Although Phil’s discourse on things of our natural heritage may have made him rather unique amongst the other single minded and bit­terly competitive drivers, he remembers that after driving across the South Australian Salt Pans one night, every driver leapt out of their cars at the next check point exclaiming at the beauty and weirdness of a moon which remained on the horizon all night as a result of the incred­ible speed at which the drivers stormed west.