! It was evident everyone was getting a little more comfortable on their inappropriate machines as some consistent laps were being laid down.
A few hours into the riding and running repairs were happening left, right and centre! There’s no where else you can push your bike to its limits like at the track, which certainly showed as riders were in and out of the pits all day. This also brings out one of our favourite parts of this event, riders and spectators pitching in to get bikes back on the track! That common camaraderie from other riders, friends or strangers is exactly the vibe which makes this event.
No such issues over at the Ellaspede stand where the first public appearance of the Ellaspede EB158 Yamaha SR400 was on display! This is the demo bike for the new Ellaspede bolt on custom Tracker kit, and although it was relegated to standing duties for the event it won’t be too long before it’s turning tyres on and off the dirt. For more info on the SR400 kits contact Ellaspede!
Another one of our favourite parts of the event is the legendary rider outfits. It’s amusing to see what bikes riders are willing to bring out on the dirt, and even more amusing to see what they’re willing to wear while doing it!
Some of the old crowd favourites were back for another lap, while impressive new contenders emerged including the ‘Gorilla on the Big Banana’ and ‘the Panda’ Toby Price!
With so many riders charging hard all day, unfortunately there were a few accidents and broken bikes. It’s the nature of motorcycle riding and everyone accepts that, but it doesn’t make it any easier to see a few damaged bikes and sore bodies during the day.
Luckily, those who took a tumble are all well on the road to recovery, if not 100% fighting fit already. Their enthusiasm to get back up and out riding again makes us remember why we do all this in the first place, and they’re exactly the type of legends we want at Dust Hustle!
By late afternoon the last rotation of riding was underway and the number of riders out on track had suitably thinned out. The majority of riders had either reached the limits of man (themselves, time to start training for DH5!) or machine and were soaking up the afternoon sun at the trackside bar. When the red flag came out to signal the end of riding it was a welcome sight for many still out on the dirt pushing the limit of bodies and inappropriate bikes.
A crowd soon gathered at the Ellaspede stand for the all important rider awards and event raffles. Best-in-Class was awarded for each of the 4 rider categories, not for being the fastest, but those who embodied the inappropriateness and enthusiasm that Dust Hustle is all about.
Riders and spectators alike got in on the event raffle action and cleaned up some epic prizes from Bell Helmets, Young Henrys, Sailor Jerry, Skullcandy, Motul, Scooter Style Noosa, Miss Moto, Death Collective, Draggin Jeans and Shinko Tyres!
After the prizes and awards, it was the end of the official part of the event. A gang of riders and spectators headed up to the Dust Hustle Hollywood sign for an inaugural photo before returning to the trackside bar for some welcome drinks from Sailor Jerry and Young Henrys.
The trackside after party was almost as good as the actual riding. With camping on site, all the riders and a stack of spectators kicked on to put names and faces to the bikes, helmets and inappropriate outfits they had been riding with all day. Stories got taller and the laughs got louder as the sun settled over what was one of the most epic Dust Hustle’s to date!
A big thank you from everyone at Ellaspede to the riders, spectators and supporters who made this event so successful for it’s first outing at the Biddaddaba venue. We’ve had some great feedback and are already planning some big things for DH6, so stay tuned for updates later in 2017!
Words by Hughan Seary
