2019 Island Classic: Thunder Down Under—There are four massive classic races you need to get to before you pass on, those being the Classic TT on the Isle of Man, the Barber Vintage Festival in Alabama, the Goodwood Revival in the UK and the Island Classic, held at the incredibly fast and beautiful Phillip Island in Australia.
2019 Island Classic: Thunder Down Under
Held over the Australia Day long weekend (January 25-27), the Island Classic is one of the largest motorcycle racing events held in the country, with only MotoGP and WorldSBK pulling more spectator numbers.
Riders from across the globe descend on the island with some truly special hardware beneath them, and this year it looks like the event will distill to a showdown between home team Australia and the Americans for the first time in the race’s history.
Teams compete for points in the International Challenge, with current champions Australia narrowly besting the UK team last year with Team USA in third. The UK will not be fielding a team this year at Phillip Island, although Team USA will be boasting their strongest ever line-up as they attempt to capture the International Challenge Trophy for the first time.
Captained by long-time classic racing stalwart, Dave Crussell, Team USA will comprise of four-time AMA Superbike Champion, Josh Hayes, former AMA Formula Xtreme and FIM Endurance World Champion, Jason Pridmore, former Daytona 200 Champion, Steve Rapp, Larry Pegram, Dale Quarterly, Isle of Man TT and Macau Grand Prix veteran, Mark Miller, Cycle World journalist and MotoAmerica Supersport contender, Michael Gilbert, Cycle News’ own Rennie Scaysbrook, Barrett Long, Joe Pethoud and Jorge Guerrero.
Team Australia will field current Isle of Man TT factory rider David Johnson, former three-time ASBK Champion, Shawn Giles, former WorldSSP rider Jed Metcher, Laurie Fyffe, Paul Byrne, Aaron Morris, Isle of Man TT winner Cameron Donald, former ASBK Champion, Steve Martin, Beau Beaton, and John Allen.
With Team UK not coming to race this year, the third and final team entry will go to New Zealand, who will house some of the Brits who would otherwise be racing for Team UK.
Those include former three-time BSB Champion, John Reynolds, MCN head road tester, Michael Neeves, and Australian Alex Phillis. Team NZ will also field team captain Duncan Coutts, Brendan Wilson, Glenn Hindle, Roger Gunn, Simon Richards, Matt Ineson, and Campbell Stevenson, Pete Byers, Peter Jones, Glenn Crutchley, and Dean Castleton make up the 15-rider list.
A celebration of a century of motorbikes, the event is a true bike fest with close to 500 bikes racing and on display, including old Indians, Nortons and Vincents through to vintage Triumphs, Harleys and Ducatis. There are six historic categories from pre-WW1 bikes through Vintage (1920-1945), Classic and Post Classic (from 1946 to 1972) and the more recent Forgotten Era and New Era classes fighting for class honors and the Phil Irving Perpetual Trophy.
The 2019 Island Classic promises to be a massive event, and we’ll be there to bring you a full feature on how it all unfolds in Cycle News.
2019 Island Classic International Challenge Entry List
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