Old Sydney Speedway

Posts relating to early (Pre 1985) Hotrodding History in Australia, including Hotrod and Custom Shows plus early Drag Racing, Speedway, Hillclimbs etc.
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fordor.37
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Re: Old Sydney Speedway

Post by fordor.37 »

K7oaks..
Forgot to mention "Long Tack" The towruck driver and competitor..
He used to bring Skodas and put them in the middle of the track for the Stockies to demolish...Crowd seemed to like it..
That was your time......
Cheers
PJ
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k7oaks
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Re: Old Sydney Speedway

Post by k7oaks »

fordor.37 wrote:K7oaks..
Forgot to mention "Long Tack" The towruck driver and competitor..
He used to bring Skodas and put them in the middle of the track for the Stockies to demolish...Crowd seemed to like it..
That was your time......
Cheers
PJ
Yes, I remember him, can't remember his name though. He used to own the wrecking yards at St.Mary's. He was another character. And, I really remember the Scodas. One I particularly remember was an old roadster, I came around the top corner & was full pelt down the pit straight when I spotted the Scoda & suddenly decided to have a go at it, It happened so quickly I didn't have time to think & I T boned it doing about 45-55 mph, I instantly discovered how solidly the old Scoda was built, man, they were made with real steel, old # 70 came to a dead stop & then went backwards for a few metres, I made a fair sort of impression on the old Scoda but I got a hell of a shock at the outcome, so the result was Scoda, !....... #70 ,0 So next lap I got revenge by clipping the rear of the Scoda which sent it spinning, so second episode......#70, !..........Scoda, 0. Anybody got any old photo's ?
Gees it was bloody good fun ! Things that you wouldn't be game to do on the road, you could do in a Stockie & not worry about it !
Ken 7
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Nailhead Bucket
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Re: Old Sydney Speedway

Post by Nailhead Bucket »

Great News!
Check out my post in Vintage Speedway Action Today. :D :D :D :D 8)
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Nailhead Bucket
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Re: Old Sydney Speedway

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The older I get, the more everyone else can bite my arse.
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k7oaks
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Re: Old Sydney Speedway

Post by k7oaks »

fordor.37 wrote:K7oaks..
Forgot to mention "Long Tack" The towruck driver and competitor..
He used to bring Skodas and put them in the middle of the track for the Stockies to demolish...Crowd seemed to like it..
That was your time......
Cheers
PJ
I was on the phone to brother Clive this morning & asked him if he remembered "Long Tack". Clive's memory at 76 is pretty bloody good, he remembered his name was John Gearing, I'd forgotten the name, but knew it as soon as I heard it !
Ken 7
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fordor.37
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Re: Old Sydney Speedway

Post by fordor.37 »

K70aks
I thought it may have been Arthur Briggs from A class Spares..
But too long ago..Cheers
Fordor37
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k7oaks
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Re: Old Sydney Speedway

Post by k7oaks »

fordor.37 wrote:K70aks
I thought it may have been Arthur Briggs from A class Spares..
But too long ago..Cheers
Fordor37
Nah, not Briggsy, (but, as you said, it was a long time ago ! ) Briggsy didn't have a tow truck, he used a trailer to carry his stockie, and Ken Barlow's car. They are good mates. He used to carry #70 for a few weeks until I got my own trailer. Briggsy was a really mad character. Top bloke !
I last saw Arthur & Ken at the reunion at Windsor about 10 years ago when a plaque was unveiled at the old speedway site. I have a photo of them there which I don't know whether to post here or not ?
John's tow truck was a dark green color, if I remember correctly, I can't remember what make, but it was bigger than the usual F100 type of tow truck.
Ken 7
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Nailhead Bucket
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Re: Old Sydney Speedway

Post by Nailhead Bucket »

The tow truck driver on infield/pit duty at Sydney Speedway today is the same bloke who dragged the wrecks off the track at Liverpool. And I reckon it's
the same truck !!


Ken, out of interest sake, any idea what happened to the mods of Clive and Geoff Wicks ?
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k7oaks
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Re: Old Sydney Speedway

Post by k7oaks »

Nailhead Bucket wrote:The tow truck driver on infield/pit duty at Sydney Speedway today is the same bloke who dragged the wrecks off the track at Liverpool. And I reckon it's
the same truck !!


Ken, out of interest sake, any idea what happened to the mods of Clive and Geoff Wicks ?
I don't know where Geoff's car ended up, but Clive sold his to Charlie Lack. From there he doesn't know who ended up with it. Clive said that he saw it once years later at a vintage speedway display. Clive built the car himself, I forget where he got the plans from, but gees, it was a nice looking unit.
Ken 7
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Nailhead Bucket
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Re: Old Sydney Speedway

Post by Nailhead Bucket »

28 fordave wrote:
Nailhead Bucket wrote:I'm not sure that it is the Anderson car that came to Oz. Dave. Where does that info come from ?
Johnny Anderson bought the car ("The Fike Plumbing Special") out in 1970/71, re-badged as The Anderson Special.

It had been the car in which Sherman Cleveland was killed on July 2, 1966 only a short time after he had returned from Australia, and the big match race with Bryan Cuneen and Bob Tattersall at The Royale. (see previous posts about this)

JA had bought the car from Sherman's widow. Sherman didn't have it long - less than a year; having picked it up from Pestana and Lang. They had first raced it as the "ex-Fike Special" car in about 1964.

"Broadway Andy" Anderson and his brother Billy raced it throughout the rest of the '60's. After the season here, the car was sold to Rushie, who raced it that way.

Rushie then sold it to a guy in Darwin, where it was discovered by Bob Blacklaw when he was chasing the Casio midget up there.

Bob has it now. But there are people in the States who maintain it isn't the Parnelli Jones car, despite the fact that it has traceable provenance; and they can't say where the supposed "real" one went or is. :roll: :roll:

Their arguement is all based on an old magazine article which may have mucked up the racing numbers of the Pestana/Lang car.

YET, Parnelli Jones and Johnny Anderson, TOGETHER, have verified the Blacklaw car IS the real deal! PJ has even offered to buy it.


- This pic of the car in question turned up on LCR Facebook site. Sure brings back some memories.
http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t150 ... c92fe8.jpg
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Nailhead Bucket
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Re: Old Sydney Speedway

Post by Nailhead Bucket »

Here's a pic posted on FB by Johnny Harvey circa sixties. This is the McGee Shell Trackburner in a previous incarnation.
I love it. Look at the trailer and the background. 8)

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t150 ... 142a6c.jpg
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28 fordave
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Re: Old Sydney Speedway

Post by 28 fordave »

Nailhead Bucket wrote:Here's a pic posted on FB by Johnny Harvey circa sixties. This is the McGee Shell Trackburner in a previous incarnation.
I love it. Look at the trailer and the background. 8)

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t150 ... g~original
That was when it was owned by Don Mackay - it originally had a V8-60; but Don threw in a Holden grey 6 and changed the number to 13 - Harves drove it like that, as well as in the original layout.

Years later, when the McGees got hold of it, the Offy was put in; it got new suspension; little details like the handbrake changed sides.

Image
Last edited by 28 fordave on Mon Aug 12, 2013 1:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
No signature yet, still working on it. Bit like the Roadster, really!
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Grazza
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Re: Old Sydney Speedway

Post by Grazza »

What a really cool pic Dave. How many times was that scene repeated all over Australia?

Brings back some good memories of a shed in Northam (WA) on a Thursday night, around 1968 or 69/70 8)
Graeme
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28 fordave
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Re: Old Sydney Speedway

Post by 28 fordave »

Here's a coupla more from the McGee workshop:

Image
Notice there - it's got brake handles BOTH sides - never saw that elsewhere! I'm assuming the lever arrangement on the front spring mount was for the driver to be able to pre-load the spring during the race - have never seen that either!

Image
Phil spannerin'. Cool threads for the team, eh?

Image
Johnny Stewart after re-arranging all the good work done by the boys!
No signature yet, still working on it. Bit like the Roadster, really!
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Grazza
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Re: Old Sydney Speedway

Post by Grazza »

28 fordave wrote:Notice there - it's got brake handles BOTH sides - never saw that elsewhere! I'm assuming the lever arrangement on the front spring mount was for the driver to be able to pre-load the spring during the race - have never seen that either!
State of the art weight jacker. Never could see the sense in them myself. Who in the hell had time to play with weight distribution during a midget race???? Before and after, I understand, but during????
Graeme
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to disagree with my opinion.

"Within 5mm is Close Enough"
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