A record 360 entries have been received for the Australian Motorcycle News-sponsored International Island Classic, to be held at Victoria’s Phillip Island Grand Prix on 22-24 January, 2010.

The entry list makes it the biggest motorcycle race meeting ever held in Australia. Seventy five of those entries are in the high-profile Unlimited Forgotten Era category which recently competed as a support class at the 2009 Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix.

Aussie legends Malcolm ‘Wally’ Campbell (1980 Suzuki RG500) and Robbie Phillis (1980 Suzuki GSX1100) head the star-studded international field for the Forgotten Era events, with riders from UK, New Zealand, France and USA taking on Australia’s best.

Two of the toughest competitors ever to pull on a set of motorcycle race leathers, multiple Australian champions Campbell and Phillis will face off across a four-race format in the International Challenge for Forgotten Era (1973-1982) machines.

Campbell, a two-time Australian Superbike Champion (1989 and 1990), will race a four-cylinder Suzuki RG500 grand prix motorcycle similar to the one that took the late Barry Sheene to back-to-back world 500cc GP titles in 1976 and 1977.

Phillis, who won five successive Superbike crowns in the early ‘80s before Campbell halted his run, will compete aboard the same Suzuki GSX1100 Superbike that took him to the 1981 series win.

“I rate Wally (Campbell) as the toughest and hardest rider I’ve ever raced against,” says Phillis. “He never gave an inch, and never asked for one either. We had some great races.”

At 56 years of age, Campbell has lost none of his “Wally Go Bananas” reputation. The Tasmanian holds the outright Historic lap record of 1:41.953 for the 4.45km circuit – a time only around 10 seconds slower than a current MotoGP bike, but set on a 1980 motorcycle on ‘skinny’ tyres.

Campbell and Phillis, the two hardened warhorses of Australian racing, will face a star-studded line-up in the International Challenge races. Reigning World Endurance Champion Steve Martin (1980 Suzuki GSX1100), British Superbike rider David Johnson (1980 Suzuki XR69 F1), multiple British Classic champion Lea Gourlay (1980 Suzuki XR69 F1), Isle of Man TT victor Stan Woods (1980 Suzuki RG500), Formula Xtreme front-runner Michael Dibb (1978 Honda CBX1000/6), reigning Australian Forgotten Era champion Laurie Fyffe (1980 Suzuki GSX1100) and multiple Australian Pro-Twin champion Craig McMartin (1978 Vincent Black Lightning) are among the high-profile entries in the capacity field.

In 2009 the International Island Classic attracted a record crowd of 18,000, making it Australia’s biggest domestic motorcycle meeting behind only the MotoGP and World SBK events.

In addition to the International Challenge for 1973-1982 Forgotten Era motorcycles, a full support program for Veteran, Vintage, Classic and Post-classic solos and sidecars will ensure three days of non-stop on-track action at Australia’s premier Historic festival.

For further details on the meeting go to www.phillipislandcircuit.com.au, or tel (03) 5952 2710.