Held as part of the opening round of the Motul Pirelli Victorian Road Racing Championship (VRRC), hosted by the Preston Motorcycle Club at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, the Harvie Wiltshire Trophy is a race that dates back to 1951.
While most of the ‘pro’ riders were using the weekend as a test session for the upcoming curtain raiser Australian Superbike Championship round at Phillip Island on the last weekend in February, the Harvie Wiltshire Perpetual Trophy is one trophy all riders desire to have their name on it as it can boast some of the biggest names in Australian racing, many who went on to achieve success on the international stage – Ken Blake, Gregg Hansford, Robbie Phillis, Daryl Beattie and Steve Martin to name just a few.
From the get go, it was MotoGo Yamaha Racing’s new recruit Cam Dunker who got the jump off the line from second place on the grid and led for the opening two laps with double British Superbike Champion Josh Brookes behind him followed by West and Glenn Allerton.
The 12-lap race looked as if it was going to be a top four shootout between the quartet. However, on Lap 2, Allerton highsided his Superbike Advocates Racing Ducati V4R on the exit of Southern Loop.
The remaining 10 laps saw West, Brookes and Dunker scrapping it out at the front with the lead changing on numerous occasions. Brookes, who will be racing for DAO Racing aboard a Honda CBR1000RR-R in 2025, lead for most of the race thanks to the speed of his bike and his defensive riding.
The race was decided on the last lap between Turns 11 and 12. West managed to get himself up to second place behind Brookes. The Queenslander got a run on Brookes into Turn 12 and passed him on the inside. It didn’t slow him down as the line West took was perfect and he came onto the main straight strongly.
It was an all out drag race to the start-finish line with West holding Brookes at bay by a mere 0.075s with Dunker 0.091s behind in third.
“That was such a fun race to be a part of,” West told Speedcafe.
“It was a bit of a tricky race as Josh’s bike was so fast, and we all knew that. I threw everything I could at him to try and beat him, and I’m just so happy I managed to time the run on him to perfection to get the win,” West added, who became the 48th different winner of the prestigious trophy.
“Josh wasn’t even using all the track and made it hard for us to get around him. Thankfully I had the speed on Josh through the Hayshed, and on top of Lukey Heights and I was definitely faster into Turn 12.
“I kept passing Josh into Turn 12; however, he would just smoke me down the main straight. So, I knew I had to get him at Turn 12 on the last lap if I wanted any chance of winning. I just had to go big balls on the last turn to get the win,” explained West.
For West, who has years of racing at the top level in MotoGP and WorldSBK, where does Harvie Wiltshire Memorial race win sit with him now?
“I came away with the win, so I’m happy about that,” he said.
“You are never not happy when you win a race. I know its not a world championship like I have done in the past. However, I’m having a lot more fun with my racing now.
“It used to be so serious. So, to come and win these types of races, especially something like the Harvie Wiltshire Perpetual Trophy which has so much history to it, is a really nice feeling.
“It’s actually an honour to have my name alongside some of the greats of Australian motorcycle racing from the past.
“It makes it even nicer knowing I had to fight really hard for the win, so overall it’s a great feeling and a nice way to kick off the season for myself and the Addicted to Track team as we head into a new ASBK season in a few weeks’ time.”
