Wayne Gardner and son Luca.

Aussie grand prix great Wayne Gardner will ride with sons Remy and Luca in a parade lap at next month’s Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island.

Gardner claimed outstanding victories at the circuit in 1989 and 1990, and like many, rates the imposing circuit at the edge of the Bass Strait as his favourite.

His teenage sons are striving to follow in his footsteps, but the Gardner family has chosen the fiercely-competitive proving grounds of Spain as a more suitable place for them to complete their road race ‘apprenticeships’.

He is looking forward to the opportunity to lap the circuit in front of home fans, and introduce his sons to the Australian public.

“It’s going to be a very special occasion,” said Gardner. “Instead of riding around by myself and waving to the crowd I’m bringing my two racing sons with me to introduce them to the Australian public.

“We didn’t spend much time in Australian road racing, they went through that system very fast and we came to Spain to take on the competition and learn, learn, learn.”

He said he felt honoured to be a part of the 2013 event, especially given it it reaches a milestone 25th staging.

“Everyone raises the Phillip Island races as some of the most memorable they’ve seen, in fact the best racing they’ve ever seen,” he said.

“That’s quite an honour to have, and I think I was fortunate to be riding at my peak in the golden era and be part of that whole scene. Those memories will live for a long time.”

He also commented on the changing face of the sport, and in particular, the level of technology that was being used to develop the bikes.

“Like every show it gets bigger, better, more colourful – but what I think has not been touched on enough is that it’s maybe too safe,” said Gardner.

“What I mean by that is that we don’t see the bikes getting a little bit out of shape as much as we used to, and I think the fans are starting to notice that: they miss some of the riders with character from the 80’s and 90’s on bikes that were a lot more loose and made it a bit more spectacular.”

The Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix will run from 18-20 October at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Cicuit. General admission tickets start from $45. Click here for more information.