Phil Hall – Souvenir Collecting
I’m not much of a souvenir hunter, although looking at the following pictures, you wouldn’t think so. Over my adult life I have moved houses many times and the process often sees one disposing of all but the most needful items. But, somehow, I have managed to hang onto some things that are pretty precious to me. Some are tangible and some ephemeral but all have a meaning for many different meanings.
The credit card sized ones on the coloured lanyards are all media passes from WSBK and Island Classic meetings I have covered (some of them). The large white one is from the Australian Sprintcar Championship at Parramatta City Raceway when I provided electronic scoring for the event. The red one next to it is my “Access All Areas” pass from the 2000 Bathurst Easter Carnival, the very last time that the bikes raced at Bathurst. I was head of the commentary team, working with Brian Nightingale from the local radio station and Noel Christensen, a long-time Bathurst commentator. The QANTAS pass is from the Gold Coast Indy 300 car race.
The various programmes go back much further. They are not motorcycle-related so I’ll pass on them.
Then there are two “trophies” The wooden one was a token of appreciation from Brian and Gayle Holbrook, then promoters of Tralee Raceway (known at the time as the “Pepsi Powerdome” – yes, I know, tacky, isn’t it?) That was for the 1988-1989 season one of the seasons where I was course commentator for the venue.
A little medallion on the perspex stand is the most precious of all. Only a limited number of these medallions were made and they were only given to the competitors who took part in the Inaugural Canberra road race meeting (October 1978) around what came to be known as Macarthur Park. However, because I was president of CRRC, the promoting club, and because I had played a significant part in making the meeting happen, the club committee voted to give me a medallion in recognition.
I have another medallion that was struck to celebrate CRRC’s 20th Anniversary in 1997.
Again, these are all mementos of my time as president and member of CRRC and they all have a special meaning for me. I doubt that there are many unworn sweatshirts still around and the t shirt from the final meeting at Macarthur Park is valuable also because it represents the closing of the road closure era in Canberra. I also have a folder that contains all the programmes, press clippings and race reports from all the road closure meetings.
There are a few others lying around the place but, as you have probably gathered, these are the ones that are important to me. But there are also some more recent ones as well. On Sunday afternoon after the races are over at a race meeting, it is a scene of controlled chaos as the huge process of packing up starts. This is especially true at the international meetings which, to the teams, are “fly-away” rounds and involve them bringing a great deal of gear a great distance and at great expense. Part of that process of packing up afterwards is throwing out stuff that they don’t want or need to take home. And, unfortunately for some teams, this includes broken bits. And so it was that, leaving the pit garage of Luca Scassa at the WSBK meet in 2013, I stumbled upon this item sticking out of the top of a bin.
It now hangs on the wall of my garage.
Like I said, I don’t really collect souvenirs, but, passing by the Mahi team pit late on Sunday afternoon, at a WSBK meeting a few years ago, I came upon the battered remains of the fairing and belly pan from Kenan Sofoglu’s ZX6. One of the team officials was standing by and he asked, “Do you want it, we’re only going to throw it in the bin?” I hesitated, did I want it? Of course I did. I have always been a huge admirer of the Superglue, as he is affectionately known. I had watched him win three WSS titles and cheered him on from the sidelines. Further to this, he and I are on first-name terms (no, I am not being pretentious). I have interviewed Kenan for MotoPod for the last three years and he has said that he appreciates the fact that, unlike many media people, I ask intelligent questions! So, did I want a Superglue souvenir? Hell, yes. But, as Jeremy Clarkson often says, there was a problem. How would I get it home, given that I was flying home not driving?
Light bulb! Staying at our rented house was Sydney TZ750 racer, Julian Hardy. I wondered if he’d be willing to tuck it away in his trailer and take it home for me? I took the punt and decided that I would take just the belly pan piece and not push my luck.
I also saw Eugene Laverty’s gorgeous girlfriend, Pippa, giving away some knee sliders but I was too slow. She turned and looked at me and said, “Do you want one, hang on I’ll go and see if there are any more?” She disappeared into the Suzuki office and emerged with not just a knee slider but a SIGNED one. “There, will that do?’ Would it ever!!
The final souvenir also has an interesting story. Along with Kenan Sofoglu, I have made it a point to always interview the French rider, Jules Cluzel. When he, historically, won MV’s first world championship race in 38 years, the scenes of jubilation in the pit were amazing. After photographing the team manager returning to the pit box with the two trophies (one for the rider and one for the manufacturer) I left the pit and they celebrated on.
Later in the afternoon I returned to just add my personal congratulations and Jules was still buzzing, obviously! I asked him if he had some sort of souvenir that he could give me as a memento of the occasion. He looked around and said, “No, I don’t really think so.” Then he said, “Oh wait, will this do?” Reaching down onto the floor, he picked up his helmet, unclipped the visor and handed it to me! A team member, realising what was happening, handed him a texta and he autographed it, right across the front.
So, in one fell swoop, my souvenir collection increased and, along with the memories, I had some tangible things to help me remember a memorable weekend.
At the risk of sounding unpatriotic, my all-time road racing here is Freddie Spencer. Some years ago I finally managed to prise the big Spencer poster out of the grasp of my local motorcycle shop owner. It has had pride of place on my garage wall ever since. But that alone would only make it part of a collection rather than a souvenir, so, of course, there is more. This year, when Fast Freddie visited the Barry Sheene Festival of Speed, I took the poster to the track and Freddie was kind enough to sign it for me. It’s back on the wall again, but with an invaluable addition that now makes it into a souvenir.
Like I said, I’m not really a collector, but, somehow I have managed to accumulate some pretty cool souvenirs!
