We talk to the Aussie racing legend Stephen Gall on the long days, the good days and his heyday
Where are you headed?
I’m driving from our Gold Coast base to Wagga for a round of the NSW Amcross series. It’s a great event run on a grass track-type
course.
What takes you all the way down there?
We do a lot of trips selling and servicing our Gall Bros medical knee braces, for all age groups and riding levels. I got into this when I ruptured both my AC ligaments in the late 1980s. It’s a fairly common injury but there are ways to minimise the risk and professionally fitted braces play a big part.
We’ve followed your career over the decades. You’ve had a long association with Yamaha. What do you do with them now?
I’m a Yamaha brand ambassador, mainly involving adventure rides. I’ve been with Yamaha for 44 years. I’m probably one of the longest-serving members of the team now that (former MD) Steve Cotterell has retired.
You’ve been a mentor to a lot of racers and were a team manager. Are you still involved?
Not in a paid capacity, but I do help people out. At the moment I’m working with a great young kid called Kyle Webster. He’s racing for the Penrite Honda team so you can see that I’m happy to spread my knowledge beyond Yamaha. I go back a long way with team owner Mark Luksich, who worked with Glen Bell when he was racing against me in the 1980s.
Many ex-racers don’t like road riding. What’s the attraction?
I’d never get on a motorcycle and ride down the main highway like I’m doing in the car now, but I love riding on Australia’s never-ending network of dirt roads and bush tracks on my Ténéré 660. A motorcycle can take you places in a way even the best 4WD can’t. You get the whole experience and you can do it for days using the tarmac just as a transition from dirt section to dirt section.
You especially enjoy the Ténéré Tragics events?
In many ways this event sums up what’s great about adventure riding. For an ex-racer, there’s no pressure to perform. It’s very social and I enjoy the camaraderie of the riders.
Not even a few tricks?
Knee issues mean I can’t do sustained motocross-style riding, but there are plenty of chances for feet-up drifting!
Any advice for people planning to get into adventure riding?
Two areas are important. Firstly, road riders need a dirt-friendly bike, one that is not too tall and heavy and has the correct tyres. They also need to get training and do as much practice up their local dirt roads as they can before taking off on a big trip. Dirt riders, of course, have more choices with machinery, as it’s much easier to go from riding on dirt to the road than the other way around. Secondly, it is crucial to choose the protective riding gear that offers climate control and safety. It is easy to get overheated or suffer exposure depending on whether you are riding in the Outback or in the mountains. Don’t be scared to spend good money on the best riding gear.
Since your racing days you’ve spent a lot of time coaching riders. What’s driven this?
I’ve been lucky enough to experience all types of racing, so it’s easy to put something back in after retirement. I started off on a dirtbike, then went dirt-tracking, motocross, desert racing, finished third in the Castrol Six Hour race (1981, with Ron Boulden on a Yamaha XS1100), then midget speedway (won an Aussie title) and sprintcar racing. After racing I was involved in team management and MA’s national coaching commission. Two recent highlights were being inducted into the Australian Motorsport Hall of Fame and running a leg of the Commonwealth Games baton run.
What about those years of involvement with the Mad Max: Fury Road movie’s motorcycles?
Yes. Great memories there. I still have the actual bike Max rode in the movie. It’s an early crossplane-crank Yamaha YZF-R1 on straight pipes. I start it up now and again and the neighbours love it! Before the movie location switched to Namibia, the crew built a freeway-wide, 2km-long dirt test strip outside Broken Hill. We got Max’s bike up to 200km/h. Great days.
What’s your one piece of advice for adventure riders to remember?
Don’t overdo the overnight stops. A lot of us are over 50 and if you drink too much alcohol, definitely you will be dehydrated the next day and prone to lose concentration. A crash is a bad way to end a great ride.
By Hamish Cooper
