80 amcn.com.au
G
reg Pretty sits inside the concrete
wall at Bathurst’s GTX Bend, sipping
ref lectively on a steel tin of Carlton
Draught while he fiddles with
the ring-pull clip (photo at right).
Moments earlier he had been on target to claim
second place in the 500GP on the Yamaha-Pitmans
TZ500. But as Pretty started the last lap his fuel
tank ran dry.
After he had dismounted and pushed the bike
behind the newly constructed barrier, a local
sitting with a few mates at the top of a driveway
ran down and handed him the beer.
This photograph, taken by Phil Aynsley in 1981,
sums up a golden age of motorcycling. It shows
the connection fans had with riders at Bathurst, a
bond similar to that experienced today between
Isle of Man TT racers and spectators.
For decades Bathurst was the most spectacular
motorcycle weekend in Australia. Fans fed off
the raw emotion of the racing and the hedonistic
bonding that campfires, the consumption of
cheap alcohol and a shared experience of riding to
the event could concoct.
Pretty was one of Australia’s rock’n’roll racers
of the period. Off the track, his impish good looks
and sense of humour gave him more than a touch
of Bon Scott rock-god invincibility. On the track he
was often unbeatable.
This was a time when youngsters could make
a living doing what they loved. And for Pretty
that was racing motorcycles, driving fast cars
and generally living the dream. He had been the
Aussie sensation of 1979, winning the Australian
Unlimited (1300cc) Road Racing Championship,
along with the $13,500 Swann Series. The next year
he f lew to the UK w ith fellow South Australian
Jeremy Burgess. While Pretty struggled as a
privateer and returned home, Burgess went on to
forge a career as a GP kingmaker crew chief.
Back at Bathurst in 1981, Pretty had plenty
to prove. Had the ‘gap year’ in the UK blunted
his talent? Did he still have the fire in the belly
necessary to conquer The Mountain? It was a
typical Bathurst script that brought out the fans in
huge numbers.
At Pretty’s disposal was his old crew chief Mal
Pitman, a Yamaha TZ500, a TZ750, and a secret
weapon – an XS1100 converted to chain drive.Above. Greg Pretty rues
his poor fortune with a
tinnie after running out
of fuel on the last lap (top
left). On the opposite page,
the podium finishers stop
on their parade lap to take
him back to the pitsOpposite top. Ron Boulden
dominated the 500GP on
the Willing-run TZ500Opposite below. Despite a
slow start Rodger Freeth
(obscured) won the 1982
Arai 300 after reeling in
Rob Phillis (#30)GLORY DAYS BATHURST
Pretty was one
of Australia’s
rock’n’roll
racers with
his good looks
and sense of
humour