Off the Record: ‘Badge’ gets it wrong for the first time, and an act of kindness at the Elleker half-marathon

BADGER’S BINGLE It’s not a race. That’s the key point to remember as you’re watching Glenn Badger going for glory, hurling his old Ford Escort through the twisty stuff in Albany’s CBD. Badger, a towering man who looks like he would struggle to fit into a normal-sized vehicle, has been racing — sorry, participating — in the Classic for more than two decades. The president of the Albany Classic, he is a well-known and well-liked figure in the local motorsport community. On the eve of the big day, you can find him toiling away among a horde of volunteers getting the course ready. When Off the Record spoke to him on Monday, he was still on the job, helping with the final stages of what has become a seamless set-up and pack-up operation. When OTR asked if there were any major incidents on Sunday, “Badge” was pleased to report that the day had mostly gone off without a hitch and no one had been hurt. Then, sheepishly, he conceded that his pride might have been dented, along with that hotted-up orange Escort. As he was tearing through the chicane on Peels Place, he “clipped” a concrete barrier, ripping some of the bodywork from his pride and joy. The contact came during a practice run earlier in the day, when there was more water on the bitumen. It was his first bingle in 22 years of taking part in the Classic — and to put it lightly, it gave him a bit of a fright. “I race at Barbagallo and at Collie, I’ve been doing it for many years,” Badger said. “But in Albany, it’s definitely a little more daunting because you’ve got all of that concrete. “You don’t drive absolutely flat-out because the concrete is so unforgiving.” Badger recovered to continue driving throughout the day, enjoying the friendly rivalry with his mate Ray Panizza, who was also in an Escort. In the third and final trial of the day, Badger cracked the one-minute mark, recording a time of 0:59.4191. That was just a fraction of a second off the quickest lap of the day — 0:59.0272 by Panizza. No matter, though. It’s not a race. MORAL SUPPORT OTR wants to give a quick shoutout to Andrew Collins for his top-drawer s...housery at the Elleker half-marathon on Sunday. As a big field set out on the gruelling half-marathon in chilly conditions, Collins stood on the side of the road, offering moral support. The ABC radio presenter, local shantyman and endurance runner was holding a sign that read: “If I see you collapse, I’ll pause your Garmin”. OTR understands a Garmin is a gadget used by athletes to measure their fitness activities. That is very considerate of Collins, who opted to compete in the shorter 10km event at this year’s Elleker Running Festival.