OzVMX Forum
Clubroom => General Discussion => Topic started by: Tim754 on December 16, 2012, 07:02:22 pm
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Well the above says it all. Here in North Central Victoria there be more than a few towns ,hamlets and villages that have now unused turf horse racing tracks. My dream is to one day see the bunting ,markers and a start tape be in use at such a waste. Perhaps all eras for speedway / dirttrack sliders and up to Pre 90 VMX solos and of course the mighty sidecars of any type
Anybody else interested? I mean I have been plugging away at trying to organize an event for nine years and it has occurred to me perhaps I be the only person with this bent. Cheers Tim754
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i am with you brother. if you can get it in motion i will ride.
insurance and other red tape hurdles will be hard in today's age to overcome.
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I definitely think it has legs and even though I might not ride it would def come down to support it.
For some inane reason we seem to lead the world in Gov't red tape to " protect " us from ourselves.
In the US you only need to look at the Flattrack racing on the Fairgrounds, in the UK they still run Grasstrack meetings in open paddocks and they're frigging land starved over there.
WTF is wrong with us?
It seems to me we're too concerned with protecting the spectators.
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Tim I reckon you are on to something with the Long Grass Track Thingie. For sure would b fantastic to watch. Personally would be a little worried about how long the Turkey would hang together after being on the main jet for so long. Always good to see the modern Long Trackers in full flight so if maybe modern classes could be incorporated might be easier to promote an event like this.
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If a chookie Grasstrack event can be held on the centre green of the Canowindra trotting track,why couldn't the same be done for all classes, including longtrackers ??
Foss
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I should add that I was talking about the " Speedway Act " as I remember it being called, predominantly about safety fences, most of which could kill the rider but protect the spectators.
Others will know more than me but once this act came in heaps of tracks closed overnight.
Foss, am I close?
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Yep, you're close Slides, Its full title is NSW Police, Speedways ( Public Safety) Act or at least it was when I had the teeth gnashing experience dealing with it. I still remember the guy's name I had to deal with.
That being said , we got there and got a track licence after crossing all the Ts and dotting the Is, I guess some of the horrific spectator injuries and deaths in the very early days had a lot to do with it's inception.
I soon worked out that you did EVERYTHING the copper that inspected it wanted you to do !!!
Foss'
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The old 'Speedway Public Safety Bill 1958' or whatever it was called was recinded in later years and was replaced with a watered down version of which I have a copy somewhere.
I made enquiries re this through my local member when I came back to racing in the '90s
Of course this 'speedway act' thing was only a NSW. GOVT. action.
Any one can get this info through their local State member.
cheers pancho.
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I have two words - get this shit sorted .... ok maybe more than two words but check this out, id even pay to see this.... More to ride it ;D
http://youtu.be/nQS8DF-Y47Y
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http://youtu.be/lDrdBlH8xc8
http://youtu.be/oa8CAa0z3wo
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They still run them at Newcastle showground every now and then,
I think the big problem is the bozo's that buy a house near a venue and whine about them being used, noise, traffic etc.
There should be a covenence on all properties surrounding a venue (Nepean is a great example) that when you purchase a property
expect some noise etc and there is no avenue to complain when the venue is being used.
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The Bathurst long track was on the trotting track I think and I remember one at Bankstown trots. Were they the ones the Ivan Mauger started off? Probably 10+ years ago now.
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Hey Tim, if something gets going I would certainly be a starter. Perhaps we could call it the "Old Wobblers class".
Generally it's hard to get these things going on your lonesome. Perhaps call on some of the old boys from the Vic Speedway Sidecar Riders Assoc, I would imagine some of them would help out. Down in Vic next week will chat with Peter Tolley and Douglas Cotterall to see if we can get some enthusiasm/help.
Rosco86
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We have a classic long track meeting at kapunda trotting track, its a once a year run on the 800m tack, to see the open boys go flat out is simply amazing. It's become a very popular event and no doubt will become invitation only soon. It is run by a private promotor northern track promotion, but if we can get a grid of entries we could get a class entered. Currently they run pre 85 sidecars, dirt track outfits, long track bikes, speedway solos and mx modern lites and open. Get a grid sorted of similar bikes and we can make it happen. Kapunda is on the northern side of Adelaide so central to all if you come via mildura or renmark etc. consider it, the event is already on, so you don't need to reinvent the wheel and pay to run the event etc. but you will need to supply a grid of bikes to get them in the program. 12 bikes to class. You could do a pre 75 open ? For example
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http://www.northerntrackpromotions.com/
Have a think about it. Happy to campaign to get it in the program if you can get me the bikes to fill it guaranteed
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The Bathurst long track was on the trotting track I think and I remember one at Bankstown trots. Were they the ones the Ivan Mauger started off? Probably 10+ years ago now.
yes first one was .........wait for it 1989 starring the incredible Wiggster.
amazing events these ones and burnt in to my memory. i have the 1990 even on DVD and am looking to find someone that has the 1990 event and hopefully the holy grail (for me) the 1989 event if it was taped (by tony day's Caric video productions)
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I'll go anywhere there's Methanol + Castrol R (or whatever they're using these days)
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I'll go anywhere there's Methanol + Castrol R (or whatever they're using these days)
Hmmm, another addict, we'll have to start a support group ;D
Foss
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Yep, you're close Slides, Its full title is NSW Police, Speedways ( Public Safety) Act or at least it was when I had the teeth gnashing experience dealing with it. I still remember the guy's name I had to deal with.
That being said , we got there and got a track licence after crossing all the Ts and dotting the Is, I guess some of the horrific spectator injuries and deaths in the very early days had a lot to do with it's inception.
I too have had to deal with the difficulties of the act, trying to set up natural terrain motocross events on a friendly farmers paddock in the early seventies. In the end my club and I gave up, thwarted by the red tape involved. I believe the act came into being after a race car went into the crowd at Gnoo Blas circuit at Orange, killing a number of people. The government had been spooked by the crash at Le Mans where 80+ people were killed so when the Gnoo Blass incident and another death at a country dirt track that killed a rider and spectator occurred in the same year (I think involving Jack Davies, Foss might remember), the government, in a knee jerk reaction introduced the draconian legislation. Although the details are mostly lost in history, it's also one of the reasons that NSW motocross sidecar racing died almost overnight in the early or mid sixties. Amongst other things, the act called for all race circuits to be fully enclosed by a wooden or concrete "safety fence" which in reality protected spectators at the expence of riders/drivers. The enforcement of the act was backed off only in the latter part of the 70's when we got some more sympathetic police licencing seargents. I believe the remnants of the act still exists in highly modified form as a section of the Sport and Recreation Act.
With regards to Tims idea for grass track races on old country race courses, it's a great idea in theory and if it came off I reckon there'd be tons of grass roots support. However I can't see setting it up being an easy task.