FACTORY RIDE | WBR TRUCK AND MOBILE WORKSHOP

There was a time in the dim dark past when the way to get your bike to the track was in the back of a rusty Holden ute or an even rustier box trailer, even for sponsored riders. Then things stared to pick up with enclosed trailers or vans, and pantech trucks for the bigger teams. Today we have full sized semis arriving in the pits, like the WBR truck, with a complete workshop and living quarters in the back, for the more successful teams.

Whitten Brothers Racing (Travis and Nathan Whitten) is one such team with this type of impressive set up and it is very impressive, to the point of being luxurious. Pre-season truck loading and set up is a matter of weeks not hours and it can be a bit of a chore but once it’s set for the season it’s a little easier than you might expect as a lot of things stay in there. Being the day before the rig was to leave for Newy, you’d expect a stressful hive of activity, but the vibe was pretty relaxed, busy and focused but confident and very organised. Travis was actually serving customers in the shop and the fact that he had an hour or so for ADB is further proof of a well-oiled machine.

Come race day everyone sees the shiny stuff setup out the front of the truck. The race bikes, the spare bikes, awning, flooring, posters, flags, merchandise and tool boxes but there is so much more you might not think of. Inside is every part imaginable, pretty much a whole bikes worth, such as wheel sets, spare engines, forks, shocks and bars ready for a quick swap, packed, organised and labelled. Then for after the race there are pressure washers and cleaning chemicals, hoses, brushes and buckets to make everything presentable once more.

The neat set up of the WBR truck really is impressive. Everything is thought of and everything has its place, labelled cabinets, drawers, containers in drawers, anything and everything you can imagine needing has a home and it’s all as neat as a pin.

Each of the four riders has their own dedicated mechanic to look after his YZ250F. Kayd Kingsford is paired with Tom Newland, Koby Hantis is looked after by his father Dan, Kobe Drew has Jack Arnold on the spanners and Seth Burchell’s bike is taken care of by Will Balkin.

THE DRIVER

PETER WHITTEN (father)

“I’m a freak about packing vehicles efficiently, just ask my wife, seriously it’s maybe my greatest skill”.

5 THINGS WE DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT THE WBR TRUCK.

• Underneath the kitchen is 2400 litres of water
• There are rider bunks and a lounge with heating and cooling
• The sleeper cab has been converted to seat extra passengers
• There is room for 10 bikes on the second level
• And even a little car that slots in the back!