Aker' to race at Phillip Island 8 Hour

Akermanis, 34, has assembled a team of five riders for the enduro under the 'Akermanis Race Workshop' banner. Partnering Akermanis will be Andrew Kendrick, Dean Oughtred, Aron Burgess and Erin Talbot. The team is supported by Honda and backed by the Caulfield Park Community School, which caters for students who struggle to fit into the conventional teaching system.

The Caulfield Park crew have been involved with the project since the start of October, designing the fairing graphics and learning about race bike mechanics and how to tune the CBR 600RRs for maximum performance. Other sponsors for the Akermanis-led tilt at this year's 8 Hour include Symes Accident Repair Centre and Freestyle Honda.

The Akermanis Race Workshop is one of only two teams that will be running Hondas at this weekend's event. The other is the impressively-named 'Team Cheese International' competing in the Superbike class and comprising Tyson Jones, Nathan Jones and Alistair Loomes.

"To be honest, this will be my first serious bike race," said the 2001 Brownlow Medallist ahead of this weekend's event.
"But I have been riding for years, and have done lots of ride days at the island. My best time round there is a 1.48 on a Supersport 600 and, while I will have a go, I sometimes come unstuck."

Akermanis's words proved to be prophetic, as he crashed hard during a test session last week, but is still expected to be a starter for the event.

The Phillip Island 8 Hour is a three day event, running from Friday, December 2 to Sunday, December 4. Support races, practise and qualifying take place on the Friday and Saturday, with the 8 Hour itself scheduled to start at 9:30AM on Sunday.

General admission prices will be $45 for a three-day pass, or $25 for entry on Sunday only.

For more information on the event, visit www.phillipisland8hour.com.au or tel (03) 5952 2710.