XROSS GENERATIONAL RACING

Billows of smoke drift across the track, plumes soon brought to life and given color by the yellow sparks dragging parts as 40-year-old air-cooled superbikes rip some of the finest tarmac in the world. The race to Turn 1 is on, and yet I can’t see a thing—my vision blurred by the streaks of motor oil that coat my windscreen. This racing time travel at the Phillip Island Classic in Australia is just about as far as I can get from modern-day superbike racing, and yet it remains beautiful, two-wheel art being played out at 170 mph.

The Island Classic is a unique event. Like most vintage race gatherings, there’s a massive variety of motorcycles and classes, but the headliner is the International Challenge that brings together national- and