“I have just come from a campsite on Phillip Island,
where I followed how Eugene, Tom and the rest of the
team got on in the opening races,” said Leggett. “And
how fantastic is this? First, I watched the races on the
weekend, and now I am meeting everyone in person
here in our little fire station!
“Tom Sykes is wearing my firefighter jacket, in which
I battled against the bushfires. I am incredibly proud. I
would like to thank the whole team for visiting – it has
been a special day for us all, and especially for me.”
Eyes welled as emotions ran high, everyone came to
an understanding of what this small moment meant.
The ride reached Canberra a few days later, everyone
exhausted physically and emotionally, deeply moved by
the experience.
“The whole trip was inspiring but, above all,
meeting the people was particularly moving,” says
Laverty, speaking on behalf of everyone. “The people
were genuinely pleased that we had visited them.
And it was a pleasure for us to be able to give them
that joy. The Australians’ spirit, which you could
feel in all our meetings with the residents, was
particularly inspirational; ‘Never give up, fight to the
last, and always look forward.’ That is something we
have all taken from this experience.”
Vikram Pawah, CEO of BMW Group Australia, said
the visit of international BMW Motorrad Motorsport
identities to bushfire-affected regions was a fillip
and that it perfectly complemented local efforts to
provide aid to those in need.
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