Catalina Park.

[firko]

Here's a nice little tour of what was a great little circuit. Watching full fields of Apendix J Holdens battling there in the sixties still sticks in my mind. One memory is watching Bob Jane roll his Mustang right in front of us back in 1965. My mates and I could be seen in the background of the photo of the crash that made the front page of the Sydney dailies.
  http://zengarage.com.au/2014/01/catalinaraceway/ Don't miss the in car shots in the Datsun 1600 at what must have been at one of the club day lap dashes they snuck in under the radar there back in the 80's.                                                         
                                                             
                                                                  My mates and I are in the background of the above rolling photo...November 17, 1965

                                                                 
                                                                   Pete Geohegan leads Bob Jane and Norm Beechey seconds before Jane clipped Beechey and rolled

[Maicoman]

Funny you should raise this topic Firko. I was going through some pics with a mate about Catalina Park the other day. Looking at some current pics she's a pretty run down old place. The last sought of club racing there finished in the early 90's and the place has been let go.
   It's a sad way to end such a historic track. It makes me want to go up there and tidy it up to preserve something :'( It's probably the last piece of motoring history in the Sydney basin, with Amaroo, Oran Park gone to make way for bloody housing. Going back further I think there are remnants of the Warwick Farm track still there but not much else.

Here's a hot lap in a Datsun 1600.

http://youtu.be/YXSn_1oHM_Y

[SON]

What about the Auto cross
I mean SuperMoto

[Lozza]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5yIQAn7HXM
the future

[STW996]

Hey Firko, I did that walk a couple of years back (well I think 4 years ago) when I was down for a look around Sydney and the Blue Mountains.

I looked up a bit of the circuit history and wanted to see it first hand. I believe the main problem was the weather (fog) and can see why when I went there. Sad to see all the old circuits going by the wayside.

We have been a bit lucky up here in that Lakeside was purchased by the local council and it is now enjoy a new revival due to so many club events.

In a way I blame the V8 Supercars for this as the older circuits did not fit their requirements and so cannot afford to say afloat (they can also get more single event people to the street events).

Catalina park sure is a great spot and would have been great to drive. I read in the history of the circuit that it so named due to a Catalina aircraft being parked in the lake!

Thanks for posting the footage also guys.

Just as a foot note I raced Superkarts back in the late 80's early 90's so have raced at most of the old circuits but was too late for this one.

Shane

[firko]

These are Catalina scenes I remember so well....fields full of hotted up grey motored Holdens duking it out for all buggery. Apendix J was like sedan car Roller Derby at times. Remember that these old cars were only 10 years old at the time, some brand new like the Studebaker. I ended up owning one of those Apendix J FJ racers after Cams dropped the category and the cars had become obsolete. It was a fast old car for the day.
                                                     

I purchased the FJ #75 and it became my daily driver road car in the late 60's and my first race car (drags) in the early 70's (colour photo). It still exists today with a 202 4/speed in Townsville FNQ.

[STW996]

These are Catalina scenes I remember so well....fields full of hotted up grey motored Holdens duking it out for all buggery. Apendix J was like sedan car Roller Derby at times. Remember that these old cars were only 10 years old at the time, some brand new like the Studebaker. I ended up owning one of those Apendix J FJ racers after Cams dropped the category and the cars had become obsolete. It was a fast old car for the day.
                                                     

I purchased the FJ #75 and it became my daily driver road car in the late 60's and my first race car (drags) in the early 70's (colour photo). It still exists today with a 202 4/speed in Townsville FNQ.

Have a look at the crowd in the top left hand shot!!

Why can Europe still get crowds like this and we cannot??

Keep them coming Firko

[firko]

They didn't race bikes very much ay Catalina because of the lack of run-off and other safety deficiencies, not the least the permanent water run off on the track in the Tunnel of Love. Here's some shots from 1966, the bottom photo being of the late, great Ron Toombs, possibly on the legendary Henderson Matchless.

                                                                 
                                                                 
                                                                 

[firko]

Please pardon my brief indulgence but Catalina and Humpy racing were synonymous with each other. The bottom photo shows one that's come to grief in 1960, early in the tracks life as you can see by the lack of foliage. Note the closeness of housing, also in the top photo, the eventual reason for its closing.
                                                                             
                                                                             
                                                                             
                                                                             
                                                                             
                                                                             
                                                                             
                                                                             

[STW996]

Brave men round that track on motorcycles.

I am a real car guy as well Mark so keep it coming.

Gee they are clear pictures Mark for a website or yours?. how many meetings did you go to at that circuit. Did you also go to Warwick Farm? and any other older tracks?

They had a write up about Des West awhile back in the muscle Car mag and on the humpy Holden's, they really did get into a  bit of work with they in the day.

[jerry]

Great stuff Firko. Didn't Channel 7 televise some rally cross just before the track shutdown? J

[Davey Crocket]

I've been for a ride in a Catalina flying boat.....coolest plane I've ever been in. . Went to Lakeside and Surfers Paradise International Raceway a lot in the 80's.....last of the real cars....Group C....Moffat, Brock, Johnson....

[FourstrokeForever]

Great stuff Firko. Where in NSW was the track? All those old humpies are so cool and I'm glad to read your old beast is still alive...even if it has had a heart transplant. I know where there is a near new FX in Ararat Victoria with 1300 miles on the clock. All totally original right down to the tyres and number plates. Owned by one of the more affluent men in town and he will not sell it. He took it off the road when he got the new FJ which his son crashed when he fell asleep behind the wheel. The old bugger even has an as new LE 2 door monaro that sits in the same shed.

[Lozza]

Catalina Park is basicaly right in the middle of Katoomba. Would be prime location for a Classic Dirt type event with all the old FJ's and EH's and bikes going round(as would Mt Panorama at Easter). I doubt the resisdents that live between the park/GWH/Train line would complain the ones 5km away by crow fly would.

https://maps.google.com.au/maps?q=catalina+park&ie=UTF-8&ei=BTXaUtPGMsnylAWgn4CgBA&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAg

Just look at what happened to Amaroo a grand total of 7 houses are on the entire site of the circuit, mx and hilclimb

https://maps.google.com.au/maps?q=amaroo+drive+annangrove&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&channel=fflb&ie=UTF-8&ei=rzfaUrH0EMXZkAXF-4CgAg&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAg

[FourstrokeForever]

Thanks Lozza. I thought Catalina must of been in the mountains out west somewhere going by the climbs in the photos. Amaroo and Oran Park where the 2 circuits I used to go to as a young bloke. I absolutely loved going to Amaroo to watch MR Motocross and the like. It's a shame both circuits had to be closed for housing. Bloody urban sprawl! The same happened to Sydney Showground Speedway even though the showground was there before all the blocks of flats started springing up around it.