76 Qld MX titles

[Wombat]

Yep, he was tiny.
I remember thinking he stood on the pegs because that's the only way he could reach them!

[Doc]

yeah, Gaston the Great was pretty small..he's the one wearing the Suzuki jersey 



$5.00 per rider and 50cents for spectators! I miss the 70's 

[oldmotoxer]

Thanks Wombat and Doc, yep he was a little bloke alright but a great ambassador for the sport of MX by the looks of it too.

[Maico31]

Don't forget the other star who raced for Phil Thew Moto in the late 70's.. Hard riding and hard partying Noel Harker raced and worked for Phil Thew. He's still racing today on a 490 Maico in the Qld Thunder X series...

[brent j]

I saw Rahier in NZ in late '75, he was short and had his bars pulled WWAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY back but he was so fast and so smooth.

Every one copied him, pulled our bars back and stood up all the time. We all wondered why the front end kept washing out. Turns out he had his bars so far back so he could reach them. A 6 foot rider looked really silly, standing with with his bars down around his knees...............................

Brent

[Maico31]

I saw Rahier and Neil Hudson at Tivoli in '76. Rahier's works 250 Suzuki was so fast he pulled a huge holeshot against Hudson's 400 Maico. Hudson won that day and Rahier was riding with an injured wrist and pulled out of the moto's. He was very fast and smooth on the big Maico beating all the top Aussies. I still have the Gaston Rahier World Champion poster that he signed that day.

[Doc]

Maico31..I did not know that about other PTM rider..did or does Noel Harker run an engineering business? I had my RM400 gears backcut by a guy by the same name many years back and they've never been any trouble since. Bushy bearded bloke. The shop was at Newstead/Albion and from memory he charged me bugger all, about $50-$60 all up.
As I've said both my RM's came from Phil Thew Moto but my local shop and parts supplier was either Reece Hampson at Northside Suzuki or Robby (1 arm) at Mayfairs Windsor. It was almost ritual to hop a train to visit either shop on a Saturday morning pocket money burning a hole in my pocket. Does anyone remember the name of the Japanese factory suzuki rider who visited with Gaston in late '75/early '76??

Here's a clickable photo from that particular moment in history with Rahiers wrist heavily bandaged. Sure to jog a memory or 2 



Brent, I feel Gaston's pain..I crashed my brains out at Connondale for that very reason on a borrowed PE400..I stuck it into a righthand corner and my left hand couldn't reach the bars or the clutch when things got a little uglier than normal  normal bar position for me is same rake as forks pulled back about an inch and nothing over 800mm wide or I'm in trouble 

[Maico31]

Doc, Noel started Australian Dirt Bike Wreckers at Kuraby i think it was, then moved to Slacks Ck and sold it to Ray Buchanan who had it for several years. It is now Full Throttle Motorcycles. They used to have heaps of VMX parts but all the good stuff went a few years back. I'll see if i can find the name of the Jap rider. I remember a bunch of Jap mechanics running round in Suzuki overalls working from a couple of very large wooden crates of factory spare parts.. Wonder if any got left behind? (parts, not japs)

[pokey]

Akira Watanabe guys? Gaston was runner up to him 78

[Doc]

Thanks for that..must be a different bloke I'd say..the mechanics did look pretty flash..like foreman material!!..almost seemed a crime to have factory RA parts in such an 'uncontrolled environment' but knowing those little Jappy chappies every last titanium split pin would have been accounted for 

Beaudy! Thanks Pokey! I always had bulk trouble with his name ..no wonder I had it banished from my grey matter 

[Maico31]

Don't think it was Watanabe that came to Aus, think it was Sugio or something like that. I'll try and find the program or magazine report.

[pokey]

yeah the wierd bit is that a bloke by the same name did a lot of road racing stuff   a few years  later. not sure if it was the same guy but seems its common practice for japanese to have the same names.

[090]

That makes sence 'cause they all look the same! Hey... maybe they're all clones, that would make alot of sence! Maybe thats why they didn't mind doin' the Kamakazi thing, just spat out another clone! Btw, im not racist, i hate everyone equally 

[Wombat]

A little more trivia for this thread: I was looking through my old 'Mr. Motocross' program from '78; it's the Tivoli Qld round.
Came across many names familiar to all (J.Leisk on mini bikes) and including Noel Harker as mentioned by Maico 31.
Don't forget the other star who raced for Phil Thew Moto in the late 70's.. Hard riding and hard partying Noel Harker raced and worked for Phil Thew.
He's listed as #54 riding a 250 Suzuki for Phil Thew Moto.[/color][/color]

[Maico31]

Wombat, #54 is the number noel rides with now on his Maico. I would've raced at that Tivoli meeting also.