2017 12-Hour: The Real Wizards

A ‘Wise Wizards Team’ award was introduced at the 2017 Transmoto 12-Hour; an award bestowed on the fastest team in which all four riders were over 50 years of age. It was designed to reflect the fact that the 12-Hour is about average riders racing their mates for fun, rather than Pro riders racing their arch-rivals for sheep stations.

^ Three of the four-man Powersport Central #5 team – runner-up in the battle for the Wise Wizards Team award.

Anyway, at the 2017 12-Hour’s presentation, we chirpily invited the “Powersport Central #5” team of Rod Carter, Rick Braico, David Collins and Paul Adams up to accept the inaugural Wise Wizard Team award, and drew attention to the fact they’d completed 43 laps and finished 48^th Outright. The old boys’ aching bodies were momentarily soothed by the public acknowledgement of their achievement. They accepted their trophies and said a few words. All good, everyone’s happy.
Until the following day, that is, when it was brought to our attention that the rightful winner of the Wise Wizards award was in fact the “Wise Old Men” team, who racked up 46 laps and finished an impressive 25^th Outright. Our apologies to both teams for the stuff-up (one we would have avoided if we’d remembered to include DOB on the entry forms!).

So, please put your hands together for the real winners of the Wise Wizards Team award for the 2017 Transmoto 12-Hour – the Wise Old Men quartet of Gary Crannage (60), James Crump (63), John Moore (59) and the spring chicken of the team, Lyndon Heffernan (52).
Sadly, this is the only image we have of the Wise Old Men team. As Heffernan later explained by email, “From left to right, you’re looking at James Crump, John Moore, my nephew Martin and me. Missing from the photo is Gary Crannage, who was probably having a Bex and a lie down.”
Now all we’ve got to do is prise the Wise Wizards trophies from the Powersport Central team posse’s grasp!