Deep Creek Pay track Melbourne Approx 1982-85

[Hoony]

As far as I remember Deep Creek was only open around 82-84? You did well to get some video their Hoony as it would have been early days for video.
Their was a few of us that went thier quite a bit. It was a bit of a love/hate thing. Often hated the place but were pissed of when it closed down. I spent most of my time their on the track on the hill, often known as the European track. You can stick those Supercross tracks up you know where
My "claim to fame" at Deep Creek was trying to come to terms with double jumps on that supercross track. I gassed it up a bit too much & flipped it. I landed on the downhill side of the second jump on my back, don't know where the bike landed but when I picked it up it had snapped some near new Answer bars clean off at the crossbar junction. I ended up with gravel rash all up my back, it was hell at work the following week everytime I had to bend over for something.

I should have been more into pipe repairs back then, I could have been retired now from that track

I have a vague memory of the Supercross track being closed down one time because some clown had bogged his VW beetle in the middle of the quads. While working at a factory a few years back I got talking with a guy who remembered the place too, it turns out it was he who put the VW their while attempting to drive it around the whole track

I remember the guy that ran it (McLaucklin?) got a hard time from the greenies as they claimed the bikes were scaring the bird life away from the creek and at the same time had the Airport giving him a hard time claiming the bikes (food scraps) were bringing in too many birds making it dangerous for the planes 

He did try to set up another track the other side of the Airport, near Gladstone Park, I think it was an old tip or something. A few of us were invited their in 86 to put on a demo ride in front of a heap of lawyers & QC's in his bid to get it approved. He spent quite a bit od dough trying to get it through but it never happened.

Geoff the video i have was originally Super 8 silent cellouloid, i transfered it to VHS years ago and then a few years back burnt that to DVD. it is very grainy as when i did the VHS transfer we used a projector to shine it on a wall and videoed that with a VHS camera on a tripod over many beers with pizza. I was the other way as i loved the Super X track and hardly rode the Euro track at all. i do remember a few big stacks from back then.

i had a YZ250J but one day my bike had some problem so i rode my mates YZ490J and thought if i was ever going to try that big double this was the bike to do it on, so i hit it in 3rd strapped and cleared it no worries so then did it every lap. after that is was easy on the 250 as i had done it before, it was one of those things that made you more confident to try on a bike with more grunt.

I really loved that joint and we spent a lot of time there practicing on a saturday before a meeting the next day, get home wash bike service it that night and head off early next day to race. i could never imagine me being that keen now.

if i find time i might even put some old grainy Deep Creek action on Youtube

[holeshot buddy]

i remember riding back then on that track
quite a bit i loved it the euro track was cool on the side of a hill
and the supercross track was great this was when supercross
was peaking we had our own private track
and all the pros came and rode it, so when we got to
a supercross we were jumping everything in practice
the jumps back then were huge still dont know how
i did them the showgrounds track was awesome psyco jumps quads step ups
and i remember they made stutters out of sleepers and towards the end of the night
the wood was showing
i landed on john orchard ( remember him) over a double i did it he didnt  doh
unreal tracks and times
what happened to the pipeworks track at broadmeadows (i think)

[Hoony]

hey Russ, yes great times a plenty. would you believe pipeworks track at broady is still going allthough its been 15+ years since i have been.

John Orchard yes remember him well.

Melbourne Showgrounds supercross (1982 or 83?) was a hoot, even though i got taken out in 1st heat with concussion over the quads by another C grader.

How about the Avalon Night Motocross in 1981? Leisk was riding a CR250RB (or was it a 450) for Clem Nunn honda and i think even Mike Landman had a Honda too that year?

[holeshot buddy]

yeah i rode the avalon meetings as well
they were great like an  arena cross
did you practice at westgate under the bridge
and frankston i think that one is still there
amazing i was riding these tracks 26 years ago
we also practiced at the channel ten track at broadford a lot
i used to go with goof andrew carruthers and grant hodsen
riding with these guys really got my speed up
is the lakes entrance track still going
remember a b grade race i was in fourth and trevor thomas and i locked bars over the tunnel jump
very high up i seperated from my bike and dislocated my shoulder  doh
they were great tracks back then longwarry, lakes e , korumburra ,wonthagi,ravenswood,monza,
myrtleford,echuca,newtown,marybourough,barrabool,broadford,newry, shit we had it all
and back further was wallan,christmas hills, aurthurs creek,and shitloads more
definatly the best state to race in the eighties   

[GMC]

I rode at Broadmeadows a bit back then, but like Hoony I haven't been their for 15 years or so. It was there that I first mastered* quads although I gained my confidence better with a 125. Around 86 - 87 when I was keen I used to go there on Wed. arvo's to practice as I was working Afternoon shift. It didn't open till midday but I could get a couple of hours in before I had to start work at 3.30
This was where I first met Drakie as he was a school teacher & was taking some students there for a ride.
Also rode at West Gate & Wells Rd Frankston quite a bit. Another local track was Epping mini bike track which is now the site of Epping Plaza.
Who remembers Labatouche, the MX track was a bit ordinary but I enjoyed the trails when others were observing the one way signs. Dave Hammond did his knee the first time at Avalon & bought an Odyssey while recuperating & we rode a Pony Express style event for Odyssey’s at Labatouche. Would’ve done well except the belt fell off


* mastered = jumped & lived

[TC91]

Hey hoony,re '83 Melbourne supercross, is it alright to make an admission 25 years later although it might not have been you. going through the quads in front of the grandstand first lap someone falls, I am in the air and he is on all fours trying to get up, I bike rack the poor bastard.( I can still hear him trying to groan,occasionally I still wonder if he ever had any kids ). Spent the whole night feeling like a turd. Avalon in 81 was great, I think Leisky rode a 250 and I reckon Trevor Flood rode something strange, can am maybe? All the way down that morning I knew I hadnt done something on my YZ250h but couldnt put my finger on it.Unloaded the bikes and it didnt have a chain. I can still see the old man staring at me wondering how he could have sired such a dickhead. Thought I had better lift my game after that. Did you ride the night meeting at Bendigo showgrounds in 80 or 81?

[Hoony]

Hey Holeshot,

yes all great tracks back then, as i was and still am a Dandenong MCC member i got to ride the gippsland centre as well and rode all those great tracks many times, lakes entrance (no longer running) was a great circuit and we used to go down sat arvo and hit the pub sat night till stumps, this later turned into a friday night season as well with a counter lunch usually at Metung pub on the water, very pissy seasons, we started a thing call the "Bad Boy" award for the bloke who played up the most, i did win one "The 1988 Bicentential Bad Boy award".

Outtrim track at Korumburra is still going as is Newry, Yarram, Wonthaggi and barrabool. Frankston Practice track is still going, i used to go there and the westgate track quiet a bit back then.

G'day Geoff,

Labertouche was a favorite of mine in the early 80's and i too enjoyed the trails and the quarry,  the big hill near the quarry was great to pull monos up. i also used to venture out of the park down past the quarry into the state forest sometimes. great times. As i was a DMCC member back then every member could access the track whenever they wanted by dropping into the cop shop to pick up the key and then later every member had their own key, (this was before MA forked every thing and it had to be a designated practice day) we camped down there for a week sometimes and was there every off weekend practicing, i really enjoyed this just riding with the mates. easy going times without the red tape of today.

Hi ya Tony,

Didn't see you at ravo a few weeks back at VCM meeting? rest assured the "Bike Stand" was not me, i was taken out mid air over the quads by some other C grade Crazy (other than me that is) and broke a throttle housing which finished my night. i can relate to the missing Chain incident as i had a mate that did that too, he even didn't have a front sprocket on. Sadly i did not ride any of the Bendigo showgrounds meets (did your dad run these?), i feel i missed out as i always wanted to ride the Bendigo showgrounds track on my Weslake Speedway bike as i liked the big circuits, i did get the ride the Melbourne showgrounds for the MR melbourne speedways support classes and a few Exhibition rides at the Royal Melbourne show, nice track that one and fast, nearly as big as that great circuit at bathurst showgrounds Tony. that 1989 Australian long track with Simon Wigg pulling mono's the full length of the main straights was something else.

[TC91]

Hi Hoony, didnt make ravo, I seized the pursang at Cambletown and haven't had a chance to repair it. There are 4 pre 75 mxers in my shed and now none of them go. You would have loved the bendigo showgrounds. The best bike I rode there was a CR500, 15/46 gearing, 44mm Mikini on methanol. It would take 1.5 - 2 laps to build up enough pace to take her all the way round in top gear and my golden rule was whatever you do for christs sake never ever look at the wooden fence around the outside. The track and fence is still there but the local councillors in their wisdom have decided no more racing and built a glass fronted exhibition building right on pit corner totally f@#$%ng the best track in the country. The boxing night races during the early to mid eighties had to go to 2 days and nights to accomodate all the entries. Watching the likes of Phil Crump,Bookock,Sanders etc on their speedway bikes was awesome. The mxer lap record was 22.5 secs, crumpy would do it in 19, but the sprint cars in 16.5 was just faaark