Cricket fan's mission to crisscross Australia on his yellow Vespa to attend every Ashes Test
Scott Stokes and his little yellow Vespa called Van-espa. (ABC Broken Hill: Coquohalla Connor)
In short:
Scott Stokes is travelling more than 12,000 kilometres around Australia to watch every Ashes Test.
The 55-year-old is making the journey on his yellow Vespa named Van-espa.
What's next?
After riding to Perth and then Brisbane, Scott has another 4,000km to travel to the Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney Tests.
Scott Stokes is a man on a mission: to attend every Test cricket match in Australia on his little yellow Vespa — a trip encompassing 12,000 kilometres of open road.
Scott Stokes (no relation to England captain Ben Stokes) is a cricket tragic.
The 55-year-old from Canberra is crisscrossing the country for several weeks on his lightweight scooter to watch every game of the Ashes.
While some might choose to fly, Scott is doing it via bitumen at 90 kilometres per hour (85km/h if it's windy).
With the wind beneath his feet, he is making his way from Test match to Test match on "Van-espa" the Vespa.
But for Scott, the long, solo journey is also another type of test, as he grapples with his own mental health.
"It has always been a dream of mine to go to every Ashes Test, both here and in England," he said.
"But the other reason is … it's a mental health journey for me."
Scott Stokes has had a "long relationship" with cricket, both playing and watching, according to his wife Helen. (Supplied)
In late 2020, Scott had a "fairly significant event" and was medically retired from his job in health.
"I bought Van-espa just after being retired and she's really great to ride, it's very good for mindfulness," he said.
When Scott floated the idea of an epic road trip to his wife, Helen, she "didn't say no" — so he took that as a green light.
"The Vespa has been kind of life-changing for him,"Helen said.
The long journey, culminating in the realisation of Scott's dream to attend every Ashes Test in a series, has given him a target and a goal, she explained.
"I'm really happy that he's getting out there … he's definitely doing everything he can to rebuild his resilience, which has certainly been low in recent years," she said.
Scott Stokes with his mother Bev, before setting off on his 12,000-kilometre journey. (Supplied)
A 'bit of a dance' with trucks
After a short test run from Canberra to the Blue Mountains, Scott set out with his wife's blessing and a detailed list of petrol stations to ride the more than 3,700km to Perth.
"I followed him on a practice run from Katoomba and he didn't look like falling off … so I was pretty confident he's going to be fine,"Helen said.
Contending with road trains, trucks, potholes and a petrol tank that only takes him a couple of hundred kilometres at a time, Scott successfully navigated the first leg of his journey to Perth for the first match.
Then, he jumped back on Van-espa for the second leg: Perth to Brisbane — a journey of more than 4,300km — for the second Test.
"It's a bit of a dance," Scott said.
"I have to be mindful of where they [the trucks] are. There's been a couple of close calls, which my wife won't want to hear about."
Van-espa the Vespa taking a quick pit stop at the Mad Max 2 museum west of Broken Hill in outback NSW. (Supplied)
While Scott is a "fantastic driver", according to Helen, she has firmly ruled out a "his and hers" matching dual-Vespa scenario.
"I'm not very coordinated so we don't want me on the open road on a Vespa … I can just go on the back of his every now and then," she said.
That is, when Scott graduates from his P plates in April next year.
Until then, Scott has Helen and family behind him as he continues the remaining 4,000km journey from Brisbane to Adelaide, then to Melbourne (via the Great Ocean Road) and on to Sydney, before returning home to Canberra.
"We're about five years into his journey now, and it's tough on the kids, tough on me, it's tough on him," Helen said.
"But he's working really hard to do what he can to get better and you've got to admire that."