Here we get a bit of an insight into assistant Technical Director and Race Starter Callan Ridge's personal life and he's experiences as a HPV Racer.
(Above) Callan slipstreams the VW on a training ride to Mt Alexander in the lead up to the 2008 AIPP.
1) Age?
Turning 20 this year.
2) Where do you live?
Spring Gully in Bendigo, they have a really good footy team called the Spring Gully Springs. (Get Round em).
3) What is your job and where do you work?
I'm in my second year of a Fitting & Turning apprenticeship, I work at McCullochs Hydraulic Engineers which is in Epsom on the outskirts of Bendigo. It's a good place we do some fairly interesting things out there.
4) Number of Races?
Ridden in eight 24 hour races and two 6 hour races and also been in the pits for 5 or 6.
5) As a Fitter and Turner how do the skills you use at work benefit BYR?
Well they're skills that are required to make the majority of the steering and driveline parts so it comes in quite handy. Being able to use the machines at work is also quite beneficial as it allows parts to be made during the week ready for the usual Friday night work sessions. I don't think many of the parts could be made as easily, cheaply or to as high of a standard otherwise.
6) As a HPV student at both Flora Hill and Bendigo Senior Secondary you have been a part of some successful teams. What is your best memory/moment from HPV Racing?
By a long way my favorite race was back in 2005 with Flora Hill in a bike called Beefcake Productions, it was the first time I'd actually ridden in a HPV event and I still wasn't quite sure what to expect. We ending up coming 2nd in b class by 2 laps but it was very close exciting racing for most of the event. The whole year was quite exciting actually, the bike we built was completely different to any previous Flora Hill bikes and was the start of Flora Hills rise to the top of secondary HPV racing. It had a few similarity's to BY-03. But it was probably also the hardest race though, I think Rowan Nankervis and Myself ended up riding more than half the race between us.
7) What is the best thing about being involved in BYR?
The sense of achievement from both the building and training point of view and all the friendships made.
8) What is the Hardest part about BYR?
I'd say the commitment required, you can't really have anything else going on in your life if you take the training and building seriously.
Slipstreaming a Volkswagon in the dark up Mt Alexander on the road bikes in sub zero temperatures isn't much fun either.
9) And Finally BYR don't promote crashes but they are an unavoidable part of our sport. What is the most spectacular crash you have been involved in or seen?
For me it is probably quantity over quality whilst riding in the wet for the first time at Wonthaggi I managed to have 5 rollovers in just one stint.
And although I didn't actually witness it, I imagine Rowans crash last year at Murray Bridge must have been quite spectacular. Judging from the damaged sustained anyway, cross members aren't exactly easy things to break!
Callan second from right at the 2006 RACV Energy Breakthrough with fellow BYR teamates Jarrod, Deven, Mark, Adam and Tristan
Stay tuned for more interviews as we work our way through the 2009 BYR team.
(The Bendigo Oldies Racing vehicle aka BY-08)
