Dandenong MCC, Geoff Taylor, RT1s, Bihamco track ... Victorian pix early 1970s

[Doggy Digger]

Stan "Sleepy" Jones - 3-time Australian 125 Scramble Champion, early 1960s.   Back in the days when Bantams were king


Our local shop - Foster St, Dandenong.   Built by Sleepy Jones in 1960s.  GT bought it mid-1971.  Perfect timing to print money


GT trail-riding a new 1974 MX-360 on Delatite Arm, Eildon Weir.  Grabbed one off showroom floor and just turned up


Letter informing rider of upgrade in motocross class.   (Winston to "A" grade for 1973)


Winston Wyatt, Lynton Malley, Geoff Taylor and one of the crazy WFO Atherton twins.  High plains.


Roger Harvey, Bihamco track's long uphill - DMCC Club Champs (Run what ya brung)  Track was in Upper Pakenham, and was Dandy club's local track.


Sleepy signs shop over to GT, 1971.   AMCN pic.


Tom Robison and Lynton Malley


Barry Frazer on what became a very popular enduro bike - the superceded RT2-MX, with an RT1 or RT2 enduro engine dropped in.   Or, just with flywheel/points combo added.   Detuned and torqued up, they were miles ahead of the standard 360 Enduros.


Winston, Barry Frazer and Norm Watts.  Barry later became GT's sidecar passenger when Geoff went on to tarmac career


Stamped logo on back of "Stoney's Photos".   He attended all vic scrambles and roadrace meets ...


Winston testing in desert with nipponese mechanics ...


Roger Harvey and Ken Baker - jump at top of main straight at Bihamco.   January 1974 Club Day.


GT on Sleepy Jones-tuned DT1-MX.   Possibly Xmas Hills ...


"Proof of Loan" from Milledge, after sponsoring Winston an RT2-MX for 1972 season ...


Sleepy and Bantam.


Roger Harvey and Winston Wyatt


Original shop is at right.  Central part was a second property GT took, to hold the tonnage of trade-ins.  His shop three is to the
left of photo.


1976 Licence, but Winston started in 1971 ... when his major C-grade adversaries were Steve Cramer, Neil Edney and Dennis Curran.


GT the stunt rider


Reflective business sticker - as placed on fender of each sold bike ...


Geoff inside old shop ...


Norm Watts, Winston Wyatt and Barry Frazer ... high plains.   Circa 1973.


GT at open scramble, Bihamco Park.  Behind him is queue waiting for next race.   This holding point was by corner at end of main straight.  When let out, they rode back up main straight; turned around and lined up.


Barry, Norm and Tom Robison ... High Plains hut


DMCC Back of "Club Card" -  a small two-fold membership card which listed the year's events, Thursday night club meetings and elected committee


Elvis lives approx 300 metres from the long-gone Bihamco Track


Bill Ronald raced C-grade, but also loved the trail-ride weekends.   He's pulling a naughty mono across width of fully-running Berwick Show here on RT1 Enduro.  He's cheating, by using pillion pegs.


Adverts from scrambles program.   Minilya was sponsoring  a young Steve Cramer in 1971, and the poor kid was hopping between three bizarrely different bikes at each meet: 100 Super Rat; 250 Ossa Stiletto; and a BSA 500 Victor.   Struth.


Tom Robison next to Winston's DT1 (1970)


Darren Taylor, 1974.   Winston's Husky -  Easter 1974, Delatite Arm.


Winston and Geoff, IoM


Winston, Rob Portbury and Tom


Barry Frazer unloading at Delatite


Barry and Cheryl Loader, High Plains weekend ...


Rob Portbury - first corner at Bihamco, 1973 DMCC Club Champs


Lynton Malley in Vietnam, late 1960s

[Hoony]

great Photos Doggy Digger i know of most of those as i Joined the DMCC in 1979 ( still a member).

so are you Winston?

[Doggy Digger]

I'm Roger Harvey ... I grew up in Berwick.  Still in touch with most of these blokes.  We had a DMCC BBQ reunion ... at Portbury's, November 2008.   His home's front yard is on what was the main straight of Bihamco.   
It was a book launch for a history I wrote on our club and local riders.  Was called called "No. 29: Wyatt and Co."   (80 copies, all gone now)
Here's some of the 170-odd who turned up:   Milton and Rob Portbury, Mark Portbury and a bunch of youngsters from DMCC, Neil Edney, Chris Cormack, Peter DeGraves, Geoff Taylor, Cam Taylor, Pam Taylor, Ross Nye, Lyn Atherton, Peter Hagstrom, Lynton Malley, Garry White, Frank Camp, Neil Bird, Winston and Doug Wyatt, Teddy Watson, Denise - parts boss at shop and Gary Hore, John Boag, Ken and Dawn Baker I think, Doug Farr, Barry Higgins, Doug Mortimer, Alan 'Stoney' Stone, Hartley Murrell, Cliffy Brownfield, Alan Warner, Vic Warner, Shannon Warner, Tom Robison, Sleepy Jones, Peter Drakeford, Elvis Mayberry, Dave Hammond, Ron Watts, Bill Ronald, Geoff Morris, Terry Reynolds, Dave Alsop, Jumbo van Sluys and Tom Cornelissen.

[smed]

g,day D.D.,Winston Wyatt frequented my bikeshop in the mid 90,s in the goulburn valley,he always had some wacky project,fitting this motor in that frame etc,He told me stories of long distance high country rides on huskys & other bikes,I didn,t know if he was bullshitting me or not!,then I seen your photos in vmx mag a while back & there he was! I shoulda beleived him hey!now i find out he was also a mx gun!,He,s a nice bloke,last time i seen him was at the last classic dirt at Broadford a few years back,he does,nt move so well nowadays,legacy of a few to many endos perhaps, cheers smed

[SAABCOMBI]

GREAT PHOTO`S,

[number8]

Had my 1st Mini bike race there in about 70/71 on a Kawasaki 75 "Parnelli Jones"

#8

[Hoony]

I'm Roger Harvey ... I grew up in Berwick.  Still in touch with most of these blokes.  We had a DMCC BBQ reunion ... at Portbury's, November 2008.   His home's front yard is on what was the main straight of Bihamco.   
It was a book launch for a history I wrote on our club and local riders.  Was called called "No. 29: Wyatt and Co."   (80 copies, all gone now)
Here's some of the 170-odd who turned up:   Milton and Rob Portbury, Mark Portbury and a bunch of youngsters from DMCC, Neil Edney, Chris Cormack, Peter DeGraves, Geoff Taylor, Cam Taylor, Pam Taylor, Ross Nye, Lyn Atherton, Peter Hagstrom, Lynton Malley, Garry White, Frank Camp, Neil Bird, Winston and Doug Wyatt, Teddy Watson, Denise - parts boss at shop and Gary Hore, John Boag, Ken and Dawn Baker I think, Doug Farr, Barry Higgins, Doug Mortimer, Alan 'Stoney' Stone, Hartley Murrell, Cliffy Brownfield, Alan Warner, Vic Warner, Shannon Warner, Tom Robison, Sleepy Jones, Peter Drakeford, Elvis Mayberry, Dave Hammond, Ron Watts, Bill Ronald, Geoff Morris, Terry Reynolds, Dave Alsop, Jumbo van Sluys and Tom Cornelissen.

Hi Roger, i should have known. i know a lot of the people you mentioned above, some know me very well. i can't belive i missed this event and never knew it was happening till now.

its always been a great club.

[GMC]

Excellent posts Doggy Dinner.
I felt privileged to have been able to gatecrash that day, there was all manner of stuff there. Bikes on display, many old programs, some good old photo’s and some great people too.
There was even someone flogging a book.

I did hear all Stans photo’s went to the MA museum. Potentially a good move as they will be there for everyone, but I too wonder what they will do with them and when.
I heard the biggest problem is that there is just so many of them, all negatives, that it will take a while to scan them all.

Photoshop's great fun isn't it

[firko]

Great little nostalgia trip Roger. Good stuff. The only correction I'd make is in the 14th photo down of GT on the "DT1MX" #14, the bike's actually an RT1MX. Anal I know but I had an identical bike  and I'm currently building an RT1 special so every bit of a plug for the old "Black Bastards" is a good thing! 

[VMX247]

Was called called "No. 29: Wyatt and Co."   (80 copies, all gone now)

Hi Roger, i should have known. i know a lot of the people you mentioned above, some know me very well. i can't belive i missed this event and never knew it was happening till now.
its always been a great club.

Here another book Hoony, that you would want to get hold of sometime   
Quote: "Noel Clark Fundraiser" 
The legendary Brian Clarke, father of fundraising recipient Noel browses Roger Harveys extremely limited edition book, Skidmarks, that Roger had presented to Firko.
There are none left so don't ask.   
page 4
http://ozvmx.com/community/index.php?topic=10367.45
There is also a load of VMX dignitary/VIP photos at the book launch-be buggered if I can find the thread!    Firko?   
cheers

[Slakewell]

Thankyou for posting this.

[Doggy Digger]

Hi Firko,
I know it looks like a black tank, but it isn't.   It's a trick of the camera ... turning red tank to look jet black in the grayscale photo.   I knew this particular 250 cc bike ... it was the first DT1-MX produced (with the ugly red tanks).   Sleepy jones posted me this photo of it, also describing the cast-bronze head in the picture.  He was a good mechanic/tuner and fettled Taylor's bikes.   Stan likened that head to this: "try hitting a hammer on aluminium, and then hitting it on an anvil".   He reckoned the weight of bronze qave the engine more punch.   He also built a special expansion chamber for it ... and later also made a chamber and bronze head for Winston when he valiantly raced his original RT1 in the 1970 Vic scrambles series against Cramer, Crazy Horse Curran andNeil Edney on their MX bikes.   Winnie also raced it at Calder rallycross, winning there a few times.   Wyatt's RT1 ran like a freight train (but handled and weighed the same as any other RT1.   Pig-like)
I could write 10,000 words on just Stan and Winston ... the memories just go on and on.   Glory years.

[firko]

Thanks for the info Roger but why is it running yellow open class plates? With respect, that barrel still looks RT1 to me but it wouldn't be the first time Ive been wrong this week. Keep those photos coming.

[Doggy Digger]

Jeepers .. I dunno.   Um, here's one fact I know - those enduro-based racing 250s and 360s were shitheaps ... compared to the fair dinkum scramblers like huskies, Spaniards and CZs!

[number8]

Thanks for the info Roger but why is it running yellow open class plates? With respect, that barrel still looks RT1 to me but it wouldn't be the first time Ive been wrong this week. Keep those photos coming.

Firko,

Back in those days all the classes ran yellow backgrounds,and black #'s

#8