XtraPix: Aussie Adventure

Photography by Andrew Wheeler

Opportunities to see new places and meet interesting people go hand-in-hand with overseas travel. Last year was a banner year on both accounts. Press junkets took me to the Canary Islands, Italy (twice), Germany and, finally, Australia. While I generally travel either alone or with one or two members of the U.S. motopress, for the trip Down Under I flew from Los Angeles with friends Tom McComas, Steve Rapp and Greg White. When we arrived in Sydney, we hooked up with yet another buddy, photographer Andrew Wheeler, who was on a separate flight that had originated in San Francisco.

As described in the magazine story ("Aussie Adventure," April, 2008), we had a great time. Kawasaki provided brand-new KLX450Rs, a street-legal model in Australia, plus two guides, a mechanic and a factory transporter. In addition, we were joined by Shannon Warner and Sam Maclachlan, editors at Dirt Action magazine. Leading the charge with a capital "C" was our escort for the week, Kawasaki race-team manager Brett Whale. We capped off the week with the MotoGP race at spectacular Phillip Island.

As is frequently the case, space considerations limited the number of photographs that we could publish with the print version of the story. So presented here are even more images, as well as handy-cam highlights of the trip courtesy of White, whom many readers may recognize from Speed Channel's AMA Superbike coverage (or not, as he's allowed his hair to grow back). I can’t speak for Tom, Steve, Greg or Andrew, but for me, recollections of this trip—of which only about 20 percent are suitable for publication in a family magazine—will last a lifetime.