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Former Member
deleted
30 Posts |
 Posted - 28 May 2004 : 08:08:24 AM
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Who remembers the Darley road race circuit, that was near Bacchus Marsh.
The racing was run mainly on roads that had made up part of the WW2 Army Camp.
How about some stories and reminiscences from some of you.
The Preston MCC ran meetings at this track from the late 1940's until the early 1960's. It was a mainstay of road racing in Victoria.
The main straight was also the main road, which the council would close during the day.
I would like to collect more information on this venue, and the people that competed there.
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Edited by - n/a on 23 Feb 2005 10:35:42 AM |
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acotrel
Advanced Member
Victoria
2147 Posts |
Posted - 28 May 2004 : 8:31:59 PM
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| Saw Barry Oliver win a race there on the Ex Mussett 350 works velo. Saw Wes Brown's Triumph outfit (No4)throw a crank out the side of the motor while winning a race. Saw Maurice Quincey fall off and break his arm after just coming back from Noble's Hospital on the IOM. Saw Frank Spiller win a race there on a fast Triumph. Can't remember much more as I was only a kid of about 18 when I went there (must have been in 1959), but I rode in a Hartwell Club sprint there in about 1974, when they closed the road - a very rare occurrence in Victoria. I believe the road must have been privately owned. I think Murray Nankervis arranged the meeting, he knew all the pollies, and ran the Laverton Airstrip Meeting. |
Is your machine authentic or merely eligible? |
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acotrel
Advanced Member
Victoria
2147 Posts |
Posted - 28 May 2004 : 8:34:03 PM
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| Apparently Frank Spiller always used steel rims after running off at 'Mo's Nose' and hitting a brick! He reckons alloy one's would have been dented. |
Is your machine authentic or merely eligible? |
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bruce pederick
Level 2 Member
Victoria
27 Posts |
Posted - 31 May 2004 : 12:22:43 PM
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Yes I have raced there
see my previous comment re "flying bedstead"
Was good to have a chat with Maurie Quibcey at Winton yesterday
Bruped |
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bruce pederick
Level 2 Member
Victoria
27 Posts |
Posted - 31 May 2004 : 12:24:16 PM
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Sorry QUINCEY !!
BP |
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Former Member
deleted
30 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jun 2004 : 12:30:57 PM
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There has not been much response on the Darley track. What about some of the other long defunct tracks in Victoria that saw road racing. Places like Fishermans Bend, Little River, Rowville, Crib Point and Mildura.
Lets have your memories. |
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john
Forum Moderator
Victoria
3130 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jun 2004 : 1:00:48 PM
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| What happenned at Rowville? |
John Daley Sidecar #68
' there are those who do, those who dont do and those who undo. We must lampoon the latter." |
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Former Member
deleted
30 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jun 2004 : 5:06:13 PM
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Rowville.
If you drive east along Wellington Road, approaching the corner of Stud Road.On the right hand corner is a Power Station. This was built on the site of a WW2 Italian Prisoner of War Camp, that was used in the late 1940's for road racing. Even then the roads were in poor condition, and a well known overseas rider, who bought a Moto Guzzi out to race, described the track as "the fastest scramble I ever raced in". I am unsure if anything remains of the track, or the camp, but it is part of our racing history. |
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acotrel
Advanced Member
Victoria
2147 Posts |
Posted - 04 Jun 2004 : 6:24:36 PM
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| A friend of Allan Greening's told me that Allan had boasted that he beat Maurie Quincey around one of the corners at Fisherman's Bend. Only one thing - Maurie didn't crash through the hay bales! |
Is your machine authentic or merely eligible? |
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bruce pederick
Level 2 Member
Victoria
27 Posts |
Posted - 05 Jun 2004 : 8:45:38 PM
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I can post the history of the Moto Guzzi referred to I eventually owned it.
The rider at Rowville was Scot Fergus Anderson, it is a long story no time now , will get around to it soon i hope if any out there are interested
Bruped |
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Former Member
deleted
30 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jun 2004 : 10:14:52 AM
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Who can tell us about the road racing at Little River, Crib Point, Ballarat Airfield and Victoria Park-Ballarat?
These were only some of the road race tracks used in Victoria in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.
This is motorcycle racing history that should be preserved.
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Allan
Site Moderator
National
599 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jun 2004 : 10:38:30 AM
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Vic Park Remember Doug Everet? on Manx parting each other at the pit corner es Gorge Huges passing me on his 125cc bike! could never get used to comming out of the tree's into brigh sunshine, I asked Frank Spiller how he did it and his reply: just shut one eye and no problem's lolo. Fond memories of cannon corner what was her name? |
Allan Greening |
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Allan
Site Moderator
National
599 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jun 2004 : 10:49:36 AM
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PI 1956? remember rear wheel comming out of Velo KSS down main straigh and a track offical (One of the Glass boy's?)running next to me ready to pick up the bits 'but" just slid along on the bottom frame rails when i returned to Pits Paddy Mallie told me he had seen that the backing plate stay bolt was loose  great help that was  wonder if Paddy is still around |
Allan Greening |
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Former Member
deleted
30 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jun 2004 : 2:57:45 PM
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I should have also included Altona and Bandiana as two more areas that were used for Road Racing in Victoria.
Any memories of these tracks? |
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acotrel
Advanced Member
Victoria
2147 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jun 2004 : 4:43:28 PM
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| There was a period in motorcycling history where there wasn't a fatality in road racing for 25 years, since the one that occurred at Bandiana in the fifties. |
Is your machine authentic or merely eligible? |
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bruce pederick
Level 2 Member
Victoria
27 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jun 2004 : 9:16:55 PM
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See my comment re Fergus Anderson and Moto Guzzi on Darley site re Rowville
more applicable on "Remember When ',. Please see continuation of my recollections on that site
Bruped |
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acotrel
Advanced Member
Victoria
2147 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jun 2004 : 9:50:19 PM
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| I believe both Fergus Anderson, and Dickie Dale came to Australia with works Guzzis. Did you end up with a 'works' machine (and where have you got it hidden)? |
Is your machine authentic or merely eligible? |
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matcho mick
Advanced Member
New South Wales
570 Posts |
Posted - 23 Feb 2005 : 11:13:25 PM
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| i put a picture in the gallery section of Neil Swanson at Ballarat on Xmas day in 1949 leading the race/start on his mac velo,does anyone recognise any other riders?,Neil said they organised xmas day races there?, |
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Former Member
deleted
30 Posts |
Posted - 25 Feb 2005 : 11:14:20 AM
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Mick,
Thanks for the reply, although I cannot find the photo.
I think that you will find that this meeting was held on New Years Day 1949. The programme for that meeting shows that Neil Swanson (of NSW?) was entered on a Velocette, in the Junior Clubmans Race (machines up to 350cc). According to my information he did not finish in a place as the event was won by Hughie Guthrie on a Velocette (number 8) from Ken Riley, Velocette (number 3) with R.Gower, NSW (number 11) riding a Triumph third.I will try and post an illustration of the track.
These meetings were run in Victoria Park, Ballarat from the late 1940's into the mid 1960's, as I competed there on a BSA outfit one very cold day in June 1965/1966.
I have posted two plans of the Victoria Park tracks. The first shows the track as it was used until 1951/52, and the second the track configeration from there on. There was one spot on the later track that the two roads came together, and there was a dividing wall of hay bales.I don't believe that it would pass track inspection these days.
Take note that this was, and still is, a public park, and crowd control was very difficult. The time that I raced there I recall people wandering across the track while racing was going on.
Mick,
Thanks for the great photo which is now up in the Picture Gallery.
As I stated earlier, this meeting took place on Saturday 1st January 1949 (New Years Day, and this race (Junior Clubman) appears to be hotly contested. There were 50 starters in the race on the following machines.
Velocette 28
Triumph 7
AJS 6
BSA 3
Ariel 2
Excelsior 1
OK Supreme 2
Douglas 1
Velocette were definately the machine to have, even though a Triumph took third place.
Riders that I have identified from the photo are:
13 Neil Swanson
8 Hughie Guthrie
7 J.Clayton
47 J.Purcell
34 O.Minihan
79 H.Henley
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Edited by - n/a on 09 Mar 2005 09:05:20 AM |
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David
Site Administrator
Australia
999 Posts |
Posted - 25 Feb 2005 : 11:31:56 AM
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Sorry guys, the Photogallery is offline until I get time to update it.quote:
Originally posted by matcho mick
i put a picture in the gallery section of Neil Swanson at Ballarat on Xmas day in 1949 leading the race/start on his mac velo,does anyone recognise any other riders?
I had to move the site from hosting it myself after the ISP blocked the internet website port from being displayed to an external host.
I have got everything except the Photogallery working on the site, so please bear with me while I get a new gallery working. 
Now back to the topic.. |
Regards,
David
Webmaster & Owner of Classic Motorcycling Australia
Quote: I thought I wanted a career, turns out I just wanted to be paid. |
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matcho mick
Advanced Member
New South Wales
570 Posts |
Posted - 03 Apr 2005 : 10:43:22 PM
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| G'day Ross,talking to swano today,he didn't race on the later track,wanted to know the name of the 1st track,he thought it had an aboriginal name?,borrowed couple more photos from Neil,Whynstanes in 46,Murrays corner in 50's(dirt),will send when i can,cheers Mick |
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