Chris Vermeulen becomes Patron of the MRRDA series
On Saturday 13th December Suzuki MotoGP rider Chris Vermeulen flew down from Queensland and gave up his Saturday to help out the MRRDA and in the process become the Associations patron.
Chris was joined by Kawasaki World Superbike Rider Broc Parkes. During the day the two riders met some of the 2009 MRRDA juniors, filmed footage for the 2009 MRRDA TV series and posed for Photos for the 2009 promotional campaign.
With eyes as wide as they could go, Sarah Fairbrother and Brodie Bloomfield from QLD together with Joel Nowlan, Brody Nowlan and Josh Hook from NSW all sat on the “grassy knoll” in the new Red Bull Australia offices with Chris and Broc. These youngsters hung on every word from their racing hero’s and although a bit star struck at first, soon warmed up to share some stories.
Chris Vermeulen – “Barry Sheene really helped me out when I started my racing career and he never asked for anything in return. He really was a top bloke who taught me a lot. So to be given the opportunity to help these young riders in return and the MRRDA series is a real pleasure.”
Broc Parkes – “I’ve known Woody who is part of the MRRDA for quite a while and I’ve sponsored one of the riders in the 2008 series. Australia needs this series for sure, so it’s great to be able to help out in any way.”
Paul Edwards (Woody) MRRDA Chairman – “Chris and his dad have given up their Saturday, flown down here at their own expense and freely given their time to share knowledge with these young riders and help us to promote the series. For Chris to then agree to be the series Patron and do so with such enthusiasm is simply beyond awesome. Broc had to take time out from a family birthday to join us, so you can’t ask for much more than that! The kids today have got memories that they will never forget and it will take a while for their smiles to fade. We simply can’t thank Chris and Broc enough for coming down to help us. It’s amazing how much energy you can find when people are prepared to get involved like this.”