Ravenswood Vintage Nationals 19??

[IT400C]

These Photos are great IT400.I see Andra Matherson No 52 on his TM (ex ozzy title holder ) and Late Great Geoff Eldridge and what a great event that was.Did you ride in this event at all IT400?

haha - no, I didn't ride it.  I was living in Melbourne at the time and still riding Enduros..  Heard it was on and thought it would be worth a trip to have a look.  (It was!)   

[firko]

Thanks for the extra shots IT400c..I can add a little bit of background on some of the photos starting with the shots of Mike Middleton jumping his BSA 750 Metisse which I believe won the pre 65 class. A few of us had met both Mike and Marsh at various early Dick Mann vintage meets in California and eventually we organised for them to come downunder with their own bikes to compete at the '92 Nats.
I'm still on daily email contact with Mike and occasionally talk to Marsh. Mike has retired from racing due to a deliberating back injury but he still owns his one owner Metisse and has a good collection...all in his living room. Marsh retired from bike racing when he turned 70 and now races at Bonneville in his world record holding 6 cylinder Ford powered Model A roadster. I've posted pics of Mikes Metisse as it is today in the past but here's another shot. Plus a shot of Mike recuperating after recent spinal fusion surgery.
         
         

[firko]

I've described Col Brightwells immaculate Yamahas in a previous post but I do recall that they...and a good percentage of the bikes in those days....were unrestored.

* #33 OSSA Phantom is still owned by Phil Young and Gary Hodge. Phil was the importer back in the day and Hodgy was his "factory" sponsored rider. He was amazingly fast but enjoyed partying more than taking the sport too seriously. He still has his own Phantom and a restored Desert Phantom and was in Kamp Kevlar at CD5.

*# 8 Triumph Metisse was an original bike, not a replica and was owned by Gavin Martini. He had two Metisses at the 92 Nats, a green Matchless and the red Trumpy. The magneto failed on the Matchless so it was retired while Gavin concentrated on the Triumph. Unfortunately the bike fell off the stand and smashed its tank against a tree. Thankfully Gav was in very fortunate spot to actually have a spare tank on hand thanks to the Matchy breaking down. Gavin's still active on the scene, both in South Island New Zealand and NSW events. He recently sold his '77 CCM for a reputed 20k. Gavin has always had tasty British gear and currently owns a sweet Matchless Metisse (a different bike to the green Ravo bike ) a couple of EVO Maicos, the previously mentioned CCM and a unique NZ made custom framed BSA B50 called the El Sab.
       
*It's sad to see my old mate GE aboard the pre 70 CZ. His battle for the pre '70 class with Drakie, Jumbo and eventual winner Billy Brown on his orange crate Cappra was the best battle of the whole Nats. It went right down to a last lap desperado lap by Browny to decide the overall winner. Sadly GE would be dead within weeks. Does anybody have an XXL ADB Jersey like GE's they'd like to sell me? Mine got nicked years ago.

*Is Andre Matheson still around? The little bloke could certainly ride

[IT400C]

*It's sad to see my old mate GE aboard the pre 70 CZ. His battle for the pre '70 class with Drakie, Jumbo and eventual winner Billy Brown on his orange crate Cappra was the best battle of the whole Nats. It went right down to a last lap desperado lap by Browny to decide the overall winner. Sadly GE would be dead within weeks. Does anybody have an XXL ADB Jersey like GE's they'd like to sell me? Mine got nicked years ago.

Yeah, I spent the day with GE.  I hadn't seen him for years, and last time I saw him I was a kid - the son of photographer for another magazine (Dad was with Revs and AMCN back then).  And yet when I saw him at Ravenswood he recognised me (even though he'd only ever met me in Queensland), and insisted that I sit with them for the day.  He made me very welcome and certainly made the day much more enjoyable for me...

After the weekend, I bought some copies of the Colin MacKeller 'Yamaha Dirt Bikes' book for myself, my brother, my Dad, and one for GE as a thank you for the weekend...  I'd written an inscription inside and was about to post it to him when I heard he'd been killed...  Still have that book at home...

[IT400C]

Does anybody have an XXL ADB Jersey like GE's they'd like to sell me? Mine got nicked years ago.

Firko, I don't think I have that particular jersey, but I think have a couple of ADB jerseys - I think I've got a red Tycon, and perhaps a vented SCP..  I'll drag out the boxes on the weekend and get back to you.  Haven't looked at them in 10 or 15 years so my memory could be playing games with me.  They'd be XL or XXL.

I'd like to hang on to them, but you'd be welcome to wear them at CD8.

[firko]

Cheers for the offer, much appreciated! I had an orange ADB Jersey the same make and design as GE's but it was knocked off out of my ute along with my other riding gear at a bush dirt track...West Wyalong I think . Thankfully I had a spare kit and they didn't get my boots and helmet. There was a bit of sentimentality with the Jersey as GE had an XXXL version made for me so I could wear armour under the jersey as was the fashion in those days. It used to piss him off seeing me ride without body protection.

I can still remember getting the call telling me GE had been killed. He'd talked to a mate the previous day and was looking forward to the end of the Nevada Rally so he could go hunting down some old bikes he'd been told about. He was also going to look at buying an old jet fighter plane from the Arizona 'plane boneyard. If you were with GE at that meet we probably met and may remember me knocking his 360 YZ off the stand and breaking a lever only a couple of minutes before he was due to race it. I felt a real dick but we got it fixed and I think he may have placed in the race.

I often wonder whatever happened to that YZ...it was a bloody rocket, it'd easily peg my ported, methanol 440 Maico. I have a foggy notion that it may have gone to WA after his bikes were auctioned.

[IT400C]

Did you knock over the 360 on the Saturday or the Sunday?      

I was only there on the Saturday - the weather on Sunday changed my mind for me...

Or it may have been the destroyed tyre on my car going back to Melbourne Saturday afternoon...    (very embarrassing story that I'm still not sure I'm ready to share.. )   

[Rossvickicampbell]

Firko - is that the yellow Yamaha GE is on?  I was trying to work out what it is as the muffler is on the opposite side to a B?

[firko]

Did you knock over the 360 on the Saturday or the Sunday?    

Shit I can barely remember my address these days but I think it was sunny so I'd guess Saturday.  

Firko - is that the yellow Yamaha GE is on?  I was trying to work out what it is as the muffler is on the opposite side to a B?

Rossco, the bike's a YZ360 A in American Yamaha yellow. It'd been built and raced by Vintage Irons Rick Doughty to win the AHRMA championship or something or other the previous year. It had all of the then available good bits on it like Works Performance billet shocks which were brand new on the market at the time and the engine had been built by ex Yamaha factory mechanic Bill West. When we'd earlier had the ADB pre '75 500 class shootout at Dargle where we all cross rode each others bikes I think it was unanimous decision on the bike being the quickest and either the best or second best to actually ride. Remember that this bike was as trick as they came in those pre internet, pre vintage cottage industry days. Vintage Iron was just about the only supplier back then so it had the best of everything circa 1991.

[IT400C]

Did you knock over the 360 on the Saturday or the Sunday?    

Shit I can barely remember my address these days but I think it was sunny so I'd guess Saturday.  

Haha, I know what you mean!  I asked because I did have a vague recollection of it and I wanted to make sure I wasn't "remembering" something that happened on the Sunday when I wasn't there!!!   

[Rossvickicampbell]

Ta Firko - they might only be box brownie photos but nevertheless are good - and the US Yellow stands out.

[mposs]

Just a couple more from Bendigo meet...

[firko]

Here's a couple more of the Yanks bikes.

[JohnnyO]

The thing i like about all those shots is that it almost looks as if it's still the 70's even though it's 20 years later.
No loud bright riding gear, no bright anodized bling hanging off the bikes and the track is still marked out with tyres like in the 70's.. very cool.

[firko]

No loud bright riding gear, no bright anodized bling hanging off the bikes and the track is still marked out with tyres like in the 70's.. very cool.

Spot on John...no billet nonsence and especially noted is no trick shocks. Besides the Works shocks on the Americans bikes the trickest things there are the finned alloy Konis. It's also noticable that "non competitive" models like DT2MX Yamahas and 450 Ducatis are still seen at the races at that stage, before they became garage queen collectables and everyone started wanting Elsinores, Maicos and YZ Yamahas and such, the genuinely competitive bikes as race tackle. Our sport's certainly changed in 20 years.