early days, You may see yourself

[JohnnyO]

Problem always is the fact that the guys that peddled these around back then are now between 50 and 60 years old. The old bodies can't take it. Also the fact that the tracks are on paddocks so there are no man made obstacles. I also think that a majority of vmxer's weren't racers back in the day. They were more the trail riders and don't like jumps.

You got it right in the last line.. a lot of VMX'ers were never motocross riders and don't really know what a motocross track is or was like in the day and they bitch as soon as a track has some bumps or a jump or 2 on it.

You may be right, but I think a lot of guys (like myself) also fall into the category of not riding much these days and so are uncomfortable with huge jumps.
The jump above at Wallan as I recall was near the end of the start straight (something that’s not allowed these days to help save the soft younguns) and was a long low jump, which would send you out a long way, but not up very high.
Modern jumps are the opposite, shorter and steeper, they send you up high but not out very far making for harder landings.

I have a liking myself for natural terrain tracks as they are usually for fun to ride and don’t mind jumps that are long and low.
Modern type tracks with their steep style jumps don’t do anything for me these days but I can understand how someone that rides a lot wouldn’t mind them.

It’s not the jumps that scare me, it’s the landings

A few well placed ski jumps would be fine geoff.. i don't like big jumps either and nor do old bikes.
As soon as someone says Jumps people on here automatically think steep upramps and doubles..Why??

[VMX247]

.

As soon as someone says Jumps people on here automatically think steep upramps and doubles..Why??
[/quote]

Perhaps cause its all we see marketed and the association with MX now days.!
Most of OZMX venues have the bigger jumps.
Its genaration,.ie every older rider 45+ loves a golf course.!!
Just dont mention sand     
cheers A

[SAABCOMBI]

I like tracks that are natural terrain and undulation, man made jumps are dangerous when chopped out, motocross started on natural terrain in the 50`s,60`s,70`s some where ok, but we where younger then, I enjoy a safe natural fast flowing track. Not these 1st and 2nd gear straights and short tight tracks.

[pancho]

Two of the jumps at good old Moorebank which would really startle modern riders as much or more than the old days were 'sorbent hill', a vertical drop of about 3-4 M which had to be approached at a sharp angle and a continued  turn on the descent, the other was Fishers leap. It would be great to see action at that place again! If one didn't make the sharp right turn on landing from that one the swamp from the sewage plant waited! been there done that!!!
  cheers pancho.

[pancho]

 Just remembered, I have some excellent pics from there, some of which were featured in OZ bike. One day I will figure out the scanner and posting process.

[motomaniac]

you guys who race for sheep sations should go and ride your "hard" mx tracks - they are around - and just stop whinging about the others (whom I think might surprise you by filling the majority) who like to have some fun and still go to work on Monday.  Geez  - this has to go on an on doesn't it?

Who said we race for sheep stations? I'm saying we ride tracks with no jumps or bumps and if anything a larger amount of people go flatout because the tracks are so easy.
At the end of the day we're all in it for the fun. and have to work on monday

I second that

[Curly3]

I remember those names from Moorebank Wally, great nostalgia.
Was "Sorbent" hill named after the toilet paper?

[090]

Problem always is the fact that the guys that peddled these around back then are now between 50 and 60 years old. The old bodies can't take it. Also the fact that the tracks are on paddocks so there are no man made obstacles. I also think that a majority of vmxer's weren't racers back in the day. They were more the trail riders and don't like jumps.

Hey Brad , speaking for the Banana state? because its not like that down here. We go plenty a jumps and look forward to the ocassional natural terrain track for a change.

Yes I was Brent as I replied to the post regarding QVMX. Sounds like Victoria is more my scene as that appeals to me.
Perfect scenario for me would be a track with vintage friendly jumps. I would like to see tabletops with a stepped down ramp, so you can still jump a pre 75 to the shorter landing and the later bikes can jump to the further landing. Know what I mean? Maybe I will have to take on the role and implement something like that. Problem always is that no matter what you do, some won't like the change. 
Hey John. Sounds like Greg who owns the Harrisville track has got it going on. Sounds like it is a great track and (almost) everybody is raving about it. Even some of the spectators!

[worms]

Wish the Qvmx club would look at these photos and understand these old bikes can do jumps and survive. They had to race on mx tracks back in the day,  should stay that way I reckon. But that's just my opinion

get along to the Classic, Conondale would have to be one of the best natural terrain tracks in Aust, used by the QVMX.

otherwise , toughen up princess's, because there's a bloody jump dose not mean you have to jump the fringin thing

[pancho]

 Sorbent hill!! it sure was named after toilet paper slidze. the first time you rode to the top and looked for the track your reaction was 'O $H1t!'
 If you safely negotiated that and the rest of the track 'round to the other side and over Fishers leap, if you didn't make the right hander as soon as you landed, you realy did end up in the s*** at the swamp which drained the sewage works! I stupidly rode a rigid T100 there once, managed to keep upright in the stinking mud, but got off and the bike didn't fall over!
  cheers pancho. [I'd love to see some of the old ABC Sports Cavalcade  shots of Moorebank one day]

[Curly3]

Hey Wally, there is a photo of the crowd at Sorbent Hill from the 60's in the latest Ed of Scaysies mag.
You might be there.

[cheapracer]

Anton used 3 as a race number from what i remember on 125 elsinore, was real quick.

KB

That is the way I remember Anton as well,

#8

Sadly Antons race  career ended after a bad prang at Christmas Hills in the 1977 Grand National,

I grew up in Mornington Victoria same as Anton who was 3 or 4 years older than me (I think). Of course at that age when you're 13 or 14 a 17/18 year old seems a big difference.

Anton was our hero in the town which was rather small and quiet back then compared to todays "YuppyVille" and his father, Kaise, owned Aler's Honda (cars) in the middle of town with the bike shop he also owned down next to the railway line 500 meters away.

Anton was a wonderful guy who always spoke to us 'kids' in the shop when he was there and on occasion appeared at the Mornington Mini Bike club.

He was very, very good as some of you know and it was a shock for the whole town to hear about his crash and subsequent loss of his leg that nearly killed him, I must have been around 16 by then.

Apparently he crashed quite heavily causing a compound fracture to his leg that for some reason was not taken seriously for some time (maybe hidden under his boot?) and ambulance was slow to arrive and by the time he was taken to hospital gangrene had set in and he underwent more than one operation first to try and save his leg then to try to beat the gangrene and that process was what almost took his life. This is what we all heard but not from Anton himself.

I only ever met him a few times after that and saw him competing in a Honda Civic in a rally sometime later that had a bike clutch lever adapted to the gearshift and to this day wondered how he got on with his life and things.

Anyway if you're around Anton, thanks for some inspiration and just being so nice to us as kids and say g'day to Chook :-)

   

[motomaniac]

Anton was our hero in the town which was rather small and quiet back then compared to todays "YuppyVille" and his father, Kaise, owned Aler's Honda (cars) in the middle of town with the bike shop he also owned down next to the railway line 500 meters away.

Anton was a wonderful guy who always spoke to us 'kids' in the shop when he was there and on occasion appeared at the Mornington Mini Bike club

Anyway if you're around Anton, thanks for some inspiration and just being so nice to us as kids and say g'day to Chook :-)

[/quote]

It spelt "Kees".I'm pretty sure Kees was already out of the cars and retired (he sold it to David Archer) when he bought the old grain store and set up a bike shop.Or at least he was setting up to retire when they set up shop after Anton returned from Europe and what a great shop it was .They dont make them like that anymore and Kees was some guy , alot of fun. Anton has been on the forum bytheway.Chook if you mean Paul is on a trip arond OZ.

[VMX247]

Anton has been on the forum bytheway..

and Facebook --- beware of what you say about others 
cheers A

[motomaniac]

Anton has been on the forum bytheway..

and Facebook --- beware of what you say about others 
cheers A

na he's not on  FaceBook . but yer good advice