Mt Donna Buang - Sunday 28^th April 2002

Dave Ward (R1) (leader) Clint Vertigan (GSXR750)

Di Welsford (CBR600F) (1^st rear rider) Ray Walker (GSXR1000)

Darrren Webster (TL1000R) Craig Morley (Fireblade)

Steve Phip & Melanie (CBR600F) (2^nd rear rider) Darryl Gwynne (RGV250) (1^st ride)

Darren Morcomb (TL1000) & 2 friends (1^st rides) James Booth (RGV250)

and at least 3 other first timers (didn’t get a chance to get the names & bikes as I never made the Donna Buang stop)

With a bit of chaos happening on today’s ride I have done what I can for a write-up but it will not include the whole ride, it will merely a bit of an indication of the ride. At Yarra Glen we had a large turnout with a lot of first timers along. As we were about to leave a large group rode through so we waited for a little while so our rides wouldn’t become confused. However, this was just a glimpse of what was to happen throughout the day.

After a spiel about the ride and the corner-marking system being explained we headed off. The first glimpse of the trouble came when a first timer in front of me sailed past Clint and Craig corner-marking at Old Healesville Road. A toot of the horn brought him back and we continued on.

Two corners later our visitor from Queensland, Darryl Gwynn, took off with his side-stand down creating a shower of sparks when it hit the ground. It made him swerve a bit but the side-stand flicked itself up and he took off on the back wheel, obviously not really bothered.

We continued through Healesville then took the turnoff across to the Warburton Highway and I think this is about the point we started to have trouble with another club doing a similar ride with similar corner-marking. Thankfully I knew Derek at the next turnoff so asked him if any of the bikes there were with the Touring Club and when he said no. I continued on. When we hit the Warbie Highway I found a group of our Club had stopped with the other club. I think a few of our “newies” must have got a bit confused and thought we’d pulled over. Soon we were off again.

Things were fine for a few k's until a couple of our visitors missed the corner-markers on the left hand turn off the Warbie Highway. I tooted but this didn’t work, so I pulled over to the corner-markers, and noting they were both visitors and would not know who on earth they were chasing, I asked them to pass on the message through the corner-markers that “Dianne will meet the ride where it rejoins the Highway as she has to round up a couple”. I then found the two visitors and led them to the point where the Club would have rejoined the highway. Apparently we had just missed them. It can’t have been by much as we’d gone straight there. Asking the visitors to stay put, I looked up that road and found no-one. So we rode on, hoping they’d stopped at Warburton. No luck, so I turned back and went the detour the Club had, in case they were waiting anywhere back there. Nup, so I finally rode up Mt Donna Buang.

At the base of the mountain I met John and Eric who were waiting for the Club. They confirmed the club had gone up. However, on trying to restart my bike I found myself with a flat battery. NOT having the day I planned! My bike was jumpstarted and I flew up the mountain, meeting the Club halfway up.

I found out here that Steve was new rear rider so I asked him to continue due to my bike trouble. I left the ride here as my day was no longer fun. I’ve since spoken to Dave Ward who told me there was further confusion at the Reefton with people stopping at the wrong place, corner-markers getting mixed up with 2 other clubs, and some of our visitors overtaking him. Even one visitor having a small bingle. What a day! I was told later that being rear rider I shouldn’t have left but sending visitors after visitors would not have worked either, so I felt that as they were re-joining the highway I’d get them there. The message I sent should have done the job but that obviously got changed. It was just one of those days where, with so many visitors and 3 clubs doing basically the same ride, it was a debacle waiting to happen.

Dianne Welsford (Honda CBR600)