David Cook Photography

About the Event

The annual “Top End” of Australia challenge known as the Kamfari is a tough 4 hour “off road” motorcycle endurance competition. I won’t call it a race because for a good deal of the four hours duration, competitors grapple their machines from the clutches of bottomless grass entangled swamp mud. I enjoy the challenges presented by motorcycle endurance event photography. I packed my 200 mm lens and drove out to Cox Peninsular near Charlotte Creek.

The Kamfari, conceived over a few beers, was first run in 1972 at a location near the Adelaide River named Kamfari Park. This Iron Man (Person) event is the bastion of the Top End lifestyle with just the right amount of basic rules. Riders battle the mud for approximately 100 miles, experiencing great mate-ship, hard yakka, persistence, bravery, and at the end…. beer. Another fabulous feature is that all this takes place in the truly spectacular wetland areas which surround beautiful Darwin. I have ridden this event a handful of times and each time after only 1 hour in (and out!) of the saddle I wonder at what could have possibly possessed me to partake in this ordeal. The tropical heat and humidity coupled with the difficulty of the terrain is totally energy sapping. However, to persevere and actually see the chequered flag envelops one in an incredible feeling of achievement. After all, most years way less than half the field manage to finish this event.

Preparation

Competitors need to be prepared, the machine must be set up for the mud onslaught and water ingress. Some riders duct tape up the air-box or even the entire bike, everyone has ideas on how to keep the thing running. Plus; be under no illusion, that machine will need a good deal of TLC after the event. Even if the motor keeps running and you manage to finish, the chain and sprockets will be destroyed, wheel bearings, swing arm bearings, levers, brake pads and plastics will all be pretty much a throw away job.

Honour Roll

But this event creates stories that are relived each year as well as at BBQ’s all over Australia…… “that big hole that swallowed bikes up to the saddle, blown engines, broken bones, limping home with no clutch, nursing cracked ribs for 10 kms to see the chequered flag, bent handle bars, lost parts, the big snake across the trail”, all these stories would not be told without the massive efforts of the Darwin Motor Cycle Club’s enthusiastic volunteers, the organisers of this top class day in the mud. Each year the “Honours Roll” rolls along, a very good friend of mine Peter Hardy came second in 1976. Southern stars come but mostly they are not prepared for the heat and humidity, only Brad Williscroft has had repeated success arriving in the Territory to steal the prize 10 times. Brad’s ten times winner credits are equalled by local rider Tony Morris, who once when asked how he trained replied, “I drink a carton of beer the night before” .   A champion Australian off roader AJ Roberts cut his teeth riding the Kamfari he was a junior but due to his recognised ability on the Motocross track they allowed him to enter the senior event, (well it is Darwin!… Locals know what that means). Check out the AJ Roberts story link below.

As I was saying the “Honours Roll” rolls on but I think some of the past club stalwarts and organisers should be on that roll too!

Event Photography

I have not ridden for the last few years, to be honest I feel a bit daunted at the prospect of battling the elements at 56 yrs old, but I do attend to photograph the proceedings. Every time whilst there I wish I had ridden, there is something about that sound of an off-road bike or quad revving hard through the mud, it does something to the adrenaline glands. The smell of two stroke exhaust mixed with freshly munched up black soil and overheated engines wafts the senses like bacon on the grill.

Capturing the trials and tribulations of the competitors is still good fun. I like nothing more than finding a good spot, often in the middle of the mud hole along with the riders getting covered in flying mud trying to protect the camera. The race starts at 10 am and the sun is well up and hot! Amongst the trees camera settings can be awkward with bright sun spots breaking through the canopy. I like to try and maintain a shutter speed around 1/125th of a second as it provides a good deal of motion blur at the wheels and the flying debris, this breathes life into the image. You have to be quick with the settings as light changes and faster action will demand a faster shutter speed. Many of the moments that occur only happen once in an instant and if you miss it… well too bad.

I like to travel light so I connected my trusty Tamaron 70-200 lens, I didn’t need a longer lens because I knew I could get amongst the action. I like this lens a lot, it is light enough to swing around and has a good focal range, 70 mm can capture fairly close action and some environment/landscape type shots if a subject pops up and the 200 mm is ample when you can get close to the subject the size of a motorbike and rider. Image quality is superb with this lens and the focus is snappy enough for this sport.

I love the dynamics and action of two wheeled motor-sport, it is a challenge to capture great images, that 60-80% humidity and 34 degree centigrade also means it is a tough gig, the camera equipment also needs plenty of TLC afterwards, sweat caked mud is not the best face pack for precision electronic implements.